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2021/22 Premier League season
30th Campaign
England
13 August 2021- 22 May 2022
The
2021/22 season of the English Premier League is all set to commence from August 13, with Manchester City as the defending champions.
Let us have a look at the top five teams to watch out for this season:
Leicester City
The Foxes missed out on a top-four finish in the Premier League on the last day of the 2020/21 season as they settled for a fifth spot finish behind Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has been slowly building a team that can challenge for the Premier League title and win it for the second time and his side is already a feared team in the competition with its fast, flowing passing and attacking game.
Having relied heavily on strikers Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho for goals for years, the Foxes have reinforced their attack with the signing of Zambian goal-scoring machine Patson Daka, who remarkably scored 34 goals from 41 competitive games for Austria's RB Salzburg in the 2020/21 campaign.
Leicester will be hoping for another fairytale season which would see them outshine their more fancied rivals and go on to clinch the Premier League title under their Northern Irish boss Rodgers, who guided Liverpool to a second finish in the 2013/14 season.
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Manchester United
The Red Devils ended the 2019/20 season trophyless having reached the UEFA Europa League final where they lost to Spanish club Villarreal CF after securing a second spot finish in the Premier League.
United will be determined to go one step forward and clinch the Premier League title under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who is under pressure to deliver his maiden major trophy as the club's manager in the new term.
The Norwegian tactician's already formidable squad has been beefed up with the signing of one of the best wingers in the world, Jadon Sancho with the 21-year-old having joined the Manchester giants from German club Borussia Dortmund.
A highly technical and creative player with an eye for goals, Sancho is expected to form a deadly and exciting front three partnership with lethal strikers Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani with free-scoring midfielder Bruno Fernandes operating as the playmaker.
Rio Ferdinand, the United legend, discussed what Sancho will bring to the Red Devils and he stated that the England international sees the game in pure HD.
"That’s the beautiful thing about him [Sancho]. The game doesn’t quicken up in his mind," Ferdinand said.
"He gets into those fast situations where for a lot of players it goes hazy or grainy, becomes a bit of a disturbing picture but for him there is clarity.
"It’s a clear picture still, running at full speed or not and the game slows down in his mind. He sees the game in pure HD. That’s the element he’s going to bring."
Chelsea FC
The Blues are expected to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title after winning last season's UEFA Champions League trophy under Thomas Tuchel.
Highly revered for his tactical knowledge, Tuchel transformed a struggling Chelsea side into strong top four contenders in the Premier League after replacing Frank Lampard as the club's manager midway through the 2019/20 season.
The German tactician guided the Blues to a fourth spot finish in the league and Champions League glory, but expectations will be even higher in the new campaign as the London giants look to go all the way and clinch the Premier League title.
Chelsea are yet to make any high-profile signings thus far in the current transfer window and influential players such as Edouard Mendy, N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, and Kai Havertz will be key for Tuchel's side as they chase English football's top-flight trophy.
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Liverpool FC
The Reds will be on a mission to reclaim the Premier League title after they failed to defend it last season which was marred by injuries to the Merseyside club's key players.
First-choice centre backs Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez suffered season-ending injuries, but the trio is expected to be fit and ready when Liverpool start their league campaign in August 2021.
Liverpool moved swiftly to sign highly-rated central defender Ibrahim Konate from German side RB Leipzig at the end of last season and the France under-21 captain's arrival will give the club's world-renowned manager Jurgen Klopp more options in defence.
The two-time The Best FIFA Football Coach award winner Klopp, who is a notable proponent of Gegenpressing, will pin his hopes of steering the Reds to their second Premier League title on the deadly front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Manchester City
The Citizens will enter the new campaign as the favourites to win the Premier League title having dominated the English top-flight league on their way to clinching the trophy for the fifth league trophy since 1992.
City broke the record for most consecutive wins by a top-flight English team in all competitions (21) under their accomplished manager Pep Guardiola, who is known for his possession-based football and aggressive pressing style.
Guardiola is yet to make high profile signing in the current transfer window and the Spanish tactician is likely to stick to his league title-winning team which boasts of world-class players such as Ruben Dias, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling.
The 2021/22 season will see Guardiola look to clinch his fourth Premier League title as he is currently on three trophies along with legendary managers Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger and only football icon Alex Fergison have won more with a record 13 titles.
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