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It’s been 16 long months since clubs have been able to throw open their gates and allow full crowds in – so the start of this season really does feel a lot more special. You only have to look at the Euros – especially the games at Wembley – to reali

1 Which Premier League giant’s record crowd wasn’t set at their own home 2 Which famous striker was once known as ‘the 20ft chicken’ 3 Which team was backed by a clairvoyant sausage dog at Euro 2020 4 Which coach resigned after his chairman critic

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Editor James Andrew Art Director Anthony Moore Chief Sub Editor Gregg Davies Staff Writer Mark White Editor at Large Andy Mitten Deputy Editor Joe Brewin Senior Staff Writer Chris Flanagan Online Editor Conor Pope Staff Writer Ed McCambridge Huw Davi

At 20, makes group-stage cameo as Brazil clinch a fifth World Cup Suffers Champions League final woe with Milan against Liverpool Is superb as Milan gain European revenge, en route to Ballon d’Or Sent off at World Cup against Ivory Coast; Brazil late

The 22-year-old began 2020-21 with shootout heroics to save Milan from an awful European exit to Rio Ave – and ended it as the spot-kick king against Spain and England. Only 18, the Barça whizz proved why he’s been described as the next Andres Inies

Bought: £1.6m Sold: £20m “We wanted a No.9 and preferred a young one who we could develop. He’d scored lots of goals on loan with Brest in the French second division – it’s a good league and it’s physical, so you can adapt to the Championship. Neal

Jeff Stelling’s bubbly intro promised “an experiment unique in the football world”. Sky didn’t get where it is today without knowing the value of a hard sell. For once, though, the hyperbole was justified. Big Ron Manager was unique... just not quite

The first game I covered as a journalist was for The Football League Paper on February 25, 2006: Peterborough United against Bristol Rovers. Was I thrilled about commuting from London to watch them every week? Well... not really. I should have been.

CREDENTIALS Two Italia 90 goals, one of which knocked out Brazil, raised Caniggia to near-Maradona levels in Argentina. Comparisons with El Diego didn’t end there: in 1993, El Hijo del Viento (‘Son of the Wind’) was given a 13-month ban for cocaine c

Why would Forest dare wear the shirts of rivals Derby? Er, after they’ve beaten them in the FA Cup final, of course. Forest won the 1898 clash 3-1 in their traditional ‘garibaldi red’, but since that colour didn’t come out well on film, their first m

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1. Man City 2. Chelsea 3. Liverpool 4. Man United 5. Leicester 6. Arsenal 7. Tottenham 8. Leeds 9. Everton 10. Aston Villa 11. West Ham 12. Brighton 13. Wolves 14. Southampton 15. Burnley 16. Newcastle 17. Brentford 18. Norwich 19. Watford 20. Cryst

Daniel Farke has been here before. Can he improve on 2019-20 to keep the Canaries up? The Hornets are near-certainties for the drop with the bookies. Can Xisco confound them? A new manager and a new squad could spell a season’s suffering down at Se

01 Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani first moved to Europe in 2007. Which Italian club did he join? 02 Following Brentford’s promotion, how many clubs have competed in the Premier League - 45, 50 or 60? 03 Who was the only Manchester City p

Arsenal’s relatively paltry haul of 55 league goals from last term simply has to increase. Pepe’s improved integration can be a lesson to Martinelli, but both Saka and Smith Rowe can bolster last season’s goal tallies of five and two respectively. Ar

Nah mate, never heard of him. Forward-comb his ridiculous fringe to hide his face, get some oversized shin pads to cover his whole body (and his entire shins, for once), do whatever it takes... Deny all knowledge of Jack Grealish whenever those pesky

Only Norwich boasted a better xG last season than Bees, who will play on the front foot when they can. Their defensive numbers were also impressive, though: they allowed sides 8.4 shots per game, the joint-fewest in the league. It’s now even more imp

Last season Brighton only took one more point (21) from teams in the bottom half of the table than from those in the top 10 (20). Perhaps even more telling is their record against those that finished below them – four points from the three relegated

Last season, Burnley played 25 games with Nick Pope, Ben Mee and James Tarkowski all in the side and collected 37 points: upper-mid-table form. With one or more of that trio absent, the Clarets took just two points from 13 matches. It shows the quali

Chelsea did it last season and ended up as champions of Europe, so there’s an instant contradiction. But when the same thing happened in 2012, Roberto Di Matteo was binned within six months. Unlike Di Matteo, Tuchel has pedigree. Managerial stability

Hodgson’s methods helped the club to achieve their goals, and Palace played some good football at times during his spell. But while supporters continued to appreciate Uncle Roy’s efforts, last season was hardly thrill-a-minute. the Eagles registered

Depending on which way you interpret the numbers, Everton had either their worst or second-worst home record ever last season. Either way, it was bad, and the dire return may have cost them Champions League football. With the fans back, they need to

Illan Meslier only turned 21 in March. He played 35 games last season. The goalkeeper is an extraordinary talent, guided by his temperament: unflustered, he shrugs off mistakes, vowing – with a growling voice belying his baby face – never to repeat t

Amid the injury chaos, Youri Tielemans played 500 more minutes than any other Foxes outfielder, probing them through sticky patches with typical grace and style. The club’s player of the season has since been busy at the European Championship, too, s

Context is needed to evaluate Raheem Sterling’s dwindling club numbers. Granted, 24 direct goal involvements is barely par compared with past seasons, but City’s reconfigured system meant Gundogan’s 13 league goals represented the lowest top scorer r

United started each of the past three campaigns poorly. The first cost Jose Mourinho his job; the second brought the January signing of Fernandes to save United’s season; and an early slump in 2020-21 was due to there being almost no pre-season. Star

A crowd-pleasing tactic could also be a successful one. The Magpies netted a mere 18 goals in the first half of last term, outscoring only four teams. In the second half, aided by the addition of Graeme Jones to the coaching staff and some more ambit

In 2019-20, the Argentine was statistically the Premier League’s second-most creative player, after one Kevin De Bruyne. Since then, Buendia has increased his goal threat, perfected his through-balls and added strong challenges, making him seem almos

Southampton actually bettered their xG last season (by 1.72), which is troubling. Ings and Adams scored 21 goals between them, and the set-piece wizard that is Ward-Prowse contributed eight, but neither Walcott, Nathan Redmond nor Moussa Djenepo mana

Mourinho’s Chelsea were experts in protecting a lead. His Tottenham were not. Too often, they played fearful football; rather than attempting to extend their advantage, they invited pressure and conceded. Second in the first-half table and 10th after

Watford came up with a smile on their faces, Xisco combining excellent man management with a 4-3-3 formation that made the most of the Hornets’ attacking assets. Maintain this momentum – they won 18 of the new boss’ 26 games in charge – and the spiri

Despite playing in a desolate bowl built over an ancient burial ground, West Ham somehow managed to produce the second-best home record in the Premier League last term. They picked up a remarkable 34 points at the London Stadium in a year when away t

Regularly infiltrating the top six is an enormous task for a side such as Wolves. They have an unofficial partner club in Swiss outfit Grasshoppers, which could prove useful, and Jorge Mendes’ Gestifute connections should be used further as the club

Got a football brain? Test your knowledge of the Championship with this devilishly difficult dozen 01 With Norwich City no longer in the division, who are now the most easterly club in the second tier? 02 Who scored the most goals in the 2020-21 reg

1. Sunderland 2. Ipswich 3. Charlton 4. Lincoln 5. Wycombe 6. Rotherham 7. Oxford 8. MK Dons 9. Portsmouth 10. Bolton 11. Sheffield Wed 12. Wigan 13. Plymouth 14. Burton 15. Gillingham 16. Doncaster 17. Fleetwood 18. Accrington 19. Shrewsbury 20.

The Black Cats have been here before, but the promotion favourites now have a good manager and competent owner. Three seasons is already two too many for the Tractor Boys to languish in the third tier. Paul Cook must take them up. Appleton has worked

Much has changed for the Shrimps’ maiden third-tier campaign. It could be a long one. The Dons will need Plough Lane to channel its raucous past if they are to beat the drop. Manager Duff is an inspiration to all at Whaddon Road. They may need it t

01 Which third-tier side has finished in either the top four or bottom four of a division in each of the past nine seasons? 02 What has Ed Sheeran (below) got to do with League One this year? 03 Which club has agreed to rename its ground after a l

Flynn & Co have been agonisingly close and will be desperate to forget about the play-offs and go up automatically. New boss Adams won’t allow a repeat of last term’s late-season collapse. Underachievement must end soon. The division’s best playing s

In the Football League since 1920, the Robins are in crisis and could fall into the abyss. After a summer of departures, the Iron must arrest a worrying end to last season. The Monkey Hangers are back after four seasons. Momentum will be key to sur

1. Newport 2. Bradford 3. Forest Green 4. Bristol Rovers 5. Exeter 6. Salford 7. Tranmere 8. Leyton Orient 9. Mansfield 10. Northampton 11. Port Vale 12. Stevenage 13. Harrogate 14. Rochdale 15. Walsall 16. Carlisle 17. Barrow 18. Crawley 19. Su

01 Who was named League Two Player of the Season for 2020-21? 02 For how long has Simon Weaver (below) been managing Harrogate Town? If you’re a year out, it’s close enough. 03 Oldham fans saw a whopping 153 goals in their team’s 46 league games la