7-things you need to know about the 2016/2017 Premier League

Sam ADEYEMI 
This season the Premier League is packed with exciting managers with big reputations, world top players with great talents and of course more money. Here we take a look at seven different things that will have impact on what the end of the season will look like.

Club Ambition Each club has come into the season with different agenda; some is to reclaim lost glory, some to retain last season success - which is relative depending on how one looks at it, some to avoid drop and for some it is to be the best in the division.
 
The atmosphere the club administrators create for the technical team, staffs and players will actually be what will be translated to the pitch of play. Taking for example is the Chelsea's case last season which culminated into the club who was the defending champion finishing 10th at the end of the season. 

Thus, the administrator for the clubs must set their ambition right and make it clear to everyone involved in the day-to-day running of the team. Right from the club coach, backroom staffs, players, ball-boys, groundsman, chefs, chauffer, season-ticket holders, registered fans and supporters should all be aware of the club targets for the season.

With the right cloud, and high morale, players will give their all to make the whole squad and fans happy at the end of the season.
Manager Ideas The earliest the coach is able to instill his philosophy(ies) into the team the best it is for the club to achieve their target. This season has brought in changes in clubs manager, we now have Antonio Conte (Chelsea), Pép Guardiola (Man City), Jose Mourinho (Man Utd), Walter Mazzari (Watford), David Moyes (Sunderland), Ronald Koeman (Everton) coupled with Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool), Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham), Slaven Bilic (West Ham) and Arsène Wenger (Arsenal) all coaching different sides. To put it in the words of the latter, this season can be dubbed as the "world championship of managers".
 
The coaches must be flexible and ready to make bold decisions like tactical change and resting players - even the stars of the team when they are less performing. Also, the ability to manage their egos and keep everyone happy will greatly affect the team chemistry, which will eventually bring success on the pitch for all to cheers about at the end of the day. 


 

Squad Depth An average team will play 45 games this season (Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup) depending on their performances. When UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League are added for the teams playing in Europe, the games can get up to 60 for some teams - depending on their progress as mentioned earlier. Expectedly, teams with more quality in their ranks tend to do better on all fronts compared to teams with no depth in their squad.

Based on this, traditional top teams have already spent a lot in this transfer window to boost their ranks in all departments with their youth teams also shunning out players to help the main squad during the season. We've already seen a world-record fee been set with the arrival of Paul Pogba to Manchester United from Juventus, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Mkhirtayan and Eric Bailly are the other big signings that have put up a tent in the red side of Manchester.

The blue side of the city has also brought in a lot of young talents like John Stones, Nolito, Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane and the likes to the Etihad stadium. N'Golo Kante, Michy Batshuayi, Granit Xhaka, Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum, Vincent Janssen and Victor Wanyama are few of the others who have been added to the other big teams.
How well this new players gel with their teammate will tell a lot about where the team will lie at the end of the season.

 

Players Performance This summer transfer has seen six clubs breaking their transfer records to bring in new players that they believe will add something new to what they have. Aside from players mentioned above, new signings like Ahmed Musa, Sofiane Feghouli, Borjan Baston, Isaac Success, Andre Ayew and so many other established stars in the league like Eden Hazard, Riyad Mahrez, Romelu Lukaku, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, Alexis Sanchez, Jamie Vardy, Yaya Toure, Harry Kane, Cesc Fabregas and Dimitri Payét all have something to show their fans and coaches.

The form of this players during the course of the season especially in critical matches will most definitely affect the overall performance of the club.


Players must play to the coach instructions and be ready to sacrifice all they have got and with unwavering loyalty to the jersey they are putting on. The best of a coach can only be seen in the display by the players. Footballers must enjoy their games and make sure the spectators does too

Injury As it is with every other sports, footballers can sustain injury at any point in time during the season. The team must find the balance on how to cope with injuries particularly when it happens to an influential member of the squad. For several seasons now, a certain London club has been found wanting in this kind of scenario for which results at the end of the season showing their undoings.

A large squad will help with this, and also tactical tweak and switches knowing the fact that there is no break in-between the season as we get to see in other leagues across Europe.
Officiating With the advent of technology like the goal-line technology and additional assistant referee last season, there were still some controversial calls by the referee in some games. This "little" mistakes have influenced the outcomes of matches a number of times than we can count.

Expectedly, there will be a massive improvement in this aspect of the game this season. Even though referees are humans, the errors must be less this time around, and coupled with the fact they are more protected and empowered due to the new rules that will be in effect this season I expect them to do far better than the past seasons.


Referred are the judge in a football game, thus they must be impeccable and strive to be fair in all their actions this season. When the officiating is good, each sides enjoy the game - same for the spectators - and play their hearts out to ensure victory.
 

Fans Support Often called the 12th man in the game, the constant support and ambience they create gives life to the matches. Aside players ambition, it is the fans that makes the players wanting to give their all on the pitch and eventually bring joy to their hearts. They pay to watch this players week-in week-out, travel to different locations to watch their favourite team plays, buy the club merchandise and scream their hearts out as they hype this players and the team they passionately support. 

When the fans are in great mood, the team mostly tend to perform better and enjoy their games. But a strained relationship or less belief from the stands seems to find its way unto the pitch and dampen the spirit of the players.

Therefore, for any team that will top the log at the end of the season, the fans will have to be vociferous and show their belief in the team. If this can be achieved, the team will most likely punch above their weight. In recent memory, the Leicester City of last season is a perfect example of this sporting strategy.


 
After all this my submission above, as this 2016/17 season starts I give you my top-seven clubs come May next year in this particular order; Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham United.
 

You are free to put up your own if you do not agree with me.