CITY WELL AHEAD OF THE CHASING PACK
HERE WE go again!
In case you’re wondering, I haven’t been bitten by the musical bug and suddenly gone weak at the knees at the thoughts of the second instalment of the monstrous Mamma Mia. No, I am of course referring to the return of the English Premier League.
After toppling records like bowling pins last term, Manchester City will be vying to be the first side in a decade to retain the title and few would bet against them doing just that.
Matching last season’s utter dominance, when they had 19 points to spare ahead of the chasing pack, won’t be easy, but Pep Guardiola’s men look well equipped to win it again with a bit to spare.
The addition of Riyad Mahrez adds another attacking option, and if the brilliant Kevin de Bruyne continues to tick behind the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, they will score goals by the bucket-load.
Liverpool seem to be building nicely under Jurgen Klopp but they really need a sustained push for the league if people are to truly believe the hype, and keeping main man Mohamed Salah fit is key to how their season pans out.
Although Klopp brought Liverpool to the Champions League final last season, he is now into his fourth season at the club with no silverware to show for it.
However, after investing heavily in the transfer market, this is very much his team now and the addition of goalkeeper Alisson could prove to be a pivotal signing.
Last season they showed they are more than capable of mixing it with the best and beating them, but their long-time achilles heel is dropping points against the also-rans. If they can turn some of the draws against the lesser lights into wins they should be good enough to finish as runners-up.
While there’s plenty of positivity surrounding Liverpool, their arch-rivals Manchester United appear to be almost suffocating in a sea of negativity.
The Red Devils showed vast improvement last season in terms of points tally, goals scored etc., but their lack of panache still doesn’t rest easy with plenty of Old Trafford die-hards.
If they can shake of the defensive shackles and get Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez to show their best form, they could have a say, but it’s difficult to fathom them having the flair to close the gap on neighbours City. Like the fans, the manager has cut an increasingly frustrated figure of late, and historically things have gone pearshaped for Jose Mourinho in his third season at the helm, so we’ll watch with great interest to see if he can alter that trend.
It looks like a three-way battle between London clubs Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal for the coveted fourth Champions League spot.
Chelsea managed to rescue an indifferent season with an FA Cup triumph in May but a change of manager could provide the impetus they need to become competitive again in the league.
Maurizio Sarri may take time to settle in the English game, but when Antonio Conte and Carlo Ancelloti came to Stamford Bridge they made massive impacts in their first seasons.
It would certainly be far-fetched to be talking about a title chal- lenge, but with the squad of players they have they certainly should have enough to take fourth.
Despite flattering to deceive in the Champions League last season, Tottenham Hotspur have begun to look stale under Mauricio Pochettino and their inactivity in the transfer market is worrying.
Again they will be reliant on Harry Kane for goals, but it might not be enough to prevent them slipping out of the top four.
More than anything, what they really need is a trophy to show for their recent resurgence.
It’s a big season for Arsenal with Unai Emery coming in to replace Arsene Wenger, who was at the helm for an incredible 22 years.
Without the spending power of some of the other big guns, it will be difficult for them to break back into the top four and Gunners fans may have to get used to Thursday nights in Europe for the foreseeable future.
Given the unpredictably of the lower half of the table, it’s probably prudent to keep the powder dry regarding who I expect to be relegated to the abyss that is the Championship.
That said, most eyes will be fixated on the other end of the table anyway, and to return to our old friends Abba, ‘The Winner Takes It All’.