With Manchester City having won the Premier League title six of the last seven seasons, the league could really do with a different name at the top just for a change. The current situation sparks reminders of the early days of the Premier League when City rivals Manchester United dominated the league, winning eight of the first 11 titles.
Deposing City at the top is easier said than done. They have so much depth in their squad and as long as Pep Guardiola remains at the helm and Erling Haaland stays fit, City will probably remain favourites.
You cannot read too much into last weekend's Community Shield match. Both teams were missing several key players and although City came out victors in the penalty shoot-out it was United who looked the better team for much of the match.
While United would love to topple their City rivals, it is unlikely to happen this season. However, there are signs that Erik ten Hag may be sorting things out and with a tighter defence United have a good chance of finishing in the top four. They've already been in action, having hosted Fulham last night.
The only team to have intruded on City's stunning sequence of titles have been Liverpool in 2020. But Juergen Klopp is no longer there to inspire the Reds and whether new boss Arne Slot can maintain Liverpool's momentum remains to be seen. There will be huge pressure on the Dutchman if things don't go well.
It looks like Arsenal once again will be the club most likely to threaten City's hold on the title. Mikel Arteta has done a great job at the Gunners, who have been very consistent in the last couple of years, playing excellent football. Much of this has been due to the form of Bukayao Saka, who also played well for England in Euro 2024.
It will be interesting to see if Aston Villa can maintain their form of last season which saw them seize fourth place and a Champions League spot. If Ollie Watson can maintain his form of last season, they should still be one of the teams in contention.
There will be the usual suspects scrapping for fourth place including Man U, Tottenham and Newcastle.
Chelsea have not looked good in their pre-season matches and could be in for another troublesome season. Their squad is still far too big, yet they haven't stopped extravagant spending. It is no coincidence that new manager Enzo Maresca is being tipped as one of the first to get the chop this season.
It could be tough going for the newly-promoted teams Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich and some bookmakers believe all three will go straight back down. Hopefully that will not be the case although it is hard to pick who will have the best chance of survival. With Steve Cooper replacing Maresca, it will be interesting to see how the Foxes adapt to a new style of play.
In what will be their last season at Goodison Park, Everton fans will be hoping they are not in for another relegation battle. As in recent years they will probably just survive, as long as Sean Dyche remains in charge.
Let's just hope that like last season, it is a close race at the top. At the bottom we can almost guarantee it will be a real scrap.
