Tough contest to wrestle EPL title

With just a few hours until the start of the 2015-16 Barclays Premier League season, the world’s most popular league promises to deliver its most entertaining installment since its inception.

“Other teams are going to improve for sure because they invest a lot in their squads, and their squads are obviously much better”, Mourinho said.

Manchester City, who travel to West Brom on Monday, returned to England on 29 July from Vietnam, 10 days after the Baggies played their last overseas game. And I don’t think they will be, or at least not often enough to deprive them of a two-in-a-row come May.

Big things are expected of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this season and his match-winning goal in the Community Shield will have guaranteed the youngster a start against West Ham.

“He was the reason they reached the top four last season but van Gaal thinks he is not in the right frame of mind to face Tottenham“.

As a neutral, I would love if Arsenal finally ended their title drought.

Arsene Wenger has been without a reliable goalkeeper for the best part of a decade, since Jens Lehmann left the club. The principal arrival has been Falcao on loan from Monaco – despite the forward being so ineffective at United – while goalkeeper Petr Cech was surprisingly allowed to join London rival Arsenal, which is chasing its first league title since 2004. The Gunners can, as so often before, wonderfully decorate the Premier League but, in my opinion, still lack an inspirational, warrior presence in the middle and, until that’s rectified, it’ll continue to be a case of close but no cigar.

And continuing from last summer, the Red Devils have signed another plethora of new players such as Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Matteo Darmina, and Sergio Romero.

The clear choice for the Premier League Player of the Season award also landed the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year and PFA Players’ Player of the Year prize in what was one of the most dominant performances we have seen from an individual in England for some time. But the problem is that, as ever at Old Trafford, patience will be in such short supply that it will nearly seem as if the whole project rests on today’s high noon opener against Spurs – probably the only side in the top six with credible hopes of gate-crashing the top four.

£14.4 million – Bastian Schweinsteiger, moves to Manchester United from Bayern Munich.

Jose Mourinho doesn’t believe young players need a set number of games in which to show they have a future at Chelsea. “Look, for me, it’s Chelsea again, ahead of Manchester City“. Indeed, the Reds could even be vulnerable to being overtaken by a dark horse – Stoke, anyone?

While last season’s form isn’t a brilliant indicator for predicting this campaign, United will believe that they are stronger and will stand an excellent chance of competing for the crown.

As always there are more questions than answers. Winger Matt Ritchie had a sensational campaign for the Cherries last time out, scoring 15 goals and registering 17 assists, and he’ll be keen to prove he can cut it in the Premier League. And not just because he gets handsomely paid for the gig.