Saturday Off Topic: Ten Clubs To Watch in 2020-21

With football's slightly delayed 2020-21 season set to start soon (except in Scotland where they have already started) I thought I'd take a look at ten clubs to watch next year.

Literally half the Championship

Aaaaand one entry in and I'm cheating. Yes, that's great. But the thing with this year's championship is it's genuinely hard to focus on just one club. Wycombe Wanderers are the obvious choice, having been promoted for the first time in their history to the second tier. But there are so many other story lines: Can Watford, Norwich and Bournemouth, three very different clubs, bounce back? How will Brentford cope with losing that playoff final? (please be badly) How will Bristol City's unpopular new manager Dean Holden, and Huddersfield and Bournemouth unknowns Carlos Corberan and Jason Tindall, fare? Can Coventry, back for the first time in 10 years stay up? What about Barnsley, bailed out by Wigan's bankruptcy, and Sheffield Wednesday, facing a deduction of their own? Plenty of intrigue this year.

Barrow AFC

Barrow are an interesting case. They've just been promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history, through a rather special brand of football. Dubbed 'Barrowcelona', manager Iain Evatt somehow made a team of non-league players play football like the Catalan giants, focusing on possession and incisive passing (which, when you consider they're playing at the same level as the infamous Pie Man, isn't too hard if you have good enough players, just has never been done before). But Evatt left the club over the offseason, and the question is can another ex-Premier League player in Blackburn legend David Dunn keep them up? Other interesting storylines in League Two will follow Stevenage, recently reprieved from relegation; Bolton, who have signed Evatt; and Harrogate, another team playing their first ever EFL season.

Espanyol

There's a few interesting stories in Spain this year. The most interesting is Deportivo la Coruna, but there's still an appeal to save themselves from relegation, so I can't include that. I'll go with Espanyol then, relegated for the first time in 26 years. They definitely have the quality to go back up but they could be ransacked, particularily in this current financial climate. Other stories to watch include another relegated club in Leganes, CD Logrones who bring back pro football to Rioja after a twenty year hiatus, and realistically the entire third division as a new third pro tier is being introduced in 2021-22, giving massive incentive for current third tier clubs to have a good season.

Monza

Monza are a club on the up. They won Serie C last year, and will play in Serie B. They've also signed some high profile players including strikers Christian Gytkjaer and Mirko Maric, as well as ex-Genoa keeper Eugenio Lamanna. They seem serious, but just how high can they finish in the league? The promotion playoff isn't done yet but if La Spezia win, they will be in Serie A for what is technically the first time ever (their 1 Italian championship was in a wartime 1944 tournament). Also of note is that Juventus, the reigning 9-time champions, are under a new manager and look set for an overhaul this summer; can Inter, Atalanta or Lazio pounce and take a Scudetto?

Borussia Dortmund

Dortumund are a big club- they just spent 20M on a 17-year-old. They have a brilliant team right now- the experience of Mats Hummels with young superstars such as Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haland. In fact, they're a logical tip not just for the Bundesliga but for next year's Champions League. The question is if they can conquer the mental demons that cost them silverware this year. Arminia Bielefeld will also be one to watch, playing in the top flight for the first time since 2008. Also, Werder will have a wave of momentum from pulling off a great escape, and what of the once great Dresden, relegated to the 3.Liga?

Reims

France's stories aren't so much interesting lower down this year, but moreso in the fight for European spots. Everyone has their tale. I'll focus on Reims who appear to have returned to former glory, qualifying for Europe this year for the first time since 1959. But every club from 3rd to 7th has something interesting. Lyon (and ninth placed Monaco) will be raging to get back to their former glories and to Europe, Nice are stably fifth but could be shifted by those two clubs who struggled this year, Lille have a great young generation and plenty of cash from selling Victor Osimhen, and Rennes similarily have a great young generation, but their centrepiece Eduardo Camavinga could be gone soon.

Basaksehir

Onto some of the smaller leagues, and Turkey have a transitional season this year. They will have 21 clubs in the Super Lig, then 20 next season and that figure permanently. Basaksehir are the reigning champions for the first time in their history, and the public are not pleased. Erdogan's team will be hated wherever they go, but they have the class to go back to back. Elsewhere, runners-up Trabzon have no European football and a decision- sell or keep top scorer Alexander Sorloth? Bursa somehow didn't get promoted from the 1. Lig, while Hatay and Karagumruk are both playing Super Lig for the first time in a long time.

AZ-Alkmaar

Ridiculously unlucky to not claim first last season (losing it on goal difference), it may be this season or never for AZ. While Ajax's squad is strong, AZ has many wonderkids and could pose an even bigger challenge this year should the likes of Myron Boadu, Calvin Stengs, Owen Wijndal and Teun Koopmeiners. The midtable will also be interesting, pitting last year's best of the rest Willem II against Chelsea affiliates Vitesse, cash-strapped but having Arjen Robben Groningen, Utrecht who have Aussie wonderkid Dan Arzani, and my personal favourite Heracles Almelo.

Portimonense

Portugal's league had an interesting finish this year. While Porto cruised to the title due to some fragilities within Benfica that cost boss Bruno Lage his job, the relegation fight between Portimonense and Setubal was spicy. With one relegation spot between the two (Aves, the bottom team, being a shocking 16 points back), it ended up swinging the way of Setubal with Portimonense relegated in 17th. But then Setubal were declared insolvent, and administratively relegated to the third tier (as, very unsuprisingly, were Aves). Can Portimonense make good of their second chance?

Heart of Midlothian

Finally, we go to Scotland's season, which has already started. And while Rangers have set themselves up to go for the title again (apparently) by signing Swiss wonder Cedric Itten, more attention in this case is deserved further down the table. Livingston will be under pressure to repeat their remarkable fifth last year, while Hearts were very displeased with their first relegation since administration in 2011, trying (and failing) to sue the SPFL. Their campaign in the Championship will be watched with interest.