The final countdown to the start of the next Premier League season is under way. Again, much will be happening to the highest possible degree. For one championship can compete six, seven or maybe eight teams!
In the summer, English teams have already spent on transfers more than a billion pounds! Madness? Looking at how much money the new PSG players cost, it is not so surprisingly terrible. Of course, most money spend clubs from Manchester and London. And they are the ones plus Liverpool team are the main favorites to the title. Let’s see what the form of the “Great Six” looks like just before the start of the league.
Arsenal
Place in the last season: 5th
Major transfers to the club: Alexandre Lacazette from Olympique Lyonnais for € 53.00m, Sead Kolassin from Schalke for free. Major transfers from the club: Wojciech Szczęsny to Juventus Turin for € 12.20 million, Yaya Sanogo to Toulousa for free. First game: at home with Leicester
It was a hot summer for the “Canoniers” fans. Of course it’s about Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. For now, both players are with Arsenal and there is nothing announcing their departure. Why? Both players were a bit too demanding when it comes to financial rewards, and as a result, there was no one willing to order their “services”. If even Bayern and PSG called it quits, it must have been very expensive!
On the other hand, after long years Wenger finally brought the striker. And what striker! – Alexandre Lacazette is a guarantee of 20 hits in one season. And maybe more? What are the disadvantages? Santi Cazorla is injured again. And it is a key player in Wenger’s team. The Spaniard brings “law and order” into the game of his team. For now it is not clear when he will return to the field. In my opinion, “the Canoniers” can return to the first four, but only if they stop to fail in January and February. This is the key to success. Championship? I guess not this time yet.
Chelsea
Place in the last season: 1st
Major transfers to the club: Álvaro Morata from Real Madrid for € 85.00m, Tiemoué Bakayoko from AS Monaco for € 40.00m, Antonio Rüdiger from AS Roma for € 35.00m, Willy Caballero from Manchester City for free. Major transfers from the club: Nemanja Matić to Manchester United for € 44.70m, Nathan Aké to Bournemouth for € 22.80m, Juan Cuadrado to Juventus for € 20.00m, Asmir Begović to Bournemouth for € 11.50m. First game: at home with Burnley
Something strange. Antonio Conte has spent more than 160 million euro this summer on new players, and just before the start of the league he is pissed off to the highest degree and says: “Certainly no new reinforcements will cause a lot of trouble in the race for the title. It’s not an easy league, there are six strong teams and you have to be ready to compete. I hope we can improve the team by the end of the transfer period window. The window has not closed yet and we want to be competitive. The club knows my priorities!
What is the Italian talking about? Probably about the lack in the attack. Conte by himself has just put aside Diego Costa from the game, who scored the goals in string of series in the last season, and was one of the main architects to regain the title. Morata appeared in his place, but the Spaniard will need some time to adapt to playing in England. What are the effects? Chelsea already in the match for the Community Shield gave up the game to Arsenal (the loss after penalty shots).Few words need to be added about the defense. There is no John Terry, no Maticia. The bench is short and there are matches in the Champions League. It all starts to form into one piece – at Stamford Bridge there will not be another championship. There is no chance for that!
Liverpool FC
Place in the last season: 4th
Major transfers to the club: Mohamed Salah from AS Roma for € 42m, Andrew Robertson from Hull City for € 9.00m, Dominic Solanke from Chelsea (without compensation, but The Reds will have to pay the equivalent for training the player).Major transfers from the club: Lucas Leiva to Lazio Rome for € 5.70m, Kevin Stewart to Hull City for € 4.50m.First match: away with Watford.
The Reds are another casualty in the transfer market madness. From Klopp’s priorities, the only success was to buy Mo Salah. Both Naby Keïta and Virgil van Dijk are for the time being only in the sphere of dreams. Although the giant Dutchman has officially requested a transfer, Southampton still does not want to sell their defender anyway. What’s next? For now it is not known, however, the German keeper of Liverpool believes that by the end of August the club will bring in new players.
On the other hand, The Reds fans are constantly watching the transfer rumors of Coutinho. It turns out that the rejection of Barcelona’s second offer does not close the case. The Catalans will continue to try to get the Brazilian to Camp Nou. If that happened, in Mersyside there probably would be some riots!
Pre-season matches were fantastic for Liverpool. 3-0 with Bayern and Hertha, 3:1 with Bilbao … However, the league is not a sparring match, here you have to immediately throw the sixth gear and go like that until the end of the game. The Reds are sometimes able to stop at the least expected moment. Their main weakness is to lose points with weak players. If they eliminate that disadvantage, they will become one of the favorites for the championship!
Manchester City
Place in the last season: 3rd
Major transfers to the club: Benjamin Mendy of AS Monaco for € 57.50m, Kyle Walker of Tottenham for € 51.00m, Bernardo Silva of AS Monaco for € 50.00m, Ederson of Benfica for € 40.00m, Danilo from Real Madrid for € 30.00m.
Major transfers from the club: Kelechi Iheanacho to Leicester City for € 27.70m, Enes Ünal to Villarreal CF for € 14.00m, Aaron Mooy to Huddersfield for € 9.10m, Nolito to Sevilla FC for € 9.00m . First match: away with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Kings of transfer hunting. Pep Guardiola completely rebuilt his defensive lines. New goalkeeper and fast moving defense sides – it makes an impression. Yes? Not necessarily for me, especially Ederson, who has already shown that he is not going to be a crucial element of the team. His mistake in the game against Manchester United is still today a hit of the internet. It does not change the fact that in my opinion City is a strong favorite for the championship. The best help and the best attack. Healthy Gabriel Jesus plus Kun Aguero – such a duo nobody else have at their possession. And to add up to this: Bernardo Silva, de Bruyne … amazing team. Even their rivals appreciate the class of the Manchester team. Jürgen Klopp says about them: “The favorite must be Manchester City. Last season they played a great ball and had only a few problems. They already had an amazing team in previous games. In the meantime Gabriel Jesus joined them. “Oh my goodness,” I thought at that moment. It’s an incredible player. Of course we can play with them. I have my own ideas for the matches with the Pepa teams. I can see in them a favorite player, which of course does not mean, that they will definitely reach for the championship.
Manchester United
Place in last season: 6th
Major transfers to the club: Romelu Lukaku from Everton for € 84.70m, Nemanja Matić from Chelsea FC for € 44.70m, Victor Lindelöf from Benfica for € 35.00m.
Major transfers from the club: Adnan Januzaj to Real Sociedad for € 8.50m, Wayne Rooney to Everton for free. Zlatan Ibrahimović – the end of the contract.
First game: at home with West Ham United.
Jose Mourinho, few hours before the start of the league, put on Instagram a special message for United fans: “The Premier League is about to start! I am ready, broadcasters are ready, everyone will be ready and will be happy! I am going to disappear from Instagram for some time to concentrate fully on the league. See you soon.
The Portuguese has to focus on his work, because it is not so colorful as one could imagine. Without Zlatan (heals injuries and has no contract at the moment),but the quality of the Red Devils’ attack with Lukaku was supposed to rise. Only I am asking how? After all, in the last season their worst formation was back up. And here besides Matic, no one new was brought in. So, how is United’s offensive going to revive? Mourinho’s problems were well visible in the European Super Cup match against Real. With a quick exchange of the ball, the United stars did not know what was going on. It was supposed to be high pressing, it was high bricking. So the typical The Special One.
In my opinion the cure for all United’s evil would be the transfer of Ivan Perišić. Although Inter does not want to sell it for a “basket of pears”, however, the Croatian could make a difference in the Red Devils’ offensive. Otherwise, it will end up with a heroic fight for a place in the first four.
Tottenham
Place in the last season: 2nd
Most important transfers to the club: none.Most important transfers from the club: Kyle Walker to Manchester City for € 51.00m. First game: away with Newcastle.
The best summary of the summer preparations of the Cocks was Danny Rose’s last interview. The English gently suggests that he has enough passive attitude of his team in the transfer market. Although he is not directly demanding transfers, but few pins pinned in the ass of Tottenham’s board had to hurt. Zero new faces, selling of Walker (one of the best side defenders in England) and all the time sitting somewhere in his head that damn thought, that the championship again “evaporated” somewhere at the very last moment. A lot of this. There is one more thing that Ross talks about – his mates from the locker room do not earn enough from their skills! It’s a fact. Tottenham was never a club that spent money easily. But without exaggeration. If such Dele Alli earns 65,000 pounds a week, then knowing the realities of today, we can safely say that this is the minimum wage! Tottenham has not reached for the league title for 56 years, and since 1991 when they won the FA Cup, they have not won any major trophies. How is it going to be now? Optimistic Alli says: “I believe we really do not have many obstacles in front of us to win the Premier League, and maybe we only need one or two new players. Well … we only need to buy them first!
