Arsenal enter the new Premier League season as defending champions after ending a 22-year title drought. Ahead of the Aug. 21 kickoff, significant changes have swept through the traditional Big Six. Arsenal alone will start with the manager they had at the beginning of last season, Mikel Arteta. Chelsea have appointed Xabi Alonso, Manchester City have brought in Enzo Maresca, and Liverpool have hired Andoni Iraola. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are retaining Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi, who were appointed during the previous campaign. Arsenal's attempt to win consecutive league titles—a feat they have not achieved since the 1930s—could partly depend on Ben White's fitness. As Arsenal's players collected their winners' medals at Selhurst Park, White was seen wearing a heavy knee brace after suffering a medial collateral ligament injury against West Ham in May. Injuries limited him to 22 league starts across two seasons. In 2023-24, however, he was among the league's best fullbacks, moving inside when required or making overlapping runs alongside Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard. With William Saliba and Jurriën Timber not expected to regain fitness until well into the season, a healthy White would give Arsenal a major boost. At Manchester City, Enzo Maresca faces the difficult task of succeeding Pep Guardiola, the most successful coach in the club's history and a major influence on modern tactics. Maresca worked as Guardiola's assistant during the 2022-23 season and led Leicester City to the Championship title in 2024. During his time at Chelsea, he sometimes struggled to balance end-to-end football with sustained control of matches, although he was working with a very young squad. Manchester United hope Benjamin Šeško can become a dependable long-term scorer. Robin van Persie was the last United player to score at least 20 non-penalty league goals in a season, doing so in 2012-13, when the club most recently won the Premier League. United signed Šeško last summer in the belief that his speed and shooting power would develop into consistent production. In his first season, he recorded 0.51 non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes from 3.36 shots, with both figures ranking in at least the 90th percentile among forwards in Europe's five major leagues. His second year will test how he handles the additional demands of UEFA Champions League football as the apparent first-choice striker. Aston Villa will try to outperform the statistical models again after finishing fourth last season. Their goal difference was plus-7, compared with an expected goal difference of minus-5.7, while Teams Lab's expected-points model placed them 13th. Strong finishing was a major factor, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez also produced a good shot-stopping season. He ranked seventh with 3.1 total goals prevented. The Argentina international is also remembered for denying Randal Kolo Muani in the 2022 World Cup final. Villa will need Martínez to maintain his form if they are to continue exceeding the models. Liverpool have appointed Andoni Iraola after his impressive work at AFC Bournemouth. He guided the club to sixth place and UEFA Europa League qualification despite a below-average wage bill and an emphasis on younger players. Bournemouth's hybrid press and aggressive ball carrying produced an intense but controlled style. At Liverpool, Iraola must demonstrate that this approach can work regularly against deeper defensive blocks. If he can slow the tempo when necessary without sacrificing direct attacking play, he could follow a path similar to Jürgen Klopp's. At AFC Bournemouth, Marco Rose inherits Iraola's team as the club prepares to combine domestic competition with UEFA Europa League football. Bournemouth have added forward Álvaro Rodríguez, who showed promising qualities in Spain, and centre-back António Silva, a prospect previously linked with major clubs. Rose and Iraola both favour high-energy football, although they achieve it in different ways. Rose has experienced some domestic success during spells with Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, but has not sustained major European success over several years. The managerial changes at leading clubs and the added demands of European competition give Somali Premier League followers more than the title race to debate this season. Attention will also fall on how the new coaches adapt and whether the players carrying the greatest responsibility can remain fit and effective.