Five wins from their last 17 and three from their last 12 meant a bit of a lost season for Wolves.
A mid-table finish was solid, if unspectacular, but they looked positioned for something more when they were eighth and four points off fifth at Christmas.
Instead of looking towards continental qualification, the Midlands club are being debated in Premier League relegation betting for 2022/23.
Only Watford and Norwich had worse expected goal difference marks last season. The regression in 2022 was expected, and Wolves fans will be wondering what the new campaign has in store.
Subpar Window
This has been a less flamboyant transfer window than recent summers.
Hwang Hee-chan’s move was made permanent in January, and he’s officially become a Wolves player. Cash was splashed on Nathan Collins from Burnley, and a raft of players have returned from loan spells.
Links to Gabriel Barbosa and Enzo Fernandez are yet to become anything more than that.
Wolves have not made meaningful upgrades to a team which was subpar at both ends of the pitch last season. It’s no surprise they are a popular sports betting pick to struggle in 2022/23.
Lage Needs Results
Bruno Lage is among the favourites to be the next Premier League manager sacked.
Their return of 51 points was better than the season prior, but the underlying numbers don’t exactly paint an optimistic picture.
The attack was dysfunctional. Raul Jimenez was the only Wolves player in the top 78 in non-penalty expected goals, and Daniel Podence was in the same position when it came to expected assists.
Wolves’ attack hasn’t exactly been potent in recent years, but the defence was lock tight. That wasn’t the case under Lage.
How Can Wolves Improve?
Lage was fortunate to get the results he did in 2021/22. Wolves can blame injuries for inconsistency in team selection to a degree, but that’s also a symptom of an ageing core.
Of the six Wolves players with the most Premier League appearances last term, five are 29 or older.
There is still a dependence on 35-year-old Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez was not the same player post-injury.
While there isn’t a shortage of decent Premier League players at the club, there is a feeling that the first team needs freshening up. No Wolves players will feature among the best preseason tips as it stands.
Wolves Prediction For 2022/23:
Wolves have a knack for getting results, but the second half of last season was alarming.
A managerial change in 2022/23 feels likely. They are always a candidate to make a significant signing, however, which could change our Premier League prediction for the Molineux outfit.
For now, though, avoiding relegation would be a decent season given their quiet window.
For all the concern about this squad and Lage’s management, Wolves should have just enough to stay up. There will be at least three worse teams.
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
A dire end to 2021/22 left Southampton in 15th, just five points above the relegation zone. Premier League relegation odds for 2022/23 are expecting a similar outcome this season, with only five clubs at a shorter price to go down.
Ralph Hasenhuttl has impressed during his time in the Premier League, but several windows of subpar recruitment have caught up with the Saints.
There are reasonable doubts about the quality at Hasenhuttl’s disposal, particularly in the final third. Chance creation is very dependent on James Ward-Prowse’s set piece ability.
Only two Southampton players ranked in the top 40 in expected goals last term. One of those players, Armando Broja, is no longer at the club.
Southampton haven’t endured major losses this summer, as they did 12 months ago with Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard departing, but some will still be underwhelmed by their business.
Not Done Enough
It’s been a clear youth movement from the Saints hierarchy. Gavin Bazunu, Sekou Mara, Romeo Lavia, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Joe Aribo and Mateusz Lis arrived on permanent deals. That sextet have an average age of just over 21.
Official. Southampton complete their sixth signing with talented forward Sékou Mara from Bordeaux, deal completed and sealed today. 🚨⚪️🔴 #SaintsFC
“A France Under-21 international, Mara set to become Saints’ signing once he completes his medical and signs”, statement says. pic.twitter.com/POQLB0q8gJ
This is a clear injection of upside, but how much does it really impact Southampton as a sports betting prospect in 2022/23?
Southampton fans could be forgiven for feeling frustrated that there haven’t been more readymade additions after the club displayed relegation form in the second half of 2021/22.
Under Pressure to Bounce Back
Only Norwich and Watford collected fewer points in 2022. Leeds were the only team to concede more. The last we saw of Southampton was a team experiencing a demise, often outplayed with and without the ball.
Hasenhuttl must arrest that trajectory and do so quickly when the new season gets underway. It’s not an easy start to the season with Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea in three of their first five fixtures.
How Can Southampton Improve?
Southampton simply need to be active in the transfer market.
Few other teams in Premier League predictions have a weaker first-team squad, and the second half of 2021/22 was another reminder of how far off the mid-table pace they have fallen.
Hasenhuttl has done a stellar job at the club, but more firepower is needed in the final third.
This team requires proven talent to accompany the exciting young players they have already added in this window.
Southampton Prediction for 2022/23:
Often teams who struggle in the second half of one season carry those woes into the next.
Southampton did enough to stay away from the most intense part of the relegation tussle last season, but they will have no such luxury in 2022-23, particularly with so many challenging fixtures early on.
The league looks strong on paper this year. All three promoted teams should be competitive. Brentford and Leeds, the two holdover teams with shorter relegation odds, have higher ceilings than Southampton.
Some might argue for Southampton as one of the best away days in the Premier League, but top flight fans may have to wait a while for their next trip to St Mary’s after this season.
Southampton Premier League prediction: Relegation
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
Steve Mullington (@mulldog) remembers the late Greville Starkey and the impact he had on young horse racing fans...
I’ll be brutally honest with you; I’ve never met a human “hero” in person.
In fact, the majority of my heroes down the decades have been equine ones and I’ve seen most of my favourites up close and personal, either on a racecourse or at their stables.
However, for the purposes of a nostalgia piece like this I’ve been racking my brain to think back upon a handful of people or horses that I would have loved to have seen/met when they were in their heyday.
One of the names that have intrigued me the most over the years is...
Greville Starkey
I saw the po-faced Greville Starkey returning to the winners enclosure at Haydock Park as very young boy and it was a mental image that has been stuck in my mind ever since.
I mean, how could a middle-aged man who has just experienced the euphoria of riding a racehorse to victory look so down in the dumps as he returns to weigh in?
When many years later I read Starkey’s back-story, it made perfect sense to me as to why he wasn’t much of a smiler in the latter part of his career.
Greville Starkey (1939 – 2010) was quite possibly the most talented jockey in the past half century never to become champion jockey.
Sir Michael Stoute says Greville Starkey was a brilliant jockey and horseman plus a joy to work with. Sadly, the first thing many recall about him was his defeat on Dancing Brave in the 1986 Derby, won by the Stoute-trained Shahrastani.#RacingGreats@RishiPersad1pic.twitter.com/7TRUYf79VO
The trainers he rode for regarded him as one of the best analysts of their horses, and of all the races that he rode in.
Starkey reached the highest echelons of the sport during his 33-year career in which he rode 1,989 winners, all of them long before the days of online horse racing betting. He was champion apprentice in 1957 and retired from race riding in 1989.
His impressive CV included the Derby and Oaks (English and Irish); the 2,000 Guineas; the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes; the Champion Stakes; the Ascot Gold Cup and the 1975 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on the German-trained Star Appeal.
He was also involved in one of the strangest incidents on a racecourse in modern times. At Royal Ascot 1988 he was bizarrely unseated from Ile de Chypre (a 4/1 shot in the betting) when the horse suddenly swerved across the course.
The reason it happened is still unknown, but one of the theories put forward was that the horse was zapped by a stun-gun.
After his defeat on Dancing Brave in the 1986 Derby, Starkey was replaced as his jockey in the subsequent big races. It was a massive blow to his pride and he never did quite get over it, hence the stern face and lack of emotion on the racecourse.
In actual fact Starkey was quite a joker and that facade of his on the track was merely a smokescreen. He was actually a party-loving, practical joker and a great animal noise (he did a mean Jack Russell dog) and people impersonator.
Starkey, who lived in Kennett, died in 2010 at the age of 70 after an eight-year battle with cancer.
Mourners at his funeral included former weighing-room colleagues Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, Ray Cochrane, George Duffield and John Reid; such was the high esteem that he was held in. Starkey's long-time employer Guy Harwood also attended.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Steven is a sports and horse racing enthusiast and is a member of the Horseracing Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) in the United Kingdom.
He is a regular visitor to Paris Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a lifelong fan of the Aintree Grand National, a subject he writes about 52 weeks of the year. Last year he reached the impressive milestone of attending the last 30 renewals of the Grand National.
Steven graduated from the University Of Lancaster in 1996 with a B.A (Hons) in Urban Policy & Race Relations (major) with Contemporary Religions & Belief Systems (minor) and still wonders if any of these help him find the winners?
He writes for a number of websites and online publications and you can sometimes hear him at the weekend discussing racing on a number of local radio stations.
Where: Hillgrounds Playing Fields, Hillgrounds Road, Kempston, Bedfordshire MK42 8QG
Competition: Khalsa Football Federation Bedford Tournament Division One Semi-Final
Attendance: 69
The Khalsa Football Federation was formed in 1987 for the UK-based Sikh community. Various tournaments are run throughout the summer at venues across the country.
These are extremely well-organised, catering for both junior (under-9’s upwards) and senior footballers. There is also an over-35’s ‘Veterans’ section.
Games are played over a weekend with fixtures spread across the Saturday and Sunday commencing really early at 9am. Teams are split into various divisions depending on ability.
The more successful sides can face a hectic timetable of four full 90 minute games in just two days with the possibility of extra-time and penalties as well. I wonder what leading Premier League managers would say about a schedule like that!
In the past, I have seen matches at the Khalsa Tournaments staged in East London, West London, Walsall and Leicester. I have found that the football action has been fiercely competitive.
Overall these events have a lovely carnival atmosphere with hundreds of people present. An array of tents circle around the pitches selling refreshments and showcasing the businesses who have given their support.
Ground Description
This particular tournament was organised in conjunction with the Shaheedi Sports Council Bedford who do a lot of good work locally.
Five pitches were marked out at Hillgrounds Playing Fields for the various matches with another pitch across the road in Addison Howard Park.
The tournament finals were played adjacent to the playing fields at the main Kempston Rovers FC stadium.
Programme Details
Normally a full glossy programme is issued for each of these Khalsa Tournaments with plenty of interesting background information.
However, there wasn’t one published at Bedford although a colour poster was available and that made a worthwhile souvenir of the occasion for me.
It stated that the weekend’s activities also included athletics, volleyball and tug-of-war as well as the football.
The Match
I wanted to see the local team - Punjab Lions Bedford FC – in action as I knew they would attract decent support. PLB are members of the Bedford & District Sunday Football League.
So when I arrived at Hillgrounds Playing Fields, I went straight to the Khalsa Tournament organisers’ information tent where all the fixtures were being collated.
The very helpful guys there pointed me in the direction of ‘Pitch 1’ where PLB’s appetising Division One Semi-Final was taking place.
Their opponents Leamington Khalsa FC are from the Leamington & District Sunday League. This turned out to be a tight match in extremely hot weather conditions.
It was scoreless at half-time but PLB stepped things up a notch in the second half to secure a 2-0 victory.
This was thanks to a couple of well-taken strikes by Raheem Jabbar on 50 and 74 minutes. PLB were roared on by their passionate fans who celebrated wildly when the goals flew in.
The People
I recognised the assistant referee running the line at my match and had a really good chat with him.
He is former Football League ref Jarnail Singh and he has always officiated very well when I have seen him in action. A nice approachable guy too.
Jarnail’s sons - Sunny and Bhupsy Gill – have both followed in the family tradition to become football referees.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*
Neil Callan (@neilcallan78) gives an update on Royal Aclaim ahead of the Nunthorpe Stakes, his thoughts on the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and three booked rides for Newmarket on Saturday...
Haydock Treble
It was great to get three winners at Haydock last Saturday with Night Bear, Spangled Mac and Savrola, but I was gutted to miss out on the fourth with Lord Uhtred in the seven-furlong novice.
We got done right on the line and it would have been nice to win the race for Charlie Hills and the horse’s Bahrain owners. But look, I can’t complain, I’m making lots of new contacts and riding plenty of winners. That’s the objective.
This game is all about opportunities. You’re going to have good spells and bad spells, but I don’t tend to change the way I ride.
It’s about keeping a cool head and ride like you do the whole time. Confidence is key and I’m riding with plenty of confidence at the moment because we’re getting plenty of opportunities to ride nicer horses.
Hot Hot Hot
We all know what it’s been like this week. Newmarket was up to 40 degrees, so it was one of the hottest places in the world. It was hotter than Dubai and I think Bahrain was about the only place hotter.
Of course we still ride out, but with a lot of horse racing cancelled on Monday and Tuesday it meant a few of us had a nice little break which you don’t often get in the summer.
They were struggling for water in Newmarket which meant the watered gallop wasn’t in use. That restricts where trainers can take their horses, so they were reliant on the all-weather gallops.
You need to get the horses out a bit earlier when it’s that hot and make sure you keep them well hydrated.
As a family we are very lucky that my in laws have a pool in the garden, so we just chilled there for a few days with the kids.
It was a bit like a mini holiday. You put your swimmers on, go to M&S, get some crusty bread, sandwiches, ice creams. It was a nice couple of days and allowed me to recharge my batteries.
Royal Aclaim Nunthorpe Bound
As I said a couple of weeks ago, it was a shame I wasn’t able to do the light weight on Royal Aclaim in the City Walls at York, but she was hugely impressive and is now the favourite for the Nunthorpe.
Different class 👑
Royal Aclaim bolts up to win the John Smith's City Walls Stakes 🥇
I’m not sure if she’ll have another run before then, but I obviously hope to get the ride back. A three-year-old filly won it last year [Winter Power] and I think she’s got a big, big chance.
The clock is telling how good she is and it doesn’t look an overly strong Nunthorpe to be honest. I won it on Borderlescott back in 2009 and it would be lovely to win it again.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
I think the favourite in this [Westover] is a worthy one after his romp in the Irish Derby.
Having said that, I do like Emily Upjohn and I think the track will play to all her strengths. She’s a strong stayer with speed and she travels, what more could you ask for. I think she can upset the boys in this.
5/2
Emily UpjohnTo Win or Each Way
I also think you can expect Mishriff to bounce back from an unlucky Eclipse, if David [Egan] was offered the chance to run that race again he’d probably take it.
This will be a bit tougher and over a bit further but his second in this race last year proves he’s very capable over the mile-and-a-half. Although, I think the younger brigade could outclass his experience.
There’s no doubt this will be a tactical affair and that’s why I’m siding with Emily Upjohn because she’s uncomplicated and will put the speed to the others and make them stay.
Newmarket Rides
I’ve got three rides at HQ on Saturday starting with DIVINE MAGIC in the seven-furlong fillies handicap (1.57pm) who comes here on the back of a well-deserved win last time out.
She had been running well and came third to a nice filly of Richard Hannon’s [Heredia] who followed up by winning the Sandringham Stakes at Ascot.
When she went up to Leicester and won, she had Benoit de la Sayette’s claim to help out, but she could probably have won without that. The key to her in this race is that she’ll need a bit of pace on in this small field.
I ride BERGERAC in the six-furlong handicap (3.42pm) for Kevin Ryan who I had finished second on earlier in the season at this track. He’s a tough, consistent sprinter and almost gives the feel that he could get seven furlongs.
If he can get in a nice rhythm here and reserve as much energy as possible, he could be there at the finish. He’s not a horse that quickens but he has definitely got a strong finish in him and could bounce back here.
The last ride of the day is UZINCSO in the mile handicap (4.17pm). I haven’t ridden this horse before, and it looks like he’s been off the boil slightly since doing a lot of winning as a four-year-old.
He’s had two thirds in his last three runs though, so hopefully he’s coming back to a bit of form.
I HAD the bizarre case of my girlfriend disappearing into thin air on a football trip to the Manchester area in 1991.
This actually happened during a really historic occasion. It was the first ever live televised match outside of the Football League at Altrincham versus Barnet and I was booked to commentate on the game.
It was being shown by a TV channel called Sportscast which used to broadcast exclusively into pubs around the county. So I travelled up north with my lady friend – who we will call Tina – the night beforehand and we stayed in a nice hotel.
On the day of the game, I had to clamber up a steep ladder to the precarious broadcasting gantry. This was perched on top of the grandstand roof at Altrincham’s Moss Lane ground.
Therefore I said to Tina: “It’s not really very safe for you to climb up there as well. So just take a seat in the stand and watch the match. I’ll be back down after the final whistle.”
At the end of the match, I descended the ladder to meet her. But she wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
I spent four hours looking for Tina – in the football club’s bar, back where I had parked my car and back at our hotel. It was before the advent of mobile phones so I couldn’t contact her.
As a last resort, I decided to go to the local police station and report Tina as a missing person. It created quite a stir and a number of officers crowded around to take down the details.
Here is a video of one of my first television jobs where I was co-commentating on Altrincham v Barnet in 1991 https://t.co/ncxl6oXbZL
A worried-looking CID detective said: “We haven’t had an abduction round here for years. We’ll call in extra men and carry out house to house enquiries.”
Then the detective added: “Have you tried to phone her at home?”
So I replied: “No, she has a flat in South London. She won’t be there. We’ve been up north since last night. There‘s no point in phoning her.”
“Well I think you should just try her number before we get this major investigation under way.”
“Ok, but it’s a waste of time. She won’t be in London. We came up for the weekend and she can’t get home as I’m driving.”
So he handed me a phone and I called Tina’s flat. It rang four times and then to my total amazement she answered!
I said: “What the hell are you doing?”
And she replied: “Oh, I got bored watching the football so I decided to leave.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well I went outside and there was a man standing there so I told him ‘Look, if you see Tony coming out of the match, then tell him I’ve gone home’.”
“Who was this person?”
“Some guy on the street corner.”
“And you think he was going to stand there for the next few hours waiting for me to come out of the match?”
“Yeah, he said he would pass the message on.”
“So how did you get home?”
“Well I got a bus into the centre of Manchester and then I saw a railway station and there was a train about to leave for London so I got on it. I’ve only just this minute got back to my flat. And by the way Tony, you owe me £37 for the train fare.”
I swiftly left the police station after receiving some very strange looks from the CID detective.
And I decided that it was best not to see Tina again.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*
Where: No 2 Pitch, Corinthian Sports Club, Gay Dawn Farm, Valley Road, Fawkham, Longfield, Kent DA3 8LY
Competition: Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 57
Way back in 1982, I became aware of an intriguing football fable which I didn’t quite believe to begin with. It concerned a millionaire who had marked out a full-sized football pitch in front of his house on a farm.
This was so that his sons could play together in a team with their friends. They only took part in friendly fixtures. Well it was before the internet so it was hard to find out more information.
But I did some rudimentary research and discovered that the gentleman in question was called Mr Ronald Billings and he had formed Corinthian FC at Gay Dawn Farm in Kent.
So I consulted Directory Enquiries and rang the farm to learn that there was a Sunday afternoon friendly match coming up against Carshalton FC. This captured my attention and I set off for the game by train.
It was a couple of miles from the nearest railway station and I couldn’t afford a taxi in those days as I was an impoverished university student.
Therefore I intrepidly walked along a series of narrow and quite dangerous country lanes before I eventually found the farm which seemed in the middle of nowhere.
The first person I met there was Mr Billings himself and he took a great interest in the fact that I was a keen football explorer. He invited me into the farm to meet his family and offered me refreshments before we watched the match together.
After the final whistle, Mr Billings drove me back to the train station as he didn’t want me to walk down the country lanes again! My only disappointment was that no match programmes had been published for the fixture.
But a couple of days later, I received a letter in the post. To my great surprise, Mr Billings had written and printed a single programme for the Carshalton game just for me and sent it to my home address!
I have never forgotten the warm welcome I received at the farm all those years ago. After that, Corinthian eventually joined the formal ranks of competitive Non-League football in 1985.
The main pitch was fully enclosed by then with spectator accommodation added. I understand that Mr Billings sadly passed away in 1991.
Nowadays, Corinthian are members of the Isthmian League. So when I heard that this pre-season friendly versus Bearsted was being played on their second pitch, it was an opportune time for me to make a groundhopping re-visit.
Ground Description
It is still a working farm containing several large barns complete with agricultural machinery.
But the Corinthian Sports Club within the site has expanded over the years to include extensive football, golf, ball court and sports bar facilities.
The ‘No 2 Pitch’ that I was interested in is mainly used for youth football. It has floodlights, pitch railings, dug outs and a totally unique-looking 110-seater grandstand.
Programme Details
Priced at £1 for four pages - a good effort for this friendly.
I enjoyed reading the manager’s notes where Michael Golding described his squad being “cherry picked by sides around us” and “trying to rebuild a side with no budget” as the club’s long-standing amateur ethos remains in place.
The Match
Those family traditions continue as two of the original Mr Billings’ grandsons - Jamie and Jack Billings – were playing in this game for Corinthian.
Well-known professional cricketer Sam Billings (another grandson) was in attendance watching the match.
The People
Aforementioned manager Michael Golding was very helpful in confirming the fixture and providing background information for this blog.
Meanwhile, Phil Hannah from the Corinthian coaching staff spoke to me in great detail about his love of being involved in Non-League football.
In addition, I had a lengthy chat with Mr Billings’ son – also called Ronald – who was absolutely fascinated by my recollections of meeting his father when visiting the farm 40 years ago.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*
Leeds were fighting relegation until the very end of 2021/22. Premier League betting odds envisage a similar campaign for the Yorkshire club in 2022/23 with only the newly promoted teams having shorter odds to go down.
It took 18 years for Leeds to return to the top flight, but after a ninth-placed finish under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020-21, many are tipping them for the drop in 2022/23.
This is a club which has lost arguably its two best players in Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips this summer.
There shouldn’t be any surprise that sports betting markets once again project a relegation-threatened season at Elland Road.
Busy Summer At Elland Road
Raphinha and Phillips are in Barcelona and Manchester respectively, but Leeds haven’t hung around spending that influx of cash.
Three players – right-back Rasmus Kristensen, midfielder Tyler Adams and attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson – arrived from the Red Bull family.
Some nice words from Patrick Bamford on Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha after they left Leeds this summer. States they 'deserve' the opportunities at Manchester City and Barcelona (via PA). #lufcpic.twitter.com/pSagR3mn6B
Winger Luis Sinisterra was picked up from Feyenoord for over £22 million, while Marco Roca signed from Bayern for a shade over £10 million.
Depth was an issue in 2021-22, and Leeds have made a marked effort to add bodies. Their manager’s links to the Red Bull project have clearly played a part in their recruitment, too.
Fixing The Defence
Jesse Marsch made quick progress in improving the Leeds defence.
While they still finished the season with the second-most expected goals against, Leeds’ 19 goals conceded from March 1st onwards was fewer than eight Premier League clubs, including Arsenal.
Tens of millions have been invested in defensive personnel in Kristensen, Adams and Roca. Rumours continue that Marsch is searching for another left-back, with Burnley’s Charlie Taylor mooted as a possible target.
Leeds defenders weren’t a popular FPL pick in the Bielsa era – could that change under Marsch’s leadership in 2022-23?
How Can Leeds Improve?
With the defence making a real step forward in the closing months of last season, attention will turn to the attack. Raphinha top scored in the league with 11 goals in 2021-22. Jack Harrison was the only other player with more than six.
Patrick Bamford was limited to under 600 minutes, which didn’t help their front line after his stellar debut campaign in the Premier League, but it’s clear quality is needed in the final third.
Leeds will hope Sinisterra is part of the solution after the Colombian scored 12 goals and registered seven assists in the Eredivisie in 2021-22.
Further reinforcements are probably required too, though, with transfer links ranging from Otavio and Juan Mata to Cody Gakpo and Nicolas Pepe.
This is a squad with sufficient upside to talk yourself into a top half finish, but the losses of Phillips and Raphinha will naturally provoke relegation speculation.
Marsch showed enough last season to suggest he can extend Leeds’ Premier League stay. Anything more than that seems out of reach with the calibre of players they have sold.
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
There were ups and downs along the way, but finishing 13th was an overwhelming success for Brentford in their first ever Premier League season. It’s now the difficult second album for the Bees.
Despite their best efforts, the club were unable to keep hold of Christian Eriksen after he provided a boost in the second half of 2021-22.
No Brentford players are among the contenders in Premier League Player of the Year odds, and there are fair questions to be asked if this squad has the necessary talent and depth to replicate that mid-table finish.
Just behind the three newly promoted clubs, Brentford are one of the sports betting favourites for relegation.
Window So Far
Brentford have gone typically out the box with their signings.
"We created six big chances so I'm very pleased with the offensive part of it"
The Bees splashed over £17 million on 21-year-old winger Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull, and almost £15 million went to Bologna for 20-year-old left-back Aaron Hickey.
A club which embraces analytics like few others, Brentford have clearly seen something in Lewis-Potter and Hickey.
Their recruitment is second to none, and these are the kind of transfers which have allowed them to keep progressing even when selling on key players like Neal Maupay and Ollie Watkins in recent years.
After being the biggest overachievers in Premier League predictions in 2021-22, it would be easy to assume this Brentford team has peaked. That isn’t necessarily the case.
How Can Brentford Improve?
Pontus Jansson is the only member of the Brentford squad in his thirties, and the Swede was solid throughout last term, clocking 37 Premier League starts.
Only the top six, Brighton and Crystal Palace had a better expected goal difference than the Bees in 2021-22.
There is a foundation to, at the very least, maintain their Premier League status in 2022-23, and potentially push on further.
Alongside their new signings, Brentford can expect further development from Kristoffer Ajer, Bryan Mbuemo and Vitaly Janelt. This is a team trending in the right direction, with natural improvement projected across the squad.
Brentford Prediction for 2022/23:
Still, their fate in the coming season is very dependent on Ivan Toney maintaining his form from the prior campaign.
Toney, a popular preseason FPL pick, scored 12 goals and notched five assists in 2021-22. Only two players outside the top six scored more.
The transfer window hasn’t been flashy compared to some of their mid-table peers, and there were some worrying slumps in their debut Premier League campaign. There’s still plenty to be confident about with this Brentford side, however.
Frank is a good manager. Toney is a proven goal scorer. The defence impressed after promotion.
Avoiding the dreaded demise in their second season would be deemed a success for Brentford. They are well-equipped to do that. Continuity can be valuable, and we like their chances to land another cosy mid-table finish.
Brentford Premier League prediction: 13th
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
Wales head to the World Cup viewed as a one-man team
While Bale is hugely important their biggest strength lies elsewhere
A last 16 place awaits a team packed with experience and resilience
The last time Wales participated in a World Cup, Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister, cinema-goers flocked to see The Bridge On The River Kwai, while a 17-year-old Pele was showcasing his ridiculous talents to millions.
Sadly, this latter landmark is highly pertinent, with the teenage sensation ending Wales’ tournament at the last eight stage.
Ever since, there have been a litany of disappointments and play-off heartbreaks that put England’s unofficial anthem to shame - thirty years of hurt?
Try 64 – and even if in recent times this small, proud nation have enjoyed some unforgettable Euro adventures, their World Cup dream began to mean so much that some stopped daring to dream of it.
That is, of course, until now because this November, Robert Page’s men travel to Qatar having finally qualified via a play-off route full of tense, tight drama and though the World Cup betting has Wales down as 150/1 outsiders to win the whole thing that doesn’t matter a jot because nobody is expecting them to go all the way and furthermore, they won’t.
What does matter is that escapades are had, both on and off the pitch; that memories are made to be forever cherished, and most importantly and vitally, Group B is successfully navigated to ensure all of this happens.
A look at the group’s make-up reveals this to be entirely possible.
England, naturally, are the strong favourites and should be backed to comfortably reach the last 16 but beyond them a trio of sides will likely be competing for the runner-up spot, all of whom are bunched together in the FIFA world rankings.
Indeed, just nine places separate Wales, USA and Iran and considering the Dragons were placed in Pot 4 their fate could easily have been far more difficult.
Countries who were thankfully avoided include the Netherlands, Germany, Croatia and Uruguay.
That is not to say the respective merits of the USA and Iran should be downplayed. It simply infers they are beatable with the States admittedly sprinkled with genuine quality but also prone to stumbling on the international stage, most notably in recent months to Panama and Canada.
Iran meanwhile, remain something of an unknown quantity but it is safe to state that their qualifying group amounted to a formality and it’s telling too that their best player – Alireza Jahanbakhsh – failed to pull up trees at Brighton.
Though inevitably the 33-year-old will dominate the conversations surrounding Wales’ hopes as Qatar looms, the first port of call when highlighting their strengths concerns an area of the pitch distinctly lacking in household names. For they are rock-solid at the back.
Or at least they used to be, and presumably can be again. Between October 2020 and October 2021, the Dragons kept eight clean sheets in 15 fixtures, many of which were meaningful contests on route to qualifying for Qatar.
Granted, this impressive parsimony has eroded of late but there are factors behind that, namely a promotion in the Nations League pitting them against elite European fare, while all the time their crucial play-off against Ukraine proved to be a distraction.
And perhaps it is that game that offers up legitimate encouragement because when it really counted, as Wales protected a first-half lead gained from a Bale free-kick, a back-three of Ampadu, Rodon and Davies became a five with the wing-backs tucking in, and a resilient and well-organised carapace was formed around Wayne Hennessey in nets.
It was a welcome reminder that evening of just how well Wales can defend as a unit and regardless of what transpires in the Middle East they will not concede many, nor be on the wrong end of a hiding.
Further forward, theirs is a midfield that heavily relies on the experienced nous of Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey and therein lies an inherent risk given their age and propensity to suffer injuries.
Still, should this be viewed with optimism and a scenario where both are available Wales go into a major tournament with an engine room who can control proceedings against the great and the good, who between them boast 147 caps, not to mention a great many years spent at Arsenal and Liverpool.
On their day and in their pomp, Allen and Ramsey can form one of the most constructive midfield partnerships at the World Cup.
Then there’s Bale, for so long now Wales’ difference-maker and inspiration. Widely criticised for a supposed lack of commitment to Real Madrid, across a nine-year stint in Spain that saw the attacking midfielder accumulate enormous wealth, no such charges can be levelled at him when it comes to representing his country.
Time and again, the five-times Champions League winner has shown up, often only three-quarters fit, and time and again he has pulled off moments of magic and when not, hauled Wales through via his world-class ability and a sheer force of will.
Without Bale, there would have been no Euro adventures in 2016 and 2020. Without Bale, the Welsh team would be watching this year’s World Cup unfold on their massive televisions at home.
Yet there is more to this team than an aging megastar and well put together rearguard. As previously alluded to, their resilience is key, forged from a unity that is typically prevalent in a club side, not an international collective who meet up every few months.
Should they go behind to the USA in their opening game, don’t expect heads to drop but instead sleeves to be rolled up further still. It is an attitude demanded by the ‘Red Wall’, the nation’s passionate, colourful, and extremely boisterous travelling fans.
Lastly, there is a clutch of emerging young talent that not only give hope for the future but who provide broader options to Robert Page, especially when games become stalemated and legs start to tire.
One prospect in particular to look out for is Nottingham Forest’s flying wide-man Brennan Johnson whose 16 goals and nine assists in the Champions last term was an announcement worth noting.
All told, a decent online football bet would be to back Wales to progress out of Group B this winter, whereupon they will very possibly face the Netherlands, or Senegal at a push.
From there, memories will be made, and all manner of escapades will be had.
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
