Premier League: Fosu-Mensah, Chilwell and Ojo the ones to watch in 2016-17

The ESPN FC crew discuss who could finish in the top four this season.

Could this be the breakout year for your club's rising star? Our Premier League bloggers select one young player who could make a name for themselves in the Premier League this season.

ARSENAL: Jeff Reine-Adelaide
The hype over him went into overdrive after last summer's Emirates Cup but a quieter season with the Under-21s was an exercise in managing expectations around the leggy playmaker, who is still only 18. However, he has been promoted to the first-team squad in preseason and has featured in friendly matches to reignite hopes that Reine-Adelaide could make the breakthrough. Quick-witted and even quicker-footed, he will hope for cup exposure at first and then to follow in the path of Alex Iwobi by forcing his way into the full team, if circumstances allow. -- Tom Adams

BOURNEMOUTH: Lys Mousset
Besides arriving for a reported £5.4 million, the 20-year-old attacker is still relatively unheard of in England but did start to make a name for himself in France after playing eight times for their Under-20 team. He's a centre-forward who's also capable of fitting in on either wing, and after scoring 14 goals for Le Havre in Ligue 2 last season, his finishing ability is clearly one of his biggest assets. -- Will Kent

BURNLEY: Aiden O'Neill
Sean Dyche is not known for developing young talent -- nobody has made the breakthrough in his three full seasons at the club -- but perhaps 2016 will be the year that changes. There are a few notable talents in the club's development squad but perhaps the most likely to make an impact is 18-year-old central midfielder O'Neill, given the severe lack of options available to Dyche in this area. Brisbane-born O'Neill has been training with the first-team squad throughout preseason, but a loan spell at a Football League club looks on the cards for the teenager. -- Jamie Smith

CHELSEA: Ola Aina
Aina has been a key member of Chelsea's all-conquering development squads with two UEFA Youth League titles and two FA Youth Cups to his name. A versatile defender who can play all across the backline, he has been training regularly with the first team since the beginning of last season and is as comfortable with the ball at his feet as he is tracking opposition attackers. The 19-year-old has shone in his four preseason outings at full-back to date and with Branislav Ivanovic currently injured, Aina has the natural ability and the confidence to make the most of his teammate's absence. -- Phil Lythell

Ola Aina is seen as a potential replacement for Branislav Ivanovic at Chelsea.

CRYSTAL PALACE: Sullay KaiKai
If there's one youngster who has earned a chance in the Palace first team it is KaiKai. The 20-year-old forward has already made his professional debut and scored, during a League Cup defeat to Newcastle almost two years ago. Since then he has spent loan spells at Cambridge United in League Two (where he won the club's Young Player of the Year) and League One side Shrewsbury (where he ended up top scorer). His pace and directness could be a useful addition off the bench -- and he easily has the best name of any of the youngsters on this list. -- Jim Daly

EVERTON: Mason Holgate
Just as John Stones made the move from Barnsley to Everton in 2013, 19-year-old Holgate is another defender following this path having made the same switch last summer. A prominent and composed presence throughout preseason and able to play right-back or centre-back, two positions Everton lack depth, this could be a breakout year for a youngster chasing a competitive first-team debut. -- Luke O'Farrell

HULL CITY: Josh Tymon
You must go a long way back for Hull City to have produced a player with the promise of Tymon. The attack-minded left-back became the club's youngest player in a generation when making his debut aged 16 in January and has since reportedly been courted by Tottenham and Arsenal. A Premier League debut feels inevitable this season for a teenager yet to be fazed by a challenge that has come his way. -- Phil Buckingham

LEICESTER: Ben Chilwell
The 19-year-old left back has committed to a five-year deal despite strong interest from Liverpool. He has also won two England U21 caps already despite rarely starting for Leicester. This season could be his breakthrough one. Composed on the ball, strong and with an inviting delivery, Chilwell is arguably City's most promising talent. His only problem will be ousting the ever-reliable Christian Fuchs, who doesn't deserve to be dropped. -- Ben Jacobs

Leicester have so far resisted attempts from other clubs to land rising star Ben Chilwell.

LIVERPOOL: Sheyi Ojo
Fast and skillful, the winger returned to Liverpool's preseason almost immediately after going to France with England U19s, showing his eagerness to make his mark. Consistency is always a problem with young wingers but after a bright display against AC Milan, fans will hope he'll be more akin to Raheem Sterling than Jordon Ibe, should Klopp give him a chance. -- Dave Usher

MIDDLESBROUGH: Dael Fry
The 18-year-old was drafted into the first team at a crucial point last season, when Boro found themselves in a bad run of form and key defender Daniel Ayala was out with injury. Fry's performances at that time proved he can be more than just a stopgap, with a confidence and assurance that belies his years and an unflappable approach to holding the backline. He has also featured in a string of preseason games and should the club's quest to bring in another centre-back not come to fruition, Fry can expect to make some Premier League appearances this campaign. -- Catherine Wilson

MAN UNITED: Timothy Fosu-Mensah
Due to his versatility, Fosu-Mensah could be set for an impressive season. Jose Mourinho has previously looked kindly upon young players who can fill several roles, most recently with Kurt Zouma at Chelsea. And in Fosu-Mensah, he has a player who could be a tremendous asset in his traditionally small squad. Fosu-Mensah has already shown that he can be resilient and intelligent in both defence and midfield at Premier League level. -- Musa Okwonga

Louis van Gaal gave Timothy Fosu-Mensah his debut at Manchester United in 2015-16.

MAN CITY: Tosin Adarabioyo
Adarabioyo's reading of the game and eye for a tackle is up there alongside the more senior professionals that have far more first-team experience. The centre-back looks at home with the ball at his feet and is able to position himself well to be able to steal back possession or intercept, and could be in a prime position to learn from new manager Pep Guardiola. The only real stumbling block to his progress is likely to be a new incoming defender but, equally, he could be the reason City may be thinking twice about prospective targets' price tags. -- David Mooney

SWANSEA: Stephen Kingsley
Neil Taylor finally has some real competition at left-back. Kingsley made a handful of appearances toward the end of last season in relief of Taylor, notably shining in wins against Arsenal and West Ham, and looks to have the edge on the senior man despite his lack of experience. The Scot is faster and sharper in the final third and has played at centre-back as well as full-back for the U21s, which proves he understands the defensive aspects of the game. It wouldn't be a surprise if the youngster, 22, becomes Swansea's starting left-back by the end of the season. -- Max Hicks

SOUTHAMPTON: James Ward-Prowse
The England U21 midfielder struggled to hold down a regular starting spot under Ronald Koeman but has the chance to make himself a mainstay under the Dutchman's successor Claude Puel, who has been briefed to use more homegrown players. Ward-Prowse has proved his ability to deliver top-class set pieces but he needs to produce more from open play to prove his worth to Puel and the Southampton fans. -- Alex Crook

James Ward-Prowse is a set-piece specialist and is hoping to become a regular under Claude Puel.

SUNDERLAND: Joel Asoro
The 17-year-old striker with dual Swedish/Ghanaian nationality, barely known to most Sunderland supporters a month ago, showed impressive pace and skill on the recent French tour. His coolly taken goal in a July 27 friendly against newly promoted Dijon revealed precocious technique and he could be a short loan spell away from a role alongside Jermain Defoe. -- Colin Randall

STOKE: Julien Ngoy
Having arrived at the club as a 15-year-old amid interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world, Belgian striker Ngoy was fast-tracked through the club's youth system and at 18, he now has his eye on the first team. Having impressed in preseason against Preston with his speed, technique and confidence on the ball, he is expected to feature in the Premier League from the bench and continue his rise. -- James Whittaker

TOTTENHAM: Josh Onomah
While 17-year-old Marcus Edwards is an exciting talent, Onomah, 19, looks set for greater involvement in the first team, having made 19 appearances last season as well as playing for 105 minutes across the two preseason games in Melbourne last week. The midfielder helped to improve Spurs' performance as a half-time substitute against Juventus and he then displayed good movement and neat passing from the start against Atletico Madrid, while hitting the crossbar with a powerful volley. A goal or assist, which have eluded Onomah so far, would give him a valuable boost of confidence -- and he will need to start producing in the final third before too long to retain Mauricio Pochettino's trust. -- John Crace

WEST BROM: Sam Field
Made his debut in the final game of last season against Liverpool and the 18-year-old has caught the eye during the summer, playing both central midfield and left-back. Field is an intelligent footballer, a good passer and has a maturity beyond his years. With West Brom's first-choice midfield pairing of Darren Fletcher and Claudio Yacob not getting any younger, Field could find more chances coming his way this season. -- Matthew Evans

WEST HAM: Reece Burke
Most of the attention falls on Reece Oxford, but it's Burke who should be viewing 2016-17 as a breakout season. A highly successful loan period that saw the 19-year-old win Bradford's Player of the Season accolade last season means Slaven Bilic can't afford to leave the youngster too long on the sidelines this campaign. Burke is principally a central defender but his ability to cover at right-back might be the key to propelling the player into the first team. If Burke needed a further boost to his development, he'd do well to remember Sam Allardyce's glowing appraisal when he handed the defender a league debut in 2015. -- Peter Thorne

WATFORD: Tommie Hoban
Singled out last summer as the young player who could make the step up to the Premier League, then spent most of the season injured. It was the second significant injury setback he has suffered in his relatively short career. But the talented young defender, 22, is back in the first-team squad for preseason and his versatility could yet see him make it in the top tier. Hoban is comfortable on the ball and likes to play it out from defence -- and with some more experienced heads alongside him, he could flourish in a back three. -- Michael Moruzzi
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ICC: Messi starts in Barca win; Real top Chelsea; Green leads Bayern rout

Celtic were out-gunned but not out-classed as they fell to a 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in Dublin.
The Spanish giants named a strong starting XI that included superstar frontmen Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
And while the Parkhead outfit were undone by strikes from Arda Turan and Munir El Haddadi either side of Efe Ambrose's own goal, there was no humiliation for Brendan Rodgers' team.
Real Madrid rode a dominating first half performance to defeat Premier League side Chelsea 3-2 in an International Champions Cup match on Saturday.
Marcelo scored twice and Mariano Diaz added the third to stake Los Blancos to a 3-0 half-time lead. Real appeared to be cruising from there, but Chelsea's Eden Hazard scored a pair of late goals to provide the final scoreline.
Julian Green scored a first-half hat trick as Bayern Munich rolled over Inter Milan 4-1 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The United States international scored goals in the 7th, 30th and 35th minutes to help the defending Bundesliga champs to a comfortable victory over the overmatched Serie A side.
French star Franck Ribery added a 13th-minute goal for Bayern on a dominant day for the Germans. Mauro Icardi scored a late consolation goal for Inter.
Liverpool broke down a stern AC Milan side, winning 2-0 thanks to strikes from Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino.
Jurgen Klopp's team started the game brightly, enjoying most of the possession against a compact and organised Milan.
But there was a lack of end product to their build up and Milan goalkeeper Gabriel had to wait until the 41st minute to be forced into any work.
A stale game came to life following six changes for the Reds at the break. In the 59th minute, Origi picked up the ball in inside the penalty area and displayed wonderful feet to shift it on to his right and curl into the bottom corner.
A second goal quickly followed as Sheyi Ojo's deflected shot made its way to the back post where Firmino was on hand to tap in.
Leicester City were convincingly beaten 4-0 by French champions Paris Saint-Germain in Los Angeles.
PSG totally outclassed the Foxes and although friendly results don't matter the defeat will serve as a timely reminder to stay grounded ahead of the new season.
PSG took the lead just before the half hour mark from the penalty spot thanks to Edinson Cavani. Daniel Amartey, who didn't look comfortable in defensive midfield, was guilty of bringing down Jonathan Ikone.
Leicester conceded a second just before half time as PSG out-Leicestered Leicester. Unai Emery's side looked devastating on the counter-attack as the lively Ikone rounded off a deflected Thomas Meunièr cross.
Another fluid counter attack killed the game. Substitute Lucas Moura headed in Maxwell's cross and just before full-time teenager Odsonne Edouard finished from close range to wrap up an emphatic victory.
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Jurgen Klopp hails Liverpool's 'dominant football' against AC Milan

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp says that he's happy with how Liverpool is playing, but knows there's room for improvement.

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp put Saturday's 2-0 win over AC Milan down to the team's impressive performance rather than individual ability.
The Reds ran out convincing winners at Levi's Stadium in the International Champions Cup fixture with second-half goals from Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino.
Origi broke the deadlock against the Serie A outfit following a wonderful strike in the 58th minute, with the Belgian striker impressing in his first appearance of the preseason.
However, Klopp insisted in a news conference after the meeting with the Italian side that the victory came from efforts by all those that featured.
"Everybody knows about the potential of Divock Origi. I understand that after a game like this you name single players," Klopp said.

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"But I think, especially tonight, it is not the night to talk about single players. If you want to talk, then it's [about] the style of play, the dominance we had, the passing.
"The situation we had in the first half -- we played brilliant, we did the right thing, we did the right thing, we passed all time until we were through. We created chances, we didn't score -- that's right. Of course, you need a finish but that will come 100 percent."
He added: "I said before the game that I'm really happy about the opponents because Italian teams are always organised and they make problems and you will always struggle with different things in a game because it is not easy to play them.
"We did really well and scored the goals and wonderful goals [and] had one or two more chances. In the first half we had four or five big moments.
"Playing dominant football like this and then reacting on balls we lose, like we did in the counter-pressing situations -- that's the only moment where there should be a little moment of hectic, all the rest should be calm and dominant.
"I'm pleased with the performance of the whole team."
Meanwhile, the Reds boss admitted that he is unsure on whether young winger Sheyi Ojo will remain with the first-team squad this season or head out on loan to gain regular action and experience.

Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool's ability to win back the ball after they lost possession.

The 19-year-old joined Klopp's team on the preseason tour immediately after taking part in this summer's under-19 European Championships with England.
"I don't know, we have to see," The German said. "He's a wonderful player that's for sure. His future is 100 percent at Liverpool. [But] the near future, we didn't make decisions. I don't think we have to make decisions so early.
"We have time and we have to use the time. We have already a few injuries, nor the biggest but in the wrong positions, I would say. We have to be cool enough to train and to make the boys as big as possible and Ojo is with us since five days, he came to us direct from the tournament. We will see but his future is at Liverpool."
Glenn is ESPN FC's Liverpool correspondent. You can follow him on Twitter @GlennPrice94.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores as Man United overcome Galatasaray

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four minutes into his Manchester United debut. Getty Images

8:35 PM BST

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic made a dream start to his Manchester United career by scoring acrobatically in just the fourth-minute of his debut as they won 5-2 against Galatasaray in Gothenburg with Wayne Rooney netting twice.
United had to recover from a 2-1 deficit at half-time but they out-played the opposition in the second half with Antonio Valencia eventually setting up three of the team's goals.
It meant that Ibrahimovic could enjoy both his personal contribution and the end result, as he made a glorious return to his homeland of Sweden.
United manager Jose Mourinho again fielded a starting line-up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ibrahimovic beginning as the advanced striker, Rooney behind him and Anthony Martial wide left with Henrikh Mkhitaryan wide right.
After all the hype surrounding Ibrahimovic and talk of 'Zlatan time' from the club when promoting his move, a strong start to his career at the club was just what he needed. Zlatan time in this match came when Valencia delivered an impressive cross and Ibrahimovic met it with a scissor kick that bounced and nestled into the net.
United carried on looking the better side but a familiar problem from their days under former manager Louis van Gaal - a vulnerability against set-pieces - reared its head and allowed Galatasaray to equalise in the 25th minute. The free kick was delivered from Wesley Sneijder and an unmarked Sinan Gumus headed in.
Galatasaray were finding some more drive and David De Gea was forced into two saves in quick succession, tipping over an strike from Sneijder then palming away a header by Yasin Oztekin.
The Turkish team still managed to snatch the lead before the break though, as Bruma exchanged passes with Gumus then struck in a well-worked goal.
In the second half, Rooney - who had struggled in the first period - was the only one of the front four who were kept on the field, rather than being substituted, and he quickly showed that he was in the mood to make amends.
First, he touched in the equaliser from another Valencia cross.
It was much better from United and a key to that was the impact made by Marcus Rashford, who made a fine run and rounded goalkeeper Fernando Muslera before being hauled down by the goalkeeper and winning the penalty. Rooney had the courage to take the spot-kick and struck in to give United a 3-2 lead.
United were overpowering their opponents and added a fourth goal when Valencia delivered for Marouane Fellaini, who scored with a looping header. Juan Mata then slid in to make it 5-2 after a smart passing move in the build-up, culminating in Michael Carrick lofting the ball across for the Spaniard to finish.

Players to be sold won't play a 'single minute' in Man Utd preseason - Mou

ESPN FC's Paul Mariner once again sifts through transfer rumours as the deadline approaches.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that players who are part of his plans are given game time during preseason.
The former Chelsea manager explained that those who are not in his thinking would not be given a "single minute" of action. That could worry the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Adnan Januzaj, who did not feature against Galatasaray.
Speaking to MUTV after the 5-2 win over Galatasaray in Gothenburg, Mourinho was asked about players who came on and whether or not they had demonstrated they are in his plans.
He replied: "Well, if they were not in my plans, I would not give them one single minute. I wouldn't keep them in my squad."
He added that players with a squad mentality would be valued, explaining: "To be in the squad, you have to understand that the squad is more important than the individual, the club is more important than all of us."

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Marcus Rashford became a regular starter under former manager Louis van Gaal at the end of last season but, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan having arrived in attacking positions, the 18-year-old was a substitute against Galatasaray.
The England forward came on at half-time and was impressive, winning a penalty, which was scored by Wayne Rooney to give United a 3-2 lead.
Rashford claimed that he is happy to see Ibrahimovic at United, explaining: "It's been a massive help being with him, day in and day out. There is a lot to learn from him and hopefully I can bring those things to my game."
Arindam is ESPN FC's Manchester United correspondent. Follow him @ARejSport

How will Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte adapt to the Premier League?

Pep Guardiola addresses Samir Nasri's weight concerns and their chase for John Stones.

They are the ideas men but they are also the idealist and the pragmatist. Pep Guardiola has been the most influential tactician of the last decade. Antonio Conte was the most inspired at Euro 2016. The new Manchester City manager innovates and experiments. His Chelsea counterpart is more strategic and less romantic, designed with victory in mind.
Guardiola has secured notable triumphs and won 73 percent of his matches without it appearing his only objective. He has managed arguably the greatest club side in history, the Barcelona group of 2009-12. Conte coached an Italy team widely described as its least talented in half a century. They brilliantly dismembered Spain, whose personnel and playing style are still testament to Guardiola's gameplan.
Now they have both arrived in England with the added complication that if Roman Abramovich had got his way, Guardiola would have been at Stamford Bridge. Instead, masters of detail are rivals. Together, they ought to raise the standards of the Premier League, making it tactically better and, theoretically, leading to more games being decided in the dugout.
But that poses the question as to how they'll achieve it. Will they use blueprints developed in Barcelona, Munich and Turin, methods that worked with Catalonia, Bavaria and Italy's finest? Or will they turn to something both new to them and yet more familiar to both British audiences and Premier League players?

Guardiola and Conte have won plenty of trophies with their unique thinking. How will they fare in England?

Both Guardiola and Conte have argued that they are not inflexible ideologues. Guardiola marked his unveiling at the Etihad Stadium by presenting himself as an evolutionary, not a revolutionary. He stated he was a humble figure who will adapt to the English game, someone who needed to customise himself to the players at his disposal. There were, he said, only "two or three things I will not change," principles he has set in stone.
Guardiola also refuted Javier Mascherano's suggestion that it takes a year to adapt to his brand of football. "That is not true," he added. "What we want is so simple. What we want is so simple: when the opponent has the ball, take it back as soon as possible. When you have it, move it as much as possible and create as many chances as possible."
If Guardiola has been brought in to transform City, he has instead begun by portraying himself as the continuity candidate. Beyond talk of deploying midfielder Fernandinho as a centre-back and use of a back three for part of Thursday's 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund, his most unconventional ideas -- the 3-diamond-3, 3-1-4-2, 3-3-3-1 or even 2-3-5 formations, all of which he tested at Bayern Munich -- may be on the back-burner until he has first brought a winning habit.
Unlike David Alaba and Rafinha, it's hard to imagine the City full-backs thrust diagonally forward as wing-halves to operate in front of the central defenders. Instead, their duties may be familiar. Guardiola has spent much of his first two games favouring the 4-2-3-1 formation Manuel Pellegrini employed for much of last season.
The formation may be the same, however, but the implementation will be different. At the end of Guardiola's first season in Bavaria, the statisticians worked out that his Bayern's defensive line was, on average, 45 yards from their own goal. In Jupp Heynckes' final season, it had been 36 yards. The chances are that City will push up further, necessitating Joe Hart to operate as more of a sweeper-keeper in the style of Manuel Neuer or Victor Valdes.

Antonio Conte praised the spirit of his players following a hard fought 1-0 win over Liverpool.

As his teams have always averaged at least 65 percent of possession and City had the ball for 55.2 percent of their league games last season, it is likely they will play a more possession-based game, probably with Ilkay Gundogan operating as a pivote. More time will surely be devoted to creating angles for a pass. Guardiola's willingness to adjust to the culture of English football may also result in more traditional tactics: his Bayern team were more direct than Barcelona, indeed averaging the fifth-highest number of accurate long balls per game in last season's Bundesliga (admittedly, they were runaway leaders in the chart for short passes).
One change appears certain to be accelerated but has already begun. Under Roberto Mancini, City's nominal wide men, David Silva and Samir Nasri, came infield at every opportunity. Under Pellegrini, Raheem Sterling offered more natural width and Jesus Navas hugged the right touchline. Guardiola wants wingers to make the pitch as wide as possible, at least until they enter the final third so it creates more space in central positions. In Nolito (already signed) and Leroy Sane (hopefully on the way), he should have the players to do make the pitch as big as possible.
This system hints at Silva playing infield, which highlights another favourite tactic of Guardiola's: the false nine. Lionel Messi became the most prolific ever but it was notable that with a genuine No. 9 at Bayern, Robert Lewandowski, he used an orthodox striker. Sergio Aguero's position seems safe, yet the intriguing element will be offered in his absence: Silva, Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne in particular are potential false nines in the City squad. Guardiola could also opt to use a 4-2-3-1 as Pellegrini did at the end of his reign, fielding two strikers with Kelechi Iheanacho behind Aguero.
This last part is unlikely, and it's also an area where Conte and Guardiola differ.
The Italian is set to pair centre-forwards at Chelsea, probably Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi. He often has done, whether with Bari, Juventus or Italy. It is a break with Chelsea's past; for the past dozen years, their default shape has been a one-striker system. Since the early weeks of Jose Mourinho's first stint in charge, their only real (and mismatched) partnership occurred when Abramovich bought Andriy Shevchenko to partner Didier Drogba; even when the Ivorian and Nicolas Anelka played together, it was usually with the Frenchman on the right.
No side has won the English title while regularly selecting three centre-backs since Arsenal in 1989 and while his Juventus and Italy sides usually played 3-5-2, Conte now seems intent on preferring a 4-4-2 that can be described as 4-2-4; it was the formation he favoured at Bari. Having largely eschewed wingers in the subsequent five years, he will now select two. Conte called himself a "tailor" at his first press conference at Stamford Bridge but is now "anglicising" himself, tailoring his principles to his surroundings. "I adapt my idea of football to my players, not adapt my players in my idea of football," he told ESPN FC this week.

Kante will have a key role to play in Conte's plans as he mulls over using two strikers.

Conte's system may prompt comparisons with the reigning champions, Leicester, and not just because N'Golo Kante is a common denominator. Yet while Claudio Ranieri has proved it is possible to prosper with what had seemed a discredited tactic, Kante's energy can compensate for a numerical disadvantage and the 4-4-2 offers a defensive structure, it can limit a strategist's options.
Conte's Italy were wonderfully flexible, adapting their shape anywhere from 3-3-4 in possession and 4-4-2 without the ball, but as an out-and-out formation it can be harder to create overloads in midfield or get players in space between the lines, whether vertical or horizontal. It was that, as much as anything else, that enabled Italy to outwit and outmanoeuvre more talented teams who used a specialist holding midfielder and roving box-to-box midfielders. Conte may have restricted his options to be clever.
Perhaps he is trying to be more English than the English; Guardiola, too, is suggesting that his Dutch-influenced, Spanish passing game will be more British than his previous teams. With only two central midfielders, it is safe to assume Chelsea will have less possession than City. A shared feature that should appeal to Premier League crowds should be their work rate: Guardiola's pressing game requires it while Conte's Chelsea, particularly in the absence of European football, ought to be fit enough to outrun opponents.

Wijnaldum 'great signing for Liverpool' - former Newcastle boss McClaren

ESPN's Steve Nicol reacts to Georginio Wijnaldum's move to Liverpool and discusses his possible role.

Liverpool have done some shrewd business bringing in Georginio Wijnaldum, two of his former Newcastle United coaches have revealed to ESPN FC.
The Dutch international completed his move from Newcastle on Friday for a reported fee of £25 million, penning a five-year deal with the Reds. Wijnaldum departed the North East after one season, where his 11 goals and five assists could not prevent Newcastle from relegation to the Championship.
The 25-year-old made a move to the Premier League in July 2015 from PSV Eindhoven for £14.5m, signing under then-manager Steve McClaren.
McClaren, who also played against Wijnaldum when managing FC Twente in the Eredivisie, believes the transfer will be good for both parties and says that the all-purposeful midfielder can fit anywhere into Jurgen Klopp's side.
"I think it's a fantastic move for him," McClaren told ESPN FC. "I know him really well from my Holland days when he was at PSV and I always kept my eye on him. I had an opportunity to buy him and I had no hesitation because on the field he can play in various positions, he works and can score goals -- a big asset.
"In Newcastle, he played in midfield, he played a No. 10, he played on right side and left side and he showed his versatility, which was needed. He was a big, big player.
"I used to watch him in Holland a lot when he was No. 10. He didn't adjust to that very well in England and he played in central midfield. He's got to find a best position. As he's getting older, he needs to establish a position.
"But it's a great signing by Liverpool because Liverpool play in that flexible way and [Klopp] wants players who have a high energy, can press, can deal with the ball, can take the ball in tight situations and, most of all, score and assist."
McClaren added: "He's fit, flexible and mobile. I remember one or two goals where he made unbelievable 80-yard sprints to get from one end into the other and in the box.

Back by popular demand... The Melwood lean...#WelcomeWijnaldum pic.twitter.com/lAS8cxIrcQ

- Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 22, 2016

"He always arrives in the box at the right time and has that composure to be able to finish the move, which not a lot of players have. There's more to come -- he's just got to find the best position."
According to Paul Simpson, McClaren's assistant coach during his time at the helm of St. James' Park, the midfielder's leadership skills and attitude were a big reason as to why Newcastle were so keen to make him the most expensive signing of Mike Ashley's reign of the club.
"We could see he was a leader of the team -- the top man for PSV in their championship-winning season," Simpson said. "We just knew that we would get assists from him, goals from him and that was the sort of thing that stood out to us.
"We just thought he was a really creative player who could stand up and grab a game by the scruff of the neck and try and get wins for the team."
Simpson continued: "He can talk a glass eye to sleep when it comes to talking about football. He's someone who can recognise problems on the pitch. If he has the trust of players around him, then he can actually solve any little issues on the pitch. He can see if for himself and, if people are prepared to listen, I'm quite sure he do that for Liverpool.
"I'm sure the experience of Newcastle for a year would have stood him in good stead because, as a young player, he probably hasn't experienced playing in a poor, struggling side. He struggled a little bit with that and actually standing up to the challenge and being the one who then went and took it on.
"When he was right, he was a real standout player for us. A game in particular that you look at, the Liverpool game at home when he was outstanding and got a goal, he was that sort of player who could do that and I think going into a good Liverpool side, he will stand out even more."
Glenn is ESPN FC's Liverpool correspondent. You can follow him on Twitter @GlennPrice94.