To Salah or not to Salah? Can Alexis get back to being the cash cow that he was at Arsenal? Is Harry Kane in for a down year? Fantasy Premier League is back! And the questions are soaring. Throughout the season, we'll be posting our takes for the 38-week FPL season.
The Premier League is the promised land for any team dwelling in the Championship. The riches that come with the bumper TV deals is what drives so many owners to do everything they can to get their clubs promoted and to then stay there.
The three promoted clubs — Cardiff City, Fulham and Wolves — have all been spending, and then some. Combined, the three teams have spent over $212 million. That is around 1/5 of the entire Premier League spending this transfer window.
August 12th, 2016 was a low point for the United States women’s national team. They were heading home from Rio after falling to Sweden in a penalty kick shootout in the quarterfinals. A fifth place finish for a team that had won gold at the previous two editions of the Summer Games, and who had just won the World Cup a year ago, was an embarrassment.
Last season saw Mohamed Salah crack the 30-goal mark and steer Liverpool to a fourth place finish, as well as the Champions League final. He had already had a taste of Premier League action before as he was on the books at Chelsea but rarely got a proper look in at the club. He landed at Fiorentina and then Roma before making his return to the EPL last season. Boy did he return in some style.
And he’s going to do it all over again.
The 2018-19 Premier League season promises to be one for the ages. Liverpool looks set to really give Manchester City a run for its money, while the mid-table battle is going to be too close to call.
For some players, this season is their time to shine. Whether it be composure at the back, working hard in the midfield or plundering in the goals, there are going to be players that take the division by storm. Here are our top five picks for the biggest breakout stars of the 2018-19 Premier League season.
Manchester United will not win the Premier League title this season. The Red Devils have grown to be the antithesis of their former "Pride of England" moniker under Jose Mourinho. Not only has the Portuguese "Chosen One" flooded Old Trafford with boredom, the 2017-18 season was also an indicator of false glory despite a second place finish behind Manchester City.
Managers are being scrutinised more than ever, and with good reason. The fans and owners expect results from their teams, no matter who their players are. Whether it’s Huddersfield Town or Manchester City, every manager knows that their owners can pull the plug at any time.
Let’s be honest here. Last year’s major European league title races were, for the most part, downright boring. The Golden Boot races? Well, those were a little more entertaining. While most of the European league races are likely to once again go to obvious winners, the Golden Boot odds in each league suggest those races will be the ones to watch in the upcoming season.
Croatia shocked most of the soccer world with its run to the World Cup final, although we here at The18 saw it coming. In order to prove that was no fluke, I'm doubling down on my bold World Cup predictions, this time four years in advance of the tournament instead of one. If you're wondering who the Croatia of the 2022 World Cup will be, you don't need to look any further than their neighbor (and historical rival) to the east.
Since Barcelona unveiled its plans to renovate the Camp Nou (including expanding capacity from 99,354 to 105,000 and adding a roof to cover seats around the entirety of the stadium) back in 2016, the club has always maintained that a large portion of the cost (rumored to be around $700 million) would be footed by selling partial naming rights for the new ground.