Premier League kickoff: how will your team fare this season?

Edmonton Journal

2 days ago

As a new English Premier League season gets underway on Friday with defending champions taking Liverpool taking on Bournemouth, we take a look at the fortunes of the teams in the top flight this season. While the season feels like a marathon, it's really a series of sprints as a slow start or a rough patch in the middle can completely wreck your fortunes whether you want to be champions, get into the European places or survive relegation. The competition is fierce and there's very little margin for error. Here we go.
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Liverpool: What an offseason. After winning the title last season when they brought in no new players they've bought top class quality in Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kirkez spending $403 million on new talent. But they've sold a cadre as well, losing two key starters in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz and key backups Jarrell Quansah and Darwin Nunez, raking in $320 million to balance the books. They're not done yet as they're embroiled in a soap opera to get striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle, they desperately need at least one more centre back but they could also still sell Harvey Elliott and one of their two back up left backs. Liverpool tragically lost Diogo Jota in a fatal car crash which rocked the team from top to bottom. Defending champions, they're the odds on favourite to repeat, but there are questions about the defence and how the team chemistry mixes with so many new players and the grief of losing the exceptionally popular Jota still hanging over the team. One thing will be guaranteed, with Wirtz, Ekitike and potentially Isak joining Mo Salah in attack, they're going to be entertaining to watch.
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Arsenal: Perennial bridesmaids, they've finally bought a striker they hope is the missing piece of the puzzle in Viktor Gyokeres. He filled the net in Portugal with 54 goals last season for Sporting, but was previously a massive disappointment in England in his stint with Brighton, Swansea and Coventry. Still rock solid defensively, still have a classy midfield with Martin Odergaard and Declan Rice in partnership, if Gyokeres fires up the attack they'll be in contention all season. If they don't mount a serious challenge it could bolster the storyline they need a new manager to get over the line.
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Chelsea: After finishing the season strong to get into the Champions League there were still questions about the job security of manager Enzo Maresca. Then they went out and won the Club World Cup. It's hard to read much into that as the conditions the tournament were played under and the motivation of many of the participants suggested it was more like a U.S. friendly tour. But the revitalization of striker Cole Palmer is bad news for the rest of the league. They've spent almost as much as Liverpool, key additions include strikers Joao Pedro and Liam Delap as well as winger Jamie Gittens and defender Jorrel Hato, the most prominent of eight buys … so far. Chelsea will be more potent in attack but tactics, a still-crowded squad, questions about central defence and in goal are being posed in preseason, but it would not be a surprise if Chelsea are at or near the top of the table in the closing weeks of the season.