Thrilled by the drama of the World Cup and eager for your next soccer fix? Well, boy, do I have good news for you. Welcome to the sport that really doesn’t know when to call it a break. Offseason? Schmoffseason, amirite?Yes, between the international tournaments most summers and the club game that runs from early August to early June this sport really does not have an off button. And nowhere is the whole thing more on than the Premier League. The richest, most high-profile and arguably most competitive of Europe’s big leagues, there is no better way to follow up the thrilling burst of six weeks at the World Cup than by bathing in the warm glow of nine months of the English club game.It helps that this promises to be a particularly intriguing season. Having won their first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal face a task that they have not accomplished since before the Second World War, retaining the top division crown that they claimed in such gruelling fashion. They are favorites to do so, in no small part because their competitors are building from particularly fragile positions.Manchester City stated farewell to their transformative head coach Pep Guardiola in the summer, the 55-year-old who led them to six league titles and a Champions League now taking time out of the game. His successor, Enzo Maresca knows the club well, he’s a former Guardiola assistant and did a reasonable job at Chelsea, but will face quite a challenge succeeding one of the most impactful managers in the history of the English game.Maresca’s former club Chelsea have turned to Xabi Alonso, a title winner in Germany who did not last long with Real Madrid, and appear to be pivoting on a contentiously youth-oriented strategy. Meanwhile, Liverpool will be looking to recover from their disastrous title defense under new boss Andoni Iraola, Manchester United look to have a solid platform to build on under last season’s interim Michael Carrick and Aston Villa continue to punch above their financial means. As for Tottenham, well, avoiding a third straight relegation battle would be success enough for them.
That is the joy of the Premier League, that there is often more drama at the other end of the table. No tanking and rebuild jobs over here, the stakes could not be higher, hundreds of millions in revenue at stake for those teams fighting against the drop to the second tier. Last season Sunderland and Leeds United came up from the Championship and survived. Can Coventry City, Ipswich Town or Hull City do the same? If so there might be trouble ahead for the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace and even the two who survived last season.And of course there are yet more treats further down the English pyramid. The EFL got up and running last week with the opening round of the EFL Cup, while the weekend of August 14-16 brings the opening rounds of games in the Championship, League One and League Two, where games will be available every week on Paramount+ and CBS Sports. With West Ham fighting to get back into the top flight and Wrexham bidding to take that final step on their rise up the leagues, there truly is plenty to dive into whether you’re an ultra or totally new to soccer.Whichever you are, let us guide you through the months ahead:
Club season previewsCan Tottenham finally pull clear of the relegation zone?
The year ahead in EFL
From the prospect of giant-killings in the EFL Cup to the American contingent at Middlesbrough, all via expanded promotion playoffs in the battle to reach the Premier League, here’s Chuck Booth with what you need to know on the second, third and fourth tiers.
