Powder-puff tackles, second-half elevens, the usual array of “the boys are edging back to fitness” comments when things go awry – pre-season friendlies are often predictable affairs. They are however, useful as a blueprint for a Premier League manager’s thinking before the real business starts in mid August.
Many of our potential signings have already been in action and a number of notable performances have cropped up. Martin Petrov put in a a full shift for Bolton in their 3-0 win over Charlotte Eagles and capped it with an assist and goal. Jack Rodwell notched in Everton’s 2-0 win over Melbourne Heart – a game in which young full-back Seamus Coleman also caught the eye with an assist. As for Blackburn Rovers, they may have played out a stalemate with Austrian side Strum Graz but Big Sam’s 3-5-2 formation offered a glimpse at his tactical thinking for the season ahead. Three centre-backs and the Fantasy fancied Martin Olsson at wing-back? It looks a possibility already…
The doors are of course very early but as the weeks go by we should start to get a picture on the lineups and formations that we’re likely to see come August 14. Keeping up with all this will take some doing with friendlies this evening and plenty over the weekend; that’s why we’ve put together this pre-season form guide that will help you track all the results, team news, tactical trends and the standout players so far.
We’ve been making some tweaks today and have updated it with all the latest and will work at keeping this ticking over as the friendly matches roll by. You’ll find a link in your menu bar at the top of the page for easy access.