10 reasons to get excited about Premier League season including two huge changes
The Premier League is back on Friday night - and there's plenty to look forward to.
Not only have plenty of big transfers taken place this summer, but there are big changes happening to the game along with the return of some familiar faces - including Mauricio Pochettino and Ross Barkley. Manchester City will begin their campaign to retain a fourth-consecutive title against Vincent Kompany’s Burnley on the opening day.
Arsenal begin their bid to bounce back from their title heartbreak with an Emirates showdown against Nottingham Forest in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off, while Chelsea and Liverpool will look to redeem themselves after disappointing seasons when they lock horns in a mouthwatering clash on Sunday. So, what's new about the 2023-24 campaign? Mirror Football takes a look...
100-minute games
This big change comes after a successful plan at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which saw the average match being 102 minutes long. This is being brought into the game in a bid to fight time-wasting antics. Referees will now oblige to specifically time how long the game is stopped before play resumes.
Officials will crack down on time-wasting including slow substitutions and goalkeepers taking too long with their goal kicks. This will hopefully reduce controversial tactics and mean fans will be getting their money’s worth with the ball in play for a lot longer.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
Over 100 minutes were played between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley (Getty Images)Pochettino’s return
The former Tottenham manager is making a long-awaited return to the Premier League this season as Chelsea’s new head coach. He has been handed a two-year contract with the Blues, with an option of a third year. Chelsea were desperate for an experienced and talented manager after an extremely disappointing season which saw them finish in 12th place.
Pochettino led Spurs to a Champions League final in 2014 and PSG to the Ligue 1 title in 2022. He has worked at the highest standards and his leadership skills and tactical approach will give Chelsea the hope that they can reach European football next year.
Arsenal’s revenge
Mikel Arteta’s side will be thirsty for revenge this season after missing out on the title last season. Arsenal spent a whopping 248 days at the top of the table, and it looked as though they were on track to win the trophy but a huge slip-up near the end of the season meant Manchester City were able to climb back to the top and claim their third-consecutive league title. Their revenge on City has already started this year after they beat them in the Community Shield; giving us a taste of an exciting rivalry to come this season.
Declan Rice has arrived at Arsenal as they aim to challenge for the title again (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)Kenilworth Road – back to the glory days
Luton have made it into the Premier League promised land after beating Coventry on penalties in the Championship play-off final. This means some of the top teams in the world will be travelling to their home Kenilworth Road this season, which has been their home ground since 1905.
The stadium is far from the Emirates and is seen as a throwback ground, with a capacity of just 10,356. Luton are currently overseeing a £10million upgrade to prepare it for top-flight football - but it will still be testing for teams to travel to their hostile home.
Will Haaland break his record?
Erling Haaland played a big part in leading Manchester City to their title last season - after scoring a record-breaking 36 goals to beat Alan Shearer's record of 34. He was quick out the blocks, scoring nine goals in his first five games and never really slowed down.
The Norwegian wasn’t able to score in last weekend's Community Shield against Arsenal and was substituted in the 64th minute, but he will no doubt be raring to go in the opening game against Burnley.
Erling Haaland enjoyed an incredible season with Manchester City (Getty Images)Let’s get physical
In an attempt to help the game flow better, the threshold on free-kicks is now higher; meaning that referees will allow the games to flow and there will be leniency on contact between players. Fewer free-kicks will be given and more advantages will be shown to remove the stop and start nature of the game.
However, the existing referee guidelines will still stay in place so challenges that are deemed ‘reckless' will receive a yellow card, ‘careless’ challenges will still be a foul and players who ‘endanger the safety’ of others will be shown a red card.
Kompany back as a boss
Kompany was appointed Burnley’s head coach in June 2022 and had an hugely-successful season, leading them to Championship title. He was reportedly on the shortlist to become Chelsea’s new manager - but has signed a new contract that will keep him at Turf Moor until at least 2028.
Man Utd deadline day live updates as Sabitzer completes loan move
His first game will be against his former club Man City, where he spent 11 seasons and captained eight of them. Despite being regarded as one of City's greatest ever players, he will be looking to defeat the champions and start Burnley’s Premier League season on a high.
Vincent Kompany guided Burnley back to the Premier League (Getty Images)Broadcast overhaul
Coverage of the upcoming 2023-24 season will have a new look and feel for football fans, following major changes at Sky Sports and the creation of TNT Sports. TNT have replaced BT Sport following a merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and BT Group and will broadcast their first football match on August 12 when Arsenal take on Nottingham Forest. As part of the revamp, several broadcasters have been replaced - while Simon Thomas is the new face of Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday show as a replacement for Jeff Stelling.
New kits
As the new season approaches, teams are revealing their kits for their 23/24 Premier League campaign, and it’s the third kits which have everybody talking. From bright colours to crazy patterns, teams are definitely looking to stand out. Manchester City’s new kit seems to reflect their style of play with an electric spark pattern throughout, fused with neon pink. Brentford are another team who have opted for a an eye-catching pattern along with Crystal Palace and Burnley. But it is Arsenal's away kit which has got fans talking with some calling it the ‘worst’ kit the club has ever seen.
Arsenal's away kit has divided opinion (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)Card galore
There will be a crackdown on behaviour this season from players and managers, meaning there is bound to more cards shown during games. For example, referees will be urged to give yellows for actions like kicking the ball away and approaching the referee to complain about a decision. This was shown in the Community Shield, with Arteta being awarded a yellow card for demanding that Rodri got booked for a challenge.
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