Newly promoted Brentford launch the 2021/22 Premier League season when they host Arsenal on Friday – the first of 380 matches over the next nine months.
“This season is going to be one of the strongest Premier League seasons,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United manager.
“Anyone who ends up above last year’s champions will be champions.”s
While Brentford are competing in the Premier League for the first time, Watford and Norwich have both made quick-fire returns after being relegated in 2019-20.
What are the rule changes? What are the Covid-19 protocols? What else is new?
Season to start with close to capacity crowds
The 2021-22 season is set to start with grounds close to full capacity, except for any seating deemed to be close enough to the playing area to fall into the ‘red zone’ of the stadium.
Additionally, the UK government is yet to decide whether to make it compulsory for fans to show proof of full vaccination from the end of September.
Reports suggests proof could be required for events, such as football matches, with crowds of 20,000 or more. A d as for Chelsea, the club has announced fans will need to “provide evidence they are at low risk of transmitting Covid-19” to enter Stamford Bridge.
VAR to be ‘dialed back’
The video assistant referee system was introduced to the Premier League in 2019 to review “clear and obvious errors” in four game-changing incidents: goals, penalties, straight red cards and mistaken identity.
Despite criticism of the system from managers, VAR stays for 2021-22 but there have been adjustments.
Thicker lines will be used when using VAR to assess offside calls.
Last season there were several instances where a player’s toe or armpit led to goals being ruled out, which fans and pundits felt was ruining the game.
The use of VAR will be ‘dialed back’, with officials told not to penalize “trivial things”.
Referees will be under orders not to give the kind of penalty that England’s Raheem Sterling was awarded in their Euro 2020 semi-final win over Denmark.
New faces in charge
One-fifth of clubs in the Premier League have changed managers since the final day of last season.
Nuno Espirito Santo, who guided Wolves to two top-seven finishes, the FA Cup semi-finals and Europa League quarter-finals before, has taken over at Tottenham, who had Ryan Mason in caretaker charge at the end of last season following Mourinho’s sack. . .
Rafael Benitez is back in the Premier League after a two-year absence following his appointment at Everton.
Former Benfica boss Bruno Lage has replaced fellow Portuguese Nuno at Wolves, while France 1998 World Cup winner Patrick Vieira is the new boss at Crystal Palace.