English Premier League kicks off
World Cup reignites Brits’ passion for soccer
Football didn’t “come home” for England this summer, however much its soccer-loving citizens wanted it to, and how many times they sang the “Three Lions” tune during the World Cup.
But as the English Premier League gets ready to start up again with the new season kicking off on Friday, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the country has fallen back in love with its national sport.
England’s spirited World Cup run ended with a semifinal defeat and lifted the nation, creating a stream of positivity that will surely roll into the fresh domestic campaign.
“The country is buzzing for football again,” former Arsenal and England defender and now NBC Sports analyst Lee Dixon said. “You can feel the energy around it, and that goes for everyone, from the long-standing fans to the general public to the players involved.”
NBC is entering its sixth year of Premier League coverage, and Dixon will be joined in the U.K. all weekend by its full U.S.based television team to open the season, with studio shows on site from Manchester United on Friday, Wolves on Saturday and Arsenal on Sunday.
The EPL is a strange league in that it is remarkable predictable — and unpredictable. The same teams continue to dominate year upon year, with the Manchester duo of City and United joining Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal in routinely occupying the top positions in recent seasons.
With that same core jostling for the title on a consistent basis it might be reasonably expected that champions repeating would be a common occurrence, but not so.
Not since 2009, when Cristiano Ronaldo helped United complete a three-peat, has the title been successfully defended.
Rarely has there been as strong a favorite to do so as City this time, coming off an extraordinary campaign that saw it rack up 100 points and cruise to the trophy by 19 points.
Most affected by the exertions of the summer could be Tottenham, which placed third last season and formed much of the core of England’s World Cup team, spearheaded by captain Harry Kane — who won the Golden Boot as the tourney’s top scorer in Russia.
“It works both ways,” Dixon added. “On one side, those players have barely had any break and are coming off a tiring and emotional World Cup. The Premier League is hard enough anyway, so there is bound to be some kind of a dip. But on the other side a lot of those players, and people like Jesse Lingard at Manchester United, will be absolutely buzzing. They will be full of confidence because of their summer experience, and that can have a knock-on effect.”
While club allegiances are thicker than blood, Dixon believes that crowds around the country will respond to the excitement of the World Cup run with fresh enthusiasm. He remembers it the other way. Dixon was part of the England team that missed out on World Cup qualifying for the 1994 tournament in the United States.
“It was almost like you were embarrassed to show your face,” Dixon said. “There wasn’t much optimism around the game at all, there was this sort of doom and gloom and you could feel it everywhere you went. Thankfully, that’s not the case now. The club game and the international game are very different, but they do impact each other.”
The involvement of United players like Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Ashley Young and squad member Phil Jones created a headache for United coach Jose Mourinho, who has spent much of the past month complaining at the lack of players he has had in the preseason.
Mourinho’s relationship with the club’s board seems to have hit a new low, leading many to wonder if they can match last season’s impressive second-place finish.
Liverpool, having spent heavily on new talent, is itching to ride Mohamed Salah’s form to a title challenge, while Tottenham keeps knocking at the door but has gone 10 years without any kind of silverware.
Chelsea is somewhat of an unknown quantity — at least new coach Maurizio Sarri is in EPL circles — while Arsenal begins life afresh after 22 years under Arsene Wenger came to an end with the Frenchman leaving the club.
A shock champion like Leicester City in 2016 is unthinkable, yet the world’s most watched soccer league will surely have countless twists and turns between now and next spring.
“It is easy to say the league is predictable, but then you have new winners every year,” Dixon said.
“Best thing to do is expect the unexpected.”
“You can feel the energy around it and that goes for everyone, from the long-standing fans to the general public to the players involved.” Lee Dixon NBC Sports analyst, on England’s feeling toward its national sport