Friday, August 16, 2024

Let The Race Begin!

The 2024/25 Premier League season begins Friday with Manchester United hosting Fulham at Old Trafford. Despite the presence of new ownership and a new technical director, the Red Devils have doubled down on Eric ten Hag despite the worst finish in the club’s Premier League history. Ten Hag not only received a contract extension, but the Dutch manager has now acquired more of his former Ajax players with this week’s signings of defenders Matthijs De Light and Noussair Mazraoui. It is unclear whether ten Hag will throw them immediately into the deep end on Friday, but it will be tempting. Center back Lisandro Marinez played left back in the Community Shield loss to Manchester City, covering for the perpetually injured Luke Shaw. Right back Aaron Wan-Bisakka was sold to West Ham this week and the other returning, Tyrell Malacia will not be available for months after knee surgery. Fulham, meanwhile, will field several new faces as Manager Marco Silva begins his fourth year in charge. The key transfer loss is Joao Paulhina who departed for Bayern Munch. Other departures included regulars Tosin Adarabiyo, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Tim Ream and Willian. Incomings include Emil Smith Rowe from Arsenal and Ryan Sessegnon, who returns to the club he helped to promotion in 2017/18. Sessegnon played for Bundesliga side Hoffenheim last season, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. Both Smith Rowe and Sessegnon, once prized prospects, will have the opportunity to make a new go of stalled careers.

Meanwhile, the clubs who finished in the medal places last season have seen relatively little change. Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal will look much as they did last season, personnel wise, pending any yet to be concluded transfer business. Manchester City open their title defense versus chaotic Chelsea Sunday at Stamford Bridge. The champions have sold forward Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid in their only meaningful piece of transfer business so far. Chelsea, meanwhile, continue to confuse the football world with their difficult to define approach to team building. Wolverhampton’s Pedro Neto, yet another winger for Chelsea’s vast collection of wide men, was the most prominent name acquired during another busy transfer window. Chelsea Academy graduate Conor Gallagher, meanwhile, is in apparent limbo as the man who captained many of Chelsea’s matches during the successful run-in last season is training apart from the senior team after a failed effort to sell him to Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal, which opens at home versus Wolverhampton on Saturday, have pressed Manchester City for the title in each of the past two seasons, falling short on both occasions. The Gunners are running it back with a squad little changed to date but for the addition of defender Riccardo Calafiore. The question of whether a true striker will be required to overtake Manchester City remains open for Manager Mikel Arteta’s squad. Wolverhampton Manager Gary O’Neil has worked wonders in guiding Bournemouth and Wolves, respectively, to midtable finishes the last two seasons. This season could be his greatest challenge to date, however, after the club said goodbye to Max Kilman, the club’s center back captain who played the joint most minutes in the Premier League last season and winger Pedro Neto, whose talent will be missed despite an extensive injury history.

Liverpool, third in the Premier League last season, has a new leader in former Feyenoord manager Arne Slot but the players will be much the same as fielded by former Manager Jurgen Klopp. A collection of young talent largely suffices for the club to contend again but a defensive midfielder would certainly help the new manager slot in more easily. Slot makes his debut when the Reds visit Ipswich Town in Saturday’s early game which will see the Tractor Boys return to the Premier League after a 22-year absence. Their stay is not expected to be a long one. Despite the presence of highly regarded Manager Kieran McKenna, the promoted side would seem to have a dearth of Premier League level talent. McKenna’s attacking style, which has seen the Tractor Boys score more goals than any English club but for Manchester City since the manager took over the club in December 2021, could work against his side. Vincent Kompany tried to maintain Burnley’s open style after their promotion last season and the club was eviscerated by Premier League attackers. On Saturday, however, the Tractor Boys will have one other factor in their favor in addition to the Portman Road support. Only one of the last eight Liverpool managers has won their initial Premier League match as Arne Slot prepares to lead the Reds onto the pitch Saturday.

Southampton could face similar difficulties to Ipswich Town this season as Saints Manager Russell Martin also prefers an attacking style and fields numerous young players. Former Saint Adam Lallana has been signed from Brighton, a decade after he left Southampton for Liverpool, more to inject some veteran presence in the locker room than any on-pitch contributions. The Saints begin their return season at St. James Park versus Newcastle. The Magpies took a step back last season, missing out on Europe after a fourth place finish the year before. Things seem a bit edgy along the Tyne as the club has made no new marquee singings, part owner Amanda Stavely has divested her club interest, and Technical Director Dan Ashworth is at Manchester United after an ugly divorce. Oh, and Manager Eddie Howe is unhappy and a possible candidate for the England job.

Aston Villa under Manager Unai Emery seemed to be ahead of schedule when they replaced Newcastle in the top four last season. The challenge now is to repeat that performance while juggling a challenging Champions League schedule. The club will look different in midfield. Gone are midfielders Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, the departure of Luis to Juventus being particularly damaging. Midfielder Amadou Onana, however, joins Villa from Everton to help fill the void. Another interesting signing for Emery’s side is 22-year-old left back Ian Maatsen who played in the Champions League final in May for Dortmund while on loan from Chelsea. The Villans begin their new campaign versus West Ham on Saturday. The Hammers have revamped substantially for their first season under new manager Julian Lopetegui. Defenders Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Max Kilman have been added at right back and right center back, respectively. In attack, the club has added German striker Niclas Fullkrug  and Championship player of the season Crysencio Summerville, a 20-goal scorer for Leeds last season.

One of Summerville’s former Leeds teammates,18-year-old whiz kid Archie Gray is also now resident in London as he joins Tottenham Hotspur in advance of Manager Ange Postecoglou’s second season in charge.

Postecoglou’s Spurs made more news this week with the singing of forward Dominik Solanke, scorer of 19 goals for Bournemouth last season. Unfortunately, other news was made with the club’s suspension of midfielder Yves Bissouma for an ill-advised social media posting highlighting his illegal use of nitrous oxide or “laughing gas.” Tottenham Hotspur will be at newly promoted Leicester on Monday. Leicester’s new manager, former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper, faces challenge this season presented both by a thin roster and the looming prospect of a point deduction for financial foul play.

The Foxes are one of five Premier League clubs with new managers this season. One of those clubs is Brighton who visit Everton on opening weekend. The final stretch of last season seemed almost funereal for the Seagulls. The club won only one of its final 10 matches as Manager Roberto De Zerbi sleepwalked though the final stage of his short-lived Brighton tenure. De Zerbi’s bright start in his first year, qualifying the Seagulls for Europe, collapsed amid injury and disagreement with ownership his second year. A new energy and enthusiasm are now injected with the selection of the youngest manager in Premier League history, 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler who led St. Pauli to the Bundesliga II title last season. Hurzeler, unlike De Zerbi, claims to embrace the data-driven policies of owner Tony Bloom which have brought much success to the south coast club. Hurzeler’s odds of success are much improved by the return to fitness of Karou Mitoma, the star winger who went missing in February with a back injury. Brighton’s opponent on Saturday, Everton, would have finished 12th in the Premier League without point deductions levied by the league. Manager Sean Dyche worked seeming miracles for a second consecutive season with a less than exciting roster of talent but for England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Dyche, however, manages positive results with negative play. Expect more of the same this season.

A manager who could be under pressure is Nottingham Forest’s Nuno Espirito Santo. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is not a patient man, having cycled though nine managers in his seven seasons of ownership. The Tricky Trees barely survived last season, damaged by a points deduction but also showing little improvement on the pitch after the owner changed out Steve Cooper with Santo. A poor start  to the season, which begins with Saturday’s match at the City Ground versus Bournemouth, could spell the end for the Portuguese manager. Bournemouth Manager Andoni Iraola, after a rocky start to his maiden season, found his footing and guided the Cherries to a 12th place finish. The young manager now must now sustain that success without the services of Dominic Solanke and his 19 goals from last season.

Crystal Palace is desperately trying to hold onto the young stars which enabled the Eagles to finish 10th in Manager Oliver Glasner’s first season. Michael Olise has already gone to Bayern Munich. Bids have reportedly been submitted for Midfielder Eberechi Eze and center back Marc Guehi and striker J.P. Mateta who attracted further interest with his Olympics performance for France after a breakout season with Palace. Glasner should be able to build on last season if he can hold on to some of his key building blocks. His opposite number on Sunday, Brentford Manager Tomas Frank ironically benefits in the short term from his club’s inability to sell its best player, Ivan Toney. Toney is entering the final year of his current contract and wants to play for a bigger club. Brentford is resigned to losing him but so far has not received an acceptable offer for the 28-year-old striker with a gambling suspension in his recent past. Toney might yet move before the transfer window ends in two weeks or could move in January.

Transfers can always hugely change the prospects of clubs. Such impacts, however, would be surprising at the top and bottom of the table this season. Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool look to be in everyone’s top three, though perhaps not in that order, as the new season begins. Meanwhile, a quick return to the Championship is the likely outcome for newcomers Ipswich Town, Leicester and Southampton. Everything in between is anyone’s guess.

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