No more weekends on the sofa binging on take away Chips and watching some B-Rate Netflix movies that will leave you wondering whether Hollywood locked away all its talent in a DVD and no one can find it now. The new season is exciting and as usual like the millions of Human Beings in the planet, I can’t wait for this new chapter of the enthralling TV phenomenon: the English Premier League!

The EPL insignia

The new season comes with new excitement. New rules, new players, new managers, new clubs and of course a new set of referees. A new chance to see the finest footballers of our generation, some of whom seem to be operating on the same top level for years without a sign of decline or tiredness. Of course, there will also be the old fogies who look so bad, it makes one wonder what they have against premier league managers to be allowed to operate at this level consistently.
There will be a set of new rules this new season. The handball has been more complicated in its latest attempt to simplify it and to be honest at this point I am not sure what handball is anymore beyond that there is a hand and a ball involved. The newly introduced winter break in February will be easier to understand maybe. Essentially a club will be allowed at least 2 weeks of no football in February for rest while other teams continue with the games that weekend.
Goal Kicks have been simplified allowing the goalkeeper to play the ball to defenders inside the box, however the opposing players are still not allowed into the box until the ball is touched by the defender.

The opposing players will not be allowed in the wall when a free kick is being taken provided that the taking team have at least three players on the wall. The scrappy drop ball is also gone and instead the team that had possession last will now be handed possession. However, if this happens inside the box then the goalkeeper will restart the ball vide a goal kick.

The time tested and proven way to waste time by trudging slowly towards the tunnel during substitutions will also be no more. Player have to leave the field at the nearest point from where they are. This rule will sadly deny us those legendary walks and standing ovations as the game’s greats are leaving the field upon retirement or on leaving their hometown club. Imagine no more of that John Terry in the 26th Minute at the Stamford Bridge or Podolski on his last game for Germany. Imagine Lionel Messi on his last game for Barcelona having to leave the pitch on the far corner and then strolling around the by line to get to the Bench.

The biggest change however will come in the name of the Video Assistant Referees (VAR). This is the biggest monster that has introduced to us a new subgenre of memes on social media. It is the biggest disruption to the beautiful game since the goal line technology and it comes with a new set of controversy. Unlike the World Cup and the Champions League, the referee will not personally review the decisions, instead an invisible man behind a computer will review and advise the on field referee of the final decision. Simply said, that invisible guy will be the most hated man on TV since Joffrey Baratheon.

Premier league chairmen have spared no coin to bring new players to their side. Even the banned Chelsea were able to bring in the guy who was subbed so many times last season it seemed he was allergic to playing a full game. Man Utd led the tables again in expenditure and as a sign of the new premier league riches were closely followed by Aston Villa. Liverpool and Norwich spent the least but all in all everyone brought a new face, and most feel ready for the new season. It is quite ironic that Man Utd are arguably the biggest losers of the window despite spending the most and most blame has been rightly placed on Ed Woodward’s door.

Manchester City, Winners of the last EPL

It will be interesting to watch Aaron Wan Bissaka at Man Utd, Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal, Rodri at Man City, Moise Kean at Everton, Seb Haller at West Ham and Aaron Mooy at Brighton & Hove Albion to name a few. There were a couple of surprises in the window worth David Luiz arriving at Arsenal on Deadline day from Chelsea, Scott Carson to Man City on deadline day and that Maguire to Man United for £80m which raised a couple of eyebrows. The honour of the biggest move in the summer however goes to Eden Hazard to Madrid for £100m, it was known that he was leaving for some time and when he finally moved it happened in the most Galactico way possible.

We have three new teams joining the fray from the championship being Norwich, Sheffield United and Aston Villa. Increasingly promoted teams have found it difficult to operate in this environment with at least two being sent down within one season. Norwich and Sheffield United have astute managers but they lack the quality and experience needed to prosper at that level. Aston Villa have tried to address that through the transfer window but as Fulham will tell you it is not always the surest way to go about it.

Conclusively, after three months of waiting, the new season is here with us, the excitement, the sadness, the joy and the ultimate thrilling experience of watching a premier league game is here with us. Pop up a glass of champagne, grab a beer, a can of coca cola or whatever and enjoy the roller coaster ride that is the English Premier league.

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