Trevor Steven’s Premier League preview: Big seasons in store for Liverpool and Tottenham
It pains me to write this as a former Evertonian, but I think it could be Liverpool’s year again in the Premier League – although they and Manchester City will find Tottenham Hotspur snapping at their heels.
Most of the big clubs have been quick to strengthen ahead of the new season, making early signings in a concerted effort to be settled for this weekend’s opening round rather than waiting until the end of the month for deadline-day bargains.
Liverpool fall into that category and, although Sadio Mane has moved on, their forward options look stronger than ever. Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota can fill in for Mane, while marquee summer transfer Darwin Nunez will add another attacking dimension.
Crucially, striker Nunez seems ready to slot into the team straight away without changing the way that Liverpool play. City, on the other hand, may take some time to adjust to their new No9 Erling Haaland and that could cost them valuable points early in the campaign.
Haaland is not the type of centre-forward to drop deep or take up wide positions, so City will have to get the ball to him early. I think that might make them easier to play against for opponents, who will look to slow them down.
City’s sale of Raheem Sterling is also a concern as they haven’t replaced him. Riyad Mahrez will have more responsibility for beating defenders, while a lot will rest on Jack Grealish, who doesn’t score anywhere near as many goals as Sterling.
I don’t think Liverpool and City will finish 20 points clear of the rest this season, and if there is to be a third horse in the title race then I fancy it to be Tottenham.
Antonio Conte improved them last term and I think Spurs will make another leap forward this year. Conte has been ruthless in discarding players he doesn’t need and, importantly, got chairman Daniel Levy to act early on transfers.
They have recruited well – Yves Bissouma is proven in England, Richarlison offers cover for Son Heung-min – and I think Harry Kane will have a massive campaign. With a superb stadium and training ground, Spurs have a real platform to push on.
I still expect Liverpool and City to be better over 38 games, however. And with Jurgen Klopp already having fine-tuned the Reds, who have extra motivation from narrowly missing out in the Premier League and in Europe last time, they are my tip.
Arsenal to complete Premier League top four
Consistency is key in the world’s best league and I think Arsenal will improve enough to beat Chelsea and Manchester United to a place in the top four.
Despite letting a Champions League spot slip away last season, I think Mike Arteta is doing a terrific job and has done really good business in this window.
As Amazon’s new behind-the-scenes Arsenal documentary shows, Pep Guardiola’s former assistant is a chip off the old block. That two of his players at City, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, have now joined him is a ringing endorsement.
While the teams mentioned already are going in the right direction, it’s hard to say the same about Chelsea. They have shipped out Romelu Lukaku a year after signing him for £98m and there has been a lot of churn in the squad.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has let it be known that he has not been happy with some things at the club, now under their new US ownership, and it’s very difficult to predict how Chelsea are going to perform in the coming months.
They aren’t as much of a mess as United, however, who start the season with Cristiano Ronaldo’s future in limbo. They deserve all they get from that kerfuffle and I don’t envy new manager Erik Ten Hag, who has at least shown signs of promise in pre-season.
Newcastle and West Ham look best of the rest
Outside the top six, the Premier League is incredibly hard to call, with a mass of mid-table clubs mostly with little between them scrambling to stay clear of the relegation fight and perhaps finish in the top half of the table or even qualify for Europe.
Newcastle haven’t spent as much as I expected following their Saudi takeover but the way they finished last term suggests they will be among the best of the rest. I would put West Ham United, who have bought well, in the same bracket.
Beyond those two, there are a lot of questions. Can Aston Villa and Crystal Palace push on? Will Leicester City cope if they lose key players? Do Southampton have it in them to improve? What about Leeds United?
I must admit I’m worried for Everton. Selling your best player is not the way to build on avoiding relegation and, although the fans love Frank Lampard, another season like the last will spell the end of his managerial tenure.
Premier League newcomers face survival fight
I expect the three promoted teams – Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest – to come under immense pressure and it wouldn’t surprise me if they all went straight back down.
Fulham have perhaps the best chance of survival. I like Scott Parker but I fear for Bournemouth, while I don’t see how Steve Cooper can integrate the dozen or more new players who have arrived at Forest.
If another team is to get sucked into the bottom three then it could be Brentford, who lacked sparkle whenever I saw them last term, won’t have the surprise factor they did in their first campaign and have lost chief creator Christian Eriksen.
Three players to watch
Darwin Nunez: From the glimpses we’ve seen Nunez looks ready to have a big debut season, and the success of new team-mate Luis Diaz shows how quickly imports from Portugal can make an impact.
Harry Kane: Uncertainty over his future meant Kane took a while to get going last year but I think he will have a fantastic campaign and benefit from a more consistent Spurs.
Gabriel Jesus: Experienced, the right age, a winner: Jesus could be the ingredient previously missing at Arsenal. We know he can score loads and now he has been liberated from his City role.
Trevor Steven is a former England footballer who played at two World Cups and two European Championships. @TrevorSteven63.