Premier League
Premier League: Five Talking Points Ahead Of The 2024/25 Season
Manchester City is up against a formidable challenge from Arsenal as the reigning champions aim to secure an unprecedented fifth consecutive Premier League title.
Liverpool embarks on a new chapter with Arne Slot taking over from Jurgen Klopp, while Erik ten Hag faces mounting pressure at Manchester United after recently escaping the threat of dismissal.
Sportxparte looks at five things to watch out for when the new season gets started on Friday:
Slot’s big shoes to fill
Liverpool fell short of giving Jurgen Klopp a glorious goodbye as they stumbled down the final straight last season to finish third.
Arne Slot faces the challenging role of succeeding the German manager, who revitalized the Reds’ standing in both English and European football, all while bringing a charismatic personality to Anfield.
The Dutchman will struggle to match the cult of Klopp, but the early signs are positive that he can continue to win on the field.
Liverpool dominated their pre-season matches, beating Arsenal, Manchester United, and Sevilla.
But they are yet to make a single signing in the transfer window.
Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad had been linked as a potential new anchor for the midfield. But that move has recently fallen through after Martin decided to stay in his boyhood club.
Slot has spoken of the similarities between his playing style and Klopp’s as one of the reasons he was recruited from Feyenoord for the position.
And he will be hoping for a fast start to ease any fears over Klopp’s departure with a kind run of fixtures in the early months of the season.
Arsenal’s time this time?
Only once has Arsenal ever won more points in a Premier League campaign than the 89 they collected last season, and it was still not enough to dethrone Manchester City.
Fuelled by that painful near miss, Mikel Arteta’s men are the coming force in English football.
The Gunners have shown consistent improvement over the last three seasons and finished second in each of the past two campaigns.
Italian international, Riccardo Calafiori adds even more quality to what was the best defense in the league last season.
But it is at the other end of the field where Arsenal may still find themselves short.
Kai Havertz had a fine second half to his first season at the club after a slow start.
The German is set to maintain his place as Arteta’s center-forward as Arsenal has again decided not to go into the market for a striker.
Ten Hag needs to show result
Manchester United’s shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May was enough to save Ten Hag’s job and even earned the Dutchman a new contract.
However, the former Ajax manager is still under tight scrutiny following United’s lowest-ever Premier League finish of eighth place.
United have been one of the most active English clubs in the market, splashing out on Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee, with deals for Bayern Munich defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui completed on Tuesday.
But in a worrying repeat for Ten Hag of last season’s injury woes, Yoro has already been sidelined for three months by a broken bone in his foot.
United kicks off the season at home against Fulham on Friday, and Ten Hag can’t afford a poor start, or questions will quickly be raised again over his future.
Ipswich Town return to Premier League
Leicester and Southampton have made an immediate return to the Premier League, while Ipswich is a newcomer, returning to the top flight for the first time in 22 years.
Kieran McKenna has masterminded back-to-back promotions to bring the Tractor Boys back into the big time and keeping hold of the Northern Irishman despite interest from Chelsea and Brighton has been vital for Ipswich’s chances of survival.
The magnitude of the challenge ahead is emphasized by the reality that all teams promoted last season were relegated.
Maresca’s difficult choices
New Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca faces a challenging start to tenure as his team hosts Manchester City on opening weekend. However, the Italian is certainly not short of selection options.
In keeping with previous transfer windows since a takeover fronted by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, the Blues have spent big money on young talent from around the world over the close season.
That includes Pedro Neto for £54 million move from Wolves and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who shone for Maresca last season in Leicester’s promotion from the Championship.
However, Chelsea’s summer business has swelled their squad to upwards of 50 senior players.
This puts Maresca in a tough position, as he must find a way to implement his style of play. While managing a squad that may have several players feeling dissatisfied with their limited playing time.
