2022-23 Season Preview: Answering Europe’s Biggest Questions
As fans prepare for another exciting season of European club football, PSF contributors Thomas Chuaqui and Stephen Bole tackle some of the most tantalizing questions facing Europe’s top clubs.
1. Now that Barcelona has upgraded their squad tremendously, will they be able to take back the La Liga title from Real Madrid?
Stephen: Obviously, it’s difficult to say now as Xavi has a lot of work on his hands to mesh his new stars with the existing players properly, but the addition of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, and more should make the title race much closer than last year.
However, we saw Real Madrid finish last season incredibly strong, and while they are yet to sign the attacking depth they need, they will carry this momentum into next season.
Due to Barca’s early period of needed adjustment, Los Blancos will end up with the trophy once more. Barca is truly a force to be reckoned with, though, which should make for an exciting clash.
Thomas: It has been a tough couple of years for Barcelona, but with the additions they have made this summer, it could be the year they return to La Liga glory.
We already saw the difference Xavi made last season with his knowledge and the respect the players have for him. These are very important and some of the reasons why I think Barcelona will win La Liga this season. They have looked fluid and disciplined in preseason, and their new star power should take them back to where they belong.
Robert Lewandowski is Barca’s marquee signing of the summer
2. Will all Premier League’ Big Six’ managers make it through the season without being sacked?
Stephen: I think all the managers will make it through the year, but the one who must worry the most is surely Thomas Tuchel. There’s lots of pressure on him to build off of the success he found in his first year at Chelsea, and with some turmoil surrounding the squad after a dismal preseason, they may be in some trouble.
They need to add more goals to the squad and, of course, add multiple center backs as well. Tuchel is a fantastic manager, but if Todd Boehly cannot provide him with the signings he needs, he may disappoint the new owner, which could get him in trouble.
Thomas: This season seems like the first in a while where all ‘Big Six’ managers seem comfortable, and none are on the hot seat. Obviously, Manchester City and Liverpool have nothing to complain about, and the same can be said for Spurs and Arsenal after both had good seasons.
As for Manchester United, it seems that Ten Hag will be trusted, and the board has faith in his plans. So even if Manchester United has a poor season, I doubt Ten Hag will go anywhere. That leaves us with Chelsea, who have had a poor transfer window and preseason.
On top of this, they lost Abromovic, who supplied the club with seemingly unlimited money, so they can no longer use money to fix their squad every summer. All of this combined makes it seem like Chelsea will have a rough season, leaving Chelsea’s new owner questioning Tuchel.
3. Of the new signings in Europe’s top leagues, who will be the biggest flop?
Thomas: This summer, we have seen several high-profile transfers: Haaland to Manchester City, Darwin Nuñez to Liverpool, and Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, to name a few. However, as we all know, transfers do not always pan out as clubs and fans hope. So with that in mind, who will be the most disappointing summer transfer of the 22/23 season?
I do not believe the high-profile transfers I named earlier will be disappointing this season, as they are all going to great teams and are great players who fit their systems well. The real disappointing transfer will come from a player in the tier below the high-profile players. Players in the same tier as Gabriel Jesus or Paulo Dybala are great players, just not as great as Lewandowski or Haaland. This player is Richarlison.
Coming off a solid season with Everton in which he had 15 goal contributions in 30 Premier League games, Richarlison earned himself a $61 million move to Tottenham. And while Richarlison is a good player, I do not see where he will fit in Spurs’ starting eleven. Their front three seems quite set in stone, with Son, Kane, and Kulusevski all coming off successful seasons.
What this means for Richarlison is that he won’t see many starting minutes, and the minutes he does play will most likely not be in his preferred position as Spurs’ two best players play in those positions. Overall a lack of game time and playing in an unnatural position will cause the Brazilian to have a poor season and be looked at as a flop due to his staggering $61 million fee.
Stephen: Honestly, there have been very few transfers I’ve disliked this window. However, one I’m not too high on is Andreas Christensen to Barcelona. Although this was a free transfer, the wages are still so high it is still a risk. He will be serviceable, but I could see him not finding himself picked for the biggest matches with the likes of Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo on the books.
Christensen is a solid player, but against top-level strikers, he often struggles physically, and he won’t have the protection of a back three as he did at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel. He reminds me of Eric Garcia, who, of course, Barcelona already has, so with two center backs who are good technically on the ball but not quite as sturdy defensively as Xavi may like, Barca runs the risk of starting a physically inferior back line. This won’t cut it to win big competitions such as the Champions League and return to their most glorious days.
Richarlison cost Tottenham a pretty penny this summer, he must produce
4. How will the Serie A title race shake out?
Stephen: Last year’s champions, AC Milan, have been slow moving in the transfer market, and with Juventus and Inter Milan strengthening, the title race will be wide open once again. I think this is the year Juventus returns to the top, and I’ll throw in a bonus prediction: Angel Di Maria wins league MVP.
I love the quality and decisiveness he adds to their attacking options, and his service to Dusan Vlahovic and Moise Kean is going to be exquisite. In preseason, he has played on the right wing with the freedom to float and find space all over the pitch. He’s going to excel and bring Juventus back to where the club knows they should be.
Thomas: Serie A is shaping up to have another interesting title race this year, and I agree it will be between Inter Milan and Juventus, as AC Milan has failed to keep up this summer. As Vlahovic becomes more comfortable with Juventus’ style of play, it is only a matter of time before he starts banging in goals for Juve, as he did for Fiorentina.
While losing Paul Pogba for an extended period will hurt Juventus early in the season, once he returns, they will have another player who can do damage alongside Vlahovic and Di Maria.
5. Is this finally the year PSG lifts the Champions League trophy?
Thomas: After PSG brought in Messi last summer, they became one of the favorites to win the Champions League. And for good reason. Their squad boasted one of the best front threes in the world, and their additions to their defense were also excellent business. However, their Champions League run came crashing down after collapsing in the final minutes against Real Madrid.
They hope to reach Champions League glory this season, and their summer transfer business looks like it will help them reach that goal.
After bringing in the likes of Renato Sanches and Nordi Mukiele, PSG has added to their quality in midfield and defense. But will these summer transfers be enough? In my eyes, PSG still lacks the grit and determination needed to win the Champions League. On top of this, practically every big team has improved this summer. With Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona, and others drastically improving their squads, it will be harder than ever for PSG to win the Champions League.
Stephen: I’m going to take the leap and say this is probably Messi’s last year at PSG with his contract running out in the summer.
I think he will be able to turn back the clock more often in the Champions League now that he is more comfortable with his squad. On top of that, they don’t have the “Mbappe is leaving” headline over their heads, and most importantly, I love how they brought in Cristophe Galtier as manager. Based on their preseason showings, it seems they will use a 3-4-3, which will suit their plethora of talented center backs, world-class wing backs, dynamic midfield, and possibly the most talented front three ever built.
It is no guarantee, of course, and PSG has a history of collapsing, but they are making smart signings such as Mukiele and Sanches for a combined $25 million. Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe all have a point to prove, and after last year’s epic failure, so do the rest of the club.
Messi and Neymar have won the Champions League together before, can they bring the trophy to PSG?
6. Will Said Mane be a success at Bayern Munich?
Thomas: Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich is an interesting transfer to me because he was brought in to help replace Lewandowski, but the two or very different players. Bayern also already has several quality wingers, so I would not be surprised if Mane ends up playing a lot as their number nine. This, coupled with the fact that Mane will have to adjust to a new league, makes me think that Mane and Bayern will get off to a slow start this season.
However, around the halfway point in the season, Bayern will start to look normal again as they increase the gap between them and whoever is in second place in the Bundesliga. Mane will have a successful tenure in Munich, it will just take time, and people will question whether it was good business in his first few months in Germany.
Stephen: Mane already has his first official goal for the club after scoring in the DFL- Supercup last weekend, and it is a sign of things to come. He is such a smart, versatile forward who can fill many roles, and while he is not as potent as Lewandowski, he seems to fit more into what manager Julian Nagelsmann wants in a striker. The Bundesliga is a much more open league than the Premier League, which will play to his strengths in transition.
Bayern should not be worried in the slightest about replacing Lewandowski because Sadio Mane is not only one of the world’s best forwards but also a perfect fit for the system Nagelsmann wants to implement. He’s going to hit the ground running and rack up the goals and top performances.