Premier League Title race

In recent years Manchester City have dominated in English football making all other teams quite frustrated. Once again Manchester City are thick in the title race however, they are joined by two other teams who will give everything to stop them. 

Liverpool potentially giving Klopp the best ever send off? 

Liverpool have had a whirlwind start to 2024 with Legend Jurgen Klopp announcing that he will leave at the end of the season. Klopp has won everything you can win in his time on the Merseyside and many class him as one of the greatest managers in Liverpool history. 

 

Liverpool fans and players will hope to give Klopp the best possible send off, they have just lifted the League cup trophy and they are still in 3 more competitions including sitting pretty at the top of the table in the Premier League. 

Klopp guided Liverpool to their first Premier League title in the 2019-2020 season, ending a 30-year wait for the league title. The team's dominant performance throughout the season, characterised by their high-intensity pressing and attacking football, showcased Klopp's tactical prowess and ability to motivate his players.

Klopp also led Liverpool to UEFA Champions League glory in the 2018-2019 season, defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the final. This victory was particularly significant as it marked Liverpool's sixth European Cup/Champions League title and solidified Klopp's reputation as one of the top managers in world football.

Style of Play: Under Klopp, Liverpool has become known for their dynamic, attacking style of play, characterised by quick transitions, high pressing, and fluid movement. Klopp's tactical approach has helped Liverpool become one of the most entertaining and effective teams in Europe.

Player Development: Klopp has overseen the development of several key players at Liverpool, including Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, among others. His ability to improve players' performances and maximise their potential has been crucial to Liverpool's success.

Liverpool have won the Premier League once, however this was not in front of the Liverpool fans due to COVID 19. Fans would wish for nothing more than to lift the premier league trophy in Jurgen Klopp's final league game for the reds. 

Liverpool have had huge success in previous years with a high pressing midfield, Fabihno, Henderson and Winjinaldum ran the show for years. Last season, they struggled to regain this high press as the midfield trio seemed tired and leggy which led to Liverpool missing out on a top 4 finish. 

All three midfielders left and Liverpool looked to invest in a younger and revitalised midfield. This was not an easy task as they missed out on many targets, two included Lavia and Caicedo with Chelsea snapping up both of them for huge amounts of money. 

Liverpool decided to look elsewhere and signed the likes of Endo, MacAllister, Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai for a new look midfield. 

Liverpool was an unexpected contender for the league this year, many believed this was a transitional year with so many new signings and a young team that haven’t played together.  

All the signings turned out to be a huge success and they look better as every game passes. Liverpool’s attack has been brilliant as always, with the likes of Diaz, Jota, Gakpo, Nunez and Salah they are fighting for any team to face. 

Nunez has had a lot of criticism in previous years missing some huge chances for the reds. However, the stats show that he creates so much in attacking play for Liverpool and his G/A return is still very good. He will hope that he can carry on improving and take on the role of being the main man in the attack if Salah ever decides to walk away. 

Liverpool are a serious title contender this year and will hope to give Klopp a send off that they believe is fully deserved! 

Arsenal in the race once again 

Arteta took over as the head coach of Arsenal in December 2019, succeeding Unai Emery. Under his management, Arsenal underwent various changes in playing style and personnel. While there were ups and downs during his tenure, Arteta aimed to rebuild the team and instil his tactical philosophy.

Last year Arteta's project looked to finally pay dividends as they went on to be serious title contenders against Manchester City and led the table for the Majority of the season. The year before Arsenal didn't even make top 4, astute signings and Arteta drilling his philosophy into the culture of the club has started to show results. 

In the summer they decided to heavily invest into their squad to not just compete with City but to beat them to the title. 

A huge statement signing was Declan Rice who won the Europa Conference league with West Ham. The Englishman is classed as one of the best midfielders in Europe and Arsenal spent over 100 million to secure his signature. 

Rice has made a real difference to Arsenal this year as they look extremely solid at the back and with Rice protecting the defenders they look very hard to break down. 

A huge controversial moment in the summer was when David Raya joined from Brentford to take over Aaron Ramsdale position as number 1. Ramsdale who hardly put a foot wrong last season seems to be overlooked this year, many believe Arteta prefers Raya due to his incredible distribution. 

Arsenal have had an excellent start to 2024, if they carry on this form they will be right up there come the end of the season. Arsenal have got a very young team who have played some fantastic football under the leadership of Arteta. 

Since 2024 no team has scored more goals and with the likes of Bakayo Saka and Martin Odegaard they seem to be unstoppable for many teams.

Last year Arsenal came short, they will hope with more experience they can brush Manchester City and Liverpool aside. They have gained 4 points from Liverpool this season and they are looking to do the double over the Champions Manchester City as they play at the Etihad on the 31st of March. 

No matter what happens this year Arsenal seem destined to get their hands on the Premier League Trophy again in the near future. 

Manchester City- The dominant Force 

The blue side of Manchester have been dominating English football for many years and not many teams have been able to stop Pep Guardiola’s magical side. Overall, Manchester City's dominance in football reflects a combination of financial investment, strategic planning, managerial excellence, and on-pitch performance. 

When looking at Manchester City’s squad they have stars everywhere you look and they are all embedded perfectly into how Pep wants them to play. Every Game you watch City play they dominate the ball and with the likes of KDB and Haaland back to full fitness every team will fear Manchester City. 

After winning the treble last year, Manchester City were favourites in every competition they entered at the beginning of the season. Apart from the League Cup they are still flying high in all three competitions. 

Manchester City are still favourites for the title even though they do sit behind leaders Liverpool and Arsenal just sit behind them. They are yet to play Liverpool at Anfield which Pep Guardiola has never come away with a victory apart from COVID 19 when Liverpool had no fans in the stadium. 

Manchester City are famously known for turning up the gears this time of year and going on massive winning streaks which blows any of the other teams away.

Liverpool and Arsenal will be feeling the pressure while Manchester City have been here time and time again and almost always coming away victorious. 

With Manchester City there is an expectation now, Guardiola has created one of the best sides ever in English football and they will hope to bring joy back to the blue side of Manchester.