1. Can Manchester City avoid mistakes from two years ago?
Retaining the title seems harder than winning it. Since 1984, when Liverpool triumphed for the third consecutive year, only Chelsea, in 2006, and Manchester United, on multiple occasions under Sir Alex Ferguson, have done it. Manchester City’s only recent attempt to keep their crown ended in regret, recrimination and, ultimately, the sacking of Roberto Mancini. They failed to build on their 2012 triumph, failing to recruit the players Mancini wanted. No superstar has been signed this summer, either, but manager Manuel Pellegrini has a stronger squad and a better relationship with the dressing room. But he has confirmed City intend to pursue championships on four fronts again and going further in Europe is a major aim, so it will be difficult to record another first-place finish.
2. How much has Luis Suarez’s loss hit Liverpool?
The statistics show Suarez contributed 31 goals and 12 assists to Liverpool last season, playing a prominent part in 43 of their 101 league goals. The reality is his contribution stretches far beyond that. He made the impossible seem possible. His Liverpool legacy involves the return of Uefa Champions League football. It is scarcely an exaggeration to brand him irreplaceable. Liverpool have not signed a direct replacement. High-profile forwards continue to elude them – Alexis Sanchez might have been perfect – and, without one, Liverpool again have much to prove. His absence will make repeating last season’s title challenge more difficult and he will be missed against the European elite.
3. Is Jose Mourinho still special?
It is a decade since Jose Mourinho announced himself as “the Special One” on his arrival in England. The Portuguese’s arrogance was invariably justified by his record. Now he is in the longest drought of an extraordinary career and has gone two years without a trophy. While it would be excessive to call his first season back at Stamford Bridge a failure – Chelsea did reach the semi-finals of the Champions League – it was not the success it should have been. Chelsea ought to have won the title last season. They squandered a dominant position as Mourinho’s pessimism became prophetic. This year, having invested heavily in Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis, and with what is very much his squad, more should be expected. Even more than usual, Mourinho will be under scrutiny.
4. Can Arsenal hold off their rivals to sustain a title challenge?
One of last season’s more startling statistics is that Arsenal topped the table for 128 days and champions City for just 14. The impression that Arsenal crack at the first sign of pressure is incorrect; so, too, the suggestion they are invariably found wanting in major matches. Where they did fail last season was in the pivotal away games against the rest of the top four. All were early kick-offs on a Saturday and Arsene Wenger’s side conceded 17 goals in those three matches. Had they picked up seven points in those three games, they would have won the league; five or six might have sufficed. It is clear where they need to improve and the onus is not just on the back four. They required a high-class defensive midfielder in those three games. The entire side has to display a better attitude in such encounters, too.
5. Can Everton break into the top four?
It was a record-breaking season last year. Arsenal finished fourth with 79 points, the most by a team in their position. Everton recorded their Premier League best of 72, a total that would have taken them into the Champions League in many other seasons. It also highlighted the scale of their task if they are to break into the top four, and not just because Manchester United are certain to improve while Everton’s campaign is complicated by their presence in the Europa League. Signing Romelu Lukaku for £28 million (Dh172.7m) is a sign of manager Roberto Martinez’s ambition but, as the Belgian was on loan at Goodison Park last season, Everton have broadly the same squad whereas their rivals have strengthened. The chances are that, again, they will end up in the second four places, not the top four.
6. Can Mauricio Pochettino stamp his mark on Tottenham?
Tottenham have seemed a team in search of an identity. A young, progressive strategist, Andre Villas-Boas was supposed to supply it. He failed. Neither could Tim Sherwood, with his gung-ho disdain for tactics. It is easy to see why Mauricio Pochettino appealed to Spurs: his coaching skills improved Southampton’s players, his pressing game gave them a distinct style and they played entertaining football. If he can transfer that to Tottenham, they will be delighted. Yet participation in the Europa League and dealing with chairman Daniel Levy present two problems to Pochettino and White Hart Lane has been something of a managerial graveyard. Managers as different as Villas-Boas, Juande Ramos, Jacques Santini, Glenn Hoddle and George Graham did not produce teams that were definitively, and successfully, theirs.
7. Will Louis van Gaal’s new formation revive Manchester United?
Over the years, Manchester United have played 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 and 4-2-4. The common denominator, whoever the manager, has been a back four. Enter Van Gaal, a man with the courage of his convictions and a willingness to be different. For the first time in most of a century, United will have a back three. Van Gaal reached the semi-finals of the World Cup playing 3-4-1-2 and United will line up in a similar shape. It is designed to bring the best from Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata, all accommodated in their favourite central roles. The concern should lie at that back; partly because Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are the only senior central defenders he has, and their form has been mixed in recent years, but also because a back three tends to need a ball-playing centre-back and a defensive leader, and United have neither.
8. How far will Southampton fall?
Sometimes a club loses one or two star players to bigger and wealthier rivals. Unless they have been relegated, are in financial trouble or want them to leave, it is rare indeed that five go, with the possibility that more may follow. Southampton exchanged Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers for £93m. They also lost manager Pochettino. If the safe bet is that they will also lose eighth place, some have started suggesting they could be in relegation danger.
Those predictions will proliferate if Morgan Schneiderlin or Jay Rodriguez join the exodus. So new manager Ronald Koeman and his costliest signings, Italian striker Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic, have the task of ensuring Southampton do not become seen as a crisis club who will fall as swiftly as they rose.
9. Who will be the best of the rest?
Whereas there used to be plenty of talk about “the big four”, now the Premier League has a big seven. They have superior resources and better players than anyone else. While the gap is already established, it will surely grow bigger. Last season, Manchester United underachieved to finish seventh with 64 points. Southampton, eighth with 56, have been weakened by raids from their superiors. There is no obvious successor to their mantle as the best of the rest. Perhaps it will be Newcastle, after finally investing in players. Maybe Sunderland, if a mercurial team can acquire some consistency. Possibly Stoke could sneak under the radar. Crystal Palace, Swansea and West Ham could all stand a chance. The safe assertion is that whoever ends up eighth will be distanced from the elite.
10. Who will drop into danger?
The routine is well established. Every year, three clubs come up and, without fail, they are tipped for an immediate return to the Championship. Invariably, at least one stays up and someone else suffers a precipitous fall into the lower leagues. Last season, two of the established order, Norwich and Fulham, were cut adrift after Sunderland pulled back from disaster just in time. This season, West Bromwich Albion are tipped for a tumble. Unconvincing last year, the underwhelming appointment of manager Alan Irvine, who was demoted with Sheffield Wednesday, has hardly fostered optimism. Aston Villa, who just stayed up in the past two seasons, may also be vulnerable, while Hull will hope participation in the Europa League does not come at a high cost.
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