Touchline wars, some kind of protest in North London and marketing campaigns. Here are 10 things to look out for in the upcoming season.
Pep vs. Jose
Mancunians will be unable to contain themselves in the build up to the Manchester derby on 10th September, whilst neutrals are hoping for some touchline antics to observe from the outside. Both sides have remained peaceful so far, but it won’t take long for one of them to get the first shot in. Mourinho has been the more vocal of the two in the build up to the season, but time will tell as to who the victor of this particular battle will be.
#WengerOut
Arsene Wenger’s contract runs out at the end of the season and the mood around the Emirates will dictate as to whether he gets a new one. The Arsenal pre-season has been a case of déjà vu so far. Injuries have destroyed their defence, whilst there have only been three signings made so far. The #WengerOut campaign has gathered steam over the years; it disappears when there’s a strong run of form, but as soon as the mid-season blip happens, it’s all hands on deck, or signs in the stands. It looks more than likely that this’ll be his last season, but the fans will decide whether he leaves with his head held high.
Zlatan
He’s one of the most recognisable faces in the game and he’s heading for what seems to be just a one year stay at Old Trafford. He’s conquered every league in Europe apart from England and the Community Shield showed that he’ll be able to produce the right amount of physicality required. He needs to deliver early on to justify his self-billed titles of “king” and “legend”.
David Moyes
It’s been a bad couple of years for David Moyes with a disappointing stint at Manchester United followed by another poor spell at Read Sociedad, but he has a chance to rebuild his reputation at Sunderland. He’s already likened it to his first season at Everton and his style of play could ensure that he has a successful period in the North East.
New stadiums
West Ham have upgraded from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium over the summer, but they’re not the only side with a new (ish) stadium as Liverpool will unveil their new £114m main stand at Anfield this season. It’s also a season for stadium farewells, with Tottenham set to play their final season at White Hart Lane, before journeying for a year whilst their new stadium is built.
Hull City
Hull face champions Leicester in the first game of the season at Saturday lunchtime and it could be the first of 38 long games for their supporters. Unless there’s a miracle between the time of writing and Saturday, there have been no new signings, there’s no manager and there aren’t enough players. The fans could protest against the board on the first day and if they don’t get their act together, they could be the worst team that the Premier League has ever seen.
Leicester’s title defence
Can they do it again? More people are dismissing this idea than of them winning the league in the first place. They’re competing in the Champions League this season, which adds more games to their campaign, whilst Claudio Ranieri will have to return to his Tinkerman gimmick otherwise his players will be worn out by Christmas. The superpowers have all strengthened and Leicester won’t be left behind, but there’s not enough success for everyone. One question that can be asked however, what constitutes success for them now?
New badges
Manchester City have tweaked their badge ahead of this season, based on previous badges from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. West Ham have also changed theirs, removing the Boleyn Castle and adding the word “London” in a marketing attempt and for fans who don’t support either Manchester City or West Ham, the Premier League have replaced their logo. “A bold and vibrant take on the lion icon”. It looks more like Mufasa from The Lion King printed on a range of backgrounds that have been coloured in by highlighter pens.
The ball
Nike have described this season’s round piece of leather that’ll be the subject of the game as “a new wrapped bladder system delivering optimal touch; geometric 12 panel fuse-welded construction employing a new 3D printed ink technique; plus the design principle of ‘Flow Motion’ applying luminance.” Once you’ve deciphered all that rubbish and realised that it is in fact, just a ball, you can go on to the Nike website and pay an eye-watering £95 for a replica.
New rules
95 law changes were announced in May, with the most notable one so far being backwards kick-offs. Others include no more automatic red cards for players who accidentally deny a scoring opportunity for players. That’s open for debate considering some of the goals that have been scored in the Premier League over the last few years. The law change that’ll have the biggest impact however is that of showing dissent to the officials. It’s now an automatic yellow for “showing visible disrespect to officials” and general official bothering. Stand by for mass suspensions and an empty Manchester United dugout for much of this season.
