“Football’s coming home?”
Well, it didn’t quite but the 2018 World Cup finals was the best tournament in my living memory. There were some great goals, memorable matches, moments we’ll never forget and, England even won a penalty shootout!
Congratulations to Gareth Southgate and his Three Lions squad who managed to reconnect the nation with international football. A semi-final appearance was a huge milestone for a team that had such low expectations going to the finals in Russia. Congratulations also to France on winning their second World Cup title. The French were organised, calm and when needed, absolutely clinical on the counter-attack. In Kylian Mbappe, the world has a new star to take the crown Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have shared between themselves for the past decade. It was a tournament full on wonderful memories.
I took the opportunity to enjoy the competition which meant ‘Premier League at 25’ took a hiatus but now I’m back in the run-up to the new season. The 2018-2019 campaign will be season 27 of the most envied league on the planet and don’t worry football fans, it is just 26 days until the first game of the new season as Manchester United host Leicester City at Old Trafford on Friday Night Football, live on Sky Sports.
Before kick-off, I will be sharing my moments from the 2017-2018 campaign which saw Manchester City demonstrate a season of record-breaking proportions. There will be a look at some of the best goals, the shock results, the iconic moments and a season review which will be online in August.
Once the season has resumed, I will be returning to go through the archives and there’s plenty of content to be created and ready to be uploaded too. With the ‘Seasonal Records’ and ‘Referees in the Middle’ series reaching its conclusion, these will be replaced during the season by a couple of new categories.
The Global Tale – A global trip through Premier League countries, charting their milestones and the best players through the archive. All corners of the globe will be covered here, from the likes of Spain, Germany and France to Venezuela, South Africa, New Zealand and China.
Seasonal Stories – Whether it was a battle against relegation, a title-winning campaign or a challenge that didn’t quite end up with the target set, I will be looking back at some clubs and a specific season they enjoyed in the Premier League. This will range from Arsenal’s Invincibles of 2003-2004 and Manchester United’s treble-winning campaign of 1998-1999 to Norwich City’s dramatic 1994-1995 collapse and Leicester City’s escape against the odds from relegation in 2014-2015.
The Analysis – To ensure this isn’t just all about the past, I will be producing a weekly round-up of all of the action from the 2018-2019 Premier League season, producing some analysis on some of the weekend’s major talking points and stories away from the field of play. The first piece will debut on Tuesday 7th August with a Season Preview.
So, I look forward to you following and enjoying my content on ‘Premier League at 25,’ charting the past glories and present stories over the course of the next nine months.
Enjoy!
Regards
Simon Wright
