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Premier League 2017-18: Fan of each club on hopes & fears
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Fans at each Premier League club will be giving their views every Monday in Sportsmail’s new football magazine, The Verdict.
Here, they outline their hopes and fears for the season ahead…
Peter Wood (Founder and author at Le Grove and The Arsenal Opinion podcast)
Who is the greatest player you have seen at your club?
I’m lucky enough to have a treasure trove of special memories associated with some unbelievably magical Arsenal players. However, there can be no doubt about the greatest, Thierry Henry. He became the face of the Premier League, technically gifted, good looking, swashbuckling, and supremely talented. He took ‘impossible’ and fired it into the top corner on the half volley. He was and still is the King.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
I’d love Arsene Wenger to prove the footballing world wrong. He’s gearing up for the new season with six players in the last year of their deals. He’s looked at fifth place and humiliation in the Champions League and decided two players will reverse those fortunes. He’s rolled into the new season on his own gut instinct, electing not to bring in a Director of Football to help him oversee things. If I’m honest, my greatest hope is to be surprised by something positive.
That the realities of football will slap our dated manager in the face. This season, our rivals have generally spent big. Not just that, some of the best managers in the world are entering their second full season. They have total ownership on their squads, the ideas are all their own and there are huge expectations they will deliver. Arsenal could find that life outside the top four become a regular thing if we’re not very, very careful.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Myself, and several thousand AFC Bournemouth fans were jumping for joy to get hold of tickets to see George Best play for the club in 1983. He only played five games, but he still had magic in his feet and his skill level was miles ahead of everyone on the pitch. He didn’t score, but he out thought opposition players and had amazing control of the ball.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
I’d like to see the club make an appearance in a cup final with the prospect of European football, which seems crazy! But it could happen now.
Losing Eddie Howe would probably be every AFC Bournemouth fans’ worst fear, but I believe the special relationship that Eddie has with the club will see him stay beyond the opening of the new stadium for the club in 2020.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
For anyone my age, Peter Ward was our Messi. A socks-down, heads-up, smiling assassin. But Robbie Reinelt must get a nod too. You know why.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
My only hope is staying up, but if you are giving me a ‘greatest’ hope then I would like to beat Palace home and away.
Albion-wise, no fears. Only belief in our team-spirit, our humble manager, and our shrewd and passionate chairman. Bring it on! It’s the crazy money that scares me.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Jimmy McIlroy. He’s regarded as our greatest player ever and I always feel privileged to have had the opportunity to see him.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
I don’t think we are going to win the Premier League or qualify for the Champions League but I’m hoping for another good season some distance away from the relegation zone.
To be in a relegation battle and lose it. In our second successive season of top flight football it would be disappointing if it were to be a struggle to stay up.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Frank Lampard, our record goalscorer. Someone who worked so hard at his talent. To have had the career he did here winning everything says it all. Didier Drogba, John Terry, Peter Osgood and Gianfranco Zola run him a close second.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
Greatest hope is that we put up a fight in defence of our title. I would like to see us challenge again with top four as a minimum and to challenge in the later stages of the Champions League.
That our squad is too small, we get hit by injuries and suspensions, results suffer and we fall behind everyone else.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Notable mentions to Craig Moore, the best centre back I had seen play, and of course the brilliant Attilio Lombardo but I have to go with the natural born goalscorer Ian Wright that made his name at the club.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
That we get off to a good start under Frank de Boer and find enough consistency throughout the season to achieve a top ten finish.
Injuries to key players and the gamble appointing de Boer not paying off as well as we all hope it will.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Mikel Arteta. By far Everton’s greatest Premier League player, made every single fan get up from their seat each time he got the ball. A class act.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
Koeman to have found the perfect system. We chopped and changed from a number of formations last campaign, I would love to see an Everton team our Dutch commander has built himself.
Not replacing Romelu Lukaku. I think throughout a number of games so far in pre-season we’ve missed his presence. Olivier Giroud/Nicolai Jorgensen would be ideal signings.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Aaron Mooy is by far the best player I have seen at my club. He has the ability to control the pace of the game and is so crucial to the team.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
Realistically it has to be to avoid relegation. However if we can get off to a good start and surprise a few, mid-table isn’t beyond our reach.
My biggest fear is how the team’s morale will be affected if we lose heavily/consecutively, and how they will react.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
I was lucky enough to see the young Gary Lineker break into the team. Although not the most skilful player to grace our pitch, he was such an amazing goal poacher with lightning speed. A joy to watch,
What is your greatest hope for this season?
I’m hoping for a top 10 finish and to go far in the FA Cup.
That it could all go wrong! Facing a relegation battle and Craig Shakespeare being sacked.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
At the risk of committing blasphemy, I’m going to overlook Kenny Dalglish and say Steven Gerrard. He could do everything, he could play anywhere, and time and again he carried his team through on the big occasion.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
Improvement on last year which will hopefully result in a serious run at the title. A good run in Europe would be nice too.
Injuries to key players exposing a lack of depth in the squad, particularly in defence.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
David Silva. This is the best City team of my lifetime and Silva is the brilliant genius who makes it tick.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
That all the attacking flair and creative options we have produce thrilling football that delivers titles and trophies. If we click, other teams do not stand a chance.
That we do not quite find the right balance within the side and another injury to Vincent Kompany leaves us vulnerable at the back.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Cristiano Ronaldo in our double winning 2007-2008 season. Watching Ronaldo glide round the pitch and do things no other players could do with such ease was just an incredible sight.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
Winning the Premier League. I think we’ve now got the squad to challenge for it, I just hope everything falls in place and our new signings do what they need to do to fix the problems we had in our team last year.
That big injuries could blight our season. We don’t have that much strength in depth, especially in central midfield, so one or two major injuries and our starting XI wouldn’t be anywhere near strong enough on paper to compete.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Alan Shearer. Both Newcastle and the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer and a man who turned down countless opportunities to win silverware elsewhere in favour of making history at his boyhood club.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
Ending the trophy drought is the dream. Silverware at St James’ Park is long overdue and would be an incredible way to mark our first season back in the Premier League with Rafa Benitez.
Rafa and Newcastle parting company. The Spaniard is overseeing a significant rebuild on Tyneside, repairing years of damage from youth to the senior teams and losing him now would be unforgivable.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club, and what made him so special?
Need you ask? Matt Le Tissier: as technically gifted as they come, he’d entertain the fans on a weekly basis, whilst saving our skin in the top flight year on year.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
For Virgil van Dijk to make a return to the starting XI. No amount of money can allow us to replace him, and he’s vital in our push for a European place.
That we allow ourselves to flirt with relegation after standing so still in the market. We’ve made no additions to the to the goal-shy squad that Claude Puel left behind.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Undoubtedly Sir Stanley Matthews. Every single Stoke supporter is brought up knowing about Stan and he is revered by every generation of supporters. He is a symbol of everything which is good about football and he is a son of Stoke-on-Trent. We’re very proud that football’s first knight was one of us!
What is your greatest hope for this season?
That we can genuinely push through to what for us would be the magical next level — challenging for a top-eight spot and qualifying for Europe.
That our struggles in the transfer market fail to address the shortcomings which have blighted us for the past 18 months and that we see Stoke sucked into a relegation battle for the first time in a decade.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Leon Britton. He’s been a key figure in the squad for an impressive 15 years now and has been a massive influence in Swansea’s success from League Two to the Premier League. He’s improved at every level and even now at 34, he can still put a shift in like he’s 24.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
I’d be delighted with a comfortable mid-table finish, whilst also going back to ‘The Swansea Way’ of playing. We seemed to have lost our identity in the last few years with numerous managerial sackings and changes in styles of play, but hopefully it’ll be a lot more steady under Paul Clement.
Relegation. We came so close to the drop last season and it was absolutely terrifying. We must learn from last term’s mistakes if we’re avoid another farcical campaign like the last, but with transfer business on hold due to the current Gylfi Sigurdsson saga, it’s hard to judge if we actually have. Only time will tell.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Paul Gascoigne. His instinctive brilliance, strength on the ball, ability to thread a slide rule pass and set piece brilliance dominated my life as a youngster as I spent hours and hours in the back garden trying to recreate his numerous fantastic goals.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
That Spurs can go one better than last season and win the Premier League. Playing at Wembley makes it harder, as does the fact we don’t swim in the same financial waters as our rivals, but Mauricio Pochettino seems to revel in being the underdog and with everyone expecting us to fail, maybe he can get us to the promised land.
That we have a bad start, the press get on our backs for not having made any signings and for the ‘Wembley hoodoo’ and our season never recovers, causing us to finish seventh behind the usual suspects and even, dare I say it, them lot down the road. Can’t see it happening though. Pochettino is just too good for that.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Almen Abdi gets my vote, his vision and passing were always too great for the Championship. Sadly I’m too young to remember the golden era of the 1980s.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
Comfortably surviving in the Premier League would suffice, but hopefully with a good cup run to keep us fans excited during the final weeks of the season.
We’re clearly building a squad for the future, so relegation is the big fear as we would see many of our exciting young prospects leave.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Even though he was only on loan Romelu Lukaku was unbelievably good. You could tell he was going to be a star, especially after the hat-trick against Manchester United.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
Europe is probably out of touching distance for us. A good cup run and a trip to Wembley in the FA Cup would be nice.
What is your biggest fear for this season?
The threat of relegation will always be there. If we don’t start well in a favourable first six games, I fear for us.
Who is the greatest player you have ever seen at your club?
Dimitri Payet stands alone as the most exciting player I’ve seen. A true match winner, he could do things I’ve never seen West Ham players do and he gave us the belief that we could win any game.
What is your greatest hope for this season?
West Ham have made some sensible signings this summer that give me faith that we can once again push for a European place. Javier Hernandez is the best forward we’ve had in some time.
Injuries, as always. In years past, we have suffered crippling injuries to key players and if it happens again we really will have a threadbare squad struggling to get by.
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Man City and United can hit Premier League rivals with a one-two
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There are more than 200 million reasons why the Premier League trophy will be paraded in Manchester next May after City and United spent the summer splashing their cash.
City start as favourites – they’re no better than 15/8 after spending big ahead of Pep Guardiola’s second season - and there’s hardly any ticks in the negative column.
He could do with an assured start from his latest goalkeeper, £35million man Ederson, but Guardiola’s new arrivals in front of the Brazilian, the likes of Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva, should have no problem settling in to a squad containing Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero and a fit Gabriel Jesus.
They’re a popular pick for the Premier League. Out of 15 Sportsmail reporters, 11 predicted a first title since 2014 while eight of 13 bookies asked in the Racing Post’s preview to the season opted for a City win. In the same betting paper, six football writers and former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann gave their predictions with four of the seven backing the market leaders.
It’s hard to go against the majority – what is easier is taking a little pen from the bookies and putting a line through the other five contenders one by one - starting with last year’s champions Chelsea (7/2).
Nothing much has changed for Antonio Conte and therein lies the problem. Diego Costa won’t be playing for him again (that’s 20 PL goals right there) and Eden Hazard is injured. Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger and Costa’s fellow Spain international striker Alvaro Morata have been brought in but compared to their rivals, and bearing in mind there’s a Champions League campaign to cope with, many players have been allowed to leave and Chelsea’s squad looks threadbare. Conte has been cutting a frustrated figure – even before they lost the Community Shield to Arsenal.
Gunners fans watched their team win the curtain-raiser last Sunday and maybe they’ll be happy for a while. But it won’t last. Alexandre Lacazette looks the part but he’d be better with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in the same team. Their futures are far from certain and a plane over the Emirates with ‘Wenger Out’ flying behind it is never more than a couple of results away.
There’s nothing appealing about the 12/1 offered for a first league win since 2004 and we won’t be taking the 10/1 available for a Tottenham triumph. They haven’t dipped into the market yet as Mauricio Pochettino insists he doesn’t need first-team players and convincing big names to be back-up is difficult. And then there’s the 38 away games with Wembley (they don’t like it there) providing a temporary home while White Hart Lane is transformed.
They’ve fallen short two seasons in a row and it’s hard to see them improving when their rivals have raised the stakes.
Liverpool (13/1) have looked good in pre-season and have strengthened - Mohamed Salah has been in fine form - but Daniel Sturridge staying fit is never guaranteed and like Arsenal they’re facing a battle to keep hold of their best player with Barcelona trying to prise Philippe Coutinho out of Anfield.
It’s also worth noting the Reds are the only team in the top six without a player at single-figure odds for the top-scorer prize. Sadio Mane, 25/1 with some firms and as high as 40s with a couple, is the highest-placed Anfield man on the list.
Manchester United (9/2) had an encouraging pre-season before losing to Real Madrid in the Super Cup and beefed up by bringing in Victor Lindelof (jury’s out but it’s early days), Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku while Jose Mourinho always delivers the championship in his second season. That’s his thing.
But sixth to first is a hell of a jump and although Chelsea made a bigger leap last term their 10th place the season before was a false finishing position.
Second is achievable and a City-United all-Manchester top two returns 10/1 with Bet365 and BoyleSports.
Harry Kane is on a hat-trick and can match Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry by winning three Golden Boots in a row if he finishes top this season.
The Spurs hotshot is 10/3 favourite just ahead of Lukaku while City’s South American pair Sergio Aguero and Jesus are next in the betting. The 9/1 available for the Brazilian is more appealing than Wembley-bound Kane at such skinny odds.
City are the only team represented in the payout places in each of the last four seasons – Sergio Aguero every year with Yaya Toure gatecrashing in 2013-14.
Jesus bagged three quick goals before his injury back in February and four in five games to finish the season on his return - more of the same will see him give Kane a run for his money.
There’s too much cream at the top but anyone looking for runners at bigger prices could do worse than Southampton’s Manolo Gabbiadini and Leicester new-boy Kelechi Iheanacho (both 40/1).
There will be drama at Newcastle, there always is, but they’ll have enough about them to stay up after a busy but somewhat frustrating summer for manager Rafa Benitez (his words). Huddersfield and Brighton will find it much tougher and their stay could be a short one. Burnley were already well backed to join them and it’s a stronger fancy now they’ve lost Andre Gray to Watford. The treble returns 16/1 with Bet365, Betway and Boylesports.
*Prices from oddschecker.com - correct at time of publication, subject to change
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Saints to host Wolves in Carabao Cup
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Southampton will host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the second round of the Carabao Cup.
Saints reached the final of the competition last season and will begin their bid to get back to Wembley at St Mary’s.
Championship side Wolves, who beat Yeovil in the opening round, will be the visitors, with the tie set to be played in the week commencing August 21st.
A confirmed date and time for the fixture will be announced as soon as it is known.
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Premier League predictions by our team of reporters
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Sportsmail’s expert team of reporters have run the rule over signings, scorers, the managers who are under pressure and the title contenders.
Signing of the summer? Nemanja Matic (Chelsea to Manchester United, £40m). I was a big fan of his when he was at Chelsea and didn’t think he got enough credit. Exactly what United have been needing for some time and will weaken a major rival, too.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola, with Jose Mourinho a close second. Both have spent a lot of money. Both loaded with sky-high expectations.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. I think it will be very close between City and United. Both look as though they will be stronger than last year. City just have the edge.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham. Chelsea and Spurs will be contenders again but fear Liverpool may miss out if Philippe Coutinho leaves.
Surprise package? Watford might have a decent season under Marco Silva. Many disparaged his effect at Hull last season but I thought he lifted mood and performances for a while. Club too far gone by the time he got there.
Which teams will be relegated? Huddersfield, Newcastle, Southampton. Think the curse of Ashley will strike Newcastle again. He needed to back Rafa Benitez properly this summer and so far, he hasn’t.
Top goalscorer? Gabriel Jesus. He looked superb when he arrived at City last season. Injury disrupted his season but City have got so much going forward, he will get plenty of chances.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Chelsea. If City and United set the pace domestically, it’s easy to see a situation where the Champions League becomes Chelsea’s main target. If Eden Hazard plays to his potential, anything is possible.
One thing you DO want to see this season? Stockport County get promoted from the National League North. Clubs to stop ripping off their fans. Very little chance of either happening.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Constant blaming of the referee for a defeat. It’s so boring. Take some responsibility yourself for a change.
Signing of the summer? Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen to West Ham, £16m). Capable of 20 goals if West Ham build the right team around him and that’s good value for £16m in the modern market.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola: No trophy in his first season and another £200m spent on players and exacting personal standards.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. Strengthened the areas which needed strengthening although much will hinge on Ederson’s adjustment to goalkeeping in England.
Who else makes up top four? Chelsea (solid and powerful first XI), Manchester United (expect significant improvement) & Arsenal (one final flourish from Sanchez, Ozil & Co).
Surprise package? Huddersfield have energy, spirit and unity and it might be enough to avoid an instant return to the Championship.
Which teams will be relegated? Brighton, Swansea, Crystal Palace - because it takes a bit longer to get there than you expect from my house.
Top goalscorer? Gabriel Jesus. Seven in 10 in the Premier League last season and City were starting to purr when he was injured in February.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Manchester City. Biggest squad, loads of options, the Pep factor and a bit more Euro-nous than before.
One thing you DO want to see this season? Diego Costa doing the Chelsea analysis on MNF.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Arsene Wenger putting on his red shoes to dance the blues.
Signing of the summer? Romelu Lukaku (Everton to Manchester United, £75m). The biggest price taking him to the most successful team of the Premier League era brings the biggest expectation. So it’s time for him to produce now he plays for a big club, and I expect he will. Mario Lemina at Southampton will also shine.
Manager most under pressure? The biggest pressures SHOULD be at the ‘top’ clubs and relegation scrappers but I’ve got a hunch that mediocre, mid-table Stoke and West Ham might struggle so I’ll take Mark Hughes and Slaven Bilic to be fretting most about their jobs long before Christmas.
Who will win the title? Manchester United. Realistically it’s a four-horse race between them, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea. I just don’t see Tottenham maintaining the last two years of wonder; Liverpool will fall short if they sell Countinho and Everton are still far-off wannabes.
Who else makes up top four? Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Arsenal will be runners-up as the Premier League pays homage to its peak years with a showdown between the best club in Manchester and the best in London. Quirky, I know. Chelsea to pip City for third as Pep’s faltering challenge means he concentrates on Europe instead.
Surprise package? It depends on whether you mean which team will do markedly better than expected or which outside the ‘big’ clubs will finish highest. On that basis, Huddersfield and Southampton.
Which teams will be relegated? Blimey, it’s really as case of perming three from 13 these days. You could put these names in a hat and have as good a chance of getting it right. So I have zero confidence in this: but on the basis that the promoted teams all have smart managers, I’ll go for complacency, resources and cock-ups doing for Stoke, Burnley and West Ham.
Top goalscorer? Romelu Lukaku. Although until the transfer window is shut and we know the striking options for all the top teams, it’s impossible to call it. You’d expect Harry Kane and Alexis Sanchez and somebody from Manchester City to fill their boots too.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League?Manchester City. But only on the basis that their owners really want to win it because they haven’t done so yet and that will inevitably have filtered through to Pep Guardiola. City will be notable (again) for being behind by half-time away from home in league games and their chances popping like a burst balloon.
One thing you DO want to see this season? An eight-horse race for the title, at least, well past New Year, from which Southampton emerge as front-runners in a thrilling May finale that ends with the title. Captain Virgil Van Dijk will then pen a mea culpa that he was wrong to want away. ‘Football truly is a glory game, I can see that now,’ his speech will end. His words are delivered on placard to Southampton town hall by Lord Lucan aboard Shergar.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Arsenal fans whining about Arsene Wenger. It’s been boring enough to stomach for the last few years, so give it a rest and get behind your club and your manager, you pampered, spoiled muppets.
Signing of the summer? Sead Kolasinac (Schalke to Arsenal, free transfer). As a fellow scribe pointed out during the Community Shield, the Bosnian looks too hard to play for Arsenal. In this ludicrous market, to get a top quality 23-year-old with international experience on a free transfer is superb business. An honourable mention for Liverpool and Dominic Solanke, who will be an absolute steal if he lives up to his exciting potential.
Manager most under pressure? Arsene Wenger. The Emirates ingrates will be at it from day one if Arsenal do not beat Leicester City on Friday night. Wenger simply has to get off to a flyer or the knives will instantly be out from the usual suspects. Elsewhere, it would not surprise me if Craig Shakespeare and Paul Clement were gone by Christmas.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. All Pep Guardiola’s squad was short of last season was full backs. It’s safe to say that after the summer splurge that is no longer an issue. The talent City have is frightening.
Who else makes up top four? Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool. Chelsea will come close and a fired-up Alvaro Morata will shine but European football will ultimately kill their challenge. United will improve and be in it until late on, along with Liverpool, who will perform well in Jurgen Klopp’s second full year.
Surprise package? Crystal Palace. They have not spent much, but Frank de Boer is a fine appointment who has a point to prove after his joke sacking at Inter Milan. I’ve seen some predict a relegation battle for the Eagles. I think they’ll end up in the top half.
Which teams will be relegated? Swansea, Brighton, Huddersfield. If Swansea, as expected, lose Gylfi Sigurdsson they will be in deep trouble. I would really like to see Brighton and Huddersfield stay up and I think one of them might just do it at the expense of a surprise faller.
Top goalscorer? Romelu Lukaku. It is looking like Jose’s United is built for him, as it was for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He will get more chances with his new employers than he did at Everton and, if he stays free from injury, will not be far off 30 goals.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Manchester City. While Jose Mourinho has the know-how, I think Pep Guardiola has the tools to challenge both at home and in Europe. There is a very continental feel about his squad and I would say they are our best hope.
One thing you DO want to see this season? Consideration for match-going fans when it comes to arranging kick-off times. More and more it seems that the lifeblood of our game are being ignored in favour of TV audiences. I am not holding my breath on this one.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Players intentionally taking the ball to the corner flag. I have said it before and will say it again - it is blatant time wasting and should result in an immediate yellow card and free-kick to the opposition. I am not holding my breath on this one, either.
Signing of the summer? Sandro Ramirez (Malaga to Everton, £5.2m). Bigger clubs than Everton were chasing the former Barcelona youth prodigy who scored 14 in 28 starts for Malaga last season. In the post-Neymar era, at £5.2m it almost doesn’t matter if he doesn’t make it here. But many who have watched him week in, week out believe he will. If he does, his value for money will be hard to beat
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola. Comes with the territory of being the world’s most-iconic manager with one of the world’ biggest budgets. He said he wanted to experience England but seems to want to play like he’s still in Spain, like a Brit insisting on Fish n’ Chips in Magaluf. Fascinated to see whether pragmatism wins out against idealism.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. With some trepidation, I back Pep Guardiola to deal with those pressures. At times, he will make me want to eat those words. There is bound to be some calamitous defending. I’m not sure they have holding midfield right. But in a well-balanced field, with Chelsea seemingly weakened, the fact that it’s too soon for Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourino, Arsenal being Arsenal and Tottenham being Tottenham, I’m left with City.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool. Really tough call this. My fear for Chelsea is that without Diego Costa, without more significant signings and with Conte grumbling, it could fall apart again. Title defences haven’t gone so well in the last few years. Chelsea were brilliant last year –but to a certain extent the board got away with it. You can’t keep playing that game. Tottenham could easily make me look silly.
Surprise package? Everton are the obvious choice to push the big six. But even though they will probably end up relegated, I’ll go for Huddersfield. David Wagner has enough about him to make a fight of this. I don’t think they’ll be canon fodder
Which teams will be relegated? Huddersfield, Brighton, Crystal Palace. You fear for Burnley losing Andre Gray and for West Brom, if Tony Pulis were to leave. Traditionally I always think Watford will go down, but they never do. And they have signed well. Newcastle could well be embroiled in this given their (lack of) summer transfers. Swansea will be, especially if Gylfi Sigudrsson and Fernando Llorente leave. Frank de Boer talks well, looks good: in reality, he’s got hard, hard job
Top goalscorer? Harry Kane. Romelu Lukaku will push him close again with more chances Manchester United. Yet he’ll also face new challenges against teams playing deeper against him. Kane is simply the most-consistent and it seems crazy to bet against him
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? None of them. But maybe – counter intuitively, given what I said above – Chelsea: IF Antonio Conte is appeased; IF they sign well in the next three weeks. Tactically they’ll be better than most; given that I think they’ll step back in the Premier league, their focus might end up being in the Champions League
One thing you DO want to see this season? Thomas Lemar at Arsenal; a young English manager such as Eddie Howe or Paul Clement making the Europa League; Marcus Rashford starting 40 games under Jose Mourinho. That’s three but I never could do maths.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? John Stones doing step overs a few seconds before landing on his backside and punching the ground as the opposition score; Alexis Sanchez in a Man City shirt (NOT because there is a conspiracy against City – see above – only to maintain competitive balance); Huddersfield going down
Signing of the summer? Wayne Rooney (Manchester United to Everton, free transfer). Why pick this one? Easy. So many deals leave you feeling cold now, with transfer fees like international telephone numbers becoming the norm and so much animosity and squabbling between clubs. But you would need a heart of granite not to see the joy that accompanied Rooney’s return home. It remains to be seen how he plays but, for the story, nothing beats Rooney.
Manager most under pressure? Antonio Conte. Yes, he’s signed a new contract and just enjoyed one of the most successful debut campaigns of any manager in the last 25 years. But all has not looked right at Chelsea this summer and Roman Abramovich has never flinched in making changes. If results don’t go well early on, the heat will be turned up very quickly.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. They have spent money during this window with purpose and, frankly, anything other than finishing first will be an almighty disappointment. They have depth and quality and granted a fair run, they should win the league comfortably. They are just short of 2/1 in the betting and that seems a very fair price.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. As much as I like Tottenham and their impressive manager Mauricio Pochettino, I feel the fact they must play at Wembley and their inability to strengthen so far will leave them vulnerable. Arsenal have not improved sufficiently to get back into the Champions League places.
Surprise package? West Ham. After a difficult 12 months, a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to find improvement and the signings they have made have been good. They are trying to do more business before the window closes and, now they have adjusted to the London Stadium, they can get back to the form of Slaven Bilic’s first campaign.
Which teams will be relegated? Burnley, Watford, Huddersfield. Never enjoy putting three teams to struggle forward but they are the most vulnerable. Nothing would please me more to see Huddersfield prove that that prediction wrong.
Top goalscorer? Gabriel Jesus. Here is a world star in the making and if he stays fit, the amount of chances Manchester City create could see him get beyond 30 goals. If City win the title, he will be player of the year.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Manchester City. An unoriginal selection but look through their squad and they now have two first choice XIs. They have the depth and quality to make the biggest impact. This has to be the season when their supporters embrace the fact they are serious players in the best competition.
One thing you DO want to see this season? Rooney thriving back at Everton. I don’t for a minute think he will be the explosive force of nature of 10 years ago but I’d like to see him playing well, scoring goals and enjoying his football once more.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Arsenal fans in a meltdown screaming for Arsene Wenger to go after the first significant defeat. He’s signed a contract, he’s staying and no amount of screeching and wailing on Arsenal Fan TV is going to change that!
Signing of the summer? Bernardo Silva (Monaco to Manchester City, £43m). I can’t wait to watch this guy in action. Was a revelation in that exciting Monaco team last year. He’ll light up the Premier League.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola. His first season in England didn’t go according to plan. Yet, the Pep reputation remains intact…just. Another season might cost him his reputation and his job.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. They’ve strengthened in all the areas necessary, namely full back. Much will depend on how new keeper Ederson adapts to life in the Premier League. But Guardiola knows about the Premier League now. No excuses.
Who else makes up top four? Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United. Tottenham fans will be up in arms but the lack of squad investment should catch up with them. Plus adapting to Wembley could be a problem, too.
Surprise package? Watford. Marco Silva is a good manager who will knock the Hornets into shape. They have recruited well too: Nathaniel Chalobah and Will Hughes are two excellent homegrown players. It’ll be an exciting season at Vicarage Road.
Which teams will be relegated? Brighton, Swansea, Huddersfield. Newly relegated sides Brighton and Huddersfield will be among the favourites to go down. But Swansea manager Paul Clement might find this season a whole lot different despite his huge impact last term.
Top goalscorer? Harry Kane. Proven Premier League striker who will, barring injury, play every week. Knows where the goal is. That’ll never change.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Man City. They have the squad to cope with challenging on all fronts. No team in Europe will relish coming against City.
One thing you DO want to see this season? For the new retrospective diving regulations to be a success. Had enough of it blighting our league. Hopefully it acts as a deterrent.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Any injuries to England players in the lead up to the World Cup. We’ve had our fair share in the past…please no more.
Signing of the summer? Jermain Defoe (Sunderland to Bournemouth, free transfer). Scored 15 times for a horrid Sunderland team last season, so expect at least 20 in a Bournemouth side who play on the front foot and create chances. Still lively at 34.
Manager most under pressure? Antonio Conte. The last two Premier League winners - Mourinho and Ranieri - have lost their jobs within months due to player power and Conte’s super-intensity will make him enemies unless results continue
Who will win the title? Manchester City. For Pep Guardiola to finish third last time out with no goalkeeper, defensive chaos and bad injuries (Ilkay Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, Vincent Kompany) is some achievement. He’s now got the energetic full-backs he needs so watch out.
Who else makes up top four? Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham. One suspects Conte is too good to let a strange transfer window affect long-term thinking. United have the two most expensive players in the league, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, and Spurs have the two most valuable, Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
Surprise package? Watford. Defied convention over recent years by regularly changing managers and packing team with little-known foreigners. Marco Silva will offer tactical awareness and they’ve gone a bit Anglo this time with signings like Will Hughes.
Which teams will be relegated? Huddersfield, Burnley, Brighton. Two promoted teams went down last time and it’s going to be hard for Huddersfield and Brighton for obvious reasons. Sean Dyche is sticking to tried and trusted methods but buys like Phil Bardsley don’t inspire confidence
Top goalscorer? Harry Kane. I’d be surprised if there are many other predictions. Kane has won the last two Golden Boots, is improving season-by-season and everything about Tottenham’s play is designed to get him on the scoresheet
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Manchester City. City, United and Chelsea will all fancy themselves as dark horses but City can not defend as badly as they did last season when Monaco beat them on away goals. They should have won that tie.
One thing you DO want to see this season? A blanket finish to the title race. Not Chelsea’s fault but their consistency and the weakness of others made it a virtual procession despite Tottenham’s brave late run. Let’s have five teams in it with a couple of weeks left.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Managers bragging about the ‘game plan’ when they win and blaming officials when they lose. You know who you are.
Signing of the summer? Jermain Defoe (Sunderland to Bournemouth, free transfer). I watched him score 15 times for the division’s worst team last season, Sunderland. His sharpness of body and mind defies his 34 years and, given he was a free transfer, Bournemouth did well to get the deal done early, for I have no doubt he would have made a very useful squad player for a top-six club.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola. He acted like a spoilt kid on occasion last season and has some growing up to do if he’s to prove himself capable of dealing with the pressures of the Premier League. He’s been backed more than any other boss in the transfer market and, failure to deliver the title this season, would - and should - spell the end of his time at City.
Who will win the title? Spurs. I tipped them last season and had a good run for my money, so I’m sticking with them. My two major concerns are the move to Wembley - where they have struggled in the past - and a lack of squad depth (not to mention the fact Moussa Sissoko is still there!). But their starting XI is, for me, the strongest in the league. They have everything; experience and youth, energy and aggression, pace and guile. Harry Kane and Dele Alli are the two best English players in the division and there is a solid spine to the side which has been together for several seasons now.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United. City have too much firepower not to challenge for the title. Chelsea have the best manager and a strong starting XI, while United have strength in depth.
Surprise package? Leicester. They’ll come again this season minus the distraction of the Champions League. Kelechi Iheanacho is a fantastic signing and they could take seventh ahead of Everton, assuming the top six is a closed shop.
Which teams will be relegated? Swansea, Stoke, Watford. The three promoted teams will stay up but will be involved in a relegation scrap. As for the three to go down, I think their time in the top flight is up. There hasn’t been much progress in recent seasons and their loss wouldn’t be mourned outside of the towns and cities in which they reside.
Top goalscorer? Harry Kane. He is getting better season on season and there is an effortless genius to his goalscoring. Romelu Lukaku could rival Kane given the right service at United, but England’s No.1 striker will confirm his status as the best in the league.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Manchester United. Simply because they have the strongest squad in terms of experienced options in almost every position, not to mention the influence of two-time Champions League winner Jose Mourinho.
One thing you DO want to see this season? A proper title race. We celebrate the ‘top six’ as breakaway superpowers yet last year only two of them bothered to live up to such billing. They can’t all win every week - and no-one wants that - but let’s see at least four of them running each other close for top spot. That is what makes this division different to the likes of Spain, Germany and Italy, where the winner is only going to come from one of two teams at most.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? West Brom v Stoke on TV. Who would ever pick that as a live broadcast? Wait a minute… it’s already been chosen? In August? Really?! Sunday, August 27 - a day to make plans with the family.
Signing of the summer? Harry Maguire (Hull to Leicester, £17m). The England Under 21 international starred in a decidedly average Hull team last season and has a real presence about him. Leicester desperately needed new blood in central defence, and considering some of the figures being paid this summer, £12m rising to £17m is a very good value.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City manager admitted after a trophyless first season at the Etihad that he would have been sacked by his old clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The pressure is on the Spaniard to deliver this time after spending more than £200million on new players.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. Guardiola is not a coach accustomed to failure. With one season in the Premier League under his belt, and the substantial backing of his employers in Abu Dhabi, he will get it right second time.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea. Jose Mourinho has won the title in his second season in each of his last five jobs but he could come up just short this time. Tottenham will again be strong contenders but champions Chelsea could drop off a little after a difficult summer.
Surprise package? Watford. Marco Silva came close enough to a great escape in his short time at Hull City last season to suggest that his reputation as a top young coach is well deserved. Given more time to make an impact at Watford, the Portuguese could take his new club close to the top half of the table.
Which teams will be relegated? Huddersfield, Brighton, Swansea. It’s hard to see the Huddersfield fairy tale extending to a second season in the top-flight. Other newcomers, Brighton, will find life difficult and Swansea’s time could be up after a tough season.
Top goalscorer? Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian showed enough in his first few months at the Etihad that he will score goals for fun if he’s given the opportunity. With the team Guardiola has built at the Etihad, those opportunities are going to be plentiful.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Chelsea. They may struggle to retain the Premier League title, but Antonio Conte’s pedigree in Europe as a national team and club coach could give Chelsea the tactical nous needed to progress in the Champions League.
One thing you DO want to see this season? The FA making good use of the new rules to punish players retrospectively for diving. It needs to be driven out of the game, and the sooner the better.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Huddersfield’s dream being crushed by Christmas. I doubt the Premier League newcomers will emulate the likes of Burnley and Bournemouth by establishing themselves in the Premier League, but it would be nice to think they can keep the fight going until the latter stages of the season.
Signing of the summer? Bernardo Silva (Monaco to Manchester City, £43m). He looked a cut above in the Champions League tie at the Etihad Stadium and is likely to be pulling the strings at Manchester City for a good few years as an eventual replacement for David Silva.
Manager most under pressure? It is hard to look beyond Pep Guardiola given the finance afforded to him and he really needs to deliver the title to City this season.
Who will win the title? Manchester City have the strongest squad and arguably the finest manager. They’ve strengthened to such a degree this summer that City should have enough to get over the line.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal. Tottenham will definitely have something to say about that, and it’ll be interesting to see how Chelsea deal with European football, but Wembley could well be a factor.
Surprise package? Crystal Palace. Frank de Boer is looking like he could introduce a back three and much will depend on how the young loan stars do but the feelgood factor may propel them.
Which teams will be relegated? Burnley, Huddersfield, Brighton. Very worrying that Burnley haven’t brought in a replacement for Michael Keane, while the two promoted sides have spent but it remains to be seen whether that’ll be enough.
Top goalscorer? Romelu Lukaku. Very hard not to pick Harry Kane after his recent exploits. Lukaku should really score even more than he did for Everton given the chances United create.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League?Manchester United. Jose Mourinho is the master at managing a workload and has shown he will prioritise one competition over another.
One thing you DO want to see this season? The panel sitting to judge simulation incidents not to overdo it early. The temptation will be to make an example of certain individuals.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Hopefully Jose Mourinho does not use too many excuses or blames scheduling for results over the course of the next few months. They are on a level playing field with their rivals now.
Signing of the summer? Andrew Robertson (Hull to Liverpool, £10m). I suspect the best business may still be to come (whoever signs Virgil van Dijk) but in this market, a reported £10m to solve a real problem at left-back is good business.
Manager most under pressure? It sounds odd to say it about the Champions but Chelsea managers are rarely more vulnerable then in the immediate aftermath of success. Roberto Di Matteo lasted six months after winning a Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in the year that followed his title win and Jose Mourinho was out before Christmas in 2015. The soundings of internal strife at Chelsea indicate that Antonio Conte will need a fast start to calm matters.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. They must recruit another central defender and possibly a holding midfielder but Pep Guardiola is a year wiser to the demands of the Premier League and the attacking talent is explosive. Manchester United will push them hardest.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham. If Liverpool sign Virgil Van Dijk, I might re-assess that. Then again, if they sell Coutinho, I will re-assess that once again. Thursday nights will put paid to Arsenal’s domestic ambitions.
Surprise package? I’m not convinced any of the middling clubs have done particularly outstanding business but West Ham should be stronger with a guarantee of goals from Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez. Bournemouth will also impress for another season and that may be opportune timing for Eddie Howe should England toil at the World Cup next summer.
Which teams will be relegated? Huddersfield, Swansea, Brighton. I just don’t see enough quality in Huddersfield and Brighton’s squad but we have seen it before where a feel-good factor and togetherness steers a promoted club to safety, so I hope they prove me wrong.
Top goalscorer? Romelu Lukaku should make a quicker start to life at his new club than Alvaro Morata on account of Premier League experience, while Harry Kane may be inhibited unless his club remember you are allowed to sign as well as sell footballers in the transfer window.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? I suspect City may be too open defensively to get away with it in Europe. Conte and Mourinho over two legs will be dangerous but I’d be amazed if the winner does not come from Spain.
One thing you DO want to see this season? For Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho to stop pretending to be friends. Last season felt like a phony rivalry up in Manchester. If those two teams start firing, expect the managers’ egos to inflate.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Newcastle’s already brewing in-fighting spurning a wonderful opportunity to rebuild with a very good manager in Rafa Benitez. You have a brilliant stadium and a fan base that lives for the moment the whistle blows at the weekend. It can’t be THAT hard to get it right, can it?
Signing of the summer? Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City to Leicester, £25m). It looks very good business by Leicester. Iheanacho broke through at a club not known for giving academy kids a chance and earned the best goals-per-minute record of any Premier League player with more than 10 strikes. He dovetailed well with Jamie Vardy in the friendly win over Borussia Monchengladbach and at 20, will improve.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola. Having done little to justify the fanfare of his arrival to England last season, and spent £133million on full-backs this summer, the scrutiny will mount should Manchester City get off to a mediocre start. A genuine title challenge and deep progress in the Champions League is imperative.
Who will win the title? Manchester United. Jose Mourinho has an unerring history of winning the title in his second season at each of Porto, Inter, Real Madrid, and Chelsea, and it is down to more than chance. After one campaign to impress his methods, by year two Mourinho has shaped the squad in his image. Signing a muscular wide player would complete his summer spending.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal. Near impossible to predict but Antonio Conte’s grumblings at Chelsea do not bode well, while Liverpool would suffer significantly should Philippe Coutinho depart. Spurs should have enough despite the move to Wembley.
Surprise package? Huddersfield have made a real effort in the transfer market to try to ensure their fairytale story does not have a bitter end. Just staying up in the Premier League for a club tipped for relegation to League One last season would be a surprise. David Wagner breeds confidence it can be done.
Which teams will be relegated? Brighton, Swansea, Newcastle. Chris Hughton is a fine manager but Brighton are keeping a tight budget and they may replicate Burnley in going down before bouncing back. Swansea have been circling for a few seasons and will struggle if Gylfi Sigurdsson goes. Rafa Benitez is unhappy at Newcastle’s transfers and it is easy to see him walking away and the club plummeting.
Top goalscorer? Romelu Lukaku. Harry Kane has won the golden boot for two successive years but the switch from White Hart Lane may impinge his pursuits of a hat-trick. Lukaku was close last season and at United should get more chances, while inevitably starting every game he is fit for.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? City have a squad of outrageous attacking flair and a manager who has won the competition twice. They were naive last season in losing to Monaco but have the potential to beat any side in Europe and Guardiola will be especially driven this campaign.
One thing you DO want to see this season? A final day of consequence. Last season was poor for the absence of last-game drama. Flicking between channels as the title is won or relegation decided is one of the game’s great joys.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Games stifled by a fear of losing. The cost of relegation is so enormous that it inhibits risk-taking but there is nothing better than watching two teams attack each other in pursuit of victory.
Signing of the summer? Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen to West Ham, £16m). For the fee, this is one of the summer’s stand-out signings and great business by West Ham. Hernandez is 29 and still has plenty to offer in the Premier League.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola. He has to show why we were all so excited that he was coming to England. Another season without silverware and he’s done, particularly after a £220m spending spree.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. I’m predicting that Guardiola will overcome that pressure I’ve mentioned and succeed to win the Premier League title. With the squad he has at his disposal, he should.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. My condolences to Tottenham, but I think they’ll miss out and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal will be back where they feel they belong.
Surprise package? Newcastle. Let’s see if the so-called Rafa-lution can take them into the top half of the Premier League table, despite them having not overly spent this summer.
Which teams will be relegated? Swansea (sorry), Huddersfield (sorry), Burnley (sorry). Should Swansea indeed lose Gylfi Sigurdsson, confidence in the squad will be severely low and I predict they’ll finish bottom of the pile.
Top goalscorer? Romelu Lukaku. For me, this year’s title will be between the two Manchester clubs, and I suspect last season’s second-top goalscorer will beat Harry Kane to the Golden Boot in 2017-18.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League?Manchester City. With a mix of proven players and youngsters with attitude, as well as a manager who has won it twice before, City have the best chance of winning Europe’s elite competition to me.
One thing you DO want to see this season? Progressive talks on allowing Premier League referees to speak to media post-match. They should be allowed to defend their decisions, just as players and managers are.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? While I’m not a fan of Mexican Waves, airplane banners and these videos used for unveiling signings, I’d like less cautions for overzealous celebrations. A player scores, a player celebrates, it’s no crime.
Signing of the summer? Jermain Defoe (Sunderland to Bournemouth, free transfer). The 34-year-old striker has scored 15 goals in each of his last two seasons in a struggling Sunderland side. Add him to Bournemouth’s younger, fresher squad and they’re the goals that will push them into mid-table and well clear of relegation.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola. Last season was hugely disappointing and after spending more than £200million on transfers Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour will be expecting several trophies, not scraping third place again.
Who will win the title? Manchester United. It really is pot lucky making this prediction with the strength of the top six. But you can never rule out Jose Mourinho and in £75m signing Romelu Lukaku they have a striker capable of scoring the amount of Premier League goals needed to win it.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham. While Spurs haven’t concentrated on big signings, they already have some of the planet’s leading players and have kept hold of them, which is just as important. Chelsea and City have matched United’s spending and that should secure them the depth needed to finish above Arsenal and Liverpool.
Surprise package? West Ham showed two seasons ago that manager Slaven Bilic knows how to compile a squad able to compete for Europe. Make no mistake, last season was a disaster, but their new recruits — Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic — are cause for optimism.
Which teams will be relegated? Huddersfield, Brighton, Watford. I would love Brighton to prove me wrong, they are a nice club with brilliant staff and fans, but staying up will be tough. Equally, Huddersfield lack the strength and quality to avoid the drop. Watford feel like a disjointed squad and have their third manager in three seasons.
Top goalscorer? Romelu Lukaku. He was close last season and close the season before that. As United’s No 9, with that extra service from team-mates that wasn’t there at Everton, he could well transfer that into becoming the league’s most prolific striker.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Manchester City, due to the ridiculous riches at Guardiola’s disposal. The depth of his team and their value is phenomenal. He will also be aware that success in the Champions League is expected, not a bonus.
One thing you DO want to see this season? Diving cut out. Hopefully the Football Association’s new retrospective banning regulations, that come into force this season, will be enough to deter the cheats.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? A plane flown over a football stadium with a message trailing from the tail. It got embarrassing towards the end of last season, peaking when Arsenal fans flew two planes with opposing ‘Wenger In’ ‘Wenger Out’ banners. Make your mind up.
Signing of the summer? Bernardo Silva (Monaco to Manchester City, £43m). City picked out one of the jewels from Monaco’s crown and his creativity shown in their Champions League run is welcome in the Premier League.
Manager most under pressure? Pep Guardiola. Arrived with a huge reputation, has spent huge money again and now it needs to pay off. Guardiola and Jose Mourinho both must offer up the credible title challenges they abjectly failed to provide last season.
Who will win the title? Manchester City. Centre backs aside, it’s hard to see a weakness in Guardiola’s team and the former Barcelona boss will benefit from a year of Premier League experience and his array of attacking riches.
Who else makes up top four? Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal. Mourinho has bought well this summer and the likes of Romelu Lukaku will help convert home draws into wins, Chelsea have the knowhow to win games under Antonio Conte despite an iffy summer and Arsenal should benefit from a lack of Champions League football.
Surprise package? Watford. Marco Silva has an impressive record when it comes to home form and that alone should push them up the table. Nathaniel Chalobah and Will Hughes could prove to be smart buys, too.
Which teams will be relegated? Burnley, Brighton, Huddersfield. Burnley have sold their stars, failed to replace them and their home form cannot last forever, Brighton have not strengthened enough and Huddersfield may find the same fate of many other play-off winners.
Top goalscorer? Romelu Lukaku. Streaky goalscorer but will have regular, high-quality service at United. Even when his all-round game looks to be lacking, the Belgian should now find the net with regularity to finally usurp Harry Kane.
Which Premier League team has best chance of winning Champions League? Chelsea. Tactically equipped better than anyone else to withstand the attacking batterings Europe’s best can hand out. Few teams will want to draw Mourinho’s United, though.
One thing you DO want to see this season? Fixture changes to take clubs’ European ambitions into account. Too often the Premier League is unwilling to offer flexibility to aid our teams in the Champions League — and it’s costing English sides prestige on the continent.
One thing you DON’T want to see this season? Constant moaning about a lack of VAR. It’s coming, it’s not perfect yet — as seen this summer — let’s just wait rather than have managers use it as another stick to beat referees.
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Virgil van Dijk transfer request changes nothing for Southampton, says Mauricio Pellegrino
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Virgil van Dijk’s transfer request has not changed Southampton’s intention to keep the player, says Mauricio Pellegrino.
Liverpool heavily pursued a deal for Van Dijk at the start of the summer transfer window but were forced to drop their interest after Southampton reported them to the Premier League for an alleged illegal approach.
Sky Sports News understands Chelsea and Manchester City are also interested in the defender, who signed a new long-term contract last year.
However, despite Van Dijk criticising the club’s attitude towards his determination to leave earlier this week, Pellegrino insists the club’s stance has not changed.
“My reaction is the same,” said Pellegrino. "But I said three weeks ago we are expecting him to come back to train with us because we need the player, we need all of them. Hopefully he can change his point of view because he is an important player and we need him focused on the club.
“The club was clear from the beginning with the player. We cannot control every situation. Virgil is part of the club, he has a contract, now we are waiting.”
Southampton face Swansea in their Premier League opener on Saturday, but Pellegrino - who will oversee his first game in the English top flight - will not be able to call upon Van Dijk, who has not been training with the first-team squad.
Asked if Van Dijk will play any part, Pellegrino said: "No because this week he was with some trouble with a virus and he couldn’t train the last two days.
“I spoke with the player last week, but not too much. The club was clear, I was clear, and the player, but we have to keep going because I cannot control the feeling of the player in that moment.”
Southampton this week completed the signing of midfielder Mario Lemina from Juventus on a five-year contract for a club record fee, understood potentially rise to £20m, while centre-back Jan Bednarek has also joined from Polish side Lech Poznan.
Pellegrino believes the acquisitions represent a rise in the profile of signings Southampton are able to bring in.
“Jan is a young player that I think has the capability to adapt to the Premier League,” said Pellegrino. "He has worked very hard from the beginning.
“Lemina is a player who is coming from one of the biggest clubs in the world. We are happy with that. Both can help us become stronger because we don’t have those kinds of profile players in our squad.”
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 11/08/2017 12:28:47
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Press Conference (Part One): Pellegrino on Swans
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New Southampton signing Mario Lemina could feature on the opening weekend of the season, with Mauricio Pellegrino revealing the player is in a good physical state.
The midfielder completed a club-record move to Saints from Juventus this week, and has begun training with his new teammates in the past few days.
Pellegrino wouldn’t tip his hand as to whether he would play or not, but he confirmed Lemina is in good condition ahead of tomorrow’s curtain-raiser with Swansea, at St Mary’s.
“Physically he is good, because he has been training in Juventus, but we will decide between today and tomorrow if he will be part of the team,” he said.
Pellegrino added that there are no major injury concerns ahead of the visit of Paul Clement’s Swans team, although players such as Cédric, who arrived late in pre-season due to his Confederations Cup involvement, will be monitored.
The Saints boss also confirmed that Virgil van Dijk would not be available for the match.
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‘Southampton stance hasn’t changed’
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Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino says the club’s position on Virgil van Dijk has not changed, despite the defender putting in a transfer request.
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Pellegrino still hoping to change van Dijk’s mind over transfer
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Mauricio Pellegrino still hopes that Saints can convince Virgil van Dijk to reconsider his St Mary’s future.
The Dutch centre half submitted a formal transfer request on Monday having insisted for weeks that he wants to leave the club.
Saints have stood firm and maintained their stance that he will not be sold.
As revealed by the Daily Echo today, there have not yet been any bids tabled for his services.
Pellegrino today fielded questions for the first time since the formal transfer request, and said: “My reaction is the same that I said three weeks ago. We are expecting him to come back to train with us because we need the player, we need all of them.
“Hopefully he can change his point of view, because we need the player. Virgil is an important player and we need him focusing on our club.”
He added: “The club was clear from the beginning with the player.
“We cannot control every single situation. We can decide our dynamic inside this club, and Virgil is part of our club. Good contract.
Pellegrino added that van Dijk has not trained for the last couple of days due to a virus.
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Virgil van Dijk: Southampton defender urged to stay by manager Mauricio Pellegrino
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Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino hopes Virgil van Dijk will change his mind about wanting to leave the club.
The defender issued a transfer request earlier this week requesting that the Saints “consider the interest” in him.
Van Dijk, 26, will not feature in Saturday’s Premier League opener against Swansea because of a virus, but Pellegrino wants him to play for the club this season.
“Virgil is an important player and we need him focused on our club,” he said.
"My reaction is the same that I said three weeks ago: we are expecting him to come back, to train with us because we need the players, we need all of them.
“Hopefully he can change his point of view.”
Van Dijk has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool this summer as well as attracting interest from Premier League champions Chelsea and Manchester City.
However, the Anfield club said they ended their interest in June after Saints said they were going to report them to the Premier League for making an alleged illegal approach.
Former Celtic player Van Dijk signed a new six-year contract in May 2016, having joined Southampton for £13m from Celtic in September 2015.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 11/08/2017 13:28:55
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| Mauricio Pellegrino reveals Southampton team news ahead of Swansea clashFANSIDEDSAINTSMARCHING |
|| Star ruled out after ‘virus’ strikesCLUBCALL |
| | Saints Latest Fixture Changes For TV - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |
| | Virgil van Dijk update: Dutchman ‘desperate’ for LFC switch, but Saints causing issuesEMPIREOFTHEKOP |
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Saints have four games moved for TV
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Saints have had four fixtures rearranged for live TV broadcast during October and November.
Having only had one game picked for screening during the first two months of the season, there has been quite a reversal for the second round of TV selections.
Saints’ game against Newcastle at St Mary’s will now take place on Sunday, October 15, with a 4pm kick-off to be shown on Sky Sports.
BT Sport will show the home game against West Brom on Saturday, October 21, which now kicks-off at 5.30pm.
The match at Brighton has been put back to Sunday, October 29, to be shown on Sky with a 1.30pm kick-off.
Finally, the St Mary’s fixture against former Saints boss Ronald Koeman will also be on Sky, on Saturday, November 25, but with an earlier kick-off of 12.30pm, though this could change again depending on Everton’s progress in the Europa League.
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