Ten KEY takeaways from 2024/25 pre-season

As the Premier League’s opening weekend comes into view, Alex Keble takes a look at 10 key takeaways from pre-season.

Euros, Copa America and Olympics could cause havoc

It’s unusual to have three major international tournaments in one summer, and frankly it’s made a lot of pre-season indecipherable.

The vast majority of Premier League clubs have been without their star players up until Monday 5 August, a mere fortnight before the first domestic match of the season.

See: Premier League clubs' summer 2024 pre-season matches

This could produce some strange results in the early Matchweeks.

Expect clubs to be a little wonky, lacking in match sharpness and in tactical coherence.

This may benefit the three promoted clubs, who have had their full squads for longer, meaning - in theory - they will be better prepared for matches in August and September.

Bigger clubs with new managers are in the worst position; late-arriving internationals have a whole new set of ideas to absorb in only two weeks. Chelsea and Liverpool, then, could struggle this month.

Maresca’s changes could mean a slow start for Chelsea

The shift from Mauricio Pochettino to Enzo Maresca is a big one, and so far Chelsea’s players are struggling to get to grips with the slow possession football and careful building out from the back.

Chelsea have won only one of their five pre-season matches. Results aside, the manner of the defeats has been concerning.

Six of the 12 goals conceded by Chelsea have come from defensive mistakes attempting to pass out from the back, while their high defensive line has been caught numerous times by Real Madrid, Man City and Celtic.

Clearly it’s going to take some time for the sheer complexity and detail of Maresca’s ideas to take hold. That means Chelsea’s owner needs to show a quality that can often be in short supply - patience.

Jesus form might change Arsenal's transfer plans

Last season Bukayo Saka was Arsenal’s top goalscorer in the Premier League with 16 goals, which is why many supporters hoped the club would sign a new centre-forward this summer.

That no longer seems a priority following Gabriel Jesus’s blistering pre-season form.

“The first feeling when I saw him [this summer], it was something different,” Mikel Arteta said after Jesus scored in a 4-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. “I could sense it. The energy was different. The way he looks is different. The way he moves is different… he looks good.”

A few days earlier, Arteta was just as glowing about a man who has three goals and an assist in pre-season.

“He looks really good," said Arteta. "He looks really sharp. He has changed a lot of things over the summer. He has come in top condition again.”

The prospect of a goalscoring Jesus at the top of his game is an exciting one. It would also free up resources for Arsenal to focus on signing a new left-winger.

Bobb is emerging as a future Man City star

Another player excelling over the summer is 21-year-old Oscar Bobb, who finally looks ready to play a key role in Man City's first team.

Bobb, who scored a brilliant and pivotal Premier League goal against Newcastle United in January, has played a big part in every City friendly so far.

Bobb's pre-season highlights

He scored and assisted two goals against Celtic, set up another against AC Milan, and then scored again in the most recent friendly against Chelsea.

Savinho’s arrival could limit Bobb’s game time on the right wing, although with Julian Alvarez set to depart for Atletico Madrid, there is certainly space for Bobb to become Pep Guardiola’s first substitute.

Man Utd's injuries create more problems for Ten Hag

It hasn’t been the best of summers for Manchester United.

It began with a 1-0 defeat to Rosenborg after which Erik ten Hag criticised his players’ fitness: “In top football we have much higher standards; as an individual you must make sure you are fit.”

Things stabilised after that - until injuries once again got in the way.

Leny Yoro is out with a foot injury for at least three months while Rasmus Hojlund has been ruled out for six weeks with a hamstring problem.

United had a whopping 66 injuries last season and central defence, in particular, was decimated. This contributed significantly to their record-low eighth-place finish in the Premier League.

These first two injuries, then, are a bad omen ahead of a make-or-break season for Ten Hag.

Elliott takes centre stage thanks to Slot's changes

Harvey Elliott has been the standout performer for Liverpool this summer, excelling as a No 10 in Arne Slot’s new 4-2-3-1 system.

The 21-year-old has been running matches from between the lines, most notably in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in which Elliott assisted both goals. The second, a chip over the top of the Gunners' defence, drew particular attention.

Elliott's second assist v Arsenal

Head coach Slot has put the performances down to the tactical system being deployed.

“He had two great assists, but what I believe is that the team created these assists for him as well, playing out from the back, getting him in the right positions,” Slot said.

A more measured possession game is likely to suit Elliott, although he isn’t the only one who may benefit from a less intense style. Darwin Nunez, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo could all improve in a calmer environment.

Hurzeler tactics bedding in nicely at Brighton

There are various aspects of Fabian Hurzeler’s tactics that have already taken hold at Brighton & Hove Albion, if pre-season is anything to go by.

Playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, rather than the 3-4-3 used when he was St Pauli manager, Hurzeler’s Seagulls have looked fluid and flexible on tour, playing intelligent possession football and scoring 11 goals across four matches.

Two of those goals came from corners, which is a sign of things to come. Set-pieces were never Brighton’s forte under Roberto De Zerbi, but they are seen as a major weapon by the new head coach.

Sarmiento's set-piece goal v Kashima Antlers

What’s more, Yankuba Minteh, signed from Newcastle, has looked very sharp, scoring two goals and assisting another.

West Ham’s higher pressing needs some work

Julen Lopetegui is radically changing West Ham United’s tactics, but the players haven’t found it easy so far in pre-season.

Unlearning the style used by David Moyes and becoming a high-pressing team won’t happen overnight, as West Ham's players found out in a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace earlier this month.

 “We’re changing the philosophy, tactics, how we played from last season, so things are going to take us time,” Michail Antonio said after the Palace defeat.

“We’re showing that we can start pressing high and sometimes people are going to find pockets and play through us, but there were a lot of positives and we keep moving forward to the season.”

The fans want to see more progressive attacking football. At the moment, the cost of that shift is defensive vulnerability to counter-attacks, which isn’t the best news with Aston Villa first up on 17 August.

Palace are scoring freely despite Olise exit

Losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich had many fearing that Oliver Glasner’s revolution would stall, especially considering that Crystal Palace’s brilliant form under their new head coach happened to coincide with Olise’s and Eberechi Eze’s return to action.

Was it down to his tactical changes, or just good luck with injuries? Palace’s pre-season performances suggest the former.

Glasner’s side have scored 12 goals across their last three friendlies, despite neither Eze nor Jean-Philippe Mateta featuring in any of those matches. 

In their place, Jeffrey Schlupp and Odsonne Edouard - who have produced four goal involvements apiece - have been surprise hits, suggesting Glasner’s coaching brings goals no matter who is in the starting XI.

Schlupp's header in 3-1 win v West Ham

Spurs' preparations have been better than last season

Fans might have wanted more new signings than just Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, but there is a lot more to improving a team than simply buying players - and Tottenham Hotspur have had a successful summer.

“It’s been a good trip,” Ange Postecoglou told The Athletic at the end of Spurs’ time in Asia. “Sometimes they can drag a bit, but everything has run seamlessly.

“Last year it was chaos. Games were getting cancelled and the training facilities were not great, but this year that stuff’s been good. It’s been a good camp.”

Performances have been strong, with Bergvall and Gray both catching the eye, although of greater significance is the lack of injuries.

Everyone is back, and after a second summer absorbing Postecoglou’s tactical instructions, the team ought to be in good shape to hit the ground running.