While August signifies the winding down of summer for many, for me it marks the beginning of the Premier League season, the highly anticipated soccer league in England where the top teams battle it out for months for the Premier League title in mid-2024. The season officially begins Aug. 11, and I couldn’t be more excited to unnecessarily invest myself in football teams an ocean away.
© Jim Johansen | Dreamstime.com
Unfortunately, one of the teams I support, Leeds United, was relegated last season. Unlike the NFL, the Premier League is a league where teams must fight to retain their place. Should they fall into the bottom three (meaning they’ve lost the most games out of the rest), they go down to the Champions League. This also means the top three teams from the Champions League get promoted to the Premier League. The Premier League means way more money, more coverage and more exposure, so it’s no wonder teams are always vying to reach the Premier League.
Leeds United was 19th out of 20 last season and, as a result, will be playing in the Champions League. Consequently, Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United come up from the Champions League. Based in Leeds, a city in West Yorkshire, Leeds United struggled in the second half of last season, and with managers coming and going, they never had that consistency that other competing teams had. I think it might be good for Leeds United to spend a season or two in the Champions League, however, to let them regroup and strive to get back into the Premier League.
With half of my family hailing from Ireland, I’d practically be shunned if I supported any other top Premier League team besides Liverpool FC. While going through a few bumps last season, Liverpool emerged in fifth by the end, with top players like Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, Diego Jota and Virgil Van Dyk securing a good position by the end. I’m excited to see how the team begins this season under the leadership of Jügen Klopp, especially after acquiring Alexis Mac Allister, former Brighton player and one of the members of Argentina’s winning team from the 2022 World Cup.
Last season, when I knew Liverpool weren’t anywhere near the top three spots, I found myself rooting for Arsenal, hoping they could finish first and take out the long-reigning Manchester City. The last few games, though, saw Manchester City remain strong and take the title, but I hope Arsenal is even more motivated now to fight to the very end after seeing its potential last season. Its inspiring manager, Mikel Arteta, (a former Arsenal player himself) and first-class lineup of players like Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, Aaron Ramsdale, Oleksandr Zincheko and the newly acquired Kai Havertz and Declan Rice should be a threat to Manchester City.
I am looking forward to a good season!
— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor
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