The new Premier League campaign gets under way on August 21st, with defending champions Arsenal beginning their title defence against newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates. It is the opening fixture of a 380-match season that will run through to the end of May.
There is an additional element of uncertainty this year, with nine clubs starting the campaign under new managers. It is also the first Premier League season for a decade without Pep Guardiola, following the Spaniard’s departure from the Etihad.
For the new managers, the priority will be to establish themselves quickly, although they will know that results ultimately determine how long they remain in their jobs. In a competition where expectations are high and owners can lose patience remarkably quickly, a poor start can put even an established manager under pressure.
The transfer window also remains open for almost another two weeks, meaning there is still plenty of scope for significant business. Further arrivals and departures could alter the prospects of a number of clubs before the season is fully under way.
Arsenal start as favourites
Arsenal will begin the season as the leading contenders to retain the title they finally won last year. Mikel Arteta is now the Premier League’s longest-serving manager, having been given the time to develop a squad capable of ending the club’s 22-year wait for another league championship.
The Gunners, arguably, possess the deepest squad in the division, with strong options throughout the team, and there remains the possibility of another major signing before the transfer window closes.
Yet retaining the title presents a different challenge. Arsenal have never successfully defended a Premier League championship, and Arteta must ensure that the hunger which drove them to their first title in more than two decades remains intact.
Set-pieces were an important source of goals for Arsenal last season, with no Premier League side scoring more from such situations. However, tighter enforcement of the rules around grappling and holding at set-pieces could make it more difficult for them to exploit that particular strength.
Fitness is another potential concern. William Saliba is expected to miss several months with a back problem, while Jurrien Timber has also had difficulties maintaining full fitness, leaving Arsenal looking somewhat short of defensive options. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice also carried knocks during England’s lengthy World Cup campaign.
If Martin Ødegaard can remain fit and available, however, Arsenal should again be among the leading sides throughout the campaign.
City expected to challenge again
Manchester City suffered a heavy defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield, but they are still expected to provide the principal challenge to the champions.
For new manager Enzo Maresca, though, the task is considerable. He must maintain the exceptionally high standards established during Guardiola’s decade in charge while also dealing with the departure of Rodri to Barcelona. The midfielder was arguably the most important component of Guardiola’s team, making his absence particularly significant.
City, nevertheless, retain enormous quality elsewhere in the squad and should remain genuine title contenders. Maresca may need supporters to show some patience, however, as he and his players adapt to one another and to his methods.
Manchester United face the European test
Manchester United finished as the best of the rest last season and will hope that the confirmation of Michael Carrick as manager can help them build on that performance.
One significant difference this time will be the return of European football. United had no European commitments last season and exited both domestic cup competitions early, meaning that they were largely playing once a week and had considerable time between matches to recover.
The demands of the Champions League will, therefore, provide a much sterner test. Their squad still appears short of the reinforcements required in several areas, and the additional fixtures could expose that lack of depth.
Iraola has plenty to address at Liverpool
Andoni Iraola has taken over from Arne Slot at Liverpool and inherits a squad with several significant problems to resolve.
The departures of Mo Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté leave important gaps, while Iraola must also work out how to extract the best from major attacking talents such as Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
There is at least a potentially positive stylistic change. Iraola’s aggressive approach is closer to the football Liverpool played under Jurgen Klopp than the more measured, possession-oriented style associated with Slot.
Liverpool should improve on last season’s fifth-place finish, but turning them back into genuine title contenders could require more than one season. Iraola may need time to reshape the team in his own image.
Alonso has a chance to rebuild his reputation
Many Liverpool supporters had hoped to see Xabi Alonso return to Anfield, but it is Chelsea who have handed him the opportunity to restore a reputation that suffered during his short spell at Real Madrid.
Chelsea finished only 10th last season, but Alonso will have the benefit of no European football to contend with this time round. The club has also demonstrated its ambition in the transfer market, including the acquisition of Morgan Rogers.
His principal challenge will be to turn a collection of hugely expensive signings into a coherent team. If he can achieve that, Chelsea should regard a return to the top four as the minimum acceptable outcome.
Aston Villa – can they repeat the achievement?
Unai Emery enjoyed an outstanding campaign last season, guiding Aston Villa to European silverware as well as a top-four finish. The question now is whether he can reproduce that success.
Doing so would be particularly impressive because Villa have lost three important members of last season’s squad. Morgan Rogers has moved to Chelsea, Youri Tielemans has joined Manchester United and Lucas Digne has departed for PSG.
Villa can, nonetheless, point to an exciting group of young players, including Brian Madjo and George Hemmings, alongside the considerable Premier League experience already within the squad. There is therefore, every reason for their supporters to believe another memorable season is possible.,
Tottenham targeting a major improvement
Having endured a season in which they came perilously close to relegation, Tottenham and Roberto De Zerbi are now looking for substantial improvement.
The squad has undergone significant change, with considerable sums invested in Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Paul van Hecke, while Andy Robertson has arrived on a free transfer. At the same time, captain Cristian Romero and full-back Djed Spence have left, and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to join Juventus on a season-long loan.
With those changes in place, Tottenham should have enough quality to make a serious challenge for a top-six position.
The relegation candidates
The three promoted clubs will, inevitably, feature prominently in discussions about relegation, although promotion does not automatically mean that all three will make an immediate return to the Championship.
Hull City appear particularly vulnerable. They only secured a place in the Championship playoffs on the final day of the season after finishing sixth, and although their subsequent progress was impressive, the demands of Premier League football represent a considerable step up. Their defensive record in the Championship may also be a source of concern.
Ipswich face their own considerable challenge, particularly after Kieran McKenna’s unexpected decision to leave. They have appointed Gary O’Neil as his replacement, however, and his previous Premier League experience could prove extremely valuable as they attempt to remain in the division.
Of the three promoted sides, Coventry look the best equipped to survive, particularly with Frank Lampard in charge.
Among the clubs already established in the Premier League, Fulham could also find themselves involved in the battle at the bottom. Marco Silva has departed, Álvaro Arbeloa is an inexperienced replacement, and several important players have also moved on to pastures new. There is sufficient quality within the squad to avoid relegation, but they could nevertheless become caught up in the struggle.
Sunderland will need to guard against second-season syndrome after an impressive first campaign back in the Premier League. Newcastle, meanwhile, have to regroup following the departures of several key players as well as manager Eddie Howe.
Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Brentford could also find themselves looking anxiously over their shoulders as the season progresses.
Andy is a sports author whose writing explores the games, teams, rivalries, personalities, and stories that have shaped the sporting imagination. He has published three non-fiction sports books covering football, Formula One, and the wider stories behind some of sport’s most compelling rivalries.
His latest book, Football and War, examines the relationship between international football and the political and historical tensions that can lie beneath the surface of the game. It explores how football rivalries between nations are often shaped by events and conflicts that extend far beyond the pitch.