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The Football Insider with Mikael Silvestre: Onus on Arsenal to take advantage of City's downfall

Clubs will be able to face a much bigger range of opponents with fans being able to see top teams go head to head sooner in the Champions League

Published: Mon 2 Dec 2024, 2:53 PM

Updated: Mon 2 Dec 2024, 3:03 PM

By
Mikael Silvestre

Pep Guardiola is under huge pressure following Manchester City's sixth defeat in seven matches. — Reuters

Here we are at the start of a new season, and everything is up for the taking. I’m going to be talking you through the thrills and spills of the Premier League and Champions League in my new weekly column in a season where really anything can happen.

For those of you who don’t know me, I spent 11 years in the Premier League, the most competitive domestic league which I still consider the number one league that I follow week in week out. After having played for both Manchester United, where we enjoyed five Premier League titles, and Arsenal, this is as much my home as the Champions’ League.

To this day, the Champions’ League is still the most exciting competition in Europe. I had 13 successive campaigns there and these two leagues remain my lifeblood.

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Over my career, I was on the French national team, lucky enough to play twice in the World Cup between 2001 and 2008, amassing 40 caps for the period and winning two FIFA Confederations Cup tournaments.

Mikael Silvestre

But now, me and my family have shifted from Europe to Dubai. The decision to be here was a bit spontaneous, during the second wave of Covid. We were on a trip to the Maldives and stopped in Dubai on the way back home.

We were living in the UK at the time so we decided to stay in Dubai when the announcement about the second lockdown in November 2020 was made. The kids went to school, we rented a place Downtown, and we have stayed ever since.

For families, it’s a great place to be. You can rely on high-level education, there are a lot of sports activities and you have great weather all year round. We love how safe it feels and that there is so much happening from culture to fashion.

My career in sport has also bloomed — now working as a analyst in Qatar for BeIN Sport and Nassr TV in Saudi Arabia. It’s a great time to be in the region as football is only going to improve and develop from here, with Saudi’s World Cup almost certain for 2034. So in the next 10 years this is a very good place to be.

And the season looks set to be an action-packed one too, much less predictable than in the previous years. The title race is super exciting in the Premier League because for once we have a change and Manchester City is not there so it opens the opportunity for Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. I can’t wait to see how this will unfold.

It will also be interesting to watch how Manchester City can recover from the last seven games without a win, a huge blow to this major player in the league. It’s probably the most shocking part of the season so far. And you have new managers all over — Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United. The question now is whether Arsenal will take advantage of City’s downfall. There’s so much happening at the top of the table.

I also have my eyes on Brighton who could also be a surprise package for us in the Premier League. Its new manager is the youngest in the league and they’re in a good position. They have a good team, not to win it, but it could interfere with the top six that everyone is talking about — Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

As Newcastle enters their third season under their Saudi owners, it will also be interesting to see how that plays out in January. We will all be watching to see if they try to reinforce the team and make some changes at the managerial or players’ level. They’re doing okay so far, but everyone expected to see much more in terms of signing big name players. It’s not so simple though. They’re not spending what they potentially could, but with the league’s rules of profit and sustainability, they have their hands tied.

Another thing I will be watching closely is the new format of the Champions League, which is very refreshing. It gives a new way of looking at the competition, shaking up to the routine we had which has the potential to change the dynamics of the final rounds at the end.

With the aim of pleasing the big and small clubs alike, it will also be great for fans. Clubs will be able to face a much bigger range of opponents with fans being able to see top teams go head to head sooner in the competition, making the whole season far more exhilarating.

The question on everyone’s lips is — who are the players to watch out for? But for now, we are really feeling the void of Ronaldo and Messi. We’re still waiting for the successors of these two football greats at the European level who have dominated the football world for so long. They’ve left a huge hole in the game and for now, there is nobody up to their level yet. There is some work to do to reach that.

So, in the meantime, anything can happen and it looks to be an amazing season ahead.

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