0:46 Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville and Micah Richards agree that Liverpool need to add some fresh faces to the squad before the transfer window closes
Jamie Carragher added: “Sometimes you just need a bit of freshness adding to it, mentally as much as anything. Liverpool have got five or six midfield players – they rotate well because they need energy in that position – but a lot of the players are pretty similar. Thiago would be something different.”
For now, however, and with the exception of a new back-up left-back in Kostas Tsimikas, Klopp’s armoury is largely as it was last season.
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The summer has not been straightforward for Manchester City either, of course. Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres have arrived to add greater depth, but David Silva is gone, a mooted move for Kalidou Koulibaly is yet to happen, and, most significantly, Lionel Messi is staying at Barcelona.
Messi’s possible arrival at the Etihad Stadium was a thrilling prospect which would have spelled trouble for Manchester City’s rivals, but it’s also true that scoring goals has never been their problem. Last season, Guardiola’s side hit 102 in the Premier League alone – 17 more than Liverpool.
What’s more important for City is that they tighten up at the other end. If Ake lives up to his £41m price-tag, and if more defensive reinforcements arrive before next month’s transfer deadline, then Manchester City may prove difficult to stop – even without Messi added to their ranks.
“City have the best squad and that’s why I always give them the biggest chance,” said Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards. “It’s going to be difficult to bridge the gap to Liverpool but I do think it will be between City and Liverpool again.”
Will other contenders emerge?
The gulf to Liverpool and Manchester City is vast but the rest of the traditional big six, and perhaps even some of the Premier League’s other upwardly mobile sides, will hope to at least shorten it.
Chelsea, fourth-placed finishers last year, are perhaps best placed to mount a title challenge. Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech, recruited at a combined cost of around £150m, have more than enough quality to transform their misfiring attack, while Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell should improve them at the other end too.
“For 15 years, Roman Abramovich has wanted a flamboyant team, and every time he’s gone for the flamboyant managers to try and get the flamboyant team, he’s been pulled back to that more methodical type of approach that’s been successful for the club,” added Neville.
“I think he’s investing this year partly because of Covid and seeing an opportunity to exploit the market, but also because Frank Lampard has reinvigorated him. The academy players finally coming through, the emergence of (Christian) Pulisic and other young players, a team that plays a different way, more energetic and really good to watch.
“Abramovich wants excitement, he wants thrill around Chelsea and that’s why he’s invested this summer, to go again at this moment because he sees a team that’s got something he has always wanted.”
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September 14, 2020, 8:00pm
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Chelsea are not the only ones seeking drastic improvement. Manchester United became far strong following the signing of Bruno Fernandes last January, climbing to a third-placed finish in the Premier League, and they now hope Donny van de Beek will help them to continue their evolution under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the new campaign.
“I still think Manchester City, rather than Manchester United, will be the biggest obstacle to Liverpool retaining the title but I do see United getting a lot closer,” said Carragher. “The signing of Bruno Fernandes has been fantastic. He was outstanding in the second half of last season and I’m really excited to see him for a full season.”
“I really like Donny van de Beek,” added Graeme Souness. “He will improve Manchester United. They got better and better in the last few months, and Van de Beek will give them something they didn’t have. The mix of Van de Beek, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba will be interesting to watch and their front three are exceptional.”
In north London, Mikel Arteta and Jose Mourinho are preparing for their first full seasons in charge of Arsenal and Tottenham respectively.
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September 13, 2020, 4:00pm
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Arteta has fostered belief at Arsenal and will hope to build on their FA Cup final triumph at the end of last season. Mourinho, meanwhile, has insisted from the start that his Spurs needed at least two transfer windows to take shape. He will hope to put his stamp on the side in the new campaign.
Even if the title battle remains a two-horse race, the fight for the European places is sure to be fascinating. Leicester and Wolves should not be discounted after their achievements last season and the same goes for Sheffield United. Everton, meanwhile, will surely be stronger for the midfield additions of James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Bielsa’s Leeds provide intrigue
Leeds are back in the big time after a 16-year absence and their return to the Premier League is made doubly intriguing by the identity of the man in the dugout. Marcelo Bielsa comes with a reputation as one of the most influential managers in the modern game. It will be fascinating to see how his side fare in the top tier.
They certainly dominated the one below it. Bielsa, known as much for his eccentricities as his managerial ability, has completely transformed Leeds since his appointment in the summer of 2018 and the hope for them now is that the possession-based, high-intensity football he is known for will prove similarly effective in the Premier League.
It certainly has precedent – Guardiola counts him as his biggest stylistic influence and same is true of Mauricio Pochettino – but predictions about where Leeds will finish range from top 10 to bottom three.
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They played the best, most effective football in the Championship last season, but sceptics will wonder whether the physical demands Bielsa places on his players will prove too much for them in a condensed Premier League campaign. Do they have the depth to go the distance?
Carragher thinks so. “I think Leeds will establish themselves,” he said in a recent Daily Telegraph column. “We know Bielsa’s teams start quickly and at times have faded, so you might see Leeds get off to a good start and maybe the second half of the season will be a little more difficult for them. But if crowds get into Elland Road in the second half of the season, it will be tough going there.”
W Brom vs Leicester
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Like Leeds, West Brom and Fulham, managed by Slaven Bilic and Scott Parker respectively, will also seek to make their mark on the division having won promotion last year. The two sides have bounced between the Premier League and Championship in recent years but this time they will hope to stick around for the long-term.
In order to do that, however, they will need some of last year’s survivors to slip backwards. According to the bookmakers, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Burnley are the most likely candidates. The battle at the bottom of the table promises to be as eventful as the one at the top.
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