Plenty of class in 2020-21 for Europe’s top football leagues

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This article was published 11/09/2020 (2208 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The best place to start when looking ahead to the 2020-21 football seasons in Europe’s top leagues is with the best teams from the campaigns that ended, in most cases, just a few weeks ago.

For example, it’s a pretty safe assumption that if anyone finishes above Liverpool in the upcoming Premier League campaign they’ll be lifting the trophy in the spring. The same can be said for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, Juventus in Serie A and Real Madrid in La Liga.

None of this is to say that the titles are done and dusted before the schedules even commence (Ligue 1, it should be noted, began its season late last month), although each of last term’s champions remains strong enough to at least finish in the top two.

In England, where Manchester City might seem the most obvious challenger to Liverpool’s crown, the Reds’ biggest threat could actually be Chelsea.

Coming off an unlikely fourth-place finish in the pandemic-extended 2019-20 competition, the London outfit, already chock full of young talent, have so far added former Brazil captain Thiago Silva, blue-chip defender Malang Sar, former Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell, ex-Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech, German midfield maestro Kai Havertz and striker Timo Werner—the best Bundesliga forward not named Robert Lewandowski.

Manager Frank Lampard & Co. have had far and away the best transfer window on the continent, and the return on their more-than £200 million investment could well be the top of the table come springtime.

Across the Channel, typically big-spending PSG have made the loans of Sergio Rico and Mauro Icardi permanent, but have done nothing else. That is, with the exception of shedding six free agents and trying, for the second summer running, to convince Kylian Mbappe to remain in Paris. Nevertheless, it’s a given that they’ll win a fourth straight Championnat and eighth in nine years is a given, but they might just get a decent push from Olympique Lyonnais.

Fresh off an impressive run in the Champions League, Lyon won’t do much—if anything—to bolster their squad before the end of the month. Instead, their attempt at second place will rely on goals from the reliable Memphis Depay, continued strength in defense through Jason Denayer and Marcelo, and further development from Moussa Dembele, Maxwel Cornet and the impressive Houssem Aouar—that is, if he doesn’t leave for Arsenal.

Canadian fans will also no doubt follow new Lille signing Jonathan David, who, at €30 million, is Ligue 1’s most expensive acquisition of the summer.

Next door in Germany, it will be up to Borussia Dortmund to once again put a bit of pressure on Bayern Munich, who will certainly expect to lift a ninth-straight shield in May.

Jude Bellingham, the former Birmingham City starlet and most-expensive 17-year-old in football history, could find himself a regular starter if Jadon Sancho joins Manchester United, and Dortmund also did a shrewd piece of business—as is their way—by picking up Thomas Meunier on a freebie from PSG.

Rather like Lyon, Die Schwarzgelben need their young players, such as Dan-Axel Zagadou, Giovanni Reyna and Erling Haaland to keep improving week-to-week. They should finish as comfortable runners-up, but treble-winning Bayern, having just added former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane to the ranks, should top the Bundesliga with similar ease.

It will likely be a closer run thing in Italy, where Inter Milan will hope to finally close the gap on Juventus. In fact, Serie A could well be the division most likely to see a change of champions among Europe’s big five.

Having finished just a point back of the Bianconeri last season, the Nerazzurri are yet to do much in the transfer market beyond the acquisition of defender Aschraf Hakimi from Real Madrid. They don’t really need to. Their four losses in 2019-20 were the lowest in Serie A by nearly half, and losing the Europa League Final will have only intensified their hunger for some elusive silverware.

Inter will also be heartened to find Juve in somewhat of a weak moment.

Midfielders Miralem Pjanic and Blaise Matuidi have joined Barcelona and Inter Miami, respectively, and striker Gonzalo Higuain and his 66 goals over three seasons in Turin has also made the switch to Florida. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, will turn 36 in February and won’t be an elite attacker much longer. Biology doesn’t work that way.

Finally, there has really been just the one story dominating the Spanish football dailies of late: the likely, then imminent, then not-so-likely, then not-happening departure of Lionel Messi. He was never, ever going to leave, of course, although the leverage he gained by holding Barcelona hostage means he effectively now controls all football-related operations at Camp Nou. LeBron James’s player-power at the Los Angeles Lakers is feeble by comparison.

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Barcelona, however, begin their 2020-21 schedule as distant second-favourites to Real Madrid, and could perhaps slip behind both Atletico Madrid and Sevilla as well.

It all depends on Messi. Sure, Barca have added Pjanic from Juventus, midfielder Matheus Fernandes from Palmeiras and forward Francisco Trincao from Braga, but if the best player in the history of the sport is uninspired after the summer’s drama those additions won’t matter a jot.

Conversely, if he can coax yet another stunning season at the age of 33, Barcelona could win every tournament they enter.

jerradpeters@gmail.comTwitter @JerradPeters