As the start of the season rapidly approaches, the Premier League’s elite have travelled to all corners of the world, from Pennsylvania to Perth, for their pre-season matches.
Though one would be foolish to overanalyse the results, it is often a good time to see how new signings are adjusting and what tactical adjustments managers are hoping to implement for the new campaign.
The fixtures also offer a glimpse of youngsters may break into the first team set-up, while clubs will be hoping to avoid injuries to their star players.
So how have the big six (or seven, now) fared so far, and what do they need to still work on with just two weeks until the big kick-off?
Mail Sport discusses the key takeaways from their pre-season matches to date.
Pep Guardiola’s Treble winners have begun pre-season with consecutive victories in Japan
Manchester City
The reigning champions have kicked off their pre-season in Japan with two victories, against Yokohama F. Marinos and Bayern Munich, requiring a late winner versus the latter. Interestingly, it was Kyle Walker who has skippered in both matches, despite transfer interest from Bayern.
On the pitch, Erling Haaland has wasted no time picking up where he left off, netting twice against Yokohama, whilst Rico Lewis has looked impressive in defence.
Lewis, who has agreed a six-year contract extension, appears poised to become an increasingly key player in the squad.
Kevin De Bruyne has been the notable absentee as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, but £25m signing Mateo Kovacic has slotted in nicely to the midfield.
Academy graduate James McAtee has started to showcase his credentials as a squad player, with the midfielder on target against Bayern. The 20-year-old will be looking to get more time off the bench in the Premier League this season.
Going forward, City will hope for more of the same. Their squad depth is as strong as ever, though there will be concern about Nathan Ake, who went off with an ankle injury against Bayern. He was pivotal in the run-in last season and City cannot afford to lose him for an extended period.
Rico Lewis has agreed a new contract at Man City and has impressed so far in pre-season
Summer signing Mateo Kovacic has slotted into midfield after his £25m move from Chelsea
Arsenal
Having narrowly missed out on the title last season, Arsenal made a statement in the transfer market with the £105m signing of Declan Rice from West Ham.
The Gunners have shown inconsistency so far in pre-season. Following a poor performance in a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United, Mikel Arterta’s side fired back by edging out Barcelona in a 5-3 thriller.
There has been plenty of encouragement up front as Leandro Trossard has excelled, with the Belgian getting amongst the goals in the USA. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz is settling in nicely following his £65m move across London from Chelsea.
Major defensive concerns are still a big issue in this Arsenal side, however. Individual errors have been prevalent throughout the team, reflected by the number of goals conceded.
If the Gunners want to mount a serious title challenge again, alongside challenging in the Champions League, they must tighten up in this area.
Having spent big, Arteta must decide who needs to go before the transfer window closes as the Gunners look to trim their squad.
Further big money signings seem unlikely, but more defensive depth will always be desired.
Mikel Arteta’s side have begun pre-season with a victory and a defeat in the United States
Kai Havertz will be eager to impress after joining the Gunners for £65m from rivals Chelsea
Manchester United
Since their statement win against Arsenal, United have suffered two losses, at the hands of Wrexham and Real Madrid. Teenager Kobbie Mainoo dazzled in the first two pre-season matches, but unfortunately limped off early on against Real.
Andre Onana looked very solid between the sticks on his debut, but it has been his abilities as a sweeper-keeper that has impressed more – something that was lacking during David De Gea’s time at the club.
Erik ten Hag has been working out how to set-up his midfield so far, with the Man United boss trying out various combinations as he tries to get the most out of his number 10s.
Summer signing Mason Mount and new skipper Bruno Fernandes have been deployed both centrally and out wide, with neither looking completely comfortable in the wide role.
Ten Hag has been very vocal about the necessity of a proper number nine as United continue to pursue Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund.
They would like to get that transfer wrapped up as soon as possible to ensure that the Dane can get settled in before they kick off the season against Wolves.
Andre Onana demonstrated how he can improve Man United following his move from Inter
Newcastle
The Magpies will be hoping to build on their fantastic campaign last year to properly establish themselves as one of the ‘Big Seven’. Draws against Aston Villa and Chelsea in the Premier League Summer Series show that there is still work for Eddie Howe to do.
Sandro Tonali, who arrived from AC Milan for £55 million, will need time to settle in a Newcastle shirt. Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak have demonstrated their class in pre-season, with the former shining on his return to Atlanta.
Harvey Barnes will be eager to get up to speed after playing just 20 minutes against Villa and missing out entirely against Chelsea. Given his lack of playing time, the £38m signing from Leicester looks unlikely to to start in the opening matches of the season.
Getting Barnes fully integrated will be the main priority. Newcastle invested a lot of money in him, and Howe will hope to see him starting strong, especially since Newcastle have a tricky start to the season. The Magpies boss will also be keen for more defensive reinforcements ahead of the season.
Sandro Tonali is Newcastle’s headline addition ahead of their Champions League return
Eddie Howe will be looking to ensure Newcastle build on their fourth place finish last season
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp has been thrown a curveball this month following the departure of captain Jordan Henderson and rumours of fellow midfielder Fabinho following him to Saudi Arabia.
It has been goals galore in pre-season so far as Liverpool visited the Black Forest for matches against Karlsruher and Greuther Furth.
There has been plenty to love going forwards. Darwin Nunez seems to have shaken off his finishing curse and has looked lethal, combining very well with Mohamed Salah. Luis Diaz also looks back to his best following a knee injury which saw him miss a large chunk of the season.
New midfield signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have been solid, though the former did pick up a minor injury which will interrupt his preparation.
Darwin Nunez has looked lethal in pre-season as the goals flowed for Liverpool in Germany
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will have defensive concerns ahead of the new campaign
There are serious defensive worries though. Joel Matip has looked shaky and Fabinho has been sorely missed in midfield. He will no doubt need replacing, should he depart. On the plus side, Conor Bradley has impressed at right back, earning himself a new three-year contract.
The Reds will require new midfielders and will hope to complete a deal to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton.
Klopp must decide whether he wants to continue to use Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield or revert to his right back role. Either way, an extra signing will be required to plug one of those holes.
Tottenham
Spurs began pre-season with a 3-2 loss to West Ham and then saw a friendly with Leicester rained off in Thailand.
A 5-1 thrashing Singapore outfit Lion City Sailors will boost confidence. Bayern target Harry Kane started that match despite his future at the club looking uncertain.
Richarlison looks most likely to replace the goals should Kane leave, netting an impressive hat-trick in the victory. With two more friendlies remaining, Ange Postecoglou must figure out his plans for the Brazilian going forward.
Having switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation, a decision needs to be made on how to utilise the wing-backs. Pedro Porro is looking strong in attack but there are still question marks over whether he can perform as a conventional full-back.
The main priority will be figuring out Kane’s future. Should he stay, a new contract is a necessity. Spurs cannot afford to lose him for nothing next summer.
If he leaves, Postecoglou might be tempted to dip into the transfer market, but it would be impossible to replace him with a player of the same calibre.
Harry Kane’s future at Tottenham has been the biggest talking point at the club this summer
A hat-trick for Richarlison in Singapore was welcome with Kane’s future remaining uncertain
Chelsea
After a disastrous campaign, new manager Mauricio Pochettino will be thankful for a respectable pre-season so far.
Both Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson have hit the ground running, scoring multiple goals in wins against Brighton and Wrexham, as well as a draw against Newcastle.
Mykhailo Mudryk is also beginning to show some promise following his big money move in January.
Having only scored 38 goals last season, Blues fans will be relieved to see their team looking much more threatening in attack.
Shipping three goals against Brighton will certainly cause a bit of concern. Marc Cucurella continues to look shaky whilst Reece James is still working his way back to full fitness.
Pochettino will hope to get a better idea of what his best starting XI is in the coming weeks. With Chelsea having splashed the cash last year, the Argentine will want to make his team more cohesive, and remove out of favor players from the squad.
As it stands, their squad size is over the limit, so more sales are required.
Mauricio Pochettino is looking to trim his vast Chelsea squad in the coming weeks
Striker Nicolas Jackson, centre, has settled impressively following his move from Villarreal
