The Observer - 04.08.2019

Section:OBS 2S PaGe:12 Edition Date:190804 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 3/8/2019 17:08 cYanmaGentaYellowbla

• The Observer
  12 04.08.19 Football

Premier League Starts Friday

Club-by-club preview Premier League fans assess what’s in store in 2019-20

are entering the seventh year of

their post-Ferguson transition.

And Arsenal, despite breaking their

transfer record to sign Nicolas Pépé ,

are operating under severe fi nancial

constraints and still have no central

defence to speak of.

Given the signifi cant possibility

that Liverpool will not be able to

maintain their form of last season

it may be that the most intriguing

battle this campaign will be for

fourth – which this time round

surely will not be the slow bicycle

race it was last season.

The gulf from Liverpool in second

to Chelsea in third was 25 points.

From United in sixth to Wolves in

seventh was only nine.

That is still a major step but it may

be that the Big Six are not quite so

secure. Certainly there are reasons

for qualifi ed optimism for each of

the other four sides who fi nished in

the top half last season.

Wolves have made permanent

the signings of the forward Raúl

Jiménez, scorer of 13 goals last

campaign, and Leander Dendoncker,

as well as landing the promising

young Italian striker Patrick

Cutrone , in a relatively quiet

summer. Their fi rst season back in

the Premier League was remarkable,

and featured wins against four of

the top six as well as two defeats

by relegated Huddersfi eld. Their

task for this season is to work out a

way of playing that makes them as

effective against the bottom six as

the top six which, at least on the face

of it, means there is ample potential

for improvement.

Their big problem, though, is

participation in the Europa League.

The additional demand on players

has proved debilitating for various

clubs in the past and Wolves have

a particular issue in Nuno Esp írito

Santo’s preference for a settled side:

10 of his players made 33 Premier

League appearances or more last

season.

Everton, with their impressive

plans for a new stadium, can

also feel things moving in the

right direction. Again, their most

important deal of the summer

is probably a loan signing made

permanent, with Andr é Gomes

bought from Barcelona, although

Fabian Delph is a useful addition

to the midfi eld. Whether he is

suffi cient to make up for the loss

of the security offered by Idrissa

Gueye, who has gone to Paris Saint-

Germain, is doubtful, though. This

perhaps will be the season when it is

possible fi nally to work out whether

Marco Silva, with his history of early

promise fading away, is any good

or not.

The hiring of Brendan Rodgers

at the end of February was an

Continued from page 10

Manchester City

Lloyd Scragg

ninetythreetwenty.com

@lloyd_scragg

As long as Pep is manager I’ll stay wildly

optimistic. I’m confi dent we can win the

league for the third season in a row and

cement this team’s reputation as the

best of the Premier League era.

Key men/weak links De Bruyne and

Bernardo Silva were the standout

players from our last two title-winning

seasons. And Foden is just too good

not to get more game time this season.

Keep an eye out, too, for Eric García

given our troubles at centre-half

• which is the one gaping hole in a
  well-assembled squad. Letting a man
  of Kompany’s stature leave without
  signing a replacement is baffl ing.

We need to sign Alderweireld would

have been ideal. And if we allow Sané

to leave without signing a replacement,

suddenly we’re short in two positions.

Headline maker Benjamin Mendy,

particularly now he’s back on social

media. Hopefully, he’ll be back out on

the pitch soon, too.

VAR: good or bad? Referees clearly need

help but the system is far from perfect.

At least, from a selfi sh point of view,

City (and Sterling in particular) should

win a lot more penalties.

Manchester Utd

Shaun O’Donnell

Observer reader

Th e slump at the end of last season

was pretty embarrassing. Ole said

then there were players who had

played their last game for the club but

he can’t shift them due to their infl ated

salaries. Th e result is a bloated mess of

a squad. Pre-season has shown us he

has a clear strategy of how he wants

United to play, at least, with a high press

creating space for the forwards. But I still

can’t see us coming higher than sixth

again.

Key men/weak links We’ve fi nally

found a replacement for Gary Neville

in Wan-Bissaka, who looks like he’ll

make an instant impact. And, especially

if Lukaku isn’t replaced by a new

signing, Mason Greenwood could break

through. He’s such a natural talent.

We need to sign So much still needs

to happen. In an ideal world I’d swap

Pogba for Verratti from PSG, Lukaku for

Dybala, and, after snapping up Harry

Maguire, if we can add Maddison from

Leicester too then job’s a good ’un!

Headline maker Unless he goes, the

Pogba circus will roll on.

VAR: good or bad? I’m against it. Th ere’s

enough interference already.

Newcastle

David and Richard Holmes

Observer readers

We were actually optimistic after the

fi nal whistle of last season, when we’d

just beaten Fulham 4-0 and Rafa was in

the dugout. But with the best manager

we’ve had in years gone, along with

leading scorers Rondón and Pérez (and

seemingly any hope of a takeover)

we’re set for another relegation battle.

Th is time, though, it will be with a “head

coach” who seems better suited to the

Championship.

Key men/weak links Th ere’s a lot of

pressure on record signings Joelinton and

Almirón to score and it’s essential that

defenders Schär and Lejeune give us a

solid platform. It’ll also be a big season

for rising star Sean Longstaff (and

perhaps his brother Matty, too) as long

as Ashley doesn’t decide to cash in ...

We need to sign A minimum of two

proven scorers, plus cover at full-back.

Headline maker Th ere’s only one

candidate. Th e next classless Ashley

gaff and resultant eruption of fan

hostility is always just round the corner.

VAR: good or bad? Relegations and

livelihoods can hinge on a refereeing

error, so it’s not before time. Th ough it

will be a shame if it disrupts the fl ow.

Norwich

Gary Gowers

norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com

@gary_gowers

We’re optimistic. Most outside Norfolk

have us down as certs for relegation

but if we can use our momentum and

adapt our pleasing-on-the-eye style

for the brutalities of the top fl ight, we’ll

do OK. We still feel like unwelcome

guests at a swish party, though.

Key men/weak links Pukki ripped up

the Championship and we’re obviously

hoping that will continue. And our little

Argentinian Emi Buendia is electric.

Also look out for young Max Aarons,

Jamal Lewis, Ben Godfrey and Todd

Cantwell. As for weak links: our style

of play, both full-backs pushing on, can

leave our defence exposed.

We need to sign Our budget is the

division’s smallest. We’re still after

a defensive midfi elder, though.

Headline maker It’s too obvious to say

Delia but she and her husband have

been known to blurt. Wouldn’t be

without them, though. And Daniel

Farke can deliver a great one-liner.

VAR: good or bad? I like the principle but

there are defi nite refi nements needed.

It was horribly over used at the women’s

World Cup. “Clear and obvious” has to

be the overriding theme.

Sheffi eld Utd

Ben Meakin

@bladespod

We’ll be everyone’s pick to go back

down, but I’m confi dent and looking

forward to the challenge. How can

you not, given everything we’ve seen

from this manager and team in the last

three years? We’ll continue playing

our front-foot football – get ready to

hear the phrase “overlapping centre-

backs” every time we’re on TV – and

being aggressive in trying to win games

rather than hanging on for a point.

Key men/weak links Jack O’Connell’s

defensive brilliance and marauding runs

from centre-back will be vital; David

McGoldrick’s skill and movement helps

to knit everything together, and as for

Billy Sharp ... he just scores goals.

We need to sign With Oli McBurnie’s

arrival we’re well set in attack. Add in

a defensive midfi elder and someone

with the athleticism and skill to

challenge Chris Basham at centre-

back and that’s the perfect window.

Headline maker Chris Wilder’s brutal

honesty might shock a few neutrals.

VAR: good or bad? Th e women’s World

Cup was worrying, to say the least.

I don’t like matches being altered

because someone’s big toe was off side.

Predictions

We will fi nish: 1st; Top four: 1. Man City;

2. Liverpool; 3. Tottenham; 4. Chelsea
   Bottom three: 18. Sheffi eld Utd;


3. Burnley; 20. Crystal Palace
   First manager sacked: Roy Hodgson

Predictions

We will fi nish: 6th; Top four: 1. Man City;

2. Liverpool; 3. Tottenham; 4. Chelsea
   Bottom three: 18. Brighton; 19. Norwich;


3. Sheffi eld United
   First manager sacked: Steve Bruce

Predictions

We will fi nish: 16th; Top four: 1. Man City;

2. Liverpool; 3. Tottenham; 4. Chelsea
   Bottom three: 18. Brighton;


3. Southampton; 20. Aston Villa
   First manager sacked: Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Predictions

We will fi nish: 15th; Top four: 1. Man City;

2. Liverpool; 3. Tottenham; 4. Man United
   Bottom three: 18. Newcastle;


3. Sheffi eld United; 20. Brighton
   First manager sacked: Steve Bruce

Predictions

We will fi nish: 16th ; Top four: 1. Man City;

2. Liverpool; 3. Tottenham; 4. Chelsea
   Bottom three: 18. Brighton;


3. Norwich; 20. Newcastle
   First manager sacked: Steve Bruce

7

Only Kerem

Demirbay – with

11 – provided

more assists for

Hoff enheim in

2018-19 than

Joelinton with

seven. Joelinton

also netted 11

goals from 31

shots on target.

Joelinton

Newcastle

5

Drmic made

only fi ve league

appearances

for Borussia

Mönchengladbach

last season but

he was able to net

two goals from

only three

shots on target.

Josip Drmic

Norwich

ue

bach

ut

o net

m

et.

c

8

Djenepo (eight

goals) scored

with 17.4% of his

total shots in the

Belgian top fl ight

in 2018-19, the

second highest

conversion rate

for Standard Liège

(min. three goals).

Moussa

Djenepo

Southampton

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