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The Premier League is back. After what proved to be a sensational summer for international football with Euro 2020 and Copa America, the attention now shifts to club football again.
Considering the success and the drama that unfolded in the aforementioned tournaments, there were rallying calls to give international competitions more attention. Several quarters pointed to the excitement that engulfed the globe as continental battles were fought in Europe and South America, stating international football is worthy of the hype.
The Premier League always offers interesting subplots
And then the Premier League returned. With several intriguing sub-plots ready to play out dramatically over the course of the Premier League campaign, the rallying calls in favor of international football could fall on deaf ears.
As the clock ticks down to the opening fixture of the 2021-22 Premier League season on Friday, here are five things to keep an eye on during the first gameweek:
#5 Diplomatic Arteta seeks answers at Brentford
For someone who failed to help Arsenal secure their berth in a European competition for the first time in 25 years, Mikel Arteta has looked far from under pressure. The Spaniard has remained diplomatic all throughout, to say the least.
There is no doubt that the challenges that came with last season were plentiful. In addition to coping with financial troubles and the fixture pile-up enforced by the pandemic, Arteta was also unlucky with the injury to Thomas Partey.
But all of that has to be cast aside now. The burden of draining European trips during midweek is no longer there. Despite the grip on finances, Arsenal have spent nearly £75m and are tipped to spend even more from now until the end of the transfer window.
More importantly, Partey enjoyed a strong pre-season and showed signs of how he could impress in the Premier League this time. Is everything falling into place for Arteta now? Arsenal will hope so, they desperately need it to happen anyway.
The road ahead looks crystal clear for the Gunners. Focus on getting the job done in the Premier League. Week in, week out. But it will not come as straightforward as it sounds, especially considering this is a club that has been on a steady decline in the Premier League.
Perhaps the emergence of new heroes Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe and Kieran Tierney could not have come at a better time. But the meticulous Arteta should be careful not to hold them back from expressing themselves more freely on the pitch.
It is time for diplomacy to take a back seat, and Arsenal should return to their brave, unforgiving and ruthless style of football. Coincidentally, that is exactly what awaits them on opening night at Brentford.
The Bees are buzzing at Griffin Park, fresh off a remarkable playoff triumph in the Championship. Will the Gunners face the sting? Or is their cannon still capable of firing on all cylinders? Arteta will hope it's the latter, especially with games against Chelsea and Manchester City to follow in the Premier League.
#4 Liverpool aim to rattle Canary nest in quest for redemption
Liverpool and Norwich City are no strangers. Notably, the sides met during the opening day of the 2019-20 Premier League season. Jurgen Klopp's men secured a 4-1 win back then and it was the birth of something special at Anfield.
The Reds went on to lift the Premier League title for the first time ever at the end of that season. In stark contrast, the Canaries finished rock-bottom and lost all of their final 10 league games, becoming the first team to be relegated five times from the Premier League.
While Norwich have now returned to the top-flight as champions of the second-tier, Liverpool had to surrender their Premier League title after being crippled by injuries last season.
The Reds were promising towards the end of last season, though, securing 26 out of 30 points available in their final 10 league games. That stellar form lifted them to third-place in the table and was hailed as an unbelievable revival. As such, there is plenty of optimism inside the Reds' camp ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
Klopp has refrained from being actively involved in the summer transfer window, unlike his fiercest rivals in the race for the Premier League title. It shows the trust he has in this side, a unit that will be bolstered by the gradual return of a fully-fit Virgil van Dijk. Perhaps there has never been a signing as transformative to a team's fortunes as Van Dijk in recent memory.
If Ibrahima Konate can settle in quickly alongside Van Dijk at the back, the struggles Liverpool endured at centre-back will soon become a distant memory. The Reds will no longer need to make stop gap arrangements and can play their best players in natural positions.
After all that unfolded during their tumultuous campaign last season, Liverpool are in search of redemption. Some would say they already have it after the stoppage-time winner from Alisson at West Brom, which acted as the catalyst for their remarkable finish to last season.
But Klopp will never settle. The German will want to hunt down Manchester City starting from the opening weekend and help Liverpool accelerate further on their redemption trail. Coincidentally, it is Daniel Farke and Norwich who stand in their way ahead of what could be a defining campaign, yet again.
Will the mentality monsters run riot at Carrow Road? Or can the Canaries feed off their home advantage and rely on a slightly better defensive core this time around to make life difficult for the visitors?
Liverpool wouldn't mind a repeat of the 2019-20 Premier League season for obvious reasons, whereas Norwich will be desperate to avoid it. The hostilities are set to be renewed.
#3 Baptism by fire awaits Vieira as he mee old rivals Chelsea
Patrick Vieira is all too familiar with Chelsea. Having spent nine memorable years as an Arsenal midfielder, the Frenchman has had many tussles with the Blues in the Premier League. But this time, there is a twist.
Viera is now back in London as a manager, inheriting the role further south of the river at Crystal Palace. Although the Eagles have solidified their top-flight status since promotion in 2013, the upcoming Premier League campaign is a huge leap of faith for them.
The cloak of safety wrapped around in the rigid approach of the last eight years has been stripped off. Palace are now rebranding with an eye on playing attractive football and ushering in new blood.
Several old-timers have left alongside Hodgson, with all their new signings having the potential to grow further. A clear signal of their change in strategy for the Premier League.
However, Palace know better than anyone that instant success is easier said than done. The catastrophic events that followed after the appointment of Frank de Boer in 2017 must be fresh in the memory of the Selhurst Park faithful. They are hoping that Vieira will not tread down a similar path in their quest to rebrand the playing style.
The former Arsenal great also has a point to prove, especially after getting the boot in his previous job with Nice in Ligue 1. It may not get any tougher than Chelsea on the opening weekend for him at Palace. Make no mistake, this is still a Premier League derby.
Thomas Tuchel and company are fresh off a UEFA Super Cup triumph over Villarreal and remain at the summit of European glory. Chelsea are now desperate to hunt down the Premier League title and will stop at nothing under the charismatic Tuchel.
Vieira will be hoping his initiation to the Premier League as manager isn't as challenging as it looks at the moment. But let's face it, the Eagles will have to work their socks off to come away with something on Saturday.
#2 Box-office Premier League derby at the 'Theatre of dreams'
The Pennines derby between Manchester United and Leeds United is considered one of the most intense rivalries in English football. Due to Leeds' 16-year exile from the Premier League, it had been a long time coming when the two sides met in the league at Old Trafford back in December.
Unfortunately, the vociferous fan groups from both clubs were unable to be present at the stadium owing to the restrictions in place. The Red Devils reigned supreme with a rollicking start though. After going 3-0 up inside the first 30 minutes, they added another before Leeds pulled one back just ahead of half-time.
Three more goals followed in the second half, with the derby finishing 6-2 in favor of Manchester United. It would have been a monumental occasion had the fans been involved at Old Trafford, but it wasn't meant to be.
That is expected to change this Saturday in the Premier League, when Leeds take their 40-mile trip to Manchester. Fans are back in the stadium and could play a pivotal role in how the events unfold during the box-office Premier League opener at Old Trafford.
Marcelo Bielsa-led Leeds may no longer have that surprise element, but the Whites are still expected to outrun all of their opponents in the Premier League.
The Argentine head coach refused to travel home during the off-season due to potential travel restrictions that could come into play. As such, Bielsa has had plenty of time to relay the training surface at Thorp Arch and pin down his plans for the new Premier League season.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have taken the summer transfer window by storm. The Red Devils finally completed a deal for long-term target Jadon Sancho, whereas Raphael Varane has also been added to bolster their defense. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly keen to bring in one more reinforcement, preferably at right-back, before the end of this month.
It feels as if winning the Premier League is a priority for United this season. Although they are a little light in central midfield and centre-forward, the Red Devils are hopeful that collective quality in other key areas will tide over.
No Manchester United manager has lasted three full seasons at Old Trafford since replacing Sir Alex Ferguson. If Solskjaer completes the 2021-22 campaign as Manchester United manager, he will put an end to that worrying pattern.
And should the Red Devils marry their hunger with a win over arch-rivals Leeds on Saturday, the distance to the Premier League title could look a little less long.
#1 Kane saga boils in the background as Spurs meet City
When Harry Kane revealed in May that he wanted to seek a fresh challenge away from Tottenham, there was enough in it for the north Londoners to feel worried. Their captain and talisman is at the peak of his career and is understandably ambitious to add silverware to his empty trophy cabinet.
It is no secret that Kane prefers to join Premier League champions Manchester City - the team Spurs are set to face in their opening game on Sunday. However, Daniel Levy has opted to play hardball with the situation, like he always does when it comes to selling his best players.
Kane still has three years left on his contract at Spurs, and Levy has demanded a fee in the region of £150m in exchange for letting him leave. In the wake of the gripping transfer saga, Kane also reported late to pre-season training and was accused of trying to force a move to the Etihad.
The 28-year-old has since confirmed through a statement that it was not in his intention to do so, but the bottom line is clear: he would rather leave.
As things stand, there has yet to be clarity on where his future lies. Newly-appointed Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo has maintained Kane is available for selection against City on Sunday.
There are also reports suggesting that the Premier League champions are ready to break the british transfer record for the second time in the same window. It is believed Manchester City are willing to fork out £127m for Kane, if Spurs are open to talks for the deal.
Due to the developments surrounding the saga, Kane could become a divisive figure on Sunday as Spurs host City in their own backyard.
With every passing day, the saga runs the risk of boiling over and becoming too messy to handle. It may even spill over on Sunday.
