Top 6 preview: London optimism but reenergised City won't rest on laurels
UNITED FRONT: Manchester United’s manager Erik ten Hag. Pic: Dave Thompson/PA Wire.
Winning the Champions League is the focus for City, although anything less than top spot domestically will be a disappointment for a team aiming to set higher standards each season.
Pep Guardiola has shaken things up a bit and acquired something akin to a traditional No 9 in the form of Erling Haaland. He is the man to make the difference in those tight European matches and gives City an option they have lacked since Sergio Agüero was at his best. Winning trophies is what City do nowadays and doing it in style is the only way.
Despite the comings and goings, Kevin De Bruyne will still be the focal point of everything in the team and his performances will be critical to City’s chances in all four competitions. The Belgian dragged City to the Premier League title last season and will be hoping for a little more support from his teammates this time around.
Liverpool’s evolution and improvement will keep City on their toes and will ensure there is, at the very least, a two-horse race for the title. City embrace the challenge and there is never any doubting they will rest on laurels, they will be hoping to do better than last season and have the tools to do so. When you are used to dominating, letting up is not an option and the additions of a few new faces should re-energise a team at the top of their sport.
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It's important to start the season well. The last few years have shown there is little margin for error if you're to win the league. We've had a relatively short pre-season (only two games) and although we've looked in good shape, we need to hit the ground running.
Spurs and Arsenal have both recruited well, and you can never completely rule out Chelsea, but I think it will be a two-horse race again between us and Liverpool. Sadio Mane will be a big loss for them, and it will be interesting to see how Darwin Nunez adapts to the Premier League.
We've had a really good summer. Landing Haaland was a huge coup for the club, whilst Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez look like shrewd signings. Keeping hold of Bernardo Silva, who has been continually linked with a move away, is also a major boost.
Whilst I was sad to see the likes of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko leave, we've raised around £230m in sales which represents good business. We just need to get a left back now, and it'll have been an excellent window.
Kalvin Phillips was perhaps a surprise successor to Fernandinho, but will provide real energy in midfield. Importantly, it will relieve the burden on Rodri, who is arguably one of our most influential players.
Injuries and lack of squad depth. In terms of quality, our squad is probably the strongest in the league but it is relatively light on numbers. We only have 16 senior outfield players, and a real lack of cover at full-back. An injury to either Kyle Walker or Joao Cancelo could be hugely damaging, but hopefully a left-back will be signed before the end of the window.
We've won four of the previous five titles and have strengthened well over summer. In Pep Guardiola we have the best manager in the world, so you have to feel confident!
There is a touch of the unknown about Liverpool this season, unusually, with Jürgen Klopp starting a first full campaign at Anfield without Sadio Mané and looking to a pool of young talent led by Darwin Núñez to compensate for the undeniable loss of the Senegal international. Not in doubt, however, is Liverpool’s position as the best-equipped team to deny Manchester City a hat-trick of Premier League titles.
Dreams of an unprecedented quadruple evaporated in the final seven days of last season – serving as an extra incentive this time out – but Klopp’s side are evolving nicely with Luis Díaz and Ibrahima Konaté impressing in their debut campaigns. This summer’s business - signing Núñez before allowing Mané to leave, finally securing Mohamed Salah’s services for another three years and removing any contract distractions at a stroke, landing right-back cover for an initial £4m in Calvin Ramsay then selling Neco Williams for four times that price – was a further demonstration of the well-run operation at Anfield despite the departure of sporting director Michael Edwards.
With the Mané-Roberto Firmino-Salah era over, and given the attributes of the Colombian Díaz plus Fabio Carvalho, Klopp has suggested there could be more versatility to Liverpool’s attack than the 4-3-3 system that has served him so well. In Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, he has two other young assets ready to make the next step. But there is a significant responsibility on Núñez. How the 23-year-old adapts to his first season at Anfield and in the Premier League – especially in comparison to Erling Haaland at City – could be a key factor in the destiny of the title.
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To be honest, we probably need Manchester City to fall over themselves. They’ve got the strongest squad in European football and it’s to Liverpool’s credit that we’ve been able to stick with them for so long. Our opening away fixtures include trips to Manchester United, Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. So, just to put pressure on Manchester City we’ll need to get almost maximum points from those games. Of course, we also entertain the champions at Anfield in October as well.
In the main, reasonably happy. Like every ‘big money’ signing Darwin Núñez will be under the microscope. If he does anywhere near as well as his countryman Luis Suárez, we’ll be happy. Fabio Carvalho is a player signed for the long term and the signs in pre-season have been pretty good. Calvin Ramsey won’t be seen around the first team for a while but may get chances in such as the League Cup.
It could be Harvey Elliott, he looked sensational before his horrific injury last September. Then there’s Ibrahima Konaté who made a big impact last season and could do even better this time around.
Injuries are always a factor, but I think a couple of our midfield players are getting long in the tooth and Father Time has a habit of calling when you least expect it. Our strength in depth is nowhere near that of Manchester City but if our younger players can make the breakthrough, I’ll see that as a bonus.
This is where the head must rule the heart. It’s all about players staying fit and discovering how much the World Cup impacts. If we can replicate last season’s post-Christmas form, we’ll give Manchester City a fight but with other squads strengthening, including City, it won’t be easy. I’d settle for a top three finish and Cup success.
It has been a whirlwind summer at Stamford Bridge. Roman Abramovich is gone, as are the Russian’s closest allies, and Chelsea’s new owners have not had much time to get up to speed with the intricacies of English football since completing their £4.25bn takeover of the club.
Yet the situation is far from disastrous. Chelsea have not gone away. The recruitment overseen by Todd Boehly, the club’s new co-owner and interim sporting director, has been encouraging and there has been no sign of Chelsea curbing their spending. Raheem Sterling, who should make Thomas Tuchel’s attack far more incisive, is a solid buy and Kalidou Koulibably is an important signing in defence following the departures of Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen.
In that context the picture does not look too bad. Tuchel still has a talented squad and the return of Ben Chilwell from long-term injury is a major boost. A left side of Sterling and Chilwell? It does look pretty tasty.
However it is doubtful whether the squad is strong enough to close the gap on Liverpool and City. Tuchel has issues in central midfield – N’Golo Kanté cannot stay fit and Jorginho lacks mobility – and Chelsea could be short of reliable goalscorers. Kai Havertz, expected to continue as the false nine, needs to become reliable. There cannot be too much of a goalscoring burden on Mason Mount and Sterling. If there is then Champions League qualification and runs in the cups may have to suffice.
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Beef up the defence after the serious talent drain during ‘sanctions limbo’. Losing Andreas Christensen was one thing but seeing Tony Rudiger pack his kitbag sent a chill through the club. Worse, both were free transfers. Rudiger was in peak form last season, dominating the Blues’ left flank, and without a classy replacement it will be another struggle to close the gap.
Underwhelmed. Did Todd Boehly’s consortium pay too much for Chelsea, leaving everyone watching the pennies? Chelsea have been scooped on a couple of key signings, notably by Barca for the Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, and while Raheem Sterling looks a solid signing (very different to the loaned-out Romelu Lukaku), Napoli import Kalidou Koulibaly struggled against Arsenal in a one-sided pre-season defeat. There’s still time for a morale-lifting announcement.
Ben Chilwell is fully recovered from the knee injury which kept him out of action for six months and has been proving his worth in the recent USA jaunt. So, he’s a candidate. But it’s the return of midfielder Conor Gallagher from his oh-so-impressive Palace loan spell that is most eagerly anticipated.
A lack of goals. Despite glimmers of encouragement, Timo Werner still feels like a dead weight, and may be allowed to leave. Will Sterling prove prolific if he builds a good working relationship with Mason Mount? It’s difficult to work out who will contribute to the ‘for’ column.
Thomas Tuchel remains upbeat, but if points are dropped to Spurs and Leeds in August, then by the time players return to league action after the World Cup it may already be too steep a mountain to climb.
Daniel Levy has broken the habit of a lifetime and, in the process, helped to send optimism among the Tottenham support through the roof. The chairman normally likes to wait during the transfer window, hoping for bargains, but he moved early this summer, getting the bulk of the incoming business done by the middle of July. One person was particularly delighted by that and, if Antonio Conte is happy, so is everybody else. The manager had wanted to hit the ground running during his first pre-season at the club, to build on the momentum generated by the surge to a Champions League finish last May and, with a host of new signings bedded in, there is the feeling of clarity and cohesion.
The previous summer seems a world away. That was when Nuno Espírito Santo was appointed as the manager – after a 72-day search, to an underwhelming reaction – and Harry Kane wanted to leave. Conte has transformed everything since taking over from Nuno last November, forcing his will on Levy and the rest of the club. Another gamechanger has been the £150m capital increase that Levy oversaw from the majority shareholder, Enic, at the end of last season.
The squad has quality – headlined by Kane and Son Heung-min – and impressive depth. Thomas Tuchel, the Chelsea manager, believes Spurs have “maybe the strongest team they have ever built”, and he could find his club’s third-place spot from last season under threat. What would be even better for Spurs would be to win a trophy; they have claimed only one during Levy’s 21-year stewardship.
Man for man, I'm not sure we've yet got a squad to match them, but we're getting there. Antonio Conte seems to have a knack of bringing in players who can hit the floor running, so let’s hope that continues. If we want to fight at the top, we'll need to start the season on fire that’s for sure.
It's been very systematic and very quick. It's clear that Levy, Conte and Paratici are in tune, and that’s good news.
Levy realises what he has in Conte and seems to understand he'll get 100% from his coach if he gives him 100% backing in the transfer market. Bissouma was an awesome buy ... no messing around and the best available in that position in the Prem.
The key will be the engine room in midfield and most likely Bissouma. He'll be vital when competing with other teams who are also aiming for the top, so we’ll need him to step up. I think he will do.
I’m feeling quite confident. It’s possible that nothing 'per se' will trip us up, just that one team will have more experience of fighting for top spot to the bitter end. But I expect us to be up there and I’m excited about the season.
I want to say one higher, but I just can't put what the heart wants to put! We'll be good but I’m just not sure yet HOW good. Could we really be THAT good?
Last season, Arsenal promised so much before falling away in a manner that stung. Fifth place constituted significant progress but they should have held on to a top-four spot: a lack of depth, and arguably genuine quality, in key positions was an obvious reason and Mikel Arteta has spent his summer attempting to correct it. His efforts have gained rich reward. While it cannot be denied that Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko were deemed expendable by Manchester City, spending around £75m for a pair of proven winners who are entering their peak years looks exceptional value in the current market. Jesus has been flying in pre-season and should add a directness to the centre-forward position that had long been lacking.
William Saliba’s return from an exceptional loan at Marseille gained fewer headlines but, assuming he sticks around after the transfer deadline, may yet prove crucial given the obvious gap between Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães and last season’s alternatives at centre-back. The Portuguese schemer Fábio Vieira, signed from Porto, is similarly viewed as a longer-term prospect but adds to Arteta’s creative options. There are likely to be more arrivals: if a viable wide alternative to Bukayo Saka can be secured, perhaps in tandem with a move out for Nicolas Pépé, Arsenal will finally look well covered in almost every position.
That could be enough to push them over the line, although with Chelsea and Spurs both making their own high-profile additions the competition will be no less intense. The Emirates is often a place of extremes but the optimism looks justifiable this time.
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I don’t think we’re as far off City as most people seem to believe we are. We have the talent in most positions now, we just need the mentality to go with it. We’ve missed that a lot throughout the years, but it feels like that’s changing. The key is players working for each other, for the squad, rather than just themselves or their next big contract. If we could sign another midfielder who fits that mould, someone who knows how to win, does the dirty stuff as well as pushes the team forward, we’ll be there.
Our business this summer has been much improved. Finally, we’ve gone and got exactly what we wanted and you can see there is a clear plan. Too many years have gone by with us papering over the cracks with players passed their best. So, this feels like another step in the right direction.
Jesus is already scoring and contributing so much more in our build0up play than any striker has for us in a long time. Zinchenko as well. Both are winners from arguably the best team in the country for the last 5-10 years. Both are in their prime. Good signings.
I get a feeling William Saliba will become a pivotal part of the team at some stage. He has stepped up in pre-season. He’s got a big presence at the back, can distribute the ball well and has the athleticism to keep up with some of the league’s quicker strikers.
Either over expectation from the fans or complacency on the pitch. We are still a very young team with a lot to learn. Fans need to remember that some of our ‘star’ players are still under 25 which is huge in the context of challenging for titles and Champions League places. We’re still in a building phase but this season is our chance to push forward and make a statement. I’m optimistic about the season ahead. I still fundamentally believe we are better than Sp*rs and can give Chelsea a run for their money.
We should have finished third last season if it wasn’t for carelessness at the end. Those mistakes won’t be repeated with the players we have signed.
In days of yore – well, the start of last season when Manchester United had finished second the previous term and were bolstered by the signings of Jadon Sancho, Raphaël Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo – billing a fourth-place finish as acceptable would have been, erm, unacceptable. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjær winning a 21st crown was the ambition. Now, after the poorest of campaigns which ended with the team in sixth, 35 points behind Manchester City and a third manager in less than a year in place in Erik ten Hag, should the Dutchman’s team place fourth this would be a minor miracle.
The 52-year-old has signed Tyrell Malacia, a 22-year-old dynamic left-back, Christian Eriksen on a free (the silky playmaker is possibly the best value of the window) as well as Lisandro Martínez, a feisty defender, from Ajax. If – a big one – Frenkie de Jong follows from Barcelona Ten Hag will have a complete quartet of his targets: fair reason for optimism.
However, Ten Hag has three Eredivisie titles and a Champions League semi-final with Ajax on the CV but is unknown in the Premier League. He is also hampered by a winter World Cup, meaning less time – five weeks – to implement his fast-pressing, constant pass-and-move style. To hear Ten Hag instruct a group during training at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium earlier this month that football “is triangles, always the same principles” was a touch alarming: elite footballers should already be versed in this fundamental.
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How many seasons are we talking about here?! Said with a heavy heart, sadly. Get new owners, plain and simple. Unless there is regime change, we will continue to offer managers support with one hand tied. And whilst world class players now head elsewhere, we’re left with returning ex-loan players seen as a short-term plaster again. A sea change in attitude is needed, rather than waiting for two dividends a year to be paid out.
And yet after all that, ok. Yes, we’ve heavily sided with the manager’s wishes ahead of a much-hyped new era scouting department but we’ve seen former managers come in and not backed - or signed as shirt sellers rather than team players. We are still short of three-four players. I like the cut of ETH’s cloth, he’s a manager with bright ideas, and there is some hope. But he won't get all he wants or needs in the transfer window, which seems familiar. That’s realism ahead of pessimism.
I think Garnacho will impress in those Thursday night no longer on Channel 5 encounters and maybe push for league starts. He looks to have bags of talent. I am hoping Sancho will show his price tag.
The defence and midfield! Surely it can’t be as bad as last season though, Keystone Kops at the back and let’s never again mention Brighton away!
The bug from North London reached Manchester a few years back. Remember when it was first or nothing?
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