The Premier League returns

They finished without a trophy in third place, having not challenged champions Chelsea whatsoever past the turn of the year.

Arsene Wenger brokered a fragile truce with Arsenal’s dissenting fans by winning the FA Cup last season, but the Gunners boss has no margin for error after going 13 years without Premier League glory.

Also, there is Alexis Sanchez who finished 3 last season but was really unbelievable in general for the club.

Top four: Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool. About the only thing anyone can count on is beer keg-shaped captain Troy Deeney, who scores far more goals than his talent warrants, and their new manager, Marco Silva, who has shown a knack for making the most of what’s handed to him.

“We are going to try to give a hard fight to the top teams in Europe in the Champions League”.

The Premier League is undoubtedly more competitive than most other top-flight football leagues.

“We can take a lot of positives from the game”.

Jose Mourinho believes Manchester United are equipped to maintain his remarkable second season success rate by winning the Premier League title this term.

Jesus’ arrival from Palmeiras in January threatened to spark a title charge for City as the Brazil striker netted three times in his first two Premier League starts.

The vibes have not been good from Chelsea, with outcast Diego Costa still contracted to the club, Nemanja Matic allowed to join Manchester United and targets Alex Sandro and Romelu Lukaku missed out on.

His display in the first leg was one the the best any opposition player has delivered at the Etihad in recent seasons, with his ability to retain possession and create chances for his teammates carving City open on a number of occasions. “The reality is totally different”, he told ESPN.

Ahead of the eagerly-awaited opener, we pose five questions surrounding the start of the 2017/18 season. Sam Allardyce barely had enough fit first-teamers to fill his squad, but the Trotters secured a shock win thanks to a goal from Kevin Davies and a 43-yard stunner from Ivan Campo.

Mourinho went for a three at the back formation against Real Madrid in the Super Cup on Tuesday night but I think he might revert to a 4-2-3-1 this weekend. Frank Lampard is the latest edition to an already brilliant team and I have never been more excited by a season of football on BT than I am now.

Fourth last season, Liverpool have signed relatively modestly, adding Mohamed Salah, Dominic Solanke and Andrew Robertson to their ranks.

This season has seen top transfers taking place.

They’re both too talented for that to happen again, but if they continue to tune out their managers – which was definitely an issue past year – it’s hard to imagine an improvement of any sort. The Gunners are looking to return to the top four after missing out previous year for the first time in over two decades under Arsene Wenger.

In a novelty for the 2017-18 season, players suspected of diving will face retrospective disciplinary action that could result in two-game suspensions.