A look at some of the key discussion points for the new Premier League seasonwhich begins on Friday when Manchester United hosts Fulham:
STOP CITY
Since 2017, only one team – Liverpool in 2020 – has stopped Manchester City from winning the title. Can anyone stop Pep Guardiola’s dominance from winning a record-breaking fifth consecutive title? turbulent season for the champion? Arsenal overtook City until the end last season after slumping at the end of the previous year and look best equipped to win a first title since 2004. Otherwise, only Liverpool seem capable of the consistency to finish ahead of City – and that’s a big challenge for Arne Slot in his first season in charge since replacing Jurgen Klopp as manager. Manchester United and Chelsea should improve after spending more in the off-season, but are unlikely to provide a sustained challenge for the title.
IMPROVED VAR?
It is the sixth season of video meetings in England’s top league – and yet tensions continue to arise, much to the annoyance of players, managers and fans. New this season is an account with Xformerly Twitter, offers live referee and VAR commentary and explanations for all matches. Semi-automatic offside technology is also being used for the first time, but only a few months after the start of the season. The Premier League states that the number of correct decisions in matches has increased from 82% before the introduction of video reviews to 96%.
GOALS, GOALS, GOALS
Premier League teams will do well to beat last season’s record of 1,246 goals scored, an incredible 162 more than the previous single-season high. That equates to 3.28 goals per game – never before has it exceeded 2.85. Longer stoppage time, more adventurous managers and VAR interventions have been cited as some of the reasons for the rising goal totals. Will it continue this season?
LONG SEASON
For some, this could be the longest club season ever. Take the Manchester City players, for example, who only started the season on Saturday by winning the Community Shield and may not end it until the final of the expanded and revamped FIFA game. Club World Cupscheduled for July 13th next year in the USA. That means an 11-month season for City and Chelsea, the other Premier League team taking part in the Club World Cup. City manager Pep Guardiola has already publicly expressed his concerns about too much football on the calendar, with the Champions League also being expanded for this season. There is talk of burnout and the threatened with legal action The violations of FIFA by football leagues and players’ unions will be a constant topic of discussion throughout the season.
MORE POINT DEDUCTIONS?
Everton and Nottingham Forest had points deducted for overspending last season, forcing all clubs in the league to take a closer look at their finances to ensure they comply with stricter competition rules. Leicesterone of the three newcomersface a point deduction for breaching spending cap regulations during their last stay in the Premier League. But have others learned their lesson? Judging by the creative transfer activity of the final weeks of June and the lack of blockbuster deals in the summer transfer window, teams seem to be more aware of what it means to comply with the regulations.
FAREWELL
Pep Guardiola is entering his ninth year at Manchester City and will have to decide at some point this season whether he will stay at the club for another 10 years. For Kevin De Bruyne, it could also be his last season at City – enjoy it while you can – while Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are in the final years of their contracts at Anfield. And then there’s Everton, who are preparing for their final season at Goodison Park, their storied home since 1892, before moving to a new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock reportedly costing £760 million ($975 million).
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AP Football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
