Squad Numbers

Next up on our preview of the 24/25 season is the fight for Europe. Every year positions 4-8 are hotly contested, with teams desperate to qualify for the Champions League, and this year will be no different. Let’s take a look at how things could play out this season:

4th: Manchester United

This is Manchester United Football Club that we’re talking about. MANCHESTER UNITED. Last year was a nightmare for Manchester United Football Club. Their injury woes are well documented, but it was their lack of cohesive tactical ideas which was the main issue. The narrative that they don’t have a style of play is wrong, they had a style of play, it just wasn’t very well executed, Ten Hag also didn’t have faith in his squad players, as he constantly blamed injuries in his press conferences, it wouldn’t be very inspiring if you were one of the players stepping in to the team would it?

Following on from that last part, the actual issue with Man United which wasn’t spoken about enough was that the individual players weren’t performing at their best. Rashford had an abject season, Antony was totally ineffective, Casemiro, Varane and Shaw dropped off completely. That was the opposite to Ten Hag’s first season, where players such as Rashford shone.

You have to take into account that first season under Ten hag when you think about the state of Man United, they finished 3rd, playing some enthralling football, and it really felt as if they had turned a corner, they were electric. Last year was almost the complete opposite, and if not for their victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup, Ten Hag would likely not be their manager right now.

This is my worry with United, do INEOS (who I’m not going to talk about much because quite frankly all the discourse around Man United’s ownership is tiresome) really back Ten Hag? He wasn’t their appointment, and were on the verge of sacking him, so will they really keep the faith if times are tough this season?

They have recruited well this summer, Leny Yoro is a coup of a transfer, one of the most talented young players in the world, snatched from under the nose of Real Madrid, who were confident of waiting 12 more months until his contract expired at Lille. Yoro is only 18 though, and will need time to adapt, time that he may not be given due to the inevitable pressure and scrutiny that he will need to deal with. The injury which he has picked up in pre-season will not help him, as he will struggle more as he tries to adapt to the league and recover physically simultaneously.

Joshua Zirkzee has also arrived this summer, and is a very interesting signing. Zirkzee is a centre-forward, and will provide competition for Rasmus Hojlund up front. He provides a different profile to Hojlund, Zirkzee is 6’4, but he is not a target man, his speciality is dropping deep and linking up the play, he’s also a dribbler, and loves carrying the ball forward. When Zirkzee plays, he will likely play a role more similar to what Wout Weghorst played in his short spell at United, Zirkzee dropping in could open up the space for Marcus Rashford to thrive upon, and we could see Rashford return to the levels of 22/23.

The addition of Matthijs De Ligt, if it goes through as expected, will be a solid one, as he is a proven quality centre-back, who can come in and add depth into an area where United struggled massively last season. United fans will be accustomed by signing ex Ajax players by now, and De Ligt is no exception, he was a part of that golden Ajax team which reached the Champions League final in 2019, managed by Ten Hag, and although his performances have waned since he has been at Juventus and Bayern Munich respectively, he is still an elite option, and will help United move towards the front footed defending that they tried and failed to apply last season.

Noussair Mazraoui, also from Bayern Munich, also ex Ajax (are you seeing a pattern?), is a slightly more confusing signing,(again if it goes through) he is a right-back by trade, but can also fill in at left-back, so he can offer solid cover in an area where United struggles last year. However, the arrival of Mazraoui would mean that Aaron Wan-Bissaka would leave the club. Whilst Wan-Bissaka isn’t exceptional in possession, he provides a profile of player which is very useful and rare, he is unbeatable in 1v1 situations, and has proved crucial in games against high profile opposition in the past. Some have been keen to see Wan-Bissaka leave United, but he would be a big loss for them, and Mazraoui is a solid player, and is decent squad depth for United, but I’m not sure if he is quite what they need.

Work still needs to be done in terms of outgoings for Man United, they will be glad to have ended the Mason Greenwood saga, as he has departed for Marseille, meanwhile Donny Van De Beek, Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane have all left the club, the later two both having their contracts expire. However, there is still plenty of dead wood in their squad which they need to clear out. Victor Lindelof, Scott Mctominay and Christian Eriksen are all out of contract at the end of the season and should be sold this summer to ensure they don’t leave on a free in 12 months time, whilst players like Casemiro and Antony realistically don’t have long term futures at the club, and they should be moved on.

Many things were wrong with Manchester United last season, and a manager should be able to work with all of their players, and shouldn’t use injuries as an excuse for a poor season, but the truth remains, in his first season, and at rare points last season when Erik Ten Hag has had his best players available, United have looked strong, and capable of beating anyone. Their first choice team is pretty strong on paper: Onana, Dalot, Yoro, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes, Rashford, Amad, Hojlund.

Ten Hag has also nurtured young players and intergrated them into the first team, that is the identity of Manchester United, going all the way back to the class of ’92. Mainoo, Garnacho and Amad have all been developed at United, and now are key parts of the first team squad having been developed by Ten Hag.

Manchester United are hard to predict, they could be thrilling, or calamitous, or even both, but they’ve got exciting options in their squad, and a manager that has proven that he can achieve success with this club, and I expect a bounce-back season from them.

ONE TO WATCH: Amad Diallo

This is the player that I have put forward as one to watch that I am most confident in this season. Amad Diallo is a star. In his first year of English football, he scored 13 goals in 27 starts whilst on loan with Sunderland in the Championship, increasing expectations for what he could achieve last season.

As it was, he struggled with injuries last year, so could only make 12 appearances, 9 of which were in the Premier League but he showed glimpses of his immense talent, he announced himself onto the world stage when he scored a last minute winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter final, he then scored and assisted in a 3-2 win against Newcastle at the end of last season, at which time he went on a run of games in the team. He has continued that form into pre-season, scoring 2 goals in 4 games.

There is a real chance for him to establish himself in that right wing position, with Alejandro Garnacho just returning from the Copa America, and his best position being off the left, whilst Antony hasn’t shown any evidence that he is better than Amad, and Jadon Sancho is just so unknown in a Manchester United shirt that you can’t trust him to be an important part of the team. Ten Hag himself said that “This has to be Amad’s season”, and he’s right, this is Amad’s year.

5th: Newcastle

Last season was a mixed bag for Newcastle, thier fans would have had some of their best nights as a Newcastle fan, including what will become a famous victory over PSG , 4-1 at home in the Champions League. Whilst the Champions League thrilled fans, with away trips to PSG, Dortmund and Milan, it derailed their League season. They suffered from a terrible injury crisis, meaning that the same eleven players were having to play every game, 90 minutes on the Saturday, 90 minutes on the Wednesday, 90 minutes again the next Saturday. They were burnt out, and Newcastle’s energetic style of play requires players that are fit and able to run for a full game, so burnout is pretty much the worst thing that could happen to them.

This season however, they are not burdened with dealing with the Champions League and severe fixture congestion. After finishing 7th in the League last season, and Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph, Newcastle will play no European football next year, which could give them the platform to jump up the League table. At the end of last season, when they had come out of that period where they struggled with burnout, they were excellent, and looked more like the team that finished 4th the season before last.

Their team is very strong, but their strong team ethos is their main quality, they work hard for each other, and are an aggressive, physical team, a nightmare for opposition. At home especially, they are almost unstoppable. I saw Newcastle play against Crystal Palace last year, at St James’ Park, Newcastle won the game 4-0 (not a great result for me), and were completely unstoppable, it felt at the time, watching them that they were in a different league to Palace, they were quicker, stronger and more aggressive than Palace in every aspect of the game, they were such a coherent team, and their overlapping full-backs and relentless pressing caused all kinds of problems for Palace. If they play like they did that day, they are capable of beating ayone. Their fans drive them on, and once they get on a roll with the momentum behind them, they are unstoppable.

They do though, have to push on and improve their squad for this year, and they have managed to do that. Despite losing Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh in order to stay in line with PSR, they have not been forced to sell any of their star players.

The possible signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace is a real ceiling raiser, he is. a top, top player. Palace fans have known ever since he signed, but Marc Guehi is elite, and the rest of the nation saw it at the Euros. Guehi excelled alongside John Stones at the back for England, and was arguably England’s best performer in the tournament. The signing of Guehi is a real coup for Newcastle, as he is certainly a player that would have been on the radar of Europe’s elite. He’s only 24, and with him, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, they have a quality back line set for the next decade.

They have also added Lloyd Kelly, on a free transfer from Bournemouth. Kelly is a shrewd signing, he’s 25 years old, so approaching his prime, he fits the homegrown quota and can cover centre back and left back. For a free transfer, he’s pretty perfect.

William Osula has also arrived from Sheffield United. Osula is a weird one, as he’s young and obviously talented, but also he is a 21 year old centre-forward who hasn’t scored a goal above League One level. He does though, add depth to attacking areas, where Newcastle suffered from many injuries last season.

Newcastle will also welcome back Sandro Tonali this season, following his suspension for betting offences which kept him out of football for the majority of last season. It is yet to seen if Tonali will get back to his pre-suspension best, but if he can, he would be a major boost to Newcastle’s prospects, and a massive upgrade in their midfield.

One of their main issues is away form. We’ve spoken about how dynamic they are at home, but away from home it is a different story, without the support of the home fans behind them, they are not as confident, and it is a major weakness of theirs. Last season, they amounted 60 total points in the League, 40 of those were at home. If they can fix this issue, and become more resilient away from home, it would do a world of good for their season. Being good at home isn’t a bad thing, but not at the detriment of away form.

This season feels like a season defined by the phrase “Passing on the torch”. Many of Newcastle’s key players of the last few years are getting on, and may be in their final years at the club, and there are young up comers looking to usurp them in the team.

Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn , Jamal Lascells and Callum Wilson are all above the age of 30, and all may be displaced within this season. Wilson has already been usurped by Alexander Isak, and has struggled with injury over the past couple of years. Trippier had a torrid season last year, it actually started off well, but deteriorated quickly in tandem with Newcastle’s drop in form, he went through a run of games in December where he almost made a mistake which led to a goal being conceded, every single game. Trippier is 33 now, and will be looking over his shoulder with the emergence of Tino Livramento, who is only 21, and will be looking to take Trippier’s place in the side over the course of this year. The same applies to Schar and Burn, who are likely to be usurped by Marc Guehi and Lewis Hall respectively.

The Newcastle hype train has quietened down over the past year, but I think that it is about to get going again. They are still one of the richest club’s in the League, with huge ambition, they are not a stepping stone club as they have began to be thought of, they are on their way to the top. They said it themselves, they weren’t expecting to qualify for the Champions League when they did, they were ahead of schedule, but now this year is a chance for them to reset, and begin to slowly build towards becoming a team that can consistently challenge at the top of the League.

ONE TO WATCH: Lewis Hall

Last year was a difficult one for Lewis Hall, he left Chelsea to join Newcastle on loan with on option to buy in a chase for more game time at his boyhood club. Yet that didn’t happen, for much of the season, he was uninvolved. He has spoken of his struggles when he joined the club, saying that he found moving so far away from his home in London difficult, and he found the adaptation to Eddie Howe’s intense training methods tough.

Yet by the end of the season, he was thriving, he started 7 out of the last 9 Premier League games and showed why Newcastle were willing to spend £28 million on him. Hall is very technical, and is capable of playing in midfield and at full-back.

He is small and lightweight, so there have been questions over his ability to be a full-back at Premier League level, but that will come with time, and with a space opening up at left-back, with Dan Burn declining, Hall could establish himself this year and become the important part of Newcastle’s squad that he was expected to be.

6th: Aston Villa

Aston Villa, Champions League once again, who would have thought it? Unai Emery in just one and a half years has taken the club from a relegation fight to the pinnacle of club football. Last season really was a dream for Villa fans, they finished in the top 4, securing themselves in the Champions League, beat Arsenal home and away and enjoyed some of the most entertaining football in the league along the way. They also made it to the semi final of the Europa Conference League, with away days to Ajax, Lille, Legia Warsaw and Zrinjski (from Bosnia). All in all, not a bad year.

With the Champions League does come some difficulties though, although they did play in Europe last year, many of their games were not particularly difficult, so they could rest key players in these games, but in the Champions League, they will not have that luxury, and the League instead may need to take a backseat. The Champions League format has also been changed this year, with the group stage replaced by a 36 team league, meaning a minimum of 2 extra games, which could rise to 4 depending on where you finish in the league phase, this will only add to the fixture congestion, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Villa struggle with player burnout, as Newcastle did last year.

Villa have however, bulked out their squad in preparation for Champions League football. Despite the loss of two high profile players in Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, their squad looks better now than it did a couple of months ago. Douglas Luiz, who was key to their success and controlled the midfield for them last season has been replaced with Amadou (Not Andre) Onana, Ross Barkley, and Enzo Barrenchea.

Onana is real ceiling raiser for Villa, he is capable on the ball, more so than he is given credit for as he played for an Everton side where technique came second and getting it forward and into the box at every opportunity came first. Where Onana really shines is his ability to stop transitions, he is huge, fast and strong, Villa play an extremely high line, so those attributes in midfield will be crucial to the way they play, they will face many counter-attacking transitions, and he will be able to stop them.

Barkley is an ideal replacement for the Brazilian, they are very similar players in that they are very technical, have the ability to dictate the game from deep, but also excel going forward.

Barrenechea meanwhile, is more likely to be a squad player for them this season, signed from Juventus for around £8 million, the Argentinian spent last season on loan in Serie A with Frosinone, where he racked up 36 appearances. He is technical enough, although doesn’t excel in forward play and chance creation as much as Douglas Luiz and, where he bests them is in his tenacity, he stands at 6’1, and will provide a similar profile to Onana, likely playing backup to him for a lot of the season.

They have also strengthened in the wide areas, with Jaden Philogene, Samuel Iling-Junior and Lewis Dobbing all arriving.

Ian Maatsen is a quality signing in the left-back position, their current left-backs are solid, but getting, Alex Moreno and Lucas Digne are both the wrong side of 30 and past their primes, so getting Maatsen solves that issue.

Meanwhile, Cameron Archer has rejoined the club from Sheffield United, and could be the much needed back up to Ollie Watkins, especially if Jhon Duran leaves the club as he is expected to.

Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia missed out an almost all of last season through injury, and will return this campaign, providing a big boost to Villa’s squad.

Jacob Ramsey also had a difficult last season with injuries, and if he can stay fit, he will boost their prospects due to his directness, quality in tight situations and versatility.

There is so much versatility in this Villa squad, with many different players being utilised in different roles throughout the year, and Unai Emery has proven that he is an elite coach, so I don’t think it will be a poor season for Villa, but a drop off from last year is inevitable, partly because of the bar that they have set for themselves is so high but also because of the increased pressure and demands on them this year. I could definitely see them coming out of the blocks firing at the start of the Premier League season and making it to the Round of 16 in the Champions League, but their league form may suffer around November/December time.

ONE TO WATCH: Morgan Rogers

Rogers thrived for Villa after his January transfer window move from Middlesbrough, scoring three goals in eleven Premier League appearances for Villa, with the departure of Diaby, and the possibility of increased game time, Rogers could be in for a great first full season at Villa.

7th: Tottenham Hotspur

This is a pivotal year for Tottenham. After years of toxicity, Ange Postecoglu brought back the feeling to the club. The fan base were back alive and loving every moment. Postecoglu even described the stadium as being a “Nightclub, mate”. After ten games of the season, Tottenham were top of the League, from their on though, things became more difficult. Injuries plagued their season, losing key players in Micky Van De Ven and James Maddison for large periods of the season, they ended up finishing 5th in the League, following a turbulent end to the season, and the mood had dropped significantly.

The 0-2 loss to Man City in May was the real sticking point, there was real division between the fan base and Postecoglu, with many of the fans actually wanting their team to lose in order for their biggest rivals Arsenal not to win the League, as Tottenham beating City that day would have effectively handed Arsenal the title.

Before the game, Postecoglu said that he believed that “100% of Spurs’ supporters” would want for their team to win the game, but that was not how it played out. The game was played in a strange, muted atmosphere, and the players suffered from it, Spurs were even with City for much of the game, but it felt as if they didn’t have that final drive to get over the line that the fans usually gave them.

This got to Postecoglu, he was seen having an argument with a fan during the game, and in the post match press conference he unleashed a Conte esque rant, saying that “The foundations (of the club) are really fragile, the last 48 hours have shown me that”

He then went on to say the priorities of the fans were “of zero interest to him”.

This was not as catastrophic as Conte’s farewell interview before he was sacked as Tottenham manager, but it had echoes of it, and even if Tottenham fans say that they have moved on from it, and are still behind Ange, these memories will remain. The Postecoglu who came in and raised the spirits of Tottenham fans, and when the word “mate” brought laughter from the press room is no more. Postecoglu showed a different side to him towards the end of the season, and the fans will remember when he said that their views didn’t matter to him, even if that’s not what his intentions were, those thoughts will remain.

There are also questions over Postecoglu’s tactics, and whether they will be found out due to their clear and distinct nature. Postecouglu has repeatedly said that he will no change his tactics, mate. The opposition now are very smart, and do their research, so Tottenham will have to find different solutions, otherwise they will be found out. I predict that will be part of the reason why they will drop off this year.

The other possible difficulty they may face is that Last year they were not in Europe, this year they will compete in the Europa League. The extra fixtures each week will stretch their squad to it’s limits, and as we saw last season, when they didn’t have their first choice team available, they massively struggled. I predict that Tottenham will be electric at times this season, when they have their first choice team fit, but they will be massively inconsistent throughout the year.

They have attempted to strengthen the squad in the transfer market. Dominic Solanke is the marque signing, for around £60 million, the Bournemouth striker scored 19 league goals last season, and could be excellent for Tottenham. Solanke excels in leading a high press, and was crucial to that for Andoni Iraola last season, for Tottenham, that skill set will be equally as valuable. You could say that paying that extreme fee is a bit too expensive for a player who has only had one good season at Premier League level, but Solanke will thrive in this Tottenham side.

What I would say os that Solanke won’t be trans-formative for Tottenham, as the strikers that they already have are just as clinical as Solanke, last season, there main options up front Richarlison scored 11 goals from 9XG, and Son scored 17 goals from 12 XG,. Solanke himself scored 19 goals from 19 XG. Although it may be other aspects of Solanke’s game which are most valuable to Postecoglu than finishing.

The signing of Solanke will also likley mean that Son will play mostly play off the left hand side, with Solanke and Richarlison as the options up front.

Tottenham have also added two young 18 year old midfielders, in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. Gray is more defensive minded than Bergvall, and commanded the much higher transfer fee, but both are extremely talented.

Gray is a versatile player, who can play in midfield, full back and even centre-back, he is extremely strong in turning away from pressure, and possesses strong passing ability.

Bergvall meanwhile is a more attacking minded player, he is similarly press resistant to Gray, and can carry the ball for long distances. Bergvall is also tenacious and not afraid to get stuck into a tackle.

A winger will be on the agenda for the rest of the transfer window, as well as increased depth at full-back following the departure of Emerson Royal.

ONE TO WATCH: Brenan Johnson

Johnson had a promising first season for Tottenham, he scored 5 goals and got 12 assists in the Premier League, and the underlying numbers show that he should have done even better, he had an XG across the season 10.61, so if he had improved his finishing, he would’ve had a 20G/A season, elite numbers. Johnson though, is not an elite player, but he does thrive off the directness of Tottenham’s style, and the low, hard crosses which they put across the face off goal, he is great at playing those balls and getting on the end of them, so he could be in for a breakout season, and become one of Tottenham’s most important players.

8th: Chelsea

An era isn’t really an era at Chelsea, more like a 6 month spell. Nevertheless, Enzo Maresca will hope that he can change the tide at Chelsea, and actually build something over multiple years. Chelsea come off the back of a tumultuous, but ultimately successful season last year under Pochettino, they finished 5th in the league, with an incredible turn around of form towards the end of the season. Maresca meanwhile, joins the club off the back of winning the Championship with Leicester and getting them promoted to the Premier League.

I believe that it was the wrong decision to sack Pochettino, as it was clear to see that he was building something there, and the players were clearly behind him. Maresca though, to his credit, might be just what they need. His style of play is clear, structure is the keyword when it comes to his tactics, you know what you’re going to get from a Maresca team. They will lineup in a 4-3-3, with one of the fullbacks moving into midfield and the other tucking in to form a back 3, creating the 3-2-5 in possession formation which we have become so accustomed to in recent times.

Chelsea will keep the ball, a lot. This was the issue with Pochettino, you weren’t quite sure what his style of play was. Chelsea are a mess, quite frankly, with player turnover extreme, and one of the most inflated squads in the Premier League, but having a manager who at least brings clarity on the pitch may help bring some form of structure to the club.

This change style also could be positive as it fits many of their players down to a tee, Marc Cucurella thrived for Chelsea at the end of last season playing in that inverted fullback role, and Reece James would benefit from such a change as well. Levi Colwill showed during his spell at Brighton that his is exceptional with the ball at his feet, and he could be invaluable for Chelsea this season, either playing as a left-sided centre-back, or playing as a left back who tucks back into a back 3 in possession.

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo should also thrive in this team, well actually they must thrive in this team, due to the extortionate fees paid for them, if they can not perform in a possession based team, of which merits they were bought for, then you start to question what their purpose really is.

However, they may still be issues for Chelsea under Maresca, they have had a tumultuous pre-season, while you shouldn’t read too much into that, it has shown some of the issues that they have. They have conceded so many goals in their pre-season games so far, and have looked abject in that area, in the Premier League, they will be punished.

Pace at the back is also a big issue, and with them likely to have the ball high up the pitch a lot this season, with teams sitting off them, they are likely to be exposed on the counter attack. They also may encounter a similar issue to what I expect Liverpool might have, Chelsea may go through spells in games, having lots of possession, but not really doing anything with it, and then getting hit on the counter. Chelsea had this problem a lot last season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it returned this year.

Maresca’s style of play may also take away from the freedom of Cole Palmer. Last year, Palmer carried Chelsea on his back at times, and was crucial to everything they did. Pochettino gave him that freedom to go and show himself, and that helped Palmer significantly. Maresca is a much more positional manager, and demands his players to be in the right positions all the time. Here is a comparison of Palmer’s, who featured mostly on the right wing for Chelsea last season, and Abdul Fatawu’s, who played on the right for Leicester last season, heat-maps from last season:

Palmer first:

Then Fatawu:

The difference is stark, and while Palmer will still be a crucial player for Chelsea this season, don’t be surprised if his involvement drops.

The Chelsea fan base is a volatile one, and one that isn’t happy with the state of the club, we saw protests against the coach and board last season, and with the sale of academy players such as Trevoh Chalobah, Lewis Hall, Ian Maatsen and Connor Gallagher, it feels as if that disconnect between club and fans is only growing, and I wouldn’t be surprised that if results don’t go their way this season, that those frustrations could resurface.

Chelsea’s squad is a mess, they have far too many players already, and they just won’t stop adding to it. Pedro Neto and Samu Omorodion are the latest additions, both are good players, but neither will be able to play many minutes. It’s impossible to understand how the club expect team cohesion to grow when they have so many players. it’s also not like they have wise old heads in the dressing room to help the younger players develop either, they are all extremely young. They are a mess. The best example of this is that they have 9 goalkeepers contracted to their first team, and many of them are under the age of 23, what is the point of signing all these young players with potential if they can’t play because there is another young guy ahead of them? It’s nonsensical.

ONE TO WATCH: Christopher Nkunku

It’s been a difficult start to life for Nkunku at Chelsea, injuries plagued him last season, and he has only able to start 2 games for Chelsea so far. When he has been fit though, he has looked like the player that Chelsea signed for around £60 million. He has scored 3 goals in a Chelsea shirt and will feature heavily this season, possibly up front (which will excite FPL players as he is classified as a midfielder) or on the wing. Either way Nkunku should be like a new signing for Chelsea, and could provide good return on investment this season.