by The 2024/25 season is just around the corner. A lot has changed at Liverpool in the off-season, and there have been some changes in the top division as well.
A new era is upon us as Arne Slot looks to build on the foundations left by his predecessor, and that includes a return to the Champions League.
There’s a lot for the Reds to deal with, and Slot has a lot to deal with too, so let’s take a look at what’s changed in the Premier League for the 2024/25 season.
The 3 newcomers
The new season sees Leicester And Southampton Return to the top league after only one season in the championship.
In addition, Ipswich Townwhich finished second in the table and thus gained promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, having last been in the league in 2001/02.
The Reds will of course face Ipswich on the opening day and will face the other two promoted teams until Boxing Day.
Semi-automatic offside
Premier League clubs have unanimously agreed to use semi-automatic offside technology (SAOT) for the 2024/25 season – this has been a long time coming!
The technology uses limb tracking to determine whether a player is offside or not, speeding up a process that is notoriously time-consuming.
The Premier League will use the same cameras and software that UEFA uses in the Champions League, with assistant referees being informed of the technology’s decision via their earpiece.
It is not expected to be operational until “after one of the international breaks in the autumn”.
Team news will be published earlier
If you are used to checking your news feeds an hour before a game to get team news as soon as it is released, you need to change your habits!
From this season, Premier League teams will confirm their starting lineups 75 minutes before kick-offThe change comes as part of their efforts to adapt to UEFA competition.
So with a kick-off at 3pm, we will know at 1.45pm who is starting for Liverpool.
Another new ball
Inspired by the past. Ready for the future.
Introducing the Premier League 2024/25 @Nike Flying ball, available from @nikefootball Now.
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 22, 2024
Its shape hasn’t changed, but the new ball is purple, yellow and white – and you’ll see it a lot this season.
For the fifth year in a row, the Nike Flight Premier League ball is made with AerowSculpt technology, which ensures that air flows seamlessly around the ball for a more precise flight.
This is the 25th season with Nike as the Official Ball Supplier of the Premier League.
New faces in the hot seat
Our own Arne Slot is on that list, taking charge of the English top flight for the first time. The departure of Jürgen Klopp now means that Pep Guardiola is the longest-serving manager in the Premier League.
The Dutchman is not alone with his new venture. Fabian Hurzeler (Brighton), Enzo Maresca (Chelsea), Kieran McKenna (Ipswich) and Russell Martin (Southampton) is in the hot seat for the first time in the Premier League.
One cannot help but wonder how long Maresca will stay at Chelsea.
Other changes include Julen Lopetegui taking over as coach at West Ham and Steve Cooper at Leicester.
VAR improvements … we hope
Premier League clubs voted to continue using the VAR service over the summer, but agreed that improvements were needed (that may be an understatement!).
The focus for improvements is on six key areas:
- 1. Maintaining a high barrier to VAR intervention for more consistency and fewer interruptions
- 2. Reducing game delaysespecially through the introduction of semi-automatic offside and the high hurdle for VAR interventions
- 3. Improving the fan experience by reducing delays, referee announcements in the stadium after a decision change after the VAR
- 4. Collaboration with PGMOL in the implementation of more intensive VAR training Improve consistency, focus on process speed while maintaining accuracy
- 5. Increasingly Transparency and communication around VAR
- 6. The implementation of a VAR communication campaign for fans and stakeholders should to further clarify the role of VAR to participants and fans
New officials
The Premier League has promoted two officials to its team for the new season: referee Sam Barrott and assistant referee Craig Taylor come from the development group.
Yorkshire-born Barrott has taken charge of 15 top-flight matches to date – none involving Liverpool – while Staffordshire-born Taylor only made his Premier League debut in January.
Let’s hope Slot has more luck with the referees than Klopp ever did!
No winter break
It has been on and off the program for years, but this season there will be neither a winter break nor a mid-season break.
The Premier League removed the game from the calendar to allow a mid-August start date, arguing that this would give players a longer summer break when they should have been given all three weeks off.
In the 2023/24 season, the top flight split a round of matches to ensure that one half of the league had a break and the other half played before turning the whole thing around – which seemed to work well, but obviously didn’t!
