A new Premier League season: Can Manchester City be stopped?

A new Premier League season is here again

Curtains go up on the English Premier League on Aug. 12, as defending champions Manchester City take on newly promoted Burnley. The new season promises to be as exciting, well-fought and close as it has been for some years now.

Since the last season ended, the summer transfer window allowed teams to retool their squads and make the necessary tweaks to ready themselves for the new season. With most of the business done and all the teams getting through their pre-season matches, it is the perfect time to take a look at what could be expected from the traditional “Elite Six” in the season ahead.

Manchester City: Hungry as ever

Pep Guardiola has lost a few players, but given City’s unparalleled squad depth, the overall effect of these transfers might be minimal. However, as the starting 11 might have some players who haven’t started regularly, there is a remote possibility of the team taking some time in getting its famed cohesiveness.

With consistent starters like Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan leaving, and the possible departure of Ayemeric Laporte and Bernando Silva, rivals will be wishing that City stutter for a brief moment.

Arsenal: Aiming for silverware

The Gunners have been doing the heavy lifting on the transfer front. They have very clearly upgraded their squad with big signings like Declan Rice and Kai Havertz. There is an obvious strengthening of the squad, which would prompt supporters to believe that the coming season might get better. Consistency over a 38-game season is a necessity for this young team to win the league.

It has been a good decade-and-a-half  since Arsenal has taken top honors. They might have a great chance this season. Almost everyone agrees the league was theirs to win last time, but a minor falter down the stretch derailed their campaign.

Manchester United: Revitalized but need to do more

Erik ten Haag does seem to have a clear idea of how he wants the team to work. A few periods of absolute madness in the last season left them behind. Losses to Brighton and Brentford at the start of the season and draws with teams they should have overcome meant they were left with too much ground to make up.

Mason Mount, the most notable signing, will add quality to the midfield. The core of the team last season, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Marcus Rashford will need to be counted on day in and day out. While their signings have been few this season, it shouldn’t have a bearing because last season was more about poor performances than team quality.

Liverpool: The Reds have to be bright

An aging midfield engine room and an unsettled forward line cost Liverpool a Champions League spot. Liverpool’s previous season was a shocker. They scored just 75 goals compared to 94 in the 2021-22 season while conceding 47 goals against 26 the season before. It just wasn’t the real Liverpool, and it showed in the points table.

A few new signings like forward Dominik Szoboszlai and midfielder Alexis Mac Allister look to address some of these issues. Liverpool’s woes are less about the squad quality or depth and more about being woefully bereft of transitional play from the midfield. Manager Jurgen Klopp has a task at hand, and he would expect his team to get back their mojo.

Tottenham: Rebuilding time at White Hart Lane

Tottenham perhaps is the one club in the elite which is, well and truly, in a spot of bother. Reduced to almost a mid-table team, with declining morale and confusion in the locker room, Tottenham has everything to gain and nothing to lose.

James Maddison will add some flair to the midfield. Other than Maddison there have not been any major moves from Tottenham. All discussions on Tottenham’s transfer window moves have been about Harry Kane and rumors of his departure.

Spurs’ hopes rest on how well the mercurial Ange Postecoglou can work his magic. It’s a make-or-break season for the Spurs.

Chelsea: Will they be the surprise package?

For a squad assembled in a bank-breaking spree, Chelsea were woeful. In their way, they proved that football is always more about tactics, transition and cohesion and less about the stars who play the game.

Like Spurs, they now have a new manager of proven pedigree in Mauricio Pochettino. They have downsized their team, which should help them settle down. Chelsea supporters will be hoping for Mykhailo Mudryk, Christopher Nkunku and Enzo Fernandez, who have cost the club a fortune, to finally come to life. If that happens, Chelsea may have a chance to win the Premier League.

Manchester City still the team to beat

The Premier League season is long and arduous, and it can wreck any squad. Even though all six “elite” teams have strong lineups, ample resources, and capable managers, the level of consistency they can produce on the pitch will prove the difference. As always there is a lot at stake, and it is never easy.

A strong, solid and ruthless Manchester City remain the team to beat.