THE World Cup is over and all eyes return to the Premier League.
And there are plenty of questions to be answered between now and May.
GettyArsenal lead the Premier League ahead of its post-World Cup restart – but can they cling on to top spot?[/caption]
Arsenal currently lead Manchester City by five points in their quest to win a first Prem title since the 2003-04 Invincibles.
But can the Gunners cling on? And who will grab the remaining Champions League places?
At the other end of the table there’s the relegation battle.
And of course there’s the small question of who will win the Golden Boot and Golden Glove awards.
But we can reveal exactly what happens in the second half of the Premier League season.. thanks to Football Manager.
SunSport have simulated the whole 2022-23 season on FM23.. and it’s bad news for the Gunners.
According to the sim, Man City will claim a third straight Premier League title – and fifth in six years – winning 25 of their 38 games while scoring 93 goals.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners fall just short – finishing second, just six points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s rampant squad.
City are led to the title by goal-mad Erling Haaland, who is invigorated for his six-week break after Norway failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Haaland wins the Golden Boot in the FM23 simulation, scoring 30 times – eight ahead of Mohamed Salah (22) and nine clear of Harry Kane (21).
But it’s City’s ability all over the pitch that lands them yet another Premier League title, as Ederson wins the Golden Glove with 17 clean sheets and Kevin de Bruyne dishes out a division-high 16 assists.
Man City and Arsenal are joined in the Champions League, not by Manchester United or Newcastle, but Chelsea and Liverpool.
The Blues and the Reds endured a tough start to the season, but bounce back in a big way after the mid-season break.
Graham Potter’s Chelsea are led by their joint-league-best defence, despite scoring just 47 times in their 38 matches.
United are forced to settle for Europa League places, while the Toon – flying high in third before the World Cup – end up beating Tottenham to the final spot in Europe’s second tier on GOAL DIFFERENCE.
At the other end of the table, it’s curtains for Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Southampton after they’re relegated, with Leeds and Bournemouth surviving by the skin of their teeth.