MANCHESTER: For years Arsenal were the hunters. On Friday they become the hunted as they launch the new Premier League season at home to promoted Coventry City carrying the burden that comes with reaching the summit.

Winning the title ended one journey; attempting to retain it begins another. History shows that staying on top can be even more difficult than getting there.

Behind them, much of the league has been reshaped. Nine new managers, the departure of several heavyweight players including Manchester City’s Rodri and Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah, and sweeping changes at some of England’s biggest clubs have the league entering a new era as another nine-month drama begins.

Arsenal last attempted to defend the Premier League title in 2004-05, eventually finishing second behind Chelsea, and no Arsenal team have successfully defended a top-flight title since they won three leagues in a row ending in 1935.

Mikel Arteta’s men host Coventry, whose reward for returning to the top flight is a trip to a packed Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners will want a statement victory on the board before their rivals get underway.

“Ultimately, the goal we all know is to win as many major trophies as we possibly can, and what we have to do is make sure that we click the fire every day to players and the staff to behave in that manner,” Arteta told the BBC.

“The players need to be the best version, and I feel fresh with a lot of energy and ready to go again. And now it’s like building a beast inside you that you want to go through that again, and you know what it’s going to take.”

Arsenal added one of the league’s most influential midfielders to their squad in Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes, one of the reasons many pundits have chosen Arteta’s team to retain their title.

UNITED RESURGENCE SET FOR HULL TEST

Saturday begins in Hull, where Manchester United will start to discover whether last season’s resurgence under Michael Carrick can survive the burden of expectation.

Hull City’s return to the top flight guarantees a raucous atmosphere, while United, who reinforced their midfield with the close-season signing of Belgium international Youri Tielemans, will be eager to show that last season’s promising campaign was no one-off.

Big-spending Tottenham Hotspur travel to Brentford on Saturday, hoping to make last season’s pitiful 17th-place finish a distant memory.

Sunday is when the Premier League’s great reset truly comes into focus.

Manchester City begin a new post-Pep Guardiola era at home to Bournemouth. A new manager is in the dugout in Enzo Maresca, key players Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones have departed and, for the first time in years, there are genuine questions about what City will look like.

The challenge is no longer staying ahead of the pack, but perhaps keeping up with it.

LIVERPOOL BEGIN LIFE WITHOUT SALAH

Later on Sunday, Liverpool begin life after Salah and with a new manager in Andoni Iraola when they travel to Newcastle United, whose summer has been defined by sweeping change.

Newcastle embark on a new chapter with Matthias Jaissle replacing manager Eddie Howe and the likes of Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon having departed.

Chelsea’s trip to Fulham on Monday rounds off the weekend with intrigue surrounding one of the league’s biggest rebuilds.

The club have redoubled their efforts to end four years of underachievement by appointing Xabi Alonso as manager and spending heavily again, most notably on England midfielder Morgan Rogers, whose move from Aston Villa for a reported $159 million made him the most expensive British player in history.

With no European football to distract them, Chelsea have little excuse not to challenge much closer to the top of the table this season.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2026