Tomorrow it begins.
Stop salivatingโฆ the 2013-14 Premier League season is almost upon us, so consume this comprehensive preview, sensibly, between now and Saturday morning.
Hereโs everything you could possible wish to know, as the most anticipated season in the leagueโs history is less than 24 hours away.
As youโve probably seen on ProSoccerTalk over the past 10 days, weโve been previewing each and every team, the top players in each position and making our own predictions on how things will pan out.
Grab yourself a cup of something, sit back, relax and read whatโs in store for you during the next 10 months of Premier League wonderment. Oh, yeah, just one more thing. Is it Saturday yet?
Storylines
Where on earth do we start? Okay, well, how will Manchester United fare without legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson in charge is the first question for many. A huge fall from grace is predicted for the reigning champions. Staying on that topic, four newly appointed managers will be watched closely. As David Moyes (Manchester United), Roberto Martinez (Everton) and Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City) all start new jobs.
While the โSpecial Oneโ, Josรฉ Mourinho, returns for his second spell at Chelsea. On the pitch, Luis Suรกrezโ return to the field will dominate late September, while many will be watching Wayne Rooneyโs situation at Manchester United as the transfer window draws closer. Elsewhere, will Gareth Bale inspire Spurs to a top four finish?
Can the promoted trio of Hull City, Cardiff City and Crystal Palace stay up? And who will be this seasons dark horse to charge up the table? Also, how will Liverpool fare this season under Brendan Rodgers and with Suarez wanting out?
All of that and much more will occupy your thoughts as you nod off to sleep tonight. This season is set to be a dream of epic proportions. Make sure youโve got your alarm set early every Saturday morning between now and May, you wonโt want to miss a kick.
Key Matchups
That being said, plenty of marquee matches are coming up in the opening few weeks of the season. Hereโs a further look ahead at the big rivalry games coming up live on NBC Sports.
Liverpool vs. Manchester United (Sunday, September 1, 8:30 AM ET on NBSCN)
Arsenal vs. Tottenham (Sunday, September 1, 11:00 AM ET on NBSCN)
Newcastle vs. Sunderland (Sunday, October 27, 12 Noon ET on NBCSN)
Cardiff City vs. Swansea (Sunday November 3, 11:00 AM ET on NBCSN)
Manchester City vs. Manchester United (Sunday, September 22, 11:00 AM ET on NBCSN)
Managerial Merry-go-round
This season an influx of new head coaches sees the Premier League wide open. With new faces arriving at Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton, Stoke and the three newly promoted teams adding something different, plenty of new coaching philosophies will create a new identity for several PL outfits.
New Manchester United manager David Moyes has perhaps the hardest task on his hands. He has the unenviable task of replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, whoever comes after Moyes will have a much easier job at emulating Ferguson but Moyesโ has been hired for the long-run. After 28 years of Fergie time, United enter a new era under a new Scotsman. Martinezโ new style and philosophy could go either way at Everton, the same could be said for Mark Hughes taking charge at Stoke City.
While big changes at Manchester City will look to spark another title at the Etihad. Theyโre hoping Pellegrini โ known as โThe Engineerโย in his native Chile โ can fix Cityโs misfiring offense.
โPreview, Previewโฆ Read all about itโ
ICYMI, weโve been working morning, noon and night to churn out the best possible previews to the Premier League season. As you can see on your right, we have a team-by-team preview for each side competing in the league, where we break down the transfers, star player, manager, give our verdict on how theyโll do and much more.
| Team-by-Team Previews | Team Guide Videos |
Positional Top 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Arsenal | Top 5 โKeepers |
| Aston Villa | Aston Villa | Top 5 DFโs |
| Cardiff | Cardiff | Top 5 MFโs |
| Chelsea | Chelsea | Top 5 Strikers |
| Crystal Palace | Crystal Palace | |
| Everton | Everton | |
| Fulham | Fulham | |
| Hull | Hull | |
| Liverpool | Liverpool | |
| Man City | Man City | |
| Man Utd | Man Utd | |
| Newcastle | Newcastle | |
| Norwich | Norwich | |
| Southampton | Southampton | |
| Stoke | Stoke | |
| Swansea | Swansea | |
| Sunderland | Sunderland | |
| Tottenham | Tottenham | |
| West Brom | West Brom | |
| West Ham | West Ham |
Plus our broadcast friends with the cameras and microphones at NBC have been busy compiling these great videos showcasing โWhat you need to knowโฆโ about every side. Make sure you watch and read everything to be totally prepared for the marathon of a season weโre about to embark on.
Sift through them all on the table to the right in PSTโs Preview central.
TV Schedule, all the details
And you can watch every single game of the Premier League season right here on NBC Sports Live Extra. So hereโs where and how you can watch every single Premier League game this season. For the first-time in US history, all 380 PL games will be shown live across the NBC Sports Group platforms. In case you hadnโt noticed weโre pretty pumped about it.
MORE: Game scheduleย |ย Match finder
Star Players everywhere, take your pick
With so many World Class players on show during every single Premier League game, itโs hard to single out a few. But the supreme talent of Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney, Gareth Bale, Sergio Aguero, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie will light up the league.
Many of those names mentioned have been embroiled in summer-long transfer sagas; with their futures still uncertain, new stars may replace them during the 2013-14 campaign. Let the young pretenders rise to the top, with Wilfred Zaha, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Stevan Jovetic and many others on the cusp of greatness.
Prediction Time
Our six writers at ProSoccerTalk had a tough time predicting the final standings for the Premier League season. Do you agree?
But Chelsea and Manchester City are the overwhelming favorites to clinch the title and the three promoted teams look like going straight back down. A few surprises in there, so check it out.
Verdict
This season has been described as โthe most interesting Premier League season in history.โ And itโs hard to argue with that. With managerial changes at the leagueโs biggest clubs and teams spending to big to push up the table, this season is so hard to call. Everyone is in with a shout for the title.
The 2013-14 PL season will be the most competitive season in history, across the board, as teams aim to win the league, qualify for Europe and stay away from the relegation zone.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all begin new eras under new managers and the eyes of the world will be on those powerhouse clubs to see which transition will be the smoothest. I think Chelsea have the edge here. Josรฉ Mourinho has worked at Chelsea before, delivering Premier League titles and plenty of other trophies. He has a young, talented squad and plenty of experienced heads whoโve won plenty of titles.
Pellegriniโs new stars at Manchester City will be eager to prove their worth to Cityโs loyal fans, who are desperate for more successful after finishing in the top three during the last three seasons. However, with many people writing off Moyes at Manchester United, you just canโt rule out the reigning champions. Expect United to get it together around Christmas time, after a tough start to the season.
With so much up in the air, Arsenal and Tottenham will fancy their chances to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. But on the eve of the season, all we can do is speculate, predict and debate.
But this time tomorrow, the talking will be over. Letโs go.
