The Key Questions Ahead of the 2016/17 Premier League Season

Last season concluded with the most unpredictable champions in history being crowned, but this one may well begin as the most unpredictable Premier League campaign in modern times, if for entirely different reasons. The high-profile new managers bring a series of high-tension variables, where small details could have significant effects. Who will adjust to the league fastest? Who will most quickly drill a team to their ideas? Who will realise the need for a host of signings? 

Every side has its own individual issues, and it only adds to the enticing nature of this season that none of these big managers have their teams close to a perfect shape, but there are still a few bigger questions likely to condition the campaign as a whole… 

Will Pep Guardiola be able to apply his football? 

Given how much he was pursued, given how much he has achieved in contrast to everyone else, and given how much Manchester City are willing to spend to back, it does feel the destination of the title will be mainly decided by one issue. If Guardiola can apply the football that has so far made him the most successful manager in the modern game, he will once more win a league at the first time of asking. It’s just that is by no means a given. 

This is not to get into another tiresome debate about the best league in the world, but it is true that there is less of a gap between Premier League teams than there are between those in Spain and then Germany, making it more of a steady gradient, and meaning it can be more of a slog from week to week. Consider one figure: in Guardiola’s time as a manager, his average possession per season has been 65.8%. In that time, the highest in the Premier League was 58.8%, and the average high has been 57.3%. Either the new league is going to force him to adapt and potentially drag the Catalan down, or Guardiola is going to impose his style, and thereby soar above everyone. 

Is Jose Mourinho still the manager he used to be, in order to restore Manchester United to the level they used to be at? 

Last season might have been the first proper failure of the Portuguese’s career, and the first time since 2002 he even finished outside the top three of a league, but the extreme nature of the collapse means it’s impossible not to ask whether he remains as impressive as a manager; whether the aura is gone. There might have been many caveats and arguments as to what it happened, but what was most troubling was how Mourinho struggled to even instill his most basic standards. 

By the time of his mid-December sacking, Chelsea had conceded 26 goals in 18 games, a porous record out of kilter with his entire career. That raises questions over whether he can implement the competitive baseline he has become renowned for, and that also happens to be the quality United most require. Both manager and club need to restore their auras. 

Can Paul Pogba ever be worth that kind of money - or is he set to blow the Premier League away? 

It’s the type of mega-deal the English top division has generally surrendered to Spain, but thereby brings a lot of pressure on the 23-year-old. If you’re only looking at a fee that high, too, then it might just be impossible for Pogba to justify it - through no fault of his own. He merely fits the specific type of midfielder that Mourinho wanted, so United felt him worth paying for. But this is also the thing. 

If Pogba does more than just fit into the system, and is actually released by it, then he could offer an impact that the Premier League has been missing from a player of his status for some time. He certainly has a rare physical impetus, as reflected by the fact he was the Serie A midfield player who made the most dribbles last season at 2.9. His specific qualities could yet lift United, and lift them to the top. 

Does Antonio Conte have enough players suited to his style? 

Italy’s relentless pressing game was one of the revelations of Euro 2016, and the limitations of the squad only emphasised how brilliant Conte is, but the key was also how he got players to buy into it. Will that be enough at Chelsea? The Italian favours two hard-running central midfielders, but the squad so far only has one, and that was a player he bought in N’Golo Kante. The lack of European football gives Conte even more time to instill his ideas, but he may yet have to introduce more quality.  

Can Jurgen Klopp’s head start bring a head of steam? 

In the much-hyped build-up to the new season, the German has justifiably been named as one of the new core of star managers, even though he has already been in the Liverpool job 10 months. That stretch, however, could be key in such a congested campaign. Most of the Liverpool players already know his system, he knows who is suited to his game and has bought accordingly, and this summer has been all about fine-tuning. 

The famous aggression of an approach that brought the highest tackles per game in the Premier League last season, at 22.9, could be given a far-reaching focus. It isn’t inconceivable that Liverpool develop an early lead. The question will be over whether they can sustain it, although the lack of European football can help.  

Have Arsenal done enough to prevent the normally predictable stagnation? 

So far, Arsenal’s summer has merely continued the feel of last season. Even though they came second, their highest finish since 2005, it still felt so hollow and not exactly indicative of a surge. Similarly, even though they have signed the highly talented Granit Xhaka, it still feels like the kind of indulgent signing that only cosmetically improves the team and does not tackle the issues they really need solving. Arsene Wenger needs a striker and, after another summer of injuries, a defender. They have so far barely moved in a close season that has seen all the competition look to make leaps forward.  

Is there any way last season’s champions and main challengers can get to the same level? 

As sensational as Leicester City’s title win was, and as encouraging as Tottenham Hotspur’s future looked in their late-season surge, it’s impossible to deny both were someway facilitated by a more forgiving Premier League. Even if they keep doing everything they did last season - Leicester offering the most interceptions (21.6) per game in the division, Tottenham Hotspur the most shots on target (6.6) per game - will it have the same effect?

Who do you think will come out on top in the Premier League this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below