HERE WE GO! THE KEY QUESTIONS TACKLED
The Premier League is back next week and it’s time for Sportsmail’s experts to confront the big issues, from the race for Europe to the Golden Boot battle
WHICH CLUB WILL MISS THEIR FANS THE MOST?
CHRIS SUTTON: Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s side are set to be crowned champions for the first time in 30 years. They’ve taken 82 points from a possible 87, lead Manchester City by 25, and are bound to burst through that 100 barrier.
Had it not been for the season’s suspension, they would have been the earliest-ever Premier League winners. I guess they’ll have to settle for becoming the latest!
But the bottom line is they’ve won this title at a canter and won’t get to confirm it in front of their fans like everyone else has. That’s particularly gutting for them.
JAMIE REDKNAPP: I agree. I feel for the Liverpool fans the most. But they’ll get their day. Once the world is a safer place, I’m sure they’ll get their parade. It’s the least those players deserve, too.
MARTIN KEOWN: Every club will miss its supporters. Every player, too. When Lionel Messi runs with the ball, don’t tell me he cannot hear the gasps in awe of his brilliance. Don’t tell me he does not feed off that. Players don’t tune that out. They use it as inspiration.
I loved playing in grounds that were full. The Premier League is what it is because of the atmosphere generated.
It will be a challenge for everyone without it, but if the Bundesliga can cope, then so can we.
WHO’S BENEFITED MOST FROM THREE MONTHS OFF?
REDKNAPP: I played golf with Harry Kane at the Centurion Club in St Albans the other day. He arrived straight from a practice match at Tottenham’s stadium. He’s injury-free and feeling fitter than ever. Spurs will benefit from having the Premier League’s best No 9 back, ready and raring to go.
The relegation battle has taken a twist, too. The return of David Brooks could be the difference between survival and relegation for Bournemouth. Brooks has not played in more than a year because of an ankle problem. But this 22-year-old would not look out of place in a top-eight team and his renewed availability is huge.
It takes time to come back from injury — believe me, I know — but if they’ve got him right, he can be like the proverbial ‘ new signing’. The same goes for John McGinn at Aston Villa.
SUTTON: Tottenham’s last Premier League game was a 1-1 draw at Burnley. Dele Alli was the striker with Kane and Son Heung-min out. Remember what Jose Mourinho said after that? ‘ Imagine Liverpool for four months without Sadio Mane and Mo Salah.’
Now Kane’s back. Spurs stood an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League, but his return boosts their chances.
KEOWN: Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Norwich will feel they have benefited from football being in a position to return, that’s for sure.
If you were in any of those camps, you’d have spent lockdown wondering if you’d be relegated without getting to kick another ball. They’ve had three months of looking at themselves sitting below that red dotted line.
Now they get a second chance at retaining their Premier League status. The question is, can they take it?
WHO WILL BE CURSING THE BREAK?
KEOWN: Watford were bottom when Nigel Pearson took over. But two weeks before lockdown, they beat Liverpool 3-0 to lift themselves out of the relegation places. They could be left cursing this break if they do not get striker Troy Deeney back on that pitch, fit and firing.
With him in their XI this season, their win percentage is 29.4. Without him, it’s 8.3. The good news is Deeney felt safe enough to return to training last Wednesday.
But that was two weeks after his team-mates and he is behind schedule. Watford need their leader back. They aren’t the same without him.
REDKNAPP: We’re waiting to see if Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante can play, too. Any managers without full use of their squads will be cursing this break. We might still see players stay away for safety reasons. We might see players decide not to play because their contracts are running out, like Lyle Taylor at Charlton. That’s a situation I understand but disagree with.
SUTTON: In terms of interrupting momentum, I’d say Sheffield United. They’d lost three of their last 13 games before this — twice to Manchester City and once to Liverpool. So Chris Wilder will not have liked this break coming when his club were enjoying the season of a lifetime.
WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE TO RETURN AS A PUNDIT?
SUTTON: I know everyone thinks I’m a miserable so and so, but I can’t wait. I can’t wait to co- commentate on a Premier League match again. I can’t wait to have the debates back on BBC Radio 5 Live — even the ones to do with VAR.
I didn’t think it would be possible to get back to playing. But they’ve made it work, so let’s embrace the product on offer. REDKNAPP: Lockdown delivered opportunities. For one, I never expected to play Virgil van Dijk at basketball over Zoom using rolled- up socks as balls and a bin as the hoop. Well, I used a bin, he used the Champions League trophy. But I also feel players and managers have been more open during lockdown. They haven’t minded letting their guards down so that we can get to know them better. Hopefully that openness sticks around. As much as I’ve enjoyed doing our daily 9am-11am show on Sky, it’ll
be good to be back in the presence of Graeme Souness and Co — even if we are social distancing in a studio away from the stadiums.
KEOWN: To co- commentate on BT’s Bundesliga games from my home in Oxford was a challenge I relished. It felt like pioneering television. If we can, us pundits would love to get back to the grounds. But if that cannot be facilitated, at least we know we can make it work from home.
NAME A PLAYER YOU’RE EXCITED TO WATCH AGAIN REDKNAPP: Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in 2002-03 still stands. For me, he is the best player in Premier League history and that shows he didn’t just score goals, he made them. But I’d love to see Kevin De Bruyne beat it. He’ll be on 16 when the season restarts.
I spoke to Henry about this a while back. He and De Bruyne are good mates from Thierry’s time as Belgium assistant.
The City player would be worthy of taking that record.
KEOWN: Euro 2020 was supposed to start this week. So now, instead of representing England, Kane will be running out to kick a ball for Tottenham. His last competitive appearance was on New Year’s Day, so let’s see how sharp he looks.
SUTTON: Teemu Pukki. Remember his scorching start to the season? Six goals in his first five games. The Premier League newbie well and truly hit the ground running, then he faded away. If Norwich are to stay up, they need a Pukki party again.
DO NORWICH STAND A CHANCE OF SURVIVAL?
SUTTON: I’d love them to prove me wrong, but I don’t think they do. Even Daniel Farke, their manager, says it would be a miracle. Their first two fixtures are absolutely crucial if they are to survive — Southampton then Everton, both at Carrow Road. Win those, and maybe we’ll start to believe.
Norwich have played some of the most attractive football we’ve seen from a newly promoted club. But as pretty as it is, you need to pack some punch, too.
KEOWN: It would be the greatest of great escapes if they can do it, but I can’t see it happening.
Norwich have won five games all season. They might need to double that tally to survive. They’ve got to win their home matches for a start — and those two openers are significant.
REDKNAPP: When I think of Premier League escapes, West Ham under Alan Curbishley, Portsmouth under my dad and West Brom under Bryan Robson are among those that come to mind. This would beat them all.
But Norwich defeated Manchester City, they drew with Arsenal and Tottenham. They can get results. They’ll believe they stand a chance, as slim as it is.
CAN ARSENAL SNEAK INTO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE? WHAT ABOUT MANCHESTER UNITED?
KEOWN: Arsenal’s problem, for the last two and a half seasons, has been their away form. It’s their achilles heel. In 2019-20, they’ve won twice on the road in 13 attempts, and their next three games are all away from home — against Manchester City, Brighton and Southampton. Then later in the campaign, they face Wolves and Tottenham away, too, before travelling to Aston Villa. If you’re a Manchester United player looking at those Arsenal fixtures, you’d be saying: ‘ Good luck with that.’ United have a slight head start and a more favourable run- in. Something affects this Arsenal group when they’re competing away from home, and I doubt they’ll make it into the Champions League because of that.
SUTTON: Arsenal won’t finish inside the top four but because of Manchester City’s European ban, they can go for fifth and that feels a more realistic target.
Mikel Arteta was appointed six months ago and before the break, we saw changes in their style. There was a bit of steel about them. But they will require a hell of a run to finish fifth or higher.
REDKNAPP: Everyone chasing Europe stands a chance, Arsenal in ninth included. But a strong start is necessary.
There is expectation on Manchester United. They have Marcus Rashford coming back and Bruno Fernandes was in wonderful form before the season stopped.
To turn up at a club of that size and look so at home showed his confidence. He and Rashford haven’t had a chance to play together yet, but they can enjoy a beneficial relationship for United.
WILL SHEFFIELD UNITED CONTINUE TO SURPRISE?
REDKNAPP: If I’d predicted Liverpool would win the Premier League at the start of this season, you’d understand why.
But if I’d predicted Sheffield United would qualify for the Champions League, you’d want me taken away for questioning.
As it happens, in my pre-season predictions for this newspaper, I did predict Liverpool would win the title. But I also said Sheffield United would go down! I won’t make the mistake of writing them off a second time. Europe is within their reach.
SUTTON: I have to correct you there, because Liverpool have been the season’s biggest surprise package. Who expected them to wipe the floor with City so emphatically? But Sheffield United have surprised us, too, of course.
Month by month we were asking: ‘When will they fall away?’ But they never did. All of us tipped them for relegation and I’m happy I was wrong. They’ve made that transition from the Championship look easy. Let’s see if they can pick up where they left off.
KEOWN: Uncertainty can creep in during downtime. You ask yourself, ‘ Was this all a one- off?’ But I’m sure in Sheffield United’s case they will be determined to prove the doubters wrong, just as they did when they were first promoted. Can they continue to surprise? Of course they can.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF NEUTRAL VENUES? KEOWN: To say ‘We’re going to take Everton-Liverpool and place it in a different city’ is incredibly distrusting of football fans.
Merseyside Police have already said they don’t have a problem with it. The only reason neutral venues should be used is if it was for the good of controlling coronavirus. Otherwise, let clubs use their own stadiums.
SUTTON: We’ve seen pictures of people flocking to beaches. We’ve seen mile-long queues at IKEA. But football fans are the ones who cannot be trusted? It’s downright disrespectful.
REDKNAPP: We’re all in agreement here. They’ve behaved themselves in Germany. Why wouldn’t they here? Show some trust. Bin this idea of neutral venues once and for all.