Five EPL predictions for 2020: Sheffield to finish in the top 10 & West Ham get relegated

2. Daniel Farke and Dean Smith will NOT be sacked

Norwich City and Aston Villa are both in the bottom three at the moment and they will be swimming in the deep end for the remainder of the season. Aston Villa have climbed out of the relegation zone before, but their Premier League status is likely to be decided on May 17th at the London Stadium. In most cases, relegation-threatened teams press the panic button around March and April, but I do not see Daniel Farke and Dean Smith being sacked.

The front office and the fans of both clubs have nothing but positive things to say about their managers. The mindset at both clubs is that if they go back down to the Championship, they have two managers who are capable of bringing them back to the Premier League. Had Norwich City and Aston Villa been regular competitors in the Premier League, then both managers would have been sacked by now, but their cases are different.

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1. PFA Footballer of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne

The most prestigious individual award for a player in England will go to Kevin De Bruyne upon the conclusion of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign. The Belgian international was battling knee and hamstring injuries last season, and as a result his impact on the team was limited to two goals and two assists in eleven appearances as a starter. This season, though, De Bruyne has been the best overall player in the top flight.

Jamie Vardy might be claiming more headlines as the league’s top scorer with 17 goals, but De Bruyne is on track to having his best season as a Manchester City player. With six goals and ten assists to his name through 19 games, De Bruyne is projected  to finish the season with 12 goals and 20 assists, which would be remarkable. Let’s just hope De Bruyne is able to avoid any injuries for the remainder of the season as it would be horrible to see a player in such fine form suffer a major setback for the second consecutive season.

What is your boldest prediction for the 2020 Premier League year?