Expect A Heavyweight Slugfest
Sportstar|August 19, 2017

Expect the fight for the Premier League crown to go the distance. There are no new managers — in these TOP CLUBS — acclimatising to the rigours of the Premier League. No major overhauls of playing squads, requiring large numbers of recently acquired players to bed in. There will also be no excuses for failure.

Francis Kelly
Expect A Heavyweight Slugfest

Six fighting for four spots.That is how the Premier League is shaping up this season, as title-holders Chelsea face Arsenal, Liverpool, both Manchester clubs, and Tottenham Hotspur in a heavyweight slugfest to finish within the Champions League spots, the minimum accepted result for those battling to be crowned league winners.

Expect this fight to go the distance. There are no new managers — in these top clubs — acclimatising to the rigours of the Premier League. No major overhauls of playing squads, requiring large numbers of recently acquired players to bed in. There will also be no excuses for failure.

However, despite all that and the mass amount of money spent to improve each side (other than Spurs, yet), two clubs will still end up falling by the wayside. Expectations won’t be met, and inquisitions that follow will be painful and public. Answers will have to be found as to why they were unsuccessful in their quest to reach the promised land of the top European tournament.

FOR THIS SEASON IS EXPECTED to be the tightest of all in the Premier League’s 25-year history. In turn, the most compelling. The requirement to get quick results, intensified by the increase in funds through television rights and wealthy owners, has meant that managers turn to immediate fixes. Already transfers in the league amounting to over £1 billion have gone through.

WHEN TASKED TO WIN the title this season, there is little point in looking beyond the next 10 months when you are acquiring players. They have to make an instant impact.

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