The A-Z of the 2016/17 Premier League season

Liverpool are in the process of rebuilding the club – literally

K – Klopp’s mission

This will be Jurgen Klopp’s first full season in charge of Liverpool and he can start the season on his own terms. He has already made moves in the transfer market to get players such as Sadio Mane while troublemakers such as Mario Balotelli could be offloaded. After Liverpool expanded Anfield’s Main Stand to add 8,500 seats, the club’s board has shown its support to the long-term cause of rebuilding after numerous failures in the past decade and also extended Klopp’s contract. Good signs.

L – Leicester City’s targets

One would expect the Premier League champions to have lofty ambitions to defend their title but Claudio Ranieri is taking it one step at a time. Most players and managers would come out and say they would do their best to win it again but the Italian manager has set milestones – “40 points, then top half, then get through the Champions League, then if possible to lift another cup.”

Retaining the EPL trophy is not Ranieri’s first order of business

M – Manchester Derby

El Clasicos brought out the worst in Real Madrid and Barcelona when Mourinho went head-to-head with Pep Guardiola. That rivalry is set to be reignited in the Premier League with Pep Guardiola taking the reins at the Etihad. Will we see some glorious matches or will the poisonous atmosphere that gripped Spain move to the north-west of England?

N – Newcastle fire sale?

With Newcastle relegated, many of their players will be up for grabs following their splurge last season to build a squad that could avoid relegation. Rafa Benitez, who wants to rebuild the team and set his project on track, is not interested in selling the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Georginio Wijnaldum. But how long can he hold on to them, especially after Andros Townsend made the switch to Crystal Palace?

O – Olympic Stadium

West Ham finished seventh last season after Slaven Bilic took over – their best finish since 1999. And after winning the bid to use the Olympic Stadium as their home ground, the historic Boleyn Ground will no longer be an EPL venue. With a capacity of 60,000, the Hammers now have the third biggest stadium in the league.