Summary: As the Premier League is running headfirst from the preseason tours and into the dog days of the transfer window, teams are being confronted with the start of a new season just a week away with lots of questions facing many of the contenders and then we confront the realities of Chinese dominance in the AFC. Joining Anto to discuss the state of the Premier League at a key stage is Ben Lyttleton who helps us consider many of the key off-season moves, where some clubs have made wise moves and others face even deeper questions about value, strategy and longer term objectives as defending champions Chelsea seem to have the other contenders at arms length. We begin with all the moves undertaken at Manchester United and whether they have drawn them closer to a title, what the impact is for Arsenal now that Petr Cech has been acquired, whether Liverpool has signaled yet another change with the arrival of Christian Benteke and if Manchester City has structural problems in delivering the kind of younger player that will set up another period of sustained growth at the top of the league. We also discuss the book in detail - 12 Yards: The Art and Psychology of The Perfect Penalty - against the landscape of some truly shocking penalties this summer during tournament football and uncover a couple of very important truths backed up by data about the act of succeeding with penalties. Then in segment two, Christopher Atkins joins the show by way of Football Channel Asia to review and plot the remarkable rise of Chinese football against the facets of the Super League, Team Dragon and how broad new initiatives in grassroots and coaching appears to paint a mosaic of a national fully engaged and committed to long term objectives both in the region and across the world.
