Saturday, December 21, 2024

More Man City dominance or is this finally Arsenal’s time? – What are the main Premier League title questions ahead of the 2024/25 campaign?

Tom Dunstan in Editorial, English Premier League 8 Aug 2024

134 Views
Embed from Getty Images

With the 2024/25 Premier League campaign now fast approaching on the horizon, all of England’s elite are putting the finishing touches to their summer preparations.

Watching the action officially get underway on August 16th when Manchester United welcome Fulham to Old Trafford, there are plenty of questions over how things could play out this time around.

Watching Liverpool get a new era underway at Anfield this summer, reigning champions Manchester City are dreaming of the chance to make even more domestic history and hold off another gutsy Arsenal charge.

With many expecting what could be another sensational Premier League title charge this season, we have taken a look at some of the biggest title stories.

City have their sights set on shattering more Premier League records

While Manchester City might have relinquished their maiden Champions League crown last season, the Sky Blues embarked on what was another sensational domestic romp.

Once again enjoying a remarkable Premier League romp during the second-half of the 2023/24 campaign, Pep Guardiola’s men won all of their final nine consecutive top-flight appearances as they further underlined their status as England’s ultimate poster boy.

Holding off Arsenal’s gutsy title charge, City became the first club in Premier League history to secure four straight domestic titles en route to shattering a host of records.

With it already confirmed that both Kevin De Bruyne and Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson will be staying put at the Etihad after a summer full of Middle Eastern interest, Guardiola’s side already find themselves pencilled in as a standout contender to defend their domestic crown this time around.

Watching striking sensation Erling Haaland claim yet another Premier League Golden Boot and England international Phil Foden be crowned PFA Player of the Year, all eyes will certainly be on Guardiola’s superstar squad this season.

Can Arsenal finally finish off the job?

While Arsenal might have eventually fallen two points adrift of a record-breaking Manchester City last season, the Gunners once again gained a string of plaudits from across the continent.

Only continuing to shine under Mikel Arteta’s guidance and with their young squad gaining a fearsome reputation for their free-flowing approach, they certainly have their sights set on mounting another dramatic charge this time around.

Although Arsenal might have eventually finished the 2023/24 campaign without a single piece of domestic silverware to their name, they have proven to be City’s ultimate title rival and they have shown some major phycological strength.

While the Gunners might have not yet added a new striking option to their ranks during this summer’s transfer window, they are more than capable of finally getting their hands on a first Premier League crown since their iconic invincible season way back in 2004.

With Manchester City failing to make any real additions to their stacked squad this summer and continued speculation over Guardiola’s future at the Etihad, Arsenal fans will believe that this is their time to official dethrone the Sky Blues.

Slot has huge shoes to feel at Anfield

While Liverpool might have secured a crucial Champions League return last season, fans around Anfield were left heartbroken back in January as Jurgen Klopp announced that he would be ending his nine-year stay.

With it confirmed back in May that now-former Feyenoord boss Arne Slot would be the man to replace Klopp at Anfield, the Dutch tactician has huge shoes to feel and will have plenty of pressure on his shoulders.

Although Liverpool might be excited to see what their new boss can produce in his maiden Premier League campaign, there has certainly been an air of frustration around Anfield.

While the Reds might have already confirmed that their superstar duo of Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah will not be leaving the red half of Merseyside before the summer transfer window slams shut, Liverpool have remarkably failed to add a single new addition so far.

Still yet to be financially backed by the Anfield hierarchy, the Premier League giants are the only top-flight club that have failed to make any signing so far this summer.

Chelsea & Man United still look a mile off the pace

While Manchester United might have pulled off a real upset at Wembley on May 25th as they got their hands of a 13th FA Cup crown, the Red Devils endured what was a public Premier League crisis.

Eventually forced to settle for an eighth-place finish and breaking a string of unwanted records last season, it appeared almost inevitable that Erik ten Hag would be removed from the Old Trafford dugout at the 2023/24 campaign.

However, making the shock decision last month to stick with the former Ajax boss following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival at the club back in February, United must show some rather drastic improvements this time around.

Although Mauricio Pochettino might have eventually dragged Chelsea to a top-six return last season, the ex-Tottenham boss only lasted a year at Stamford Bridge and it is now Enzo Maresca’s job to try and find some crucial stability in west London.

Sat in a similar position to Manchester United after breaking a host of financial records since Todd Boehly’s takeover back in the summer of 2022, the former Leicester manager must find a way to make up some ground on the likes of City and Arsenal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Dunstan


Formerly of The Independent, Tom has spent the past six years as one of our senior writers and betting experts. Alongside working with numerous publications from across the globe, Tom also graduated from the University of Falmouth in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Digital Media.
Spending almost the past decade working in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, he has also spent time featuring in sports radio. Tom can be followed on Instagram - @iamtomdunstan

SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

WE RECOMMEND

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This field is required *

Join the conversation!

or Register

Live Scores

advertisement

Betting Guide Advertisement

advertisement

Become a Writer
More More
Top