IT’S BACK . . . AND NOT BEFORE TIME!
After a depressing international break here come the thrills and spills of the world’s most entertaining league...
As the Premier League returns tomorrow, Sportsmail’s reporters tackle the biggest issues of the season so far — and look ahead to how the rest of it could play out ...
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?
CHRIS WHEELER: The end of these inquests about how bad England are. International breaks have become a dismal experience, with the same lame excuses about the same old issues. We’re left with the reality that our national team will not be improving any time soon, and we might as well get back to enjoying the Premier League until this sorry circus begins again in a month’s time.
MATT BARLOW: The Monday night epilogue. Manchester United at Liverpool is mouth-watering. Not least because Jurgen Klopp’s exciting team have started in devastating mood and United’s title hopes could be critically damaged by a defeat — but Jose Mourinho usually makes an impression at Anfield.
IAN LADYMAN: It will be lovely to have a couple of days when we are not talking about Wayne Rooney and England. We can all return to talking about Rooney and Manchester United instead. How refreshing.
DOMINIC KING: Seeing a game that doesn’t end with a captain or key player being booed and being at a stadium where negativity isn’t the overriding feeling.
LAURIE WHITWELL: The healthy dose of 3pm Saturday kick-offs providing a title twist. Arsenal v Swansea has never been simple, Manchester City v Everton promises great football, while Tottenham will not have it all their own way at West Brom.
CRAIG HOPE: Something resembling pace and purpose on a football pitch. England’s players take note.
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Arsenal v Swansea and the start of an American adventure in the Premier League. Bobb Bradley has a lot to say for himself and it will be interesting to see if he can match his own hype at the Emirates.
THE BIGGEST SHOCK SO FAR?
WHEELER: The sheer speed of Rooney’s fall from grace. To many observers, he has been a fading force for some time now, but the manner in which Manchester United and then England have swung the axe is a harsh reminder that professional sport can be a brutal environment.
KING: Liverpool. I didn’t anticipate them getting some of the results they have done and didn’t expect Sadio Mane to be so effective. His pace has given them another dimension. Klopp’s methods are reaping rewards after just 12 months.
WHITWELL: Ronald Koeman has delivered a brighter start at Everton than could have been expected.
LADYMAN: I didn’t expect Stoke, West Ham and, to a lesser degree, Bournemouth to labour like they have.
BARLOW: Hull’s flying start in the midst of chaos, though the run might now be over. And Son Heung-min, written off and very nearly sold, has scored five in six games to lift Spurs and prove they can score and succeed without Harry Kane.
AL-SAMARRAI: Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott. They seemed to be heading in the wrong direction, but are having superb seasons. Excellent players who are a joy to watch.
HOPE: Sterling. Why? He’s looked quite good.
WHAT HAS DISAPPOINTED YOU THE MOST?
LADYMAN: Antonio Conte was portrayed as an eccentric livewire ready to electrify the Chelsea dressing room. So far he has appeared rather sensible, cautious and pragmatic which is not what the neutrals wanted. Will somebody please light his fuse?
AL-SAMARRAI: Chelsea. It is astonishing how bad their defence becomes when John Terry is not fit.
WHEELER: Sam Allardyce. All those years complaining about the injustice of foreign managers getting the best jobs in English football and bemoaning his lack of opportunities, then he goes and does that. Naive in the extreme.
WHITWELL: West Ham. An odd array of transfers has unsettled the team, who appear a shadow of last season’s vibrant bunch.
KING: The public flogging of Rooney. He isn’t playing well and is rightly out of Manchester United’s team but the delight that some are taking in his fall from grace is leaving a sour taste.
HOPE: The Rooney debate. It’s two years too late. He has undermined the progress of club and country for far too long now.
BARLOW: West Ham, of course, and Chelsea: still misfiring, still troubled and proving the problems ran a little deeper than Mourinho.
A MARK OUT OF 10 FOR JOSE MOURINHO?
AL-SAMARRAI: Four — must do better. All that money spent and it has been so underwhelming. Early days, but a squad that looked like being among the title contenders is outside the top five. WHITWELL:WHIT Seven — United look mmuch more encouraging thathan at any point in the la last Mourinhothree years magic butis not the dazzling yet. LADYMAN: Six and a half — Mourinho now knows exactly how it works at United. Three oopening wins had them locked on to a Premier League title before two defeats revealed Mourinho didn’t know what he was doing at all. The truth is that United are pretty much where they should be — sixth — and as such their manager gets a steady mark. BARLOW: Six and a half — his struggles show it wasn’t just Louis van Gaal. Plenty of work to do to improve the team but he hasn’t lost what made him a good manager. KING: Six — good start followed by a wobble. In no way am I disputing his ability or achievements but something just doesn’t sit right with him being Manchester United manager. It doesn’t look like the ideal pairing. HOPE: Five — the not- so- special one’s powers are clearly on the wane. United have no chance of finishing in the top four. Mourinho looks more like yesterday’s man with every passing week. WHEELER: Five and a half.
CAN SPURS OR LIVERPOOL WIN THE TITLE?
HOPE: Yes. Both teams are packed with energy, pace and invention. The bookies are already offering me double my stake to cash out now on Spurs as champions. They know I’m on to something...
BARLOW: Yes, look at Leicester. Spurs have the solid base at the back on which title challenges are normally built and a deeper squad than last season, which makes them more likely champions. But Liverpool are thrilling and destructive and an absence of European football will help them as the campaign unfolds.
KING: Why not? Tottenham pushed Leicester the hardest last season and their performance against Manchester City was captivating. Liverpool are on a roll. If they retain their form, they will be in the conversation.
LADYMAN: I don’t think anybody can win this title other than Manchester City but, if we ignore that, Tottenham have a chance because they are a year wiser and have some strength in depth in key positions. Liverpool have been great to watch but it’s probably a year — and another summer transfer window — too soon.
WHEELER: Yes, they can. Leicester City are champions, for goodness’ sake. Tottenham are building on last season’s progress under Mauricio Pochettino and sent out a real statement by beating Manchester City. Liverpool are starting to click, as most people thought they would under Klopp, and don’t have the distractions of European football.
WHITWELL: Who can say no given what happened last season? Both clubs have strong squads and inspirational managers.
AL-SAMARRAI: Both look excellent but it’s terribly hard to look past Manchester City. If Tottenham can ride out Kane’s injury, I’d back them to be the chief contender.
ARE ARSENAL FLATTERING TO DECEIVE AGAIN?
BARLOW: No, they are stronger and tougher than they have been in a decade. Arsene Wenger has finally abandoned the flawed ‘Project Youth’ and combined the best of his young players like Hector Bellerin and Alex Iwobi with more experience and knowhow. They remain flimsy at the back but have greater presence and more fighters in midfield and still have quality up front, despite the old complaint about no world- class centre forward.
LADYMAN: Arsenal are having a very ‘Arsenal’ season in that they lost their first game to dampen expectations that have subsequently gone through the roof again. I don’t see great improvement in crucial areas, and next season’s planning will begin in mid-April, as usual.
KING: I tipped them for the title in August, so I am not going to change my opinion. The win at Burnley felt big for them and I would love to see Wenger’s faith be rewarded with the
title but they must continue to improve. AL-SAMARRAI: Yes. As ever they have players that can blow your mind, but ultimately they don’t have a squad to win the league. Another solid top-four finish would be a safe bet. HOPE: Yes. The rise and fall of Walcott will, once again, define their season. WHEELER: What did you expect? They will look like challengers then
look like chumps, albeit chumps playing very nice football. And just when we think Arsenal will miss out on the Champions League, they’ll sneak into the top four while someone else is celebrating winning the title. It’s deja vu, as Wenger might say.
WHITWELL: The arrivals of Granit Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi have improved Arsenal. Those two have the sort of iron core that has long been lacking in Wenger’s side. But you can still see an impressive run of victories being undermined with a lapse or two in games coming up against Swansea, Middlesbrough and Sunderland. HOPE: Not if they win the Champions League... they’ve had a shaky start domestically, yes, but they’ll recover and I’m confident a European-placed fi finish is within their reach.
WHITWELL: I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion too quickly. They have not been at their best but are still adjusting to the increased workload o of midweek Champions League fo football and increased respect from o opponents. They’ve bought well and w will come good again.
BARLOW: Yes, as a title force (a prediction that will not trouble Claudio Ranieri after last season). They have already lost three, the same number as in the whole of last season, and have new challenges to overcome. It is hard to see them surging back into the top four but fu further progress in Europe and an FA Cup run would still represent a successful next step and I’d expect them to finish closer to the top than the bottom. AL-SAMARRAI: Yes. And it was brilliant while it lasted. Nothing more could be asked, except perhaps that no one starts calling for R Ranieri’s head if there’s a slump. WHEELER:W Yes, but I think even Leicester expected that. Ranieri and his team were never going to repeat last season’s Premier League success, and certainly not when they seem to be giving the Champions League a real go. Let’s enjoy it for what it was. KING: It was unrealistic to think they could be contenders for the top four after that extraordinary achievement last year. They remain a good side, however, and they will climb the table without issue. LADYMAN: Yes.
DOES PEP NEED TO SPEND TO FIX CITY’S DEFENCE?
BARLOW: Spend? Good heavens, haven’t they spent enough? Pep spent £50million on John Stones two months ago. There is scope to improve at the back, and City have players like Bellerin in their sights, but Guardiola appears to defend by keeping the ball and attacking. His team will always offer chances and concede some goals. It’s the reason they are so captivating. Bigger problems await if teams work out how to stop them scoring. WHITWELL: Yes. Vincent Kompany looks just about done and the full backs could do with upgrading. LADYMAN: Ideally yes, but he can muddle through. His biggest weakness is his goalkeeper... which is interesting!
AL-SAMARRAI: It’s the only apparent weakness, so they might as well spend the money on something. I suspect Claudio Bravo could do keepie-uppies by the corner flag all season and they’d still win the league.
WHEELER: With ageing full backs and a captain — Kompany — who can’t last a game, City certainly need to add numbers to their defence. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Guardiola left further investment until next summer. His defence have only really let him down in the last two games — Celtic and Spurs — after 10 straight wins.
KING: Wouldn’t it be nice to think, after already spending £167m, that he could just work with what he has got? City, though, won’t rest until they conquer the land and if he wants to buy to improve, they will back him.
HOPE: Yes. And he will. It’s the one area of the side which needs addressing in January — but where do you find a centre half both good enough and available? Chelsea proved they don’t exist by re-signing David Luiz.