Betting odds are always a good indicators of what you can expect in the next season. Not to say they are perfect predictors but they are naturally the good reflection of the general expectations. I dont bet but I always browse through certain sports betting websites to see what’s being offered and for whom. Based on the odds from Bet365 for winning the Premiership, I have drawn out the table as it might stand at the end of the season:
1. Chelsea
2. Man Utd
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham
6. Newcastle
7. Blackburn
8. Middlesbrough
9. Everton
10. Bolton
11. Man City
12. Aston Villa
13. West Ham
14. Portsmouth
15. Fulham
16. Wigan
17. Charlton
18. Reading
19. Sheff Utd
20. Watford
Nothing much to dispute about the top four. Even a minor injury to Thierry Henry can put Tottenham into Champions League. Possible changes could be that Blackburn and Bolton could swap places and Wigan can better Fulham. In fact, a poor start to the season can put Fulham into contention for relegation.
And there are some odds on the premiership top scorers as well. I’ve drawn the top 10 list of possible top scorers as per Bet365.
1. Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
2. Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea)
3. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)
4. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
4. Peter Crouch (Liverpool)
4. Craig Bellamy (Liverpool)
5. Louis Saha (Man Utd)
5. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
6. Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham)
7. Andrew Johnson (Everton)
7. Darren Bent (Charlton)
8. Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)
9. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
9. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Charlton)
9. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Man Utd)
10. Dean Ashton (West Ham)
10. Michael Ballack (Chelsea)
10. James Beattie (Everton)
10. Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal)
10. Robbie Keane (Tottenham)
I think it might be a close finish between Henry and Shevchenko. In the community shield match against Liverpool, Sheva showed us that he needs no time to settled down or get used to the EPL tempo. He was in business straighaway. And mind you, this guy scores 20+ goals in Serie A where you can find the meanest of defences. And also he was not a one-man team like Henry. Sheva was in a star-studded team but still ended up with a bagfull of goals.
Some surprises in the above list are: Peter “where-is-the-ball†Crouch: I dont see him score more than 7or 8 goals if he gets as lucky as he always gets. Michael Ballack: Can definitely score more than Bet365 odds expect him to. Ole Gunner Solskaer: Good old Ole is back and he is in the scoresheets.
I’d expect and love to see Sheva outscore Henry and leave Arsennielle FC with nothing.
