Headline: Premier League Prepares for Season Filled with Manager Changes and World Cup Impacts
As the new Premier League season kicks off, nine clubs, including Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, will begin with new managers, adding an element of unpredictability. Additionally, Michael Carrick at Manchester United and Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur are embarking on their first full seasons in charge. With these managerial shifts, teams face challenges in determining formations and integrating players who excelled in previous campaigns into new systems.
The aftermath of the World Cup poses unique challenges as well. With only 33 days separating the World Cup final from the Premier League kickoff, players like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, returning to their clubs late, may need gradual reintegration. Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who reached the quarter-finals with Norway, faces the question of how his performance will be affected by a shortened pre-season.
Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz exemplifies the difficulty some players face when transitioning to a new league. Although he arrived last summer with a hefty price tag, he struggled with the league’s intensity. This season, Morgan Rogers has joined Chelsea after a standout year with Aston Villa, but uncertainty remains about how quickly he can adjust to Xabi Alonso’s style.
Manchester United demonstrated improved performance under Carrick towards the end of last season, but they now contend with a more packed schedule, including Champions League commitments. In contrast, Chelsea and Tottenham, both absent from European competitions this season, have the potential to focus more on training and recovery, which could lead to better results after finishing 10th and 17th last season, respectively.
Concerns linger around Arsenal, who haven’t defended a title since 2004. Following an exhausting end to the last season, they risk a decline in performance, especially with key player William Saliba missing early games due to injury.
Elliot Anderson, a prominent player last season with Nottingham Forest, transitioned to Manchester City after a successful stint and seen his value increase to £6.5 million. However, questions arise regarding how his role will change in a team known for high possession.
The new promoted clubs have shown promise, notably Sunderland, who resisted relegation last season. The gap between the Championship and Premier League remains vast, yet teams like Coventry, Ipswich, and Hull cannot be overlooked.
Fantasy Premier League (FPL) participants are advised to use their chips wisely early in the season, especially with unpredictable team performances. The first set of chips must be utilized before gameweek 19, and choosing to deploy them early could yield significant advantages based on matchups.
Changes have also come to the Bonus Point System (BPS), which now rewards wingers, attacking full-backs, and goalkeepers more than before, with reduced points for centre-backs.
International breaks will see alterations this season as well, combining the September and October breaks into one three-week hiatus. This change allows international teams to play up to four matches, increasing the risk of injuries to players upon their return. Managers might consider conserving free transfers for when the league resumes after this extended break.
So many new managers
This looks like the most unpredictable Premier League season in years. Nine clubs (Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Ipswich and Newcastle) begin the season with new managers, with a further two in Michael Carrick at Manchester United and Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur starting their first full season in charge. With so much change, it can be even more difficult to know how certain teams will line up to begin the new season, or how certain players who impressed last season could be made to fit into a new system.
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World Cup hangover
There are just 33 days between the World Cup final and the start of the Premier League season. England players, such as Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, only returned to their clubs a couple of weeks before the new season and may need to be eased in over the first few matches. Erling Haaland usually hits the ground running (he has twice reached 10 goals after just six games) but what will the impact of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals with Norway and a shortened pre-season have on the Manchester City striker?
Erling Haaland only returned to pre-season training last week (PA)
New signings beware
It can take time to adjust to a new club or a new league. Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz is the most obvious example of a player who arrived on a huge fee and with high expectations last summer but who then struggled to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. Morgan Rogers is this summer’s biggest signing but while he has Premier League experience and thrived at Aston Villa last season, it could be a risk to drop him straight in without knowing how he will operate under Xabi Alonso at Chelsea.
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European impact
Manchester United were flying over the second half of last season under Michael Carrick, but the Premier League was the only competition they were involved in. How do United balance a busier schedule this season and what impact will playing in the Champions League have on players such as Bruno Fernandes? Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland have tougher schedules as they also compete in the Europa League, with Brighton in the Conference League.
Conversely, Chelsea and Tottenham are not in Europe this season, so Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi will be able to spend more time on the training ground preparing for matches while affording their players more of a rest between games. Both Chelsea and Tottenham should be looking to significantly improve upon last season’s finishes of 10th and 17th respectively.
De Zerbi will have time to mould Tottenham into his preferred high-intensity style (Getty)
Arsenal hangover?
Since Arsenal’s previous Premier League crown in 2004, only three managers have led their team to a defence of their title: Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola. Drop-off in intensity, performance and results can be hard to avoid and Arsenal could be susceptible to just that after such a physically and emotionally exhausting end to last season – just look at how knackered Declan Rice was at the World Cup. Arsenal may start the season as favourites but they were also reliant on set-pieces and clean sheets last year. A drop-off in either could result in a wider dip, while losing William Saliba for the first few months of the season is also a concern.
Declan Rice may be eased into the new season (Getty)
After starting the season at £5.5m, Elliot Anderson was one of the best players in the game last year. By consistently picking up defensive contribution points, by making tackles, blocks and recoveries in midfield, as well as chipping in with the odd attacking return, Anderson quietly racked the fifth-most points among midfielders by the end of the season. He then starred for England at the World Cup and completed a £116m move to Manchester City.
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Anderson’s price has now gone up to £6.5m, but will he be the same player at Manchester City, who were top of the Premier League when it came to average possession, than he was at Nottingham Forest, who were 18th? While City having more of the ball can allow for Anderson to showcase his creativity and passing ability, he is unlikely to generate as many defensive contribution points as he did at Forest because City will dominate most games.
Anderson’s position and role is set to be tweaked after switching clubs (PA)
The new Sunderland?
After two consecutive seasons where the three promoted clubs went straight back down, Sunderland were a breath of fresh air last year. From an FPL perspective, Sunderland players were also of excellent value, particularly in defence, with Nordi Mukiele reaching 151 points last year despite starting the season at the cheapest possible price point of £4.0m. The gulf between the Championship and the Premier League remains large but that doesn’t mean Coventry, Ipswich and Hull should be discounted.
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Don’t hesitate to use early chips
FPL players get two sets of chips (consisting of wildcard, bench boost and triple captain) to use per season. The first set must be used before gameweek 19 of players will lose them. It can be tempting to hoard these, but using chips early in the season – particularly after a World Cup and when so many teams look so unpredictable – could be a smart move this year. Selecting your team from the start to open up a bench boost in gameweek one or gameweek two could then be followed by an early wildcard, while the early triple captain or free hit could be deployed to take advantage of fixtures such as Manchester City v Coventry in gameweek three or Chelsea v Hull in gameweek four.
Chelsea’s Joao Pedro is a popular option among FPL players (Getty)
Changes to Bonus Point System
Tweaks to BPS (which reward up to three players per match additional points based on their overall statistical performance) have been made to benefit wingers, attacking full-backs and goalkeepers, while the earning potential for centre-backs has been slightly reduced.
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The longer international break
International breaks are going to be different this season. For the first time, the September and October breaks are going to be combined, meaning that there will be a three-week break from Premier League matches between Sunday 20 September and Saturday 10 October (between Premier League gameweek five and gameweek six). International teams will play up to four matches during this break, rather than the usual two.
A longer break, plus more matches, means there could be more of a risk of players returning from international duty with an injury. With that in mind, it could be sensible to save up some free transfers ahead of the Premier League’s resumption in gameweek six, or even consider an early wildcard. There will then be a standard international break in November, between gameweek 10 and gameweek 11.
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