Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
West Ham defender Zabaleta admits to feeling Premier League intensity
West Ham United defender Pablo Zabaleta has conceded he is feeling the intensity of the Premier League.
The full-back is now into his eleventh season in English football, which will also be his last.
Speculation was rife last term about whether the Argentine would hang up his boots after the 2018/19 season, but he decided to have one more campaign.
How much he will feature this year remains to be seen, but judging by his latest comments, it won’t be too often while first-choice Ryan Fredericks is fit.
: “It’s definitely the best league in the world and I’ve been enjoying my time in England, playing in this league, but honestly I’m not getting any younger and the pace and the intensity of the game are getting really high every year and it’s getting difficult.”
TBR’s view
Zabaleta’s admission is somewhat worrying, and fans will hope Fredericks can play the bulk of the games this season.
In a league filled with electric wingers, there is potential for the Hammers to really come unstuck if Zabaleta comes in to cover at any point.
Perhaps whenever a team with fast widemen come to town, Michail Antonio should get the nod from Manuel Pellegrini, with Zabaleta to be used against less mobile players.