Manchester City and Liverpool have produced a rivalry in recent years that has taken the standard of English football to another level.
In the last five seasons, Pep Guardiola’s City have won the top flight trophy four times, while Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have won it once.
It looks like these two teams will be the ones to trap once again in 2022-23, after City strengthened their squad with the signing of Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland and English midfielder Kalvin Phillips, while Liverpool brought in Darwin. Nunez to replace Sadio Mane.
The two teams met in the Community Shield on Saturday, with Núñez scoring as Liverpool won 3-1.
With the chasing pack trying to close the gap, which of the clubs that finished behind them are more likely to challenge the two powerhouses?
chelsea
Placed last season: 3rd
Players in: Raheem Sterling (£50m), Kalidou Koulibaly (£33m)
Players out: Antonio Rudiger (free), Andreas Christensen (free), Danny Drinkwater (free), Romelu Lukaku (loan)
There has been significant turmoil at Chelsea after American Todd Boehly completed his takeover of the club to end the successful era of Roman Abramovich.
Boehly has a tall order to follow, but he signaled his intent with the high-profile signing of Raheem Sterling from champions Manchester City.
Although not a similar replacement, the England international replaces Romelu Lukaku, who returned to Inter Milan after a struggling season at Stamford Bridge in which he fell out with boss Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea were top of the table at one stage last year but their form faltered in the second half of the campaign, and now, without a main centre-forward in his squad, Tuchel could well field a more fluid front three with people like Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic available to call.
Key German defender Antonio Rudiger has gone free to join Real Madrid and Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly has eventually moved to the Premier League as his replacement.
tottenham
Placed last season: 4th
Players in: Ivan Perisic (free), Fraser Forster (free), Yves Bissouma (£35m), Richarlison (£60m), Clement Lenglet (loan), Djed Spence (£20m)
Players out: Steven Bergwijn (£26m), Jack Clarke (£10m)
Spurs bounced back under Antonio Conte after a poor start last season to secure an unlikely place in the Champions League and the Italian has been fully backed in this transfer window.
Everton have been paid £60m for Richarlison’s services, although the Brazil international is not sure he is an automatic starter, showing the strength in depth they now possess.
Yves Bissouma adds steel in the middle of the park. while the free signing of Ivan Perisic appears to be a canny move, as the Croatian provided eight goals and seven assists for Inter Milan in Serie A last season.
Conte has won top-flight titles with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, and with the north London outfit adding to last season’s squad, some may see them as favorites to break into the top two.
Spurs also go into the new season with a more stable feeling than last year when striker Harry Kane’s future was in doubt with rumors of a move to Manchester City ultimately falling through.
Arsenal
Placed last season: 5th
Players in: Marquinhos (£3m), Fabio Vieira (£30m), Matt Turner (£8m), Gabriel Jesus (£45m), Oleksandr Zinchenko (£30m)
Players out: Konstantinos Mavropanos (undisclosed), Alexandre Lacazette (free), Matteo Guendouzi (£9m)
Arsenal fans are hoping their flashy new signings can add to a side that split at the end of last season, having hunted for a place in the top four.
Mikel Arteta secured a transfer hit with the £45m acquisition of striker Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City and the Brazilian will headline the Gunners’ front row this season. Meanwhile, Ukraine international Oleksandr Zinchenko followed suit, swapping East Manchester for North London.
Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira has also arrived from Porto, while Alexandre Lacazette has returned to Lyon, for which Norway international Martin Odegaard has been named captain.
Boss Arteta put his faith in youth last season, with Arsenal being the team with younger average age, so another year of experience should serve them well.
manchester united
Placed last season: 6th
Players in: Tyrell Malacia (£13m), Christian Eriksen (free), Lisandro Martinez (£55m)
Players out: Dean Henderson (loan), Edinson Cavani (free), Juan Mata (free), Paul Pogba (free), Jesse Lingard (free), Lee Grant (retired), Nemanja Matic (free), Andreas Pereira (£10m )
This season will mark 10 years since Manchester United last won the Premier League and it now falls to former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag to try and restore the fortunes of a fallen giant.
The Red Devils limped to a sixth-place finish last year under caretaker boss Ralf Rangnick, posting their worst points tally in the Premier League and there were reports of dressing room disturbances.
The big names in the first team, including Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani, are gone, while the free signing of Christian Eriksen could be a coup.
There are still issues to be ironed out: captain Harry Maguire, who had a poor campaign, was booed by his own supporters on occasion last season and was booed once again in the pre-season match against Crystal Palace at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
And the big question remains, will Cristiano Ronaldo stay or will he go? played for United in Sunday’s friendly against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford, but his long-term future remains to be determined.
Any other team in the mix?
Can Newcastle disrupt the establishment? The Magpies seemed to be adrift at the start of the season, but they produced a surprising turnaround under Eddie Howe.
In the second half of the season, Newcastle had 38 points that were only bettered by Liverpool (48), who finished second, and eventual champions Manchester City (46).
The big-money signing of Dutch midfielder Sven Botman will add more stability to the backline, while England goalkeeper Nick Pope could eventually become number one behind him.
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