United and
City expect far better for Manchester than last season while Premier League
champions Chelsea hoped Morata’s goals could retain their crown
According to the Guardian report, after Antonio
Conte led Chelsea to their fifth Premier League crown in his first campaign,
Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho embark on a defining 2017-18 season. Defining
because the pair were granted a free pass last term. However, Conte’s feat
casts a harsh light on how poorly Guardiola and Mourinho performed. Guardiola
guided City to an unconvincing third and Mourinho took United to a lowly sixth.
As the positions suggest, neither manager was able to mount a serious tilt at
the title and thus their respective employers have to find excuses for them and
succour from elsewhere.
The City
chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, pointed to the rebuilding job his man began,
while Mourinho’s two-trophy return, which included the prize of Champions
League qualification for claiming the Europa League, was enough for Ed
Woodward, the United executive vice-chairman, to move on.
Now, they
have to achieve more. The minimum requirement is that Guardiola and Mourinho
ensure their team challenge for the title until May. If not, one or both may
find themselves out of a job.
Chelsea
should be viewed as favourites, despite the bookmakers awarding City the
status. Whatever, it is difficult to look beyond a big four of the champions,
the two Manchester clubs and Tottenham, last season’s runners-up, in the search
for potential champions.
At Chelsea,
Diego Costa has become persona non grata and will leave. He is a sizeable loss
to Conte’s cause given the Brazilian’s edge and a strike-rate of 20 goals in 35
Premier League appearances last year, which followed 20 in 26 in the 2014-15
title-winning season.
In Costa’s
place is Álvaro Morata, bought from Real Madrid for a club record £70m. The
test is whether the 24-year-old can be a classic Chelsea Premier League
centre-forward in the mould of Costa and Didier Drogba. Last season, Morata
scored 15 in 26 appearances – 14 were starts – that totalled 1,334 minutes, an
impressive average of one goal every 88.9 minutes. Morata, almost 6ft 3in, also
scored the most headers in La Liga.
At City,
Guardiola has splurged £199.79m on five players. Four of these are in defensive
positions – Ederson, the new No1, and the full-backs Kyle Walker, Benjamin
Mendy and Danilo, the latter also being a stop-gap holding midfielder. Bernardo
Silva signed for £43.6m and joins Guardiola’s ever-burgeoning rank of attacking
players. This also numbers Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Leroy Sané, Sergio
Agüero, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling. The old joke about Arsène Wenger
adding another No10 to his Arsenal squad when in doubt might apply to Guardiola
and forwards.
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Following
last season’s travails, City’s campaign will depend on how well a leaky defence
is tightened up. Guardiola’s summer spend is yet to include a centre-back
despite this being a problem position. Currently, Vincent Kompany is the only
established first-choice centre-half and he has been injury plagued in recent
seasons. The captain’s two potential partners are the yet-to-do-it John Stones
and the underwhelming Nicolás Otamendi. Tosin Adarabioyo is the only other
recognised central defender and he is 19 and unproven.
Mourinho’s
recruitment has taken in striker Romelu Lukaku, centre-back Victor Lindelöf and
midfielder Nemanja Matic at the cost of around £146m. At the transfer window’s
start the 54-year-old identified Lukaku as the prime target. After Zlatan
Ibrahimovic’s serious knee injury, Mourinho decided Lukaku’s 88 league goals
since 2012 – only Agüero has more in that time– made him the ideal spearhead.
Yet might
Matic be the recruit that tips the title away from Chelsea and into United’s
grasp? His significance can be read from Mourinho describing the midfielder as
a genius following his debut in the 2-1 friendly win over Sampdoria. It remains
a puzzle why Conte allowed Matic to be sold to United.
His arrival
means Paul Pogba will no longer be asked to operate on the peripatetic basis
that had him flitting between No6 and No8 and even, at times, No10. Pogba can
concentrate on being the surging midfielder the manager wishes, though after
United scored a meagre 54 goals – the poorest of last season’s top seven – this
has to improved or it will not matter how the Frenchman plays.
Mourinho,
who still wants to add a forward, has talked up Tottenham as challengers as
they have kept all the players Mauricio Pochettino wants to retain. Yet the
manager has, in turn, failed to freshen up his squad - recently he stressed the
need to do so to ensure the competition that will help Harry Kane, Dele Alli
and company elevate their game. Even if this changes Spurs are unlikely to
better their rivals’ strengthening. Chelsea have also added Tiemoué Bakayoko
(for £39.7m) and Antonio Rüdiger (£34m), so for Tottenham to finish second again
would represent a small triumph.
For Watford,
Burnley and Swansea City, the three clubs that finished last year 17th, 16th
and 15th respectively, their cause for celebration will surely be if they once
more avoid the drop. Watford have a seventh manager in three years in Marco
Silva, and he oversaw Hull City’s relegation. Sean Dyche managed to keep the
Clarets up for the first time in the Premier League but bringing in just Phil
Bardsley, Jon Walters and Jack Cork suggests they will repeat their struggle.
And if Gylfi Sigurdsson moves to Everton Swansea will earn a £50m fee but lose
his playmaking abilities and last year’s nine priceless finishes. The promoted
sides – Brighton & Hove Albion, Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United may
– also be in the dogfight at the bottom.
At both ends
of the division it promises to be a riveting watch.
The Guardian
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