Ready for the rollercoaster

Failures ditched, new signings made and managers changed… Simon Barnes predicts another season of high drama

The Premier League trophy, with red ribbons, with the Anfield stands blurred in the background.

Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

The Premier League kicks off on Friday 15 August with Liverpool v Bournemouth, 8pm on Sky Premier League/Main Event. Add it to your watchlist

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I asked a friend, “How’s the football season looking, Danny?” His reply: “We’re in pretty good shape – especially as the tribute act is still a car crash.” Question: which team does Danny support? No, it’s not Manchester City. It’s Celtic.

The most obvious pleasure in football is the success of your chosen team. But never underestimate the game’s second most powerful force: schadenfreude, or delight in another’s misfortune. And for Celtic supporters there has been a surfeit of such pleasures in their rival’s performance over recent years. Danny’s assessment of Rangers as Celtic’s tribute act can’t be entirely laughed off.

Rangers have won the title once in the past 14 years – since the dark days of administration and demotion to the Scottish third division – and Celtic have won all the rest. In May a new consortium bought into the club and promised the usual great things; but supporters on both sides of the city of Glasgow are a little cynical.

But it was the city of Manchester that gave most English football supporters the greatest pleasure last season. It’s never encouraging to hear anyone say that your club may have the worst team in its 147-year history – especially when it’s said by your own manager.

That was Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim. In the final 12 years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, United had seven Premier League titles and one manager; in the next 12, they’ve won no titles and got through ten managers. Last season they recorded the lowest points total they’ve ever had in the Premier League and ended 15th.

The pre-season at United has been pretty mad, with five players, including former favourites Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, placed on the naughty step: the former exiled to Barcelona and the latter forbidden to train with the good boys.

Ruben Amorim runs with a whistle in his mouth and a football under his arm in a red and blue Man Utd training jacket

Ruben Amorim. Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images

There have been signings, of course, including Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. Last season Amorim had a ready excuse for failure: it wasn’t his team. In this new season, he is rather more exposed.

Manchester City are used to setting the standard in the Premier League, with six titles in the past eight years – so it was gratifying for many when last season turned into a comparative disaster with no trophies, a third-place finish and a real fear of missing out on a Champions League place.

The response of manager Pep Guardiola has been fascinating. All his life he has played in and managed teams that work on position and possession. But that’s now outdated. “Modern football is not positional. You have to ride the rhythm,” he said.

That means more long balls, especially from the goalkeeper Ederson, and more direct dribbling. It’s a change of emphasis rather than a tactical revolution, but there’s a radical philosophical shift behind it. New signings adept at that attacking dribble include midfielders Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.

Guardiola has also appointed as his assistant Pep Lijnders, who worked with Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool. We can expect more emphasis on counter-pressing –winning the ball back the instant you lose it – and fast, direct attacks.

At this point of the season, every pitch is lush and green, every new signing is a football genius, every former failing has been banished to the landfill of history and every new manager is a messiah.

What could possibly go wrong?

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Authors

Simon BarnesAuthor and journalist

Simon Barnes is a sports and wildlife writer, and is the author of a number of books including the recently published The Green Planet

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