Five main talking points dominating England's top flight

Manchester City faces a strong challenge from Arsenal as the champion looks to win an unprecedented fifth successive Premier League title.
Liverpool starts a new era with Arne Slot replacing Jurgen Klopp, while Erik ten Hag is under pressure to deliver at Manchester United after narrowly avoiding the sack.
Here are five things to watch out for when the new season gets underway on Friday:
New era at Anfield
Liverpool fell short of giving Jurgen Klopp a glorious goodbye, as it stumbled down the final straight last season to finish third.
Slot has the unenviable task of replacing the German, who restored the Reds to the top of English and European soccer, while also bringing his larger-than-life personality to Anfield.
The Dutchman will struggle to match the cult of Klopp, but the early signs are positive that he can continue to win on the field.
Liverpool has swept all before it during preseason, beating Arsenal, Manchester United and Sevilla.
But, it is yet to make a single signing in the transfer window.
Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad has been linked as a potential new anchor for the midfield.
Slot has spoken of the similarities between his and Klopp's style of play as one of the reasons he was poached from Dutch side Feyenoord.
He will be hoping to capitalize on a kind run of fixtures in the early months of the season to rack up some crucial points.
Arsenal's time?
Only once has Arsenal ever won more points in a Premier League campaign than the 89 it collected last season, and it was still not enough to dethrone Manchester City.
Fueled by that painful near miss, Mikel Arteta's men are a rising force in English soccer.
The Gunners have steadily improved over the past three seasons, and finished second in each of the past two campaigns.
Italian international Riccardo Calafiori adds even more quality to what was the best defense in the league last season.
But, it is at the other end of the field where Arsenal may still find itself falling short.
While Kai Havertz had a fine second half to his first season at the club, it came after a slow start.
The German is set to maintain his place as Arteta's center-forward, as Arsenal has, again, decided not to go into the market for a striker.
Ten Hag's short leash
Manchester United's shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May was enough to save Ten Hag's job, and even earned the Dutchman a new contract.
Yet, the former Ajax boss remains on a short leash after United's worst ever Premier League finish of eighth.
United has been one of the most active English clubs in the market, splashing out on Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee, with deals for Bayern Munich defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui completed on Tuesday.
But, in a worrying repeat of last season's injury woes, Yoro has already been sidelined for three months by a broken bone in his foot.
United opens the season at home to Fulham on Friday, and Ten Hag can ill afford a poor start, or questions will quickly be raised over his future once more.
Ipswich return
Leicester and Southampton have bounced back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, but Ipswich is a fresh face as it returns to the top flight for the first time in 22 years.
Kieran McKenna has masterminded back-to-back promotions to bring the Tractor Boys back into the big time, and keeping hold of the Northern Irishman, despite interest from Chelsea and Brighton, has been vital for Ipswich's chances of survival.
The scale of the task they face is laid bare by the fact that all three promoted sides last season were relegated.
Maresca's difficult task
New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has a baptism of fire ahead of him, as his side hosts Manchester City on the opening weekend, but the Italian is certainly not short of selection options.
In keeping with previous transfer windows since a takeover fronted by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, the Blues have spent big money on young talent from around the world over the off-season.
That includes Pedro Neto in a 54 million pound ($69.4 million) move from Wolves and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who shone for Maresca last season in Leicester's promotion from the Championship.
However, Chelsea's summer business has swelled its squad to upwards of 50 senior players.
It leaves Maresca with the difficult job of trying to instill his style of play, while ensuring everyone gets ample game time.
AFP

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