Sideline Story

Is City still the favorite in the new EPL season?

The new season of the English Premier League is upon us. Can Manchester City defend its title facing more competitive and hungry challengers? In this episode, we look ahead to the Premier League title race and analyze the pros and cons for the top contenders. Also, we touch on how Kylian Mbappe will help an already strong Real Madrid squad, and examine his potential success with the Spanish giant.

Duration:: 25m
Broadcast on:: 16 Aug 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

[Music] Hello and welcome to Sideline Story, your destination for sports news, analysis and discussions. I'm Yang Guang, the European Football League's returning right after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics. How will the top teams do? What can we expect from the new season? Today I'm going to unpack these questions with my co-hosts Fuyu and Brandon Gates joining us remotely from South Africa. Well, the new season of English Premier League is underway, so are the Serie A and the La Liga. I personally didn't expect the European football action to be back so soon because this summer is packed with sporting events. After the Olympics and before that, Euro 2020-2024. Euro 2020-24 and at the same time, Copa America and the Paris Olympics and now the European club games are back. It seems like there's no break for sports fans like us, but I guess that's a good thing. We just can't get enough of this. Brandon, as a tradition, I guess it's time to make those predictions about the top contenders, top teams, how they will do in the new season. About the Premier League, what are your expectations of the title rates of the Premier League in the new season? Well, I'm a bit scared to make predictions because every time I do, you know, expect Man United to come back, they normally finish in seventh or eighth position. So all of our predictions for at least the club that I love and support, they never come to fruition. It's always been so many terrible seasons for United. But like you've said, Yang Guang, I think over the last year, every weekend just feels like Christmas morning for sports fans because there's just so much going on. As soon as the Olympics comes to an end, now all of a sudden, the European club football season is starting again. And then of course, for me, as a South African, the rugby championship has started again. So the spring box are in action. So every weekend, I'm kind of like trying to decide what action to watch, which is not a bad problem to have. But yeah, it's been very interesting. And it's been difficult, I guess, as sports journalists to keep up with everything. But it's been very, very exciting indeed. But just with, I mean, the Premier League, I think, look, I think it's going to be a very tightly contested season once again, you know, I think, you know, last season, it was very competitive at the top. I think, you know, Arsenal pushed city very close and Liverpool also somehow managed to kind of stay in the race. Although, interestingly, those three clubs haven't really done much in the transfer window. I mean, of course, Arsenal have brought in colour for Yuri at the back. I think he's going to be quite an impactful signing for them because I think he was very good with Italy at the euros and before that. And he seems to be quite a versatile defender. I think he can slot in at left back as well. And I think they also going to, what's going to be interesting for Arsenal is that I think a lot of their returning players will feel like new signings. I think timber at the back could be a very good centre back for them. So I think Arsenal could push city pretty far this season. Liverpool haven't done anything in the transfer window as of yet. They've got on a slot that's come in. So he's filling in for some very big shoes. Of course, the European club is going to go down as a really great Premier League manager and one of the best Liverpool managers, I would say, for the last couple of decades. So I think it's going to be interesting to see how Liverpool adapts to on a slot style and see if he has the same impact on the Reds that the European club did. With City, look, I think they've still got one of the strongest squads in the Premier League, if not the world. But as of now, they've only brought in Savio, who is a relatively unproven talent. But they do have depth in multiple positions. I think that the loss of Julian Alvarez to Atlético Madrid, I think that could potentially hurt Manchester City as the season progresses. Because I think the impact that he had off the bench or when he partnered Erling Holland, I think that was a major part of Manchester City's strength last season was just the versatility that Alvarez and Holland offered up front. So I think that he's a big, big loss and it will be interesting to see how the city and Pep Guardiola deal with that loss. But just in terms of the top of the table, I think it's once again going to be a race between City and Arsenal and potentially Liverpool. For you, it seems like Brandon agrees to the point that Man City will be the title favourite again. Do you agree? Yeah, I do. And most people, including Brandon and me here, seem to agree that this new season, the title race will still play out between Man City and Arsenal. And I know where that's coming from, because of course City are still the heavy title favourites. They're going for a historic fifth consecutive title. And between these two, I think that City is still got the better chance. But this year, one thing that is a little bit different for City is that Guardiola's future. Still, his decision regarding his future at the club still hands up in the air. And that could bring some uncertainty. I'm not saying instability because I think City still got this full strength squad and they've still got everything that brought them for consecutive titles, such as their defence, strong attacking power and the best thing that they're known for, their depth. But it's a squad that is getting older despite some of their new signings, partnered with the uncertainty regarding Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. This season, Arsenal might come closer and also they've pushed City very far during the past couple of seasons and they've come close to the title. So they've got that hunger. And this year could be the year that they finally captured that Premier League title. Yeah, we all know how clubs mid-season decision to leave Liverpool affected the rats last season. So maybe this season, Guardiola will make similar decisions mid-season and that will impact the City potentially. That may happen. I didn't think of that but if Guardiola did something like Klopp did announcing his decision to leave. And in the middle of the season, even for such an established club like Man City, I think it'll have some impact. Having that uncertainty or potentially knowing who the replacement will be during the middle of the season will have an impact on the rest of City's title defence. Just to jump in there, guys, I think Pep Guardiola and City are too smart to make the mistake that Klopp and Liverpool made. I would be very surprised if Pep Guardiola mid-season announced that he was leaving or stepping down. He doesn't seem the sort of person that would jump-ship mid-season. I mean, I would be very surprised if he decided to take a break from football mid-season and make that announcement or join another club. I think Ian City have a very strong relationship and of course they've enjoyed some great success together. So I think that with regards to Pep Guardiola's future, I think that he still might be a little bit indecisive with what his future may be. I think he has insinuated in a couple of comments over the last few months that he is going to stay, at least for the remainder of the season and potentially going into the future. Personally, I don't think that Pep Guardiola's relatively uncertain future right now will have any effect on City this season. I think they're still going to be one of the strongest clubs this season. Yeah, and I think the only thing keeping Pep Guardiola at City is he wants the Champions League title and for the Premier League, of course, he will go down as one of the best managers in Premier League history but for someone like Pep Guardiola, the club owner is not the top priority for him anymore. Yeah, he won it once but of course he wants more. From my side of things, I think Man City will see a slight decline this year. We don't know if Kevin De Bruyne will leave the team or not, will he join a Saudi Arabian club or not and Alvarez has already left. I think Alvarez's departure means City's bench looks thinner, at least from attacking side of things. We know last season, Erling Holland missed some games and Alvarez stepped up but without Alvarez this season, who would step up this time. But despite these questions, I still believe City won't suffer a big slump, like dropping to 56 something like that. Yeah, it won't happen. But I think City is no longer the absolute title favourite this season. I would say in the title race, they're still leading but they're margin shrinking. Because Arsenal is there, looking strong, looking thirsty and I think if they can keep the outputs from last season, they have a big chance to top the charts next summer. For Arsenal, you mean? Yeah, for Arsenal. But the other teams I don't see have a chance to put up a real fight in the title race. Chelsea and United aren't quite ready yet for a title shot, Spurs as well. But speaking of these teams, Brendan, we talked about so much about Manchester United and United fans yourself. Can they break into the top four this season? Because we saw some disappointing results from United for so many seasons. I think if it doesn't happen this season for Manchester United, it's never going to happen because a new ownership has come in. Erichton Harg has signed a new contract, so they committed to him and they hope that he can bring them success. And I think he somehow managed to hang on to the job because of that FA Cup success last season. So they backed him now and they backed him in the transfer market too. They brought in deluxe, they brought in Xerxes. Those are probably the two most exciting signings that have come in for me. And even within the squad, you know, I think our nature is in for a big season. I think that Kobe Maimu is also going to have a big season. I think a lot is also expected from Marcus Rashford. So it's going to be a very big season for Manchester United in terms of where their immediate future lies because a lot of investment has come in. A lot of faith has been shown in Erichton Harg. And of course, there's the new ownership and they've also been making changes in the boardroom and the way that the club runs, et cetera, et cetera. So it'll be, I think Manchester United will be one of the most interesting clubs to watch in the Premier League this season because I think it's either going to be a really fantastic season for them breaking into the top four and having a push, you know, in terms of the bigger clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal and City, all it's going to be an absolute disaster and everything that they planned is going to go wrong. I don't really see a quiet season for Manchester United. I think it's going to be very eventful either in a good way or a bad way. For me, at least as a Manchester United fan, but I think even for neutrals watching United will be very, very exciting this season. I mean, I might be a little bit biased here, but I think that United probably have a better chance of getting into the top four this season than Chelsea, but those are probably the two clubs at this point that will be battling for that final top four spot along with potentially Aston Villa and Newcastle and maybe Tottenham will have a little bit of an impact in the top four, top six. Right. Talking about Chelsea, we all know how much Chelsea spent since the change of their ownership. It's like they spent faster than cash printer can print, but it seemed like their investment never paid off United as well. And Tottenham, I just checked the data the other day and it really shocked me because since Head Coach Foster Toglu took charge, Tottenham spent more than each of them, rest 19 teams in the Premier League except Chelsea. So can we expect a rebound from these teams, especially for the likes of Chelsea? When you threw me that question and when you and Brandon were mentioning all those names, actually they weren't exactly what I had in mind. I was thinking about Liverpool because like we said, next season will be their first season without Jürgen Klopp. And as of now, the time of our recording on a slot hasn't got any new signings. It makes their squad very predictable and it's the same squad that is still very strong, but also getting older. So I doubt that Liverpool will still be good enough to guarantee a top four spot. I would throw that question to slot. Can you make these team the 11 players into one piece as Jürgen Klopp did? It's a big, big question mark there, I think. Despite a rather successful pre-season campaign, they still got some of the issues that we've mentioned. And I think much like the title race, the race for the top four will be very open. And I think Liverpool will have some very hard work to do if they want to guarantee that spot. Yeah, I won't be surprised if Liverpool ending up the season in something like seventh, eighth. Oh, wow. You're even more pessimistic. Yeah, it can't be as disastrous as it has been for Manchester United in past seasons. I can't see that happening. I mean, seventh and eighth position has been kind of locked down for matches to United for the last couple of seasons, right? But I mean, for you, you bring up some good points there. And so do you, young one, of course, on a slot as a completely unproven entity in the Premier League. Liverpool has an aging squad. And yes, it's a very successful squad that is very experienced and has achieved a lot. But it hasn't been, like you mentioned, for you up until recording, it hasn't been refreshed at this point. And even with two or three signings, I don't know if that's enough to refresh the squad entirely enough to push the likes of Arsenal and City, particularly Arsenal, because I think Arsenal have a very hungry squad that haven't won the title yet. And they're still pretty young, but they also are very young, but relatively experienced squad considering the age of a lot of their stars. So it might, you know, I think it's going to be another and they've got that season to build up from. Yeah, yeah, but I think it's going to be another exciting Premier League season. But I think we might see the same story again. I think we're going to see City and Arsenal battling for things at the top. Liverpool maybe being the best out of the top four, hopefully being pushed by Manchester United. But in terms of the top four, top six, I don't really expect to see many surprises. I think the biggest surprise might actually come at the top because I've got a sneaky suspicion that Arsenal could potentially do it this season. They are looking very, very strong. I agree with you. I'm not Arsenal fan, but I do think Arsenal have a shot this season. But speaking of Chelsea, United and Tottenham, I think they have to deliver this season because their ownership, their management, their stakeholders, their fans are out of patience. Even as a neutral fan, I just can't watch them slip anymore. And you were speaking of their new signings. The money spent never worked at Chelsea. During this transfer window, they spent so much. I think it could potentially bring them some success, but the investment could also be a complete waste of money. Yeah, but I think one or two good players, quality players, don't really make up the failures Chelsea have signed in the past, like Madrid, really destroyed transfer strategies of Chelsea. But talking about a clear and consistent transfer strategy, Real Madrid have been very consistent about the desire for Killio Mbappe. And the Frenchman is finally there this summer. I think his first game with Real Madrid would be the most anticipated game in the first round of La Liga. Brandon, how do you think Mbappe's debut in La Liga will go? I mean, I'm not that excited about it to be honest. I kind of want to roll my eyes and fall asleep every time we mention Mbappe because I feel like he's been a Real Madrid player for like two years now. I mean, it's been the worst kept secret in transfer news history. We've learned that Mbappe was going to be a Real Madrid player for a long, long time now, but yes, Yang Guangdong finally has happened. He is a Real Madrid player. We've seen him in the white kids. We've seen him training with his teammates, but the fact that he has joined now, he is a remarkable talent. He's still relatively young. He's probably the most lethal attacking player in world football and has been, I would say, for at least four or five years. So the fact that he's already joining a very experienced, very strong squad. I think he's going to have a huge impact on the squad. I think he's going to bring them plenty of goals, plenty of creativity. And I think that with Don Carlo at the helm of Real Madrid, he's, I think, the perfect manager to deal with Mbappe joining Real Madrid because Carlo Ancelotti has dealt with every big superstar in global football. He knows how to handle big personalities. And I think he treats all football as alike. He doesn't give any special treatment to any players. He treats all of the players in the team as just teammates. And he's very good at player management. So I think that Mbappe will slot into that squad very, very easily, because well, half of him are French. So I mean, that helps as well. But I also think Carlo is going to be able to reduce that superstar tag. And I think he will become just another member of a very successful unit. What will be interesting to see is how he integrates with the likes of Benisius and Rodrigo. I think upfront, that mixture is going to be very interesting, I think. Mbappe is going to be given the freedom to kind of roam in attack. I think you might see him starting at central, attacking like it's center forward and then maybe drift to the left and swap with Vinny here and there, which I think we have seen some success with Real Madrid in the past. We used to see Benzema and Ronaldo, for example, switch places all the time. So I think that Mbappe is a fantastic addition to Real Madrid. And I think it's up to Mbappe himself. And I think a lot of it is also down to Carlo and Cholotti in terms of how Mbappe slots into this very successful unit. But I don't think that's going to be a problem. I think Mbappe is going to hit the ground running. And I think he's going to bring even more success to Real Madrid. Yeah, I agree that Mbappe is a great addition to Real Madrid. He will be signing off the summer. Yeah, he will make Real Madrid more confident in attacking. He's such a trustworthy weapon. I think Real Madrid will benefit a lot from him because when they are out of solutions on the pitch, they can just pass the ball to Mbappe and he will get a job down. I think Real Madrid hadn't had such a player since the departure of Chris General Naldo. And Brandon, I see some fans would say, yeah, have these questions that Real Madrid would be without a real centre forward up front with Venetius Juni and Rodrigo both on the pitch. But I agree with you, Carlo and Cholotti will figure this out. To me, I think Bellingham can go forward and sometimes to play that role. So it won't be a much big issue. I think Mbappe's influence on the pitch is really what matters here. What are your expectations of Mbappe's performance in the new season? Well, like Brandon said, Mbappe will be less of a superstar at Real Madrid than he was at PSG. Carlo and Cholotti is very good at dealing with his players and balancing his preferences to all of them. And he actually said that there will be no kings or no princes on his squad. So Mbappe has a newly arrived player at such a club with such a long history. He'll have to earn his spot. And Carlo and Cholotti already have a lot of options in offensive in the midfield. Like you've both mentioned all of the important players in those key positions in the midfield. They've got Jude Bellingham, there's also Kamabinga and... Madrid. Yeah, yeah. Despite his age, he's still a leading player within the squad. And up front, he can pair with Venusius Jr and Rodrigo. So, and Cholotti can explore his options and see which combo or combos work the best. So Mbappe at Real Madrid, him and several other La Liga teams in contention for the title are all beginning a new season at a new club. So there will be some excitement in La Liga as well. And for me, I think I'll watch more La Liga than the Premier League because Mbappe, $150 million is the greatest, most competitive league in the world. I agree. And I noted your word that Manchester United will be very interesting to watch, even for a neutral fan. That's me, because I'm not a fan of any particular player on this United squad. But yeah, given how competitive the Premier League is and how open both the title and the top four races are, I think there will be some very exciting matches ahead. Yeah. And just to touch on what you see at the... A lot of Mbappe's success this season at Real Madrid will be down to his teammates. I think Madrid will have to unlock defences. And because he doesn't have his partner in crime in midfield, Cruz anymore, I think the likes of Churmeni and Camabinga will also have to step up to create that defensive block for the likes of Madrid and billing him to step up and create chances for themselves, but also for the likes of Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrigo. And I think Madrid's defensive line also has to really step up like they did last season. So a lot of Mbappe's success will be down to Mbappe, of course, and how Anschlarti fits him into the team. But Mbappe's teammates also really need to step up to protect the likes of Madrid and billing him to go forward and to allow them to create chances for their new star men. Yeah, Real Madrid got its addition, but Barcelona and Atlético Madrid also made great transfers, at least on paper. Euro 2024 winner Omel and Co-America champion Alvarez, a great signing. So... Don't forget Blameen Yamal. Yeah, so it's going to be a very interesting season in La Liga. And the European season will be definitely full of excitement and uncertainties. The English parametic title is eye-catching, as always. But meantime, how much will Kilen Mbappe's joining with Real Madrid spark the flares? We will see as a thanks progress. With that, we end this episode of Signline Story. Thank you so much for joining us. For more information, you can also check our website, radio.cgtn.com. Until next time, see you. [Music]