And what of Manchester United?
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Manchester City will be aiming to out-score Chelsea again, after scoring 10 more than the champions last season, perhaps, thanks to that £49m ($76.16m) splashed on Raheem Sterling.
“The last week coming into the season should very much be a taper week where you bring the training volume down but keep the intensity”, Burgess said.
Morgan Schneiderlin is gone and so Southampton were left with something of a void to fill in the centre of their midfield.
While heavy investment doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, the influx of new players will certainly help to strengthen United’s core.
But the Premier League is home to some of the most talented performers on the world stage, so Hazard can not assume another glut of accolades at the culmination of the 2015/16 campaign. He’s scored 59 goals over the last three Premier League seasons. During Moyes’ brief tenure, the 13-time Premier League champions won just one match against one of the division’s top six sides – a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford.
This statistic is crucial for a number of reasons. 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.
It’s another case of the Reds spending big on a newcomer to the Premier League, but Firmino has the quality to hit the ground running. England’s top flight is incredibly competitive and, as we’ve seen on countless occasions, teams near the bottom are more than capable of beating those near the top.
The United captain has a lot of pressure on his shoulders this season, tasked with leading the line as the one star striker at present following the departures of Van Persie and Falcao. With the likes of Herrera, Mata and Young in their ranks, United can threaten opposing defences in various ways.
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.
‘You need five matches in a row? Fortunately for the Reds, Wayne Rooney ended the season in prolific form and will be hungry to captain his troops throughout a title challenge. As one of the most versatile and dependable – as well as hard-working – players in the Premier League he is tailor-made for Brendan Rodgers’ style and should thrive at Anfield, now that he is finally the main attraction. Diego Costa was the missing link for the Blues last season, his straight-from-the-starting-blocks goal spree a huge factor in setting the team on its way to a thoroughly deserved title. Manchester City are formidable once again, and the addition of Sterling affirms that status.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool – have had complete control over the league for the last few years.
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“Look, for me, it’s Chelsea again, ahead of Manchester City“. After Christmas, United will kick on and will only get stronger as the business end of the season approaches.
