The new league season has already started in Belgium, but in many other countries, clubs have yet to start. That is, for example, the case in France, Spain, and the UK where three of the biggest competitions are. Those countries will hold their first games on Friday 11 August. The curtain will also open in the rest of Europe, so the public will hopefully be able to enjoy beautiful football theatre again.
Premier League
In the UK, Burnley FC will play reigning national champions Manchester City on the first matchday. Immediately a tough challenge for Burnley coach Vincent Kompany, who will have to prove himself against on his ex-club in the English first division straight away. He coached a fine season at Turf Moor last year, leading his club to the Championship League title, and was therefore rewarded with a contract extension until 2028. His biggest objective at the moment is to keep their spot in the Premier League secured.
Manchester City already played the Community Shield final against Arsenal FC on Sunday night, 6 August. The FA Community Shield is similar to the Supercup. In that match, we did not see a single Belgian on the pitch until Mateo Kovacic was replaced by Kevin De Bruyne in the 64th minute. For Arsenal, Leandro Trossard was allowed on the pitch when he was substituted for Gabriel Martinelli in minute 75. Not long after, in the 77th minute, the first goal fell. Cole Palmer put the Cityzens ahead with his left leg. For a long time, it looked like this would be the final score, but 11 minutes into extra time, Leandro Trossard made it 1-1. ‘His’ Arsenal eventually won 1-4 after penalties.
After that match, something else also became clear: the importance of long injury time. And, of course, for the losers, the frustrations that came with it. Trossard scored 11 minutes into extra time, in the 101st minute that is. Manchester City player Kevin de Bruyne and coach Pep Guardiola have already spoken out about those rules. Those rules came after it was calculated that there was less and less play to be seen. Players try to gain time, goals are celebrated longer, more substitutions, etc. All things that, like at the World Cup in Qatar, are charged for the extra time. So, for many players and trainers, yet another piece of evidence that the football federations are not taking the physical and mental health of the players into account enough.
Ligue 1
In the French Ligue 1, Nice play against Lille OSC on Friday, August 11. It will be another real challenge for title-holder Paris Saint-Germain to retain their title as some very ambitious teams are looking to knock them off the throne again. The French first division starts again with 18 teams in the series, each of which will do their utmost to get as high as possible. Luis Enrique’s PSG is back in the running as ever, but teams like Marseille, Lens, Monaco, Lyon and Rennes also look like very strong contenders.
That Luis Enrique team is not in the best position, by the way. Following Lionel Messi’s difficult departure, star players Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Junior have both announced that they want to move to another club sometime in the near future. Mbappé, the 24-year-old Frenchman, is said to have already made his choice: his intention would be to leave for Spanish top club Real Madrid. While that is not yet certain, it is already certain that the young player is refusing to renew his contract in Paris.
Neymar is also determined to leave the French capital; he is probably more than fed up with the harassment from French supporters. He was sidelined for 15 games due to an ankle injury, and was whistled at in the games he did play. This also happened at the championship ceremony at the stadium. Strangely, though, he recently revealed to Brazilian media that he would stay in France. Anyway, his former club Barcelona let it be known that a return is not an option. Neymar’s salary would also be a stumbling block for English club Chelsea, but they are still looking for options there.
La Liga
FC Barcelona have had a few lean years, but recovered last year by winning the national title. But their European tour ended disappointingly again. They want to return to playing a bigger role on the European stage, but to do so they will need reinforcements. The midfield has already been strengthened with the transfer-free acquisition named Ilkay Gündogan. But the top club also bought domestically; for instance, it brought in defender Martinez (also transfer-free) when his contract at Athletic Bilbao expired. In turn, midfielder Oriol Romeu came over from FC Girona.
That other big club in Spain, Real Madrid, can already speak of one certainty: ‘our’ goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois plans to celebrate his retirement there. Although, of course, he also hopes that may be a very long time coming. The Belgian goalkeeper’s future with the Belgian national team, on the other hand, is not so certain. He fell into disrepute when he got into a disagreement with national coach Domenico Tedesco and the latter expressed it publicly. The Belgian Football Association, KBVB, is said to have already tried to reach out to the goalkeeper. It remains to be seen how that history will play out. Other than that, not many changes are noticeable in the Spanish capital. However, they did manage to snare Jude Bellingham. The 20-year-old Englishman played a couple of years at Borussia Dortmund, but now chooses Los Blancos after all.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will start on 12 August against Athletic Bilbao. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez will not be able to coach his club to their first La Liga match until Sunday 13 August. The teams who will go first in La Liga are Almeria and Rayo, the two teams that ranked 17th and 11th respectively last year. A little later that day, Sevilla and Valencia will also cross swords.
