Premier League: The burning questions ahead of the English league's return
Arsenal in its post-loser version no longer needs to prove anything, Manchester City is learning to live without Pep, Liverpool is trying to wean itself off Salah, United is dreaming as usual, and Tottenham just wants to wake up from the nightmare. From the test of Anan Khalaili's life, through the team that will shatter the predictions, to the cursed stadium: the burning questions ahead of the start of the best league in the world.
Is Arsenal on the way to a dynasty? Until just four months ago, quite a few predictions foresaw that the eternal loser would manage to break its own records and blow a championship that seemed safe. Now it seems that if it doesn't win a second championship, a state commission of inquiry will be established. The impressive victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield match heated up the atmosphere even more. There is no doubt that Arsenal is at an ideal starting point: it strengthened with Bruno Guimarães, enjoyed excellent games from Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Zubimendi in the World Cup, and the entire top of the table is in a transition period of coaching changes and star departures. On paper, this should be enough for a championship, but the demanding season in the Champions League alongside an injury, say to Rice, could create a snowball effect — and the rest of the damage will be caused by the 'nahas' (bad luck) that doesn't disappear so quickly.
Will Manchester City collapse? The end of the Pep Guardiola era is the biggest shake-up in the Emirati era of Manchester City, and the acclimatization period of the replacement Enzo Maresca did not start on the right foot. And yet, even if Enzo Fernández doesn't join, City remains strong and proud, with lethal wing power in the form of Antoine Semenyo and Jérémy Doku and a dramatic upgrade in the center in the form of the man worth 135 million euros, Elliot Anderson, who was excellent in the World Cup. And of course, Erling Haaland returns not only as a lethal striker but also as a viral social media star. Such a squad is expected to compete for all titles, without Guardiola and without excuses.
How will Liverpool look in the post-Mohamed Salah era? A little less grumpy, one would hope, but the big problems lie precisely in the old symbol that didn't leave: there are fans who get a panic itch at the thought of another season with Virgil van Dijk in the center of the defense, even if the signing of Jérémy Daka looks like proper planning for the day after the Dutchman. On the other hand, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak could take off after a complex adaptation, and one would hope to see the wonderful Hugo Ekitike returning from the severe injury that caused him to miss the World Cup. Meanwhile, the new coach, Andoni Iraola, complained about the physical fitness of the healthy players and raised suspicion of deliberate lowering of expectations. We will know soon, but the crowd will have to fasten their seatbelts: it won't be a smooth ride.
Will Manchester United restore its former glory? If so, it will be a surprise of biblical proportions. The wonderful momentum under Michael Carrick from the middle of the previous season brought color back to the stands at Old Trafford, but the team didn't splash cash (settled for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, who will fill the void of Casemiro) and will have to deal with the multitude of games due to the qualification for the Champions League. The question of selling or keeping Marcus Rashford also awaits a solution, which will affect the ability to strengthen the attack, which is currently forced to manage without the injured Benjamin Šeško. A good campaign in the Champions League and a ticket for another season there will provide essential stability and solidify Carrick's status.
Will the huge investment help Tottenham? After being a step away from relegation, Tottenham swears not to experience such a nightmare again, and it put the money down to make clear how serious the commitment is. The amount poured on Sandro Tonali is supposed to revive one of the most terrible midfields in the club's history, alongside a gamble on Matheus Fernandes who went down with West Ham. In defense, Tottenham continues to believe in Micky van de Ven, a fan favorite, but the sale to Inter of Djed Spence, who became a hero in the World Cup, didn't go down smoothly. So far, manager Roberto De Zerbi looks like someone ready to take risks in order to establish his vision for one of the richest clubs in the world, which hasn't found its way since the departure of Harry Kane.
Where is Chelsea going? In recent years, it seemed that one couldn't breathe near Chelsea without it buying the air for at least 200 million pounds. This summer was not particularly different, and it was expressed mainly in the huge expenses on the wonderful Morgan Rogers, who arrived both to strengthen Chelsea's attack, to cover for a possible departure of Fernández, and mainly to calm Cole Palmer, who returns from injury. But the most important acquisition is behind the lines: Xabi Alonso was kicked out of the pressure cooker of Real Madrid, but he will have to navigate between big egos, angry fans, and management that no longer remembers what a normal season looks like, in a league that is many times more competitive than the Spanish one. Alonso was a model of judgment and common sense on the grass. He will need them — and a lot of luck — to crown the mission a success.
How will the match between Anan Khalaili and Crystal Palace go? It's no secret that Crystal Palace wasn't the destination Khalaili was aiming for, and if not for the medical tests, he would already know how to say 'diagonal closing' in Italian. But fate led him to a team less flashy than Inter, but not a pushover at all: Palace of recent years is a success story and an important station on the way of superstars like Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze. Khalaili also excels in a problematic position in quite a few top teams, which could set him up for a fairly fast promotion path if he manages to adapt quickly to the Premier League's dizzying combination of speed and toughness. However, the team needs to get used to the departure of the excellent coach Oliver Glasner, who moved to Nottingham. The replacement, Pierre Sage, led Lens to win the French Cup, so he knows well the craft of maximization in an ocean of sharks.
What happened to Newcastle? The new money that turned the Premier League into a toy for sheikhs was supposed to position Newcastle as an empire in the making. At times it seemed that this is exactly where it was going, but now it seems that the project is at a depressing crossroads. The deepest expression of this is not necessarily the departure of stars Anthony Gordon, Tonali, and Guimarães, but the departure of manager Eddie Howe. His replacement, the German Matthias Jaissle, did not coach in a top European league and spent the last years in the Saudi league. A reasonable season in the middle of the table and perhaps a successful cup campaign could be a good start for a slightly more complex project.
Where is Aston Villa's glass ceiling? Despite the creaks at the end of the season, Aston Villa won the Europa League and closed an excellent season in which Unai Emery's project proved itself. In the summer, the mess started: Rogers was sold to Chelsea, Tielemans to United, and there is a situation where Ezri Konsa will also cut to Arsenal. Each of them is a central pillar in Villa's amazingly effective football. On the other hand, the arrival of Johan Manzambi and another World Cup final of the huge goalkeeper Emi Martínez, alongside a cohesive dressing room and a mega-appreciated coach, can still work wonders. It is worth not writing off Villa prematurely.
Who will be the surprise of the season? The magic of the Premier League is expressed in teams that do a lot with little. This year, the experts point to Leeds, which succeeded beyond expectations in the survival struggle, and broadcasts quiet faith in the ability to reach higher, even to the top-10 with a wink to Europe. As usual, the best asset is the loud and funny fans — especially in away games — and no team enjoys playing at Elland Road: the question is how much the opponents will curse the moment they had to play there.
