You thought Love Island lasted forever? How about the gap between the end of the World Cup and tonight’s big kick-off? Okay, it was only, like, 30 days shorter but to many, nine months of relentless football is the reward we justly deserve.
And to those who love a bit of both, well, I guess it just goes to show there’s nothing wrong with having bad taste. I’ve never even heard of it, personally.
We may not have long pulled down the wallcharts but already the Premier League has served up a frenetic transfer window, and now that (almost) every team has strengthened *giggles*, it’s time for us all to sit back, lean forward, bite our nails, hide behind the sofa, shout unheard expletives at the television, get another round in, and hey – maybe even go to a game or two – for the next 39 weeks (and 3 days).
Traditionally, I would make a prediction that is neither bold or brave and can still proudly boast a pretty poor success rate. With this in mind, and by actually thinking about it, I am proud to announce that Manchester City will walk to the title once again.
Let’s face it, they could let their standards drop and still win it at a canter, but in all honesty, the opposite is probably more likely. That said, it is always harder to retain the trophy and that hasn’t been done since 2009 when Manchester United completed a hat-trick of championships. But this is Pep Guardiola’s team we’re talking about, and with all due respect, he is probably the best manager to win it since Sir Alex Ferguson.
Now he has the scent for it, his grip on the trophy seems unlikely to loosen. No more repeats of the post-title-winning sides under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini will occur on this guy’s watch. It’s a question of whether his players have the collective mental capacity to maintain the intensity that won them the league so easily last year.
This kind of stuff is second nature to Pep and will be hoping to create the same kind of dominance that he has enjoyed at both his former clubs. And the scariest thing is, it won’t stop at purely retaining the trophy – he’ll want it in gold. He’ll produce another side worthy of an unbeaten season. They’re that good – and we all know it.
So for all of Liverpool’s spending, you’d think that would be enough to secure second at best. Their rivals have all had relatively poor transfer windows, and that’s not even including The Arsenal, by the way – who are realistically nowhere near ready for a title push – although after Spurs’, Chelsea’s and United’s respective summers, bridging the gap to the top four may not look like the uphill struggle it once did.
Jurgen Klopp’s men may well have recruited a new goalkeeper but they still have, by and large, the same below-par defence that you just cannot rely on to deliver a league title. This is something Klopp has never directly addressed or even begun to rectify at Liverpool – they conceded 50 the year they nearly won it until they, shall we say, slipped up.
The way teams below the top six have been spending – which is looking like the new norm these days – even the big boys will have to look warily over their shoulders. Without a significant increase in standards, Arsenal, Chelsea and even Spurs could be in big trouble this year.
That’s because teams like Everton and West Ham are surely on the up after a few seasons of underachievement and new, top managers at the helm. Even Burnley, who faded away to an extent last year have room for improvement – although their European exploits may put paid to their ambitions.
And don’t forget little old Wolves, who have spent big again and have a type of team on paper that is surely targeting the top half rather than the lower regions of the table.
Of course, the season isn’t all about the top six. It isn’t even all about the table. It’s about the taking part.
Whoever wins the Premier League this year, be it boring Pep walking it with City or Huddersfield doing a Leicester – football is the real winner at the end of the day aaaaand I had you going there, didn’t I?!
It’s really all about the return of this fundamental part of our lives. It’s about sweating blood and tears week in, week out – and this season is no different.
I sincerely hope you all have a wonderful season, whoever you support. But what I’d really like, is for Jose Mourinho to get us underway with a live, on-screen meltdown. Don’t let us down, Jose.
Oh, and a trophy or two for Unai. Obviously.
Come On You Reds!
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