by Manchester United will face Fulham on Friday to kick off the 2024–25 Premier League season, while Manchester City will open their championship defense against Chelsea on Sunday.
Arne Slot, the new manager of Liverpool, will be in the public eye on Saturday as he plays his first competitive match since taking over from Jurgen Klopp away to the recently promoted Ipswich.
Ten Hag must get going quickly
The FA Cup final triumph that Manchester United unexpectedly won over Manchester City back in May played a significant role in retaining Erik ten Hag in charge at Old Trafford. The Dutchman received a contract extension through 2026 and support from United’s new football operations hierarchy, which is headed by British businessman Jim Ratcliffe.
For about £150 million ($192 million), Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs De Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui have joined Ten Hag’s team to bolster it.
Ten Hag, though, has to get off to a quick start in the new season to allay concerns about his ability to guide the team ahead after United’s worst-ever Premier League result of eighth place last year. In February, Fulham triumphed at Old Trafford for the first time in twenty years. United supporters will fear another season to forget if there is a repetition on Friday.
Plan Ipswich: Slot shock
When Liverpool visits an Ipswich team that has returned to the top division after a 22-year hiatus and is riding high after many promotions, Arne Slot will have a difficult start to his Premier League career. Liverpool has not added a single player during the transfer window, but they have dominated the preseason with impressive victories over Sevilla, United, and Arsenal.
A win at Portman Road would provide some comfort to Liverpool supporters who are still processing the end of legendary manager Jurgen Klopp’s tenure. After that, with a run of simple games remaining before the October international break, the Reds might pick up some momentum.
Axel Tuanzebe, a defender for Ipswich, is optimistic that the team can continue to build on its stellar home record from the previous two seasons.
Tuanzebe declared to the “BBC” that “we’re going to empty the tank and give everything we’ve got.” He went on, “They’re just humans.” “On the pitch, it is just 11 vs. 11. We plan to maintain the fact that hardly many teams triumph at Portman Road.”
Chelsea mayhem versus City continuity
Enzo Maresca, the new manager of Chelsea, comes up against his old team. Maresca led Leicester to promotion from the Championship in the previous season after serving as a member of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at City.
At Stamford Bridge, the Italian takes over a disorganized squad that now numbers over 50 players, many of whose futures are uncertain. Chelsea’s problems were made clear after a turbulent preseason that saw them lose to City 4-2 in the United States.
On the other hand, Guardiola’s champions have not made many changes. Savinho, a winger from Brazil, is the lone new player; Argentine attacker Julian Alvarez left this week to join Atletico Madrid.
After appearing in the Euro 2024 final, City’s English players, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden, along with Spanish midfielder Rodri, only returned to training this week. It seems unlikely that they will start the match against Chelsea.
