Squad Numbers

Here we go again. 380 games await us. From the historic and always thrilling Manchester Derby to the scintillating clash between Brentford and Bournemouth. Last year, the Premier League was a key player of Sky Sports’ “Greatest Show On Earth” campaign. That is the case more than ever nowadays, more games than ever are being moved for broadcast, to the detriment of match going fans, and the prospect of competitive matches being played in the US has been touted by influential people. The Premier League has gone global, but we love it all the same.

This season has fascinating story lines everywhere you look. Can Manchester City retain their title? with their 115 charges looming large in the background, It’s a new era for Liverpool, with Arne Slot taking over from Jurgen Klopp, Can Manchester United bounce back from their worst season of this century? Ipswich return to the top flight for the first time in 23 years and will aim to survive, Leicester and Southampton, more recent members of the league will also look to stay up on their return to the league.

In this series of blogs, We’ll take an in depth look at all 20 teams, assess their biggest strengths, and where their problems lie ahead of the new season. Then, I’ll put forward my predictions for how the table will look come the end of the season. We’ll also put forward one player to watch for each team, a player that could really thrive this season. Once all of the preview’s have been posted individually, the final, big preview with all 20 teams will be compiled together, this has been the biggest project yet on this blog, let’s get into it.

First let’s look at the title contenders, it was a closely ran affair last season, with Man City pipping Arsenal to the league after Liverpool fell away towards the end of the year. This year, things could be different though.

1st: Arsenal

First come Arsenal. Last season they were oh so close to clinching the title, they were almost flawless in the run in, but in a defining week in their season, they were knocked out of the Champions League against Bayern Munich and lost 0-2 at home to Aston Villa. If they had won that game, they would have won the league by one point. The notion that they threw away the title, or “bottled it” is completely false, they finished on 89 points, which would have been enough to win the league in 2 of the last 3 seasons.

This Arsenal side have everything you need to win a title, they are strong from set pieces and the kings of the fine margins. They are resilient, can defend deep for long periods if that is what the situation requires, they are the best team in the world at doing this right now. Last season we saw them defend in a compact 4-4-2 in games where they knew they would come under pressure. An example of this comes from their 0-3 win against Brighton last season:

Here you can see Arsenal set up just outside their own box, they are compact and almost impossible to break down in this state. However, their body language is also positive, aggressive, switched on. A few seconds after this, Trossard wins the ball back, lays it off to Havertz, who plays it back through for Trossard, who eventually scores. That’s what Arsenal do well in this type of defending, they aren’t passive, teams that are passive when trying this are those that fail.

That is the thing with this Arsenal team, nothing is above them, they are so determined to win, and they’ll do anything to get what they want, it is testament to the mentality that Mikel Arteta has instilled into this group. A lot was made of the dog that Arsenal have at their training ground, called “Win”, and it is a bit silly really, but it does show the extremities that Arteta is willing to go to to get this message across to his players.

It’s tempting to think that this might go wrong for Arsenal, but they are so good at it, that it’s difficult to see how it does fail. Expected goals, or XG, is a flawed metric, but it does help show us just how good Arsenal are at defending deep and limiting their opponents’ opportunities.

In that Brighton game, in the second half, where they defending deep for almost all of the half, Brighton had 68% possession of the ball, yet they only had 4 shots, and 0.27 XG.

Brighton are a decent side, but they aren’t the toughest of tests, so you may think that perhaps Arsenal can’t do this against better opposition, who can do more with all that possession, well if you thought that, you’d be wrong. Just a week before that Brighton game, Arsenal faced Manchester City, away at the Etihad, and kept them to a 0-0 draw, not many other teams have done that. Man City had 73% possession of the ball in that game, and only created 1.02 XG over the entire game, which was one of their lowest totals of the whole season.

Arsenal were widely criticised for that approach at the Etihad, but grinding out results like that can be the difference between winning the League and losing it. In the 22/23 season, where Arsenal “bottled it” winning just one of their games against Man City would have been enough to win them the League. Both of which they lost in reality.

The only worry I would have with this would be that Arsenal could become too reliant on defending deep, and find themselves unable to get out of that low block, and giving all the momentum to the opposition. I could imagine a scenario, away at Anfield, Arsenal are 0-1 up in the 75th minute, defending deep, then Trent Alexander-Arnold fires one into the back of the net from range to equalise, the crowd erupt, and suck the ball towards the net at the Kop end, Liverpool end up getting another, winning the game. (You heard it here first)

That may well happen, but I think Arsenal are adaptable enough to avoid that scenario, and it’s not like they can’t attack anymore, around the time of the games that I spoke about earlier when they sat off, they demolished Chelsea 5-0 and went on a four game streak of scoring at least four goals in a game. They are an elite attacking side, and can control games so effectively.

Bukayo Saka is possibly the best right winger in the world, Martin Odegaard is their leader in every phase of play, and is crucial to everything they do, Kai Havertz has excelled as a centre forward who can also drop deep and pull opposition apart, they are elite in every sense.

Furthermore, the method of sitting off at times could actually help them, because at times last season they struggled to break teams that sat off against them, if Arsenal defend a little deeper, and invite their opposition higher up the pitch, it could open up space in behind for Arsenal to exploit, as shown earlier in that Trossard goal against Brighton.

This flexibility is exactly what can help them find solutions throughout a season, and they have certainly added to that in the transfer market.

Arsenal have recruited shrewdly this summer, Riccardo Calafiori is a great signing, which gives them increased depth at the back, and provides them with a different option. Calafiori, left-footed, can play Centre Back and Left Back, he excels in carrying the ball as he often did so into central areas for Bologna. The best way to describe him would be a more aggressive version of John Stones.

The addition of Mikel Merino is not one that many people were expecting, as although he was part of the Spain team that won the Euros , he was mostly used off the bench ,and was forced to watch on as Fabian Ruiz excelled in his position. However, when you look a little deeper, Merino is exactly the kind of signing that Arsenal make, he stands at 6’2, and excels in the air, this was perfectly illustrated by his dramatic late winner in the Euros quarter final against Germany, where he rose highest with an incredible leap to head the ball into the back of the net to give Spain the win.

Merino is also a technical player, who can play as a number 8 or as a number 6 in a double pivot. He focuses on the left hand side, so could be the solution to Arsenal’s problems down that side in midfield which plagued them last season.

Arsenal will also welcome back Jurrien Timber to the squad this season, after he spent all of last season injured, and we have only seen 60 minutes from him in the Premier League, he adds yet more depth to an already elite back line, and will be like a new signing for them.

ONE TO WATCH: Kai Havertz

For years, Kai Havertz has struggled with not really having a best position, he’s been played in central midfield, attacking midfield and even on the wing at times in the past, but by the end of the season, Mikel Arteta found the place for him, Havertz excelled as a central striker last year, racking up 13 goals and 10 assists last season. If he can have a full season playing in that position, he could finally become the star that we all expected him to be when he joined Chelsea 4 years ago.

2nd: Manchester City

Over the past seven years, Manchester City have been inevitable. 6 out of the last 7 Premier League titles have gone to the Etihad, they’ve won the Champions League and multiple FA Cups and Caraboa Cups. They’ve won the Super Cup, Community Shield and Club World Cup as well. It has been pure dominance. They have raised the level so high, in the past, if you got around 85 points in a season, you were almost certain to win the League, in the Man City era, teams have acquired 97, 92 and 89 points, and still finished behind City. The only League title that City haven’t one since 2017 was when Liverpool got 99 points in the 19/20 season. However, all eras must come to an end.

There is much uncertainty around Man City at the moment. Their 115 charges centred around the Premier League and UEFA’s financial rules loom ever larger, with a verdict expected by the end of the season. It is unknown what the punishment would be if they are found guilty, but the prospect of a massive points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League is frightening, as it would be completely unprecedented if that were to be the case.

The future of Pep Guardiola is also uncertain. The Spaniard is out of contract at the end of the season, and has hinted at taking on a new challenge. Guardiola has been at Man City for 8 years now, by the end of the season it will be 9, there has to be some form of lethargy there, Guardiola is also ambitious, and will want to try something different.

The 115 charges and Guardiola’s future are intertwined, if Pep gets an inclination that the repercussions of the charges could be serious, surely he will not stick around. Losing Guardiola would be calamitous for City, everything at City is built around him, every signing comes from Guardiola, he has left his mark on this club and everything runs to his standards, any new manager would have a very difficult job. Although, the squad is very strong, so that would soften the difficulty of the challenge.

Man City’s squad is so strong that they have only made one addition this summer, Savinho from Girona. Savinho is a 20 year old Brazilian winger. He is left footed, and mainly played off the left hand side for Girona last season, but is also capable of playing on the right. He played the full season for Girona, in an exceptional season for him and the club, he scored 9 goals, and provided 11 assists across the season.

One of Savinho’s most distinct traits is his directness with the ball, he possesses exceptional dribbling ability, and loves to beat a man on the outside and then put a dangerous cross into the box.

This will be music to the ears of Erling Haaland, who thrives off of these types of crosses. It has been rumoured that Jeremy Doku was signed last summer by City that the initial intention was for him to play on the right hand side, but that did not work out. The signing of Savinho to could reopen that prospect, giving another dimension to City, as if they played Savinho and Doku on either wing, on the left and right respectively, they could take on their man from that static position that we see City’s wingers in so much, and put a cross in for Haaland to attack.

This leads me on to the topic of Haaland, who could be in for a huge season. Last year, he suffered from injuries, and clearly wasn’t himself for the second half of the year, he wasn’t moving with the sharpness of his first year and he missed chances that you could never imagine Haaland even having any doubt about. Yet, he still managed 27 Premier League goals in 29 starts. He has had the summer to recover, without the burden of playing in the EUROS or the Olympics, he has been in the mountains chopping down trees and meditating in rivers over the summer, and whilst that doesn’t automatically mean that he can score on a wet, cold Tuesday night at Bournemouth, he will be refreshed and physically at his best. The addition of Savio and the permanent return of Kevin De Bruyne will also do Haaland a world of good.

There is also the tantalising prospect of a full season of Phill Foden playing in the middle, Guardiola has to play him there, he submitted to it come the end of the season and when De Bruyne was out injured, having previously had doubts about his defensive capabilities. Guardiola was rewarded, Foden scored 5 goals in his last 5 games of the season, including a crucial brace against West Ham on the final day, where he twice let the ball run across his body and fired it into the net with his left foot, securing City the title. Foden has also proved that he is capable defensively, in a dysfunctional England out of possession set up in the EUROS, he was exemplary. Foden has played in attacking midfield 54 times in his career, in those games he has scored 30 goals and 21 assists. Surely that appearances total will double this season, and Foden will have his best season yet.

There is plenty to be positive about for Man City this season, although they have lost Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, the rest of their key players are staying, which is a huge boost. They also remain one of the juggernauts of world football, and I could see them replicating their Champions League success of 22/23. However, I believe they will come up just short this season, we saw cracks appearing in City’s resolve last season, they switched off at points. I think back to their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in December, where they felt as if the game was done, only to concede 2 late goals, which could have been very costly come the end of the season. It will be a close run affair, but I think this will be the end of Manchester City’s dominance, and who knows what will come after this.

ONE TO WATCH: Oscar Bobb

Oscar Bobb is a star, only 21 years old, the Norwegian has shown flashes of his exceptional talent so far in a City shirt. In January, in a crunch match against Newcastle, City were in a lurch, the game was level at 2-2, and Bobb was entrusted by his manager to come on in place of Jeremy Doku and make a difference, and that trust paid off. Kevin De Bruyne played a wonderful ball in behind, only to be matched by Bobb’s inch perfect run, and first touch which took him around a defender and the goalkeeper at a seemingly impossible angle, then slotting the ball into the net to win it for City. He has continued to show his talent in pre-season, with 2 goals and 3 assists in 4 appearances. Guardiola has labelled Bobb as “incredible” and has praised his control over the ball and ability in tight spaces, he’s right, the ball seems to stick to Bobb when he has it at his feet, and with City desperate to avoid a repeat of the Cole Palmer saga, Bobb could be in for much more game time this season, in what could be a breakout year for him.

3rd: Liverpool

It’s a new era at Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp changed Liverpool, and will be remembered as one of their greatest managers of all time, he won everything with Liverpool and when he announced his departure, a city cried in unison. It wasn’t quite the farewell that Klopp would have wanted, especially as when he announced that he was leaving at the end of the season the quadruple was still possible, in the end they only won the Carabao Cup last season, and finished 3rd in the Premier League. Arne Slot still has a huge job on his hands.

Transfer activity has been minimal so far from Liverpool, but I actually think that that is a good thing, it shows that the club isn’t panicking just because of a managerial change, and the real revolution “Liverpool 2.0” if you want to call it that, occurred last summer. Slot is assessing the squad, and he has said multiple times that the squad is already good, and doesn’t need tearing up.

Slot is similar to Klopp in that he wants to control the game and uuses relentless high pressing, however, Slot, unlike Klopp, wants control by killing the opposition with passes. This is shown as last season, under Slot, Feyenoord averaged 609 passes per game, and Liverpool averaged 532 passes per game.

While the expectation has been that there will be a drop off from Liverpool this season, I actually think it may be the opposite, many of Liverpool’s players suit a more possession based style. Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szobozlai, Harvey Elliot, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac-Allister are all exceptionally technical players who were under-utilised in Klopp’s more rock and roll transitional football.

While it was Klopp’s decision to leave, and the club would have wanted him to stay, I think it may actually be a blessing in disguise for Liverpool, Klopp had been the manager for almost 9 years, and it was inevitable that lethargy could start to kick in, not just from the staff, but the players as well. The players will get behind Slot, and I don’t think it will take much for the fans to forge a connection with him as well.

Slot’s reign won’t come without it’s issues however, he has to deal with his three best players; Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk all being out of contract at the end of the season. All three players are too valuable to lose on a free transfer, so a decision needs to be made, they either need to be convinced that this project is right for them, and sign a new contract, or be sold. Losing any of them would be a huge problem and would be a damning indictment of the potential of Slot’s project.

Another potential issue for Slot is often, when a new manager comes in to a top side and looks to dominate possession, the players freeze up, knowing that their aim is to keep possession, so they just play sideways, there is a big difference between possession, and meaningful possession, Slot has to ensure that his team are brave, positive and use the ball in purposeful way, otherwise they could find themselves in a situation where they keep the ball for a while, have around 75% possession, but get hit on the counter once or twice and lose that way.

Those issues are why I don’t have them down as entering the top two, but I do believe that this season could be a much more positive one for Liverpool than many people may expect.

ONE TO WATCH: Cody Gakpo

Despite showing flashes, Gakpo has never lived up to his true potential in a Liverpool shirt. He has been excellent whenever he has played for the Netherlands, and was one of the standout players in the Euros just gone by, but he was not suited to Klopp’s transitional approach, and was never fully trusted under Klopp. Gakpo only started 17 games last season, and racked up 8 goals and 5 assists in that time, so he’s clearly a talented player. Arne Slot’s style suit’s him very well, he will be able to get on the ball more, and do more damage with it, don’t be surprised if he becomes an integral part of this new era for Liverpool playing off the left hand side.