The English Premier League begins on Friday, a little more than 80 days after the last season ended on May 25, and for the first time in many years, it’s the most open Premier League.
For the past few years, it was like, when and how Manchester City would wrap up the league. It was more about who would come closest to Pep Guardiola’s men, rather than who would beat the incredibly talented City side. It was becoming too monotonous — they were the champions in six out of seven seasons between 2018 and 2024.
It wasn’t until November last year that City first showed signs of weakness. That was followed by a free fall. Pep and the City have come a full circle, their detractors sniggered.
Liverpool made the most of City’s frailties, and the title was sealed with 82 points, four rounds to spare. This was something difficult to think about during City’s rule, when they consistently logged 90-plus points and in one season hit the three-figure mark too.
Arne Slot, in his first season since taking over from Juergen Klopp, who gave Liverpool their 19th title at the height of the pandemic in 2020, got a hand on the trophy Mikel Arteta still craves at Arsenal.
City’s implosion and Liverpool’s success have thrown open the new season. It’s anybody’s league this time around. Days of complete domination are over. Liverpool, City, Arsenal and Chelsea... Anybody can have a celebratory open-top bus ride with the Premier League trophy in the summer of 2026. And who knows? There could be a Leicester City-like fairy tale, too.
The Premier League took control of weekends in this part of the world from the early 90s. Manchester United and Alex Ferguson called the shots even as Arsene Wenger and his Gunners were giving United followers sleepless nights. But overall, it’s been the red side of Manchester that ruled maximum hearts. Their grip was so tight that since the Premier League began in 1992, they had won the title 13 times. And such has been their fall that they have not got a taste of glory after 2012-13!
Last season was the worst. United finished 15th in the points table, their lowest in the Premier League and conceded an embarrassing 54 goals. So this time, the focus will be on how they will fare. If United slip further, it will be catastrophic; if they climb up, which everyone would love to see, it would give reasons to cheer about.
A top-eight this season could help to dream of a top-four in the next one. Coach Ruben Amorim has spent $269 million on the strike force of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, hoping it would pay off.
The blue side of Manchester will also be under the scanner. They finished third with their worst points total (71) under Guardiola. Their nine league losses were more
than their two previous seasons combined.
Guardiola and City fans will hope it was an aberration; this season the team will be back to its old self. City have splashed $450 million on
new signings from the January transfer window, which saw the beginning of the revamp process.
Kevin de Bruyne, who gave a creative spark in the midfield, has left for Napoli, but Guardiola has brought in Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki to ensure City do not miss De Bruyne too much. It’s a tough task for anyone to fill the void, though. Erling Haaland will once again spearhead the attack and will get support from the likes of Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush, Jeremy Doku and Savinho.
City’s sufferings had a lot to do with Rodri’s absence last season — he tore his ACL — and this season too, last year’s Ballon d’Or winner is doubtful for the early part after picking up an injury during the Club World Cup.
Like always, Arsenal and Chelsea have splurged on new signings. Arsenal have not won the league for over two decades and pressure is slowly building on manager Arteta.
Last season, a lack of a quality No. 9 pegged back the runners-up. Arteta has answered that by signing Swedish Viktor Gyokeres, who outscored Kylian Mbappe, Haaland and Mohamed Salah.
Will he be able to make an impact, like Arsenal’s famous Thierry Henry? Or like what Haaland has been doing for City since his arrival in 2022? Time will tell. But one thing is for sure, Arteta needs a major trophy to silence the doubters. Even this struggling United have won two silverwares, while the Spaniard has only the 2020 FA Cup to boast about.
Chelsea, fresh from their Club World Cup triumph, look to be the dark horse. The young side, guided by Enzo Maresca, is finally coming of age. They are back among the elites, and if they show a little bit of consistency, they could hit the jackpot.
Liverpool, in their bid to retain the league title for the first time since 1984, have already spent $348.56 million. Midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and French forward Hugo Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt) have bolstered the team. There were quite a few reasons for last year’s domestic success. Liverpool’s defence was compact, midfield worked tirelessly and, of course, the presence of Salah. How they fare this season will decide where Liverpool stand in the final standings. A lot will depend on how fast Wirtz and Ekitike integrate into the squad, which will miss Diogo Jota badly.
Newcastle United, who finished fourth, and Europa League champions Tottenham Hotspur, who ended 16th, will eye a better showing, while the main target for the promoted trio of Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland will be beating the drop.
Eight-second deadline
It means a goalkeeper holding the ball for more than eight seconds will be punished with a corner for the opposition. It is hoped this will clamp down on time-wasting. Until now, the law had been six seconds and the punishment of an indirect free-kick — but it was barely ever applied. Referees will warn the goalkeepers with a five-second countdown. The new law applies across football now and was seen in action at the Club World Cup.
Only captain, please
Only captains will be allowed to approach referees during matches this season. Yellow cards can be shown to players who approach officials without permission and behave in a disrespectful manner. If the captain is a goalkeeper, a team can provide an alternate player before kick-off.
Season of changes
Retake bonus
A rare one that may well not be needed all season in the league, but players will be allowed to retake a penalty if they accidentally touch it twice while kicking it... so long as the effort went in. The new law has already been used this summer in the Women’s European Championship final penalty shootout. Under the old laws, a player would not be allowed to retake a penalty if they had a double touch.
Fixture headache
This is not a new football law, but something which will affect league scheduling this season. A record nine clubs will compete in European competition this season — that is 45% of the league. But the Premier League has warned “there is an increased likelihood of fixtures moving at relatively short notice” if teams reach the knockout stages in Europe.
