Summary: Phil and Anto are back for a new season of Prime Time Football to take a look at the first week of the new Premier League season, some early takes on the matches that might bear indicators as the campaign marches ahead. We obviously begin with some of the early impressions at Liverpool, Arsenal, a rather interesting encounter at Goodison Park for Everton-Manchester United and what we take from the Newcastle United-Tottenham match where the home team once again gave us reasons to consider them as a wild card yet again. Also in focus is football finances and whether we are seeing the first effects of UEFA Financial Fair Play or a general economic fragility which is taking hold on football clubs in Europe. We talk legislation, climb underneath some of the main talking points where politics, football governance, economics and the future for football are all in the balance as lower division clubs are now at the biggest risk and may spell trouble down the road if not addressed in short order. We also explain the line between a club lacking ambition and a having a sound business model which is now emerging as regulation begins to cut into the core operating philosophy, whether this is a good thing and why, and if in the future more control will be introduced to further this process. We also look at the transfer market and how the smarter teams are now looking at the market differently and why, and if there is indeed an unprecedented level of value in the marketplace when observing the move of Michu to Swansea and how Newcastle, Aston Villa and Everton continue to work the market. In the second part we tackle the issue of Antonio Conte, Juventus, the FIGC and if football federations can effectively combat match fixing without an international body such as FIFA, UEFA or even Interpol at the door to deliver the required resources, leadership and strategies given that this threat is outgunning authorities on the ground with technology and cash. We also examine the factors of the Conte case, why the decision to uphold the ban puts the process into doubt and if international football authorities in their monitoring of betting patterns have taken this strategy with a degree of fear that some of their representatives could be implicated or that an investigation at the highest levels could expose organizations already weakened by scandal. Lots here, lots of candid talk and we always look behind the headlines for the real stories that matter.
