Thomas Hein
The waiting is over, and the English Premier League 2022/23 campaign is here. Matches are already underway, with week one of the season now in the books, allowing supporters of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and the other top clubs to get a good look at the recruits and the best of those promoted from the youth set up.
As always, it was a mixture of emotions as the season returned, with some fans cheering wins for their favourites, others satisfied with a share of the spoils while those on the losing side left to pick up the pieces.
Despite the season being already underway, the leading bookies continue to offer odds and accept bets on the major markets, including Premier League winner, top-four finish, European finish, top goalscorer, and match bets such as Man Utd to finish higher than Man City.
At the opposite end of the table, you can wager on the team you expect to finish bottom or a side to be relegated to the Championship by ending in the bottom three of the EPL. Keep your eye out for a betting bonus for new players, with several top bookies offering new players a free bet or enhanced odds.
Eight Premier League teams, including Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Bournemouth, opened the season with a victory. Another four teams were drawn, such as recent champions Leicester City and Liverpool. Then there were the other eight sides that lost on matchday one, with our beloved Red Devils being one of them.
United got off to the kind of start everyone connected to Old Trafford had been dreading, but what went wrong for Erik ten Hag, how can they improve, and where did it leave the betting? Let’s find out more about the state of play.
Week one review
The season got off to a stinker as Man Utd’s fans watched their side stumble to a 2-1 home defeat against Brighton. That was a match the home team were expected to win quite comfortably, scoring a few goals in the process.
They had the better players – certainly on paper – that new manager feel-good factor and the benefit of the home advantage. Everything was in place for a winning start and an important three points, but the Seagulls didn’t read the script.
A quickfire double from the man of the match, GroB, finding the net on 30 and 39 minutes, was enough to see the points head back to the seaside town at the final whistle with the beaten team offering little more than a consolation goal. Mac Allister knocked the ball into his net on 68 minutes to
Improvements needed
What went wrong for United? Well, it would be easier to answer the question of what went right for the team last Saturday, and the response of most fans would be not a lot, if anything.
They dominated the game, finishing with 63% of the ball possession, six corners and 17 shots at goal, but the main issue was a lack of composure in the final third of the field, managing just five attempts on target, needing an OG to get off the mark for the season.
The defeat was nothing more than the players deserved for an inability to turn chances into goals, but they can turn it around. With a little more match sharpness and confidence in front of goal, there’s no reason why Man Utd can’t still challenge for the title.
Yes, it’s not the start they wanted – to say the least – and yes, the game threw up more questions than answers, but this is a talented team with bags of improvement. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Updated betting
What do the bookies make of United’s chances this season? It makes no difference to the team whether they are favourites or rank outsiders, but it’s always worth keeping tabs on the EPL betting.
According to traders, Man Utd are the sixth most likely team to lift the Premier League trophy behind Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal. If you are sticking with the team to win the league, now is the perfect time to place your bets.
