English soccer is riding high at the moment.
The Three Lions had a brilliant run at Euro 2020, capturing the imagination of the entire country en route to losing a dramatic penalty shootout to Italy in the finals at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Before that, Chelsea beat Manchester City in an all-English final in the UEFA Champions League, while Manchester United finished runners-up in last season’s UEFA Europa League.
All of which sets the table for the 2021-22 Premier League season, which kicks off this week.
Here are five storylines to watch during the upcoming English top-flight campaign.
Guardiola’s Manchester City looks to repeat
Manchester City romped to the title last season — its third in four years — by a 12-point margin over rivals Manchester United. The Blues sported the league’s most potent attack, the tightest defence and the best goalkeeper (Ederson posted a league-high 19 clean sheets). Except for the exit of veteran Sergio Aguero, manager Pep Guardiola has not only retained the core of last season’s championship side, but he’s bolstered it with the addition of attacker Jack Grealish via a reported £100 million (US$138 million) transfer move from Aston Villa. It’s also important to remember that Kevin De Bruyne started only 23 Premier League games last season due to injury. The Beglian star is now back to full health, which means Man City will be tougher to topple compared to last season.
High-profile faces in new places
Grealish isn’t the only high-profile player to find a new club in the Premier League. Notably, Manchester United made a big splash in the transfer market by luring English forward Jadon Sancho away from Borussia Dortmund on a reported €85 million (US$100 million) transfer move. Sancho, 21, scored 50 goals and registered 64 assists in four years in Germany, and is considered one of the best young players in the world, so his arrival at Old Trafford improves what is an already impressive Man United attack. Chelsea is in the midst of completing a transfer move for Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku after he scored 47 goals in two Serie A seasons with Inter Milan. At the other end of the pitch, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool spent big on central defenders, with Ben White joining the Gunners from Brighton & Hove Albion, Raphael Varane signing with the Red Devils from Real Madrid and Ibrahima Konaté moving to Anfield from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.
Beware of Chelsea
Manager Thomas Tuchel took over a Chelsea side last January after Frank Lampard was fired and with the team languishing in ninth place. Tuchel quickly went to work and brought some much-needed defensive solidity to the London-based club, as the Blues climbed the standings and finished the season in fourth place. The Blues also won the UEFA Champions League title for the second time by beating Manchester City in the finals, proving that they made the right choice in Tuchel. Now with a full season ahead of him, the German manager is expected to wield some more of his magic and guide the Blues to their first Premier League crown since 2016-17. Chelsea only ranked as the eighth-highest team in last season’s Premier League, which is why they went to great lengths to procure Lukaku. The Belgian striker will be looked upon to ignite the attack, while the hope is that Timo Werner, last summer’s big signing, will come good after a lacklustre debut campaign in the Premier League in 2020-21.
Chelsea’s Timo Werner during a pre-season friendly vs. Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge, London. (AP)
The managerial ‘sack race’
English oddsmakers love to speculate at the beginning of every Premier League season over who will be the first coach to lose his job. At the moment, Patrick Vieira is the 6-1 joint-favourite, alongside Watford’s Xisco Munoz. Crystal Palace made a bold move in appointing Vieira as Roy Hodgson’s successor — the former French international’s only previous experience were underwhelming stints in charge of Nice and New York City FC in MLS. Munoz has even less experience, but he did help Watford win promotion after being appointed last December. Still, Watford is known for changing managers during the season, and you have to think that he could get the axe at the slightest sign of trouble. Steve Bruce (Newcastle United) and Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) are also on short leashes after disappointing 2020-21 seasons.
The relegation battle
As always, the trio newcomers are the top candidates to be relegated by the end of the season, which is bad news for Norwich City, Watford and Brentford. Of the three, playoff winners Brentford must be considered the most likely to drop back down to the English Championship (second division). But the likes of Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Southampton and Burnley will be nervously looking over their shoulders as the season progresses as they try to avoid being dragged down into the relegation zone. Palace took a big gamble in appointing Patrick Vieira as their new coach, Southampton tapered off during the second half of the last campaign, Burnley finished just above the relegation zone last season and the ongoing ownership saga at Newcastle could doom the Magpies.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for a number of media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. To check out TFC Republic, click here.
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