Liam Barnes

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson has recently experimented with a bolstered midfield at the expense of wingers. And the Scot has seen positive results gained. It has been a canny move.

One of the finest players of the Premier League era, Steven Gerrard has shown remarkable loyalty to Liverpool. It has come at a cost however, with a medal haul thinner than many of his contemporaries and a Bryan Robson-esque late title looking unlikely.

Wales have started their tilt to reach the 2014 World Cup in the worst possible fashion, with stars like Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale robbed of the verve with which they played towards the end of Euro 2012 qualifying.

The season may be young, but the Champions League is already under way. A foretaste of the quality to come, the qualifying rounds nevertheless signal the march towards what will be a vastly competitive group stage, with new names ready to surge.

Andre Villas-Boas has landed at White Hart Lane looking for managerial redemption with Tottenham Hotspur – yet the challenges facing the Portuguese are formidable. The former FC Porto coach will hope to avoid a repeat of his spell at Chelsea.

Fernando Torres has been the main beneficiary of Chelsea’s upward surge under interim manager Roberto Di Matteo. And at the heart of his and the side’s recovery, has been the 4-2-3-1 formation and its pragmatic nature.

Aston Villa, Hamburg and Genoa can all be counted as clubs of a substantial size in English, German and Italian football respectively. Yet all have slumped and, with a failure to adapt to the changing football landscape, could tumble further.

Roy Hodgson is set to bounce back from a disastrous spell at Liverpool to take the most important job in English football, as England manager. The 64-year-old may not be the people’s choice, but he is a safe and sensible option.

Spain’s La Liga is glorying in the regular participation of its clubs in the latter stages of the Champions League and Europa League. But Spain’s dominance is set to be tested.

The summer is usually dominated by player transfer talk, but this year could see a major shift in managers across the English Premier League. Everton’s David Moyes and Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp could be just two of those at the very centre.