Man Utd bust-ups, Liverpool no-shows, Arsenal injuries: How big six's pre-seasons are going

The Premier League’s big boys are in the thick of their preparations with the new campaign less than two weeks away and some have enjoyed better fortunes than others throughout pre-season

The 2023-24 Premier League season is coming up fast.

Reigning champions Manchester City head into the new campaign aiming to defend their title and win the crown for the fourth time in a row. They kick off the new season with a showdown with newly-promoted Burnley on August 11.

Elsewhere, Arsenal will be aiming to put together another impressive showing under Mikel Arteta, whilst Manchester United are hoping to continue the progress that they made under Erik ten Hag in the Dutchman's first season. Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool will all also be hoping to themselves back on track after disappointing seasons last time.

Take a look at how all of the Premier League ’s ‘big six’ have been getting on in their pre-season preparations so far.

Manchester City

After claiming an historic treble last term, Pep Guardiola ’s side were afforded an extended break and only made their return to the pitch just over a week ago. Their pre-season fixtures kicked off with a thrilling 5-3 win over Japanese side Yokohama F Marinos.

City had found themselves 2-0 down, but roared back to claim victory. They followed that win up with a 2-1 win against German giants Bayern Munich in Tokyo - James McAtee and Aymeric Laporte getting on the scoresheet.

They could not make it three wins in a row in their most recent outing after falling to defeat to Atletico Madrid. The clash with the Spanish side was a spiky affair.

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Cesar Azpilicueta and Rodrigo de Paul left Jack Grealish irritated with a couple of misjudged challenges - the City man shoving the Argentine in the back and sparking a minor fracas. Guardiola’s side have no more pre-season clashes to tackle before taking on Arsenal in the Community Shield.

It has also been a busy pre-season on the transfer front for Guardiola. Riyad Mahrez has left for Saudi Arabia, whilst Mateo Kovacic has arrived from Chelsea. Nathan Ake has also committed to a new deal at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsenal

It’s also been an extremely busy pre-season for Arsenal in the transfer market. They have broken their transfer record to sign Declan Rice, whilst Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber have also been signed.

The former Chelsea star has been one of the standout performers during pre-season with goals against the MLS All Stars and Barcelona. However, he struggled during the All-Star skills challenge with Havertz failing to hit the target with any of his efforts.

Results-wise, Arsenal have been in decent form. They kicked off pre-season with a 1-1 draw against German side Nurnberg before thumping the MLS All-Stars 5-0. Their most recent outing also saw them beat Spanish champions Barcelona 5-3.

There were a few noticeable absentees against the Catalans, which has given Arteta cause for concern ahead of the Community Shield. Declan Rice, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Folarin Balogun were all sidelined, with each of the trio facing a race against time to be fit for the showdown at Wembley.

Arsenal might drop a hint into the fitness of the three in their final pre-season game. They take on French side Monaco at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in the Emirates Cup.

Manchester United

Whilst Arsenal have just one game left, United fans still have a couple of chances to see their side in action. Ten Hag’s side take on Lens at Old Trafford on Saturday before travelling to Dublin to take on Athletic Bilbao the next day, with vastly different line-ups expected in both matches.

Supporters will certainly hope that their fortunes improve after a series of disappointing pre-season displays so far. Three successive wins over Leeds, Lyon and Arsenal provided a promising start - albeit Lisandro Martinez getting involved in a scuffle with Martin Odegaard against the Gunners.

The Argentine continued that theme in a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid as he got physical with England star Jude Bellingham - albeit he attempted to simmer tensions down after the full-time whistle.

Another Man United star Nathan Bishop also felt the wrath of opponents after a shocking challenge on Wrexham striker Paul Mullin left him in hospital. The Red Devils’ tour of the US ended in defeat to Borussia Dortmund in which there were more tense moments.

Summer signing Andre Onana was pictured ranting at former club captain Harry Maguire, whilst Omari Forson also clashed with German striker Karim Adeyemi before he was hauled off by Ten Hag in the first-half.

Liverpool

After a fifth-placed finish last term, Jurgen Klopp has been putting in work in an effort to get his side back on track. The Reds initially flew to Germany for a pre-season camp and took on Karlsruhe whilst over there.

Despite going 2-1 down, Liverpool eventually secured victory thanks to a late brace from Diogo Jota. The entertainment - and defensive lapses - continued in their next game against Greuther Furth.

Darwin Nunez shone against the German side but Liverpool had Mohamed Salah to thank late on as his 89th-minute strike secured a 4-4 draw. The Reds had no such problems as they took on recently-relegated Leicester in Singapore.

Nunez was again at the heart of things as he opened the scoring before further strikes from Bobby Clark, Jota and Ben Doak. Liverpool’s next assignment pits them against Bayern Munich in Singapore before taking on Darmstadt next Monday in a match to be played at Preston's Deepdale, with Anfield still undergoing renovation work.

Whilst results have caught the eye, most of the pre-season talk has revolved around transfers. Klopp already has a new captain to pick after Jordan Henderson ’s move to Al-Ettifaq.

Fabinho will soon join his former teammate in Saudi Arabia after he was left out of the squad to travel to both Germany and Singapore, with a deal to join Al-Ittihad to be wrapped up soon.

Tottenham

After appointing Ange Postecoglou as their new manager, Tottenham have had anything but a straight-forward pre-season. The Australian’s first chance to see his new side in action came earlier this month with a 3-2 defeat to West Ham.

Spurs had initially fallen 2-0 down but goals from Giovani Lo Celso and Destiny Udogie hauled them level. West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca eventually condemned them to a late defeat.

Tottenham’s next task came in the form of a showdown with Leicester but heavy rain at Thailand’s Rajamangala Stadium saw that game cancelled. Spurs then fell a goal down to Singapore side Lion City Sailors before roaring back to win 5-1, with Brazilian forward Richarlison hitting a hat-trick.

Away from on-the-pitch action, Tottenham's pre-season has been dominated by rumours around Harry Kane and his 'will he, won’t he?' move to Bayern Munich. One reporter took the talk quite literally as he turned up to one of Postecoglou’s press conferences with a Bayern shirt already adorned with Kane’s name.

The stunt did not garner a particularly warm response from the Spurs boss, with the reporter then being banned from attending any further press conferences.

Chelsea

Fresh off the back of one of their worst-ever Premier League seasons, Chelsea have also appointed a new manager. Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has penned a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

The new arrival has already claimed his first trophy with the Blues after leading them to the Premier League Summer Series title in the US. They went undefeated throughout the summer competition with wins against Brighton and Fulham, whilst they were also held to a draw by Newcastle.

Another pre-season fixture also saw Chelsea go up against Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham - the Premier League side eventually securing a 5-0 win. Some of the stars of the Blues’ performances over in America have been their new signings.

Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson arrived from RB Leipzig and Villarreal respectively. The pair have five goals between them during pre-season.

There could yet be more signings to arrive at Stamford Bridge before the new season gets underway, with French pair Lesley Ugochukwu and Axel Disasi poised to complete moves to west London

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