3 reasons to get excited about this Premier League season

That’s it then. The summer transfer window has closed, and every club has managed to get some reinforcements except Tottenham Hotspur. The memories of Russia 2018 are gradually fading away. The wait is over finally. Say goodbye to ordinary weekends. There is plenty to look forward to as Premier League’s 27th season is underway.

The first game week has just past, and we got a glimpse of what’s in store for us this season. There’s plenty to look forward to. So, here we bring you three reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on the remaining 37 game weeks:

Manchester City can become the first team to defend the title since the 2008-09 season

Manchester City are very much capable of defending the title

Two years ago, when Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City with a task of rebuilding the club, there were many doubters who wrote him off, stating 'you couldn't play the Guardiola way’ in England. His first season didn’t go as he expected as Manchester City finished third in the league. But no one realised that Pep was just preparing his team. It was a part of the process, a process to instil his ideas and philosophy into the team.

Last season we all saw the fruits of that process. City played a different brand of football. Everyone was baffled. No one knew how to stop them. However, they did fall short on two occasions but that hardly mattered. By the time the new year arrived, it wasn’t a title race at all, it was a title walk. They finished the campaign with a total of 100 points, a new Premier League record. Manchester United were second with 81 points, the same total with which Leicester City won the league three years ago. From this, you can get the idea of their superiority.

But all that's a thing of the past. In the record-shattering 2017-18 season City set their own standards. So, they will be expected to emulate that this season. But it would be quite unrealistic if anyone thinks that they could do it again. The reason is simple; the Premier League is so demanding, and unlike other top European leagues it has half a dozen teams that could be called contenders. That’s why no club has gone on to defend the title since 2008. However, City certainly have all the resources and the right man at the helm to guide them to a successful title defence.

This might be Liverpool’s year after all

With heavy summer spending, Jurgen Klopp has made Liverpool genuine title contenders

Liverpool fans are always optimistic about a new season. This time, though, there is a good chance that this might be their year after all.

Last season the German manager Jurgen Klopp showed what he can do with his high pressing, free-flowing style of football. Even Manchester City fell prey to it, not once but thrice. While Klopp would have been disappointed to have finished fourth in the league, no one would’ve thought that Liverpool would have reached the Champions League final considering the abysmal record of the English clubs in the competition in recent years.

Liverpool splashed out about £175m in the summer transfer window to bolster their squad. With the acquisition of Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri, they have formidable squad depth in midfield. And now with Brazilian no.1 Alisson Becker within their ranks, they have addressed their weakest link.

After grabbing some dazzling talents during the transfer window, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are among the favourites to challenge Guardiola’s City for the title. Klopp is considered Guardiola’s kryptonite. That is because no other manager who has played 10 or more games against Guardiola has a better record than him. Klopp has managed six wins out of 12 against Guardiola. And those six losses are Guardiola’s most against any manager. So, it will be enthralling to see how these two managers try to out-do each other this season.

The usual suspects and the unlikely candidates

Wolverhampton Wanderers are back in the Premier League after clinching the Championship by 9 points last season

Most leagues in Europe have a few clubs who genuinely challenge for the title. England is lucky to have half a dozen contenders each season. Yes, the rise of Spurs from North London after Mauricio Pochettino took charge changed the landscape of the league. They have managed to finish in the top four every season since 2015-16. And they have finished above their arch-rivals Arsenal the last two seasons. Despite not signing any players this summer, Spurs remain a considerable force to reckon with.

The usual suspects - Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal - are also in contention. But what we love the most about the Premier League is its uncertainty, the ability to throw up surprises. This is when the unlikely candidates emerge. The name Leicester City (2015-16) immediately rings a bell! The fact that any team is capable of beating any other team keeps everyone on their toes.

The Premier Leagues always throws up some surprises over the course of the season. There are always going to be overachievers and underachievers. Wolves, who took the Championship by storm last season, can fancy making the European places in the league table. Everton look rejuvenated after several deadline-day steals. Then we have Burnley, who claimed a European place last season.