Just a few weeks from the start of premier league 2024-25 campaign, let’s have a look at the clubs that managed to stay in the top half last season and one big problem of each of these clubs that they need to resolve before the campaign begins.

Rodri Hernandez and Leny Yoro (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images, Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

New Delhi: The premier league action will begin in a few weeks time and the clubs will be looking make an impact early into the season. However, in order to make the most out of the initial stages of the campaign, coaches need to have a closer look at the weak points that may have affected their team’s camp run in the 2023-24 season. There’s always room for improvement and this is something that even the top clubs acknowledge to grow further and do better on the pitch.

Last season we did witness a few up scale performances from certain clubs but it is hard to believe that a team cannot have any sort of weak links in their play. Premier League teams are well into their preseason; some are playing friendlies closer to home, while many are embarking on lucrative international tours. No matter how hard a club works to get ready, the season before always lingers in their minds along with the 2024–25 campaign.

Manchester United hosts Fulham on August 16 to begin the new season, giving managers a short window of time to work out any kinks in the upcoming days and weeks. Here we are concentrating on one major issue that needs to be resolved by each Premier League team.

Manchester City

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Rodri of Manchester City reacts while leaving the pitch after being shown a red card during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest at Etihad Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

There is absolutely no doubt that Rodri has been the most consistent and reliable player for Pep Guardiola, and his performances have been nothing short of extra ordinary, ever since he made his move to Manchester. The Euro player of the campaign is an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s plans at Manchester City but one big problem unfolds is the fact that City do not have a bckup for the Spaniard. This is a major concern for Pep as Rodri’s absence has eventually become a weak link for City.

Despite using two midfielders to compensate for the absence, City have managed to lose three of their four league games played last season without the Spaniard. They need a capable midfielder to play next to him or step in for him when he’s not available, as was the case with Declan Rice during the previous summer. Rodri’s consistency is second to none but at the same time it seems like Pep’s tactics are heavily reliant on his presence which is a massive factor that can affect City’s campaign.

Arsenal

NUREMBERG, GERMANY – JULY 13: Kai Havertz of Arsenal reacts after the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal FC at Max-Morlock Stadion on July 13, 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Last season, Arsenal were on a route to win their 14th league title but somehow they managed to gift the title to Manchester City. Besides the fact that they lost some crucial points at a very crucial point of the season, there was a major on-field factor that really affected their campaign. However, this one factor still hasn’t been sorted which suggests that Arsenal still do not have a proper number nine.

There’s absolutely no doubt about the fact that Kai Havertz is an extremely talented footballer, but, his reputation as a centre forward doesn’t quite fit well. He might have scored a total of 13 goals in the previous season, but that doesn’t justify the fact that he is not a proper number nine. Arsenal is a top club but in order to get better they need to sign a well established number nine.

Despite having a good transfer window They were linked with a numerous well established strikers, including the likes of Victor Osimhen, Alexander Sorloth and also Artem Dovbyk, but ended up signing none of them. This may come back to haunt Mikel Arteta.

Liverpool

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 11: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool consoles team mate Alexis MacAllister after the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 Quarter-Final first leg match between Liverpool FC and Atalanta at Anfield on April 11, 2024 in Liverpool, England.(Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Liverpool’s early-match sloppiness last season gave opponents the advantage over and over again. Too frequently, they were penalized for casual mistakes and insufficient effort, forcing them to play catch-up. Their record of giving up the first goal in 16 out of 38 Premier League games and conceding in the first fifteen minutes of games was the worst; the only teams with worse records were Brentford, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers (all nine), West Ham United, and Sheffield United (both 12).

Liverpool saved more points from losing positions than any other Premier League team, which allowed them to remain in the title fight until April. Arne Slot needs to instigate a mental shift and write slow starts into the history if they hope to be genuine contenders this season. Besides, players need to adapt to Slot’s methods and tactics which suggest that their will be no room for errors, or else the Reds coud get punished for these errors.

Aston Villa

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 11: Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, gestures during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park on February 11, 2024 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Villa had a wonderful 2023-24 season where they managed to clinch the Champions League spot for the very first time in their history. However, their previous campaign’s success might turn out to be a problem for the squad this time around as the Villains might get exhausted due to lack of experience in managing both the European fixtures as well as the league matches.

We have seen Leicester suffer a similar issue back in the 2016-17 season, where they just couldn’t handle the pressure of managing both European as well as their league fiixtures. Despite having a wonderful Champions league run, their league performances went down finishing 12th right after a title winning season.

However, Aston Villa will be playing their first ever champions league campaign which would mean that they also need to stay focused on their league matches as the congested fixture might affect their league performances.

Tottenham

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Tottenham Hotspur’s Radu Dragusin and Cristian Romero celebrate during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur at Bramall Lane on May 19, 2024 in Sheffield, England.(Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)

After a disappointing conclusion to Antonio Conte’s tenure, Ange Postecoglou converted Spurs into a lively, free-flowing team in his first season and changed the atmosphere within the team. The majority of fans want an updgade for Richarlison who has looked nowhere close to his best, yet their defense is the actual problem that needs to be fixed. Last season, Spurs gave up 61 goals which was equal to fourth-place Aston Villa but far more than Liverpool who conceded 41 goals while Arsenal and Manchester City conceded 29 and 34 respectively.

It was a season where Spurs fans had plenty to cheer about after the 2022-23 season disappointments, but Spurs truly lack that defensive enforcement, despite having players of high calibre such as Christian Romero and Mickey Van de Ven, who has also looked decent ever since he joined Tottenham. However, the defence still looks shaky and Postecoglou needs to take this issue into consideration before it’s too late.

Chelsea

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Le football en 2024 : racisme décomplexé 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/MGkH5wPmNU

— Wesley Fofana (@Wesley_Fofana3) July 16, 2024

The Blues certainly have more than just one problem after a campaign where they remained right at the middle of the table for majority of the campaign until they took off late to finish sixth. Ever since the campaign ended, Chelsea were largely criticised for apparently not playing like a top club, considering their stature and history. However, this isn’t their biggest problem considering the current scenario.

Enzo Fernandez’s race scandal doesn’t appear to be abating anytime soon, and their preseason plans may be impacted by a fractured dressing room. After Argentina’s victory in Copa America final, Fernandez uploaded a video of himself and his teammates screaming an allegedly racist song, which instantly sparked anger. The disgusting chant included numerous transphobic remarks along with disparaging lyrics against French athletes with African and Caribbean ancestry.

In addition, Fofana unfollowed the 23-year-old on social media. The Chelsea player is one of 10 who chose to ignore or unfollow the Argentinian on Instagram. Besides, many other players have also unfollowed Enzo after his vidoe got disclosed which suggests that the coach Enzo Maresca has a big task ahead that is to bring the team together again.

Newcastle United

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 16: Sven Botman of Newcastle United during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on March 16, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

The toons enjoyed a great summer before the 2022-23 season started as the team managed to make some major signings in the summer transfer window. After an extremely promising 2022-23 campaign where they qualified for the champions league for the first time after 20 years, expectations were high from Eddie Howe’s side. However, Newcastle had a rather inconsistent 2023-24 season where they finished seventh.

It is a major concern for Eddie Howe as the amount of money they spent in order to bring in players including the likes of Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Matt Targett and Nick Pope, didn’t quite help them as they had a major fall from playing champions league to no European football. However, Eddie Howe will be hoping to repeat his success from the 2022-23 campaign and make the most out of these players next season.

Manchester United

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – JULY 20: Leny Yoro of Manchester United reacts during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Manchester United and Rangers at BT Murrayfield Stadium on July 20, 2024 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)

Manchester United just couldn’t get their grounds running as they had one of their worst seasons ever. Finishing eigth as one of England’s finest football clubs is without a doubt a big let down and their main reason behind this fall was their injury list. United had several injuries that certainly slowed down their progress, due to which they only managed to finish eight in the league. Ten Hag might miss United’s newest signing, Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund in the opening week of the campaign due to injuries. It is too early to judge but signs are already looking bad for United as the Red Devils tuly struggled last season due to a long list of injuries.

West Ham United

West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui gestures on the touchline during the pre-season friendly match at the Chigwell Construction Stadium, Dagenham. Picture date: Saturday July 20, 2024. (Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images)

Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham side were amongst the most improved teams from last season. However, the position of center-forward is the one where the team has consistently failed to fill openings in the transfer window, This suggests buying a striker this summer is a top priority for both new head coach Julen Lopetegui and technical director Tim Steidten. Danny Ings and Michail Antonio’s futures look pretty much uncertain, and the team lost out on Youssef En-Nesyri, who signed with Fenerbahce of Turkey.

Lopetegui is still hoping to sign Aston Villa’s 20-year-old Jhon Duran, who is his top target. Their interest in Duran began after Villa turned down a loan deal with a purchase option in January. Despite the Colombian’s lack of experience in the Premier League, Lopetegui believes he has a lot of promise.

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London. Picture date: Sunday May 19, 2024. (Photo by Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)

Crystal Palace had a decent campaign last time around but their major problem would lie with their squad selection and the depth after the departure of their key member Michael Olise. Glasner has some thinking to do as the team is left with some major gaps after the summer transfers. There is a lack of depth in the wider areas of the field and overall attack options also look thin for Oliver Glasner.

Ismaila Sarr, who is expected to join, is not a direct replacement for the departing Michael Olise in attacking midfield. Daichi Kamada is a newcomer to the league, while Matheus Franca is still developing. With Jean-Philippe Mateta’s delayed comeback following the Olympics, Odsonne Edouard will be the sole active striker. If Palace suffer early injuries, their roster appears vulnerable as there are no real replacements for Palace starters.