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After one of the most dominant displays ever by a team in the history of the Premier League, every other team is revamping its squad in order to catch up to Manchester City.
Manchester City broke many records last season, making the other "Big 6" teams look poor. All the teams in the league are improving their squads though, and it looks like an explosive season is in store for the viewers of the game in the most difficult league in the world.
Let us take a look at the major contenders who may be leading the table in May 2019.
#4 Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
With a manager who is young and has a very tactical football mind and also a relatively young squad, Tottenham Hotspurs are definite contenders for the Premier League title.
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They have had a transfer window with very little activity but there is still time to recruit players in certain key areas. For Spurs to challenge for the title, it will be key for them to keep Toby Alderweirald at the club, and they need to keep him fit.
Harry Kane had a very good World Cup and emerged as the top scorer in the tournament after they finished in 4th place, and he will be raring to go. It remains to be seen whether he will finally score in August, but it is a safe bet that he will be in the hunt for the golden boot towards the end of the season.
Another key player is Christian Eriksen. He too had a decent World Cup with Denmark.
If Mauricio Pochettino can get the consistency to the required mark, Tottenham will be very strong contenders.
#3 Manchester United
The second best team in the Premier League last season, Manchester United will be looking to go a step further and win the title this year. They were relatively quiet in the transfer window, signing Fred and Diogo Dalot from Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto respectively.
Manchester United already have a good team and can challenge for the Premier League, but a cloud of negativity shrouds the team right now. It remains to be seen whether these are mind games by the manager or if that actually is the mood in the dressing room.
The key player for United this season will be Paul Pogba, who returns as a World Cup winner having put in very good performances in Russia. His relationship with the manager has turned a little sour, but if Jose Mourinho can play Pogba in the right areas, which the signing of Fred will certainly allow him to do, then he can unlock the creative force behind the Frenchman.
Another key partnership will be that between Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku is returning from a World Cup campaign where he finished in third place with Belgium. He will be raring to get going this season, and to link up with the Chilean who looked really sharp during the pre-season.
If Mourinho can set his team up and use the squad in an efficient way, then Manchester United can certainly challenge for the title this year.
#2 Liverpool F.C.
The only team to counter Manchester City's dominant style of play on three separate occasions last season, Liverpool have considerably strengthened their squad this year. New signings include Naby Keita, Fabinho, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson Becker, who not only improve the strength of the first team but also improve the squad depth.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has identified key areas and strengthened the team by buying Alisson to replace Karius, who had absolute howlers during the Champions League final. In comparison, Alisson is probably one of the world's best keepers.
Keita and Fabinho give a backbone to the defensive midfield, and the devastating front three of Firminho, Mane and Salah can wreak havoc against any defense.
The minor concern will be the erratic defending of Dejan Lovern, who will partner Van Dijk. Van Dijk is a reliable presence on the pitch, but there are still some question marks about Lovren, who in all honesty had a decent World Cup with Croatia reaching the finals.
If Lovren maintains his good form throughout the season, Liverpool will be the biggest challengers for the title currently held by Manchester City.
Another demon which Liverpool need to exercise is their inconsistency. Many times last season, they lost valuable points against teams which they should have beaten.
If they add consistency and stability to their team, they will have every chance to win the Premier League.
#1 Manchester City
After one of the most dominant performances ever seen last season, Manchester City will be title favorites once again this season. They seem to have the most complete squad.
The addition of Riyad Mahrez for a club record fee adds to the attacking force they already possess. The squad is already playing the Guardiola way, but to retain the title, the manager will have to slightly fine-tune his tactics.
The club have already won their first trophy of the season by beating a lackluster Chelsea in the Community Shield. The team looked high in spirits and also seemed to possess the hunger to retain the title, which was not present in previous title-winning Manchester City teams.
The form of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and company will play a big role in City's hopes of retaining the title and to go further in the Champions League than last year.
Exciting prospects like 17-year-old Phil Foden will also get more minutes in this year's campaign according to the manager, and Bernado Silva also seems to be more comfortable in the team.
The returning World Cup winner Benjamin Mendy will be hopeful about staying injury free this year after he missed a majority of last season with an ACL injury.
The one area that the City hierarchy would have wanted to boost was the defensive midfield role, where there is no world class cover for Fernandinho. But with the transfer window closing earlier for the Premier League teams this year, it looks like they will not get the player they need.
Guardiola will have to be content with his roster, but Manchester City will still be favorites for the title.
Whichever team ends up winning though, one thing is for certain: the fans of the English Premier League are in for an explosive season.
