Liverpool and City face Newcastle and Bournemouth
Egyptian star Mohamed Salah and Spanish manager Pep Guardiola are among the most prominent figures in the history of the English Premier League, and how Liverpool and Manchester City cope with their absence will be a decisive factor in shaping the trajectory of their seasons.
For the first time since 2016, Liverpool begin a campaign without Salah, who had been the team’s star and cornerstone. Meanwhile, Manchester City can no longer rely on Guardiola’s managerial genius to inspire them, as the Spanish coach has brought down the curtain on a highly successful tenure.
Liverpool and City embark on a new era without their most iconic figures, coinciding with the start of the new Premier League season.
City host Bournemouth on Sunday in their first league match under Italian manager Enzo Maresca, Guardiola’s successor. A few hours later, Liverpool’s new Spanish manager, Andoni Iraola, will take charge of his first game, as the Reds travel to face Newcastle, now without Salah.
The uncertainty surrounding City and Liverpool’s prospects this season reflects not only the departures of Guardiola and Salah, but also the turmoil that preceded their emotional farewells last May.
Guardiola, who won six Premier League titles and led the club to their first Champions League trophy, amassed an impressive haul of 20 trophies since taking charge in 2016. Salah, meanwhile, left his mark in countless magical moments, guiding Liverpool to two Premier League titles, a Champions League crown, the FA Cup, and the League Cup.
Manchester United suffered an early setback in the north-east of England, conceding twice in the first half from set-pieces in a match where Harry Maguire was particularly fierce and creative, despite his team being the least fancied and having the fewest resources. Maguire’s side also played without 10 injured players. Hull City secured their victory thanks to goals from Nigerian Simeon Aghayomi (17th minute) and Senegalese Nobl Mendy (38th minute).
Hull, returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, maintained their lead thanks to one of their key summer signings, Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolis, who made a crucial save against Cameroonian Bryan Mboumou in the 79th minute.
United’s attack struggled with accuracy and effectiveness, even after manager Michael Carrick introduced returning player Marcus Rashford at the start of the second half.
On the other hand, Spanish manager Mikel Arteta said that Arsenal’s emphatic 3-0 victory over Coventry City in the opening match of their title defense campaign on Friday confirmed that the London club has not lost its hunger for more trophies.
The Gunners carried forward the momentum from last season, securing a comfortable win against a Coventry side that appeared unable to keep up with the home team. Goals from German Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Norwegian Martin Ødegaard sealed the victory at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta expressed satisfaction with how his players handled the match, as they applied constant pressure and put newly promoted Coventry under immense strain.
Arteta said: “To me, the team looks exactly as it did last season. What I tried to convey to the players is the need to show more desire and earn the right to be better than everyone else.”
He added: “There were many aspects of the performance that pleased me. The result was excellent, as was the way we started the match. There was clear dominance, clarity in execution, and a strong understanding of what we wanted to achieve. It was truly impressive.”
