Normally the Premier League off-season seems to pass in the blink of an eye, but thanks to the Euro 2024 tournament, it does seem a while since we’ve had club football to focus on. Well, the wait is nearly over, and the new season is shaping up to be an all-time classic. Liverpool have a new manager, Manchester United have shown they might be on the way back, and Manchester City are still, well, Manchester City. Let’s take a look at just some of the things fans can expect from the upcoming campaign.
Can Manchester City Make It Five in a Row?
Manchester City rival clubs might have hoped that winning four Premier League trophies in a row might dampen some of Manchester City’s motivation. Alas, the rumours that this might be Pep Guardiola’s final season in charge at the Etihad removes such suspicions. The ex-Barcelona coach has already proven that he’s a serial winner, and there’s no doubt that he’ll want to end his time in England as a title winner. Some pundits think other teams might finish above City — Michael Owen even thinks they’ll finish fourth — but most live betting sites have made Manchester City firm favourites for the title. And that’s not surprising, given how comfortably they’ve won the league in recent years.
New Look Liverpool?
It’s a new look Liverpool this season — in the dugout at least. With Klopp out and Arne Slot in, it’s going to be uncharted waters for the Merseyside team this year. The good news, for Liverpool fans at least, is that Slot is already showing signs he may have been a shrewd appointment by the Liverpool hierarchy. The team have impressed in preseason, and with the Dutchman playing a similar style of football to Klopp, it might just be business as usual for the Anfield club. Whether they have enough to challenge for the title remains to be seen, but fans can probably expect at least a Champions League position and a good run in the cup competitions.
Manchester United’s Development
It has been a pretty tough couple of years for Erik ten Hag, who always seemed to be on the brink of losing his job. Having been kept on for the forthcoming season, it’s surely make or break for the Dutchman. There are signs that the Old Trafford team are slowly but surely figuring things out, so this could be the year when they finally begin to throw their weight around again. A narrow loss to Manchester City in the Charity Shield was an encouraging sign that they’re growing in confidence.
Chelsea’s Ongoing Woes
Chelsea keep buying players, keep on changing managers. That formula hasn’t worked in recent years, and there’s no sign that it’ll work this time around, either. At best, this will be a season of transition. At worst, new manager Enzo Maresca will be gone by October and Chelsea will be looking for what feels like their 7,000th manager in two years.
Aston Villa to Struggle
Last year was a memorable one for Aston Villa, who found themselves in a Champions League position — and that was by no accident, either. The Midlands team fully earned their place in Europe’s premier tournament after a spellbinding season. Can they repeat the magic this time around? That seems unlikely since Aston Villa’s squad is relatively small and they now have to deal with the demands of playing weekly European football for the first time in decades. Still, you have to imagine that the Villa faithful won’t mind a slight dip in domestic performances if it means they get to have a few famous Champions League nights at Villa Park.
