Changing of the guardians ... and the guard

The Premier League season looks set to end as it begins, the changing of the guardians heralding a changing of the guard.

By predicting all change at the top — as a good many are — I don’t of course mean that, come May, the title will be going to Goodison Park or the Hawthorns or even, for that matter, a venue in North London. Let’s not be silly: the tectonic plates may have shifted since the end of last season, but not to the extent that the topography around the summit of English football is suddenly going to become unrecognisable.

So, in terms of the clubs contesting for silverware, we can expect the same familiar faces — it’s just that they’re likely to finish in a different order to last season. Not so much a revolution then, more a high-stakes version of musical chairs.