It has been three months since the coronavirus disease rendered the Premier League, along with most other leagues, ineffective. But after the long wait, the Premier League is set to return. And I know we all missed it. I did too. The return of our favourite teams may finally allay all our quarantine boredoms and fears. And there is so much to look forward to.
Liverpool can expect their trophy at the end of the season. United can finally unleash their midfield duo of Fernandes and Pogba; Rashford will be back on the matchday squad. City would play to avoid more embarrassment in what has been a disappointing league campaign. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Bournemouth will hope that they can leave behind their season’s struggles and battle out of the relegation zone.
Many clubs will monitor the relegation zone as transfer bargains would be up for grabs once the relegation battle is over. The likes of Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, as well as Norwich’s full back pairing in Max Aaron and Jamal Lewis are just a few of the players whose signatures will be battled for if relegation comes calling. With only four points separating 15th place and 19th place, and expected lower match fitness levels, the relegation battle is going to be intense and even more interesting to watch.
In this post, I will be discussing two things to expect from the premier league restart.
A Different Tactical Approach
In normal circumstances, teams have about a month of pre-season with intense training and friendlies to get all the players up to speed: fitness-wise and tactically. Although teams have around four weeks to train, half of that time would be spent during drills with less contact, and little match experience.
As such, one should expect numerous knocks and teams to play slower games and sit back to protect their lead. The Bundesliga has already shown us that these would happen. As such, teams are likely to lay more emphasis on the tactical aspects of the game: set-pieces, counters, and other dead-ball scenarios for that all-important first goal.
In summary, one should not look forward to their team exhibiting total dominance and maintaining intense pressing throughout the game. Instead, I expect that most teams would sharpen their counter attacks.
Quiet Transfers
No official statement has been released about the structure of the upcoming transfer window, but that hasn’t stopped teams from going about their transfers dealing–I have to admit though that they are doing an outstanding job hiding their business. Apart from a few financially stable teams looking for marquee signings, practically no transfer news exists about the remaining teams. However, let’s not be deceived; teams will surely visit the transfer market by the start of next season.
How would the struggling teams sign players? Free transfers and bargain transfers. Players who are deemed expendable and take up a considerable chunk of the team’s wage budget will probably make moves. So you can expect to see many cut-price deals and seemingly absurd transfers during the transfer window.
None of this applies to Liverpool, though, who are, in my opinion, being rather discreet with transfers. However, I have the feeling that there is a long-term transfer strategy behind all of this. I’ll be keeping an eye out for them.
BallerzBantz 
Personally, I worry about players who had tested positive to the virus and how it might affect their overall play time. The virus is respiratory and survivors have been complaining about functionality. I wonder what this would mean for the PL restart.
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Hello Triple A,
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This is a concern really. Some of the players who have recovered have noted that they still don’t feel at their best. Nevertheless, the hope is that the increase in the number of substitutes and substitutes allowed will help in easing players back into action.
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What do you think about what Chelsea’s attack would look like next season amid speculation of a deal being agreed with Timo Werner.
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Jason is going to write on that soon. But if Lampard utilizes them properly, we can expect to see them destroying opposition defenses. I just wonder who will fill the last role in the front three—Werner, Ziyech, ?
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I expect Lampard to change tactics on a match-by-match basis, so on some days we might see Abraham and Werner up front, or maybe Werner may lead the line with Pulisic and Ziyech alongside him and Mount behind him. Werner can also slot in as a left winger, so there are many configurations Lampard can choose. Now that I think about it, it really is something I should write about, isn’t it?
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Hopefully the players get to 100% fitness before game day.
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I don’t think it will be possible to get them 100 percent. I expect many injuries because of that but the extra subs will definitely help.
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