Complete A to Z of the 2015/16 Premier League Season

A new season brings the same hopes, expectations and fears. Another thing that never changes is the A to Z.

What better way to preview the 2015/16 Premier League campaign, which is set to begin on Saturday, than to give you a letter-by-letter guide that features all 20 of the clubs and all 26 letters of the alphabet?

Ready? Let's start with A.

A Is for Alex Neil

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From the second tier of Scottish football to the top tier in England in just two years, there have been few more rapid rises in recent football-management history that are quite as remarkable as that of Norwich City boss Alex Neil.

Having led the Canaries back into the Premier League after just one season away, the 34-year-old Scot takes on the biggest challenge of his career as he bids to keep them up in the face of both financial and ability disparity.

Don't get used to that smile, because you might not be seeing much of it.

B Is for Benteke

He's a familiar face in the Premier League, but with his £32.5 million move to Liverpool has come an elevation in status for Christian Benteke. He is now expected to deliver.

The big Belgian has made a fairly impressive start, as evidenced by his fantastic goal on his debut against Swindon Town in a friendly. But pre-season strikes are quickly forgotten about if things don't go to plan when it matters. Given Liverpool's struggles in front of goal last season, he has a lot of pressure on those broad shoulders.

If it goes well, we could be looking at one of the stars of the season. Benteke has certainly got the quality to be that.

C Is for Cech

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Most other summers, the transfer of a 33-year-old goalkeeper who spent most of the previous season on the bench would barely register on the radar, but it's different this time around.

Petr Cech's addition to the Arsenal ranks has raised the already sky-high expectation levels at the Emirates Stadium, so much so that only a prolonged title challenge will be accepted.

Cech brings authority, experience and, most crucially, that longed-for ability to annoy Jose Mourinho, meaning a genuine winner has been added to Arsene Wenger's ranks. Who knows what effect that'll have on the rest of the players?

D Is for Deulofeu

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Unless you have to correctly spell his name semi-regularly, you're probably delighted to see Gerard Deulofeu back in the Premier League—and you certainly are if you're an Everton fan.

The Spaniard is the type of player who'll get crowds up off their seats. And his addition to Roberto Martinez's squad comes at an important time with the Blues seeking to recover from the disappointments of the previous campaign.

Whatever the case, Deulofeu will certainly make them better to watch.

E Is for England Recall

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An England recall is what Rickie Lambert told the Birmingham Mail (h/t the Guardian) he wants to earn off the back of his move from Liverpool to West Bromwich Albion.

It just never happened for Lambert following what had to be almost contractually obliged to be called "a dream move" to the Reds last summer, as Brendan Rodgers only gave him minimal chances to improve both the team's poor form and his own, which produced just three goals in 36 games.

The move to the Hawthorns gives him a fresh start, and he'll be desperate to make the most of it.

F Is for £49M

It might be the case that the full figure is dependent on various conditions being met, and that it has been blown more than a little out of proportion given Manchester City's owners can easily afford it. But Raheem Sterling's transfer fee is likely to hang like a millstone around his neck.

Sterling, 20, is an immensely talented young footballer and a brilliant signing for a City squad that desperately needed an injection of youth and pace. However, if he doesn't hit the ground running, he is certain to attract much scrutiny.

How he handles the pressure could be the making of him.

G Is for Ghana

That's the country represented by new Swansea City signing Andre Ayew, who joined on a free transfer in what has already been hailed as one of the best moves of the summer.

Ayew was a joint-top scorer at the Africa Cup of Nations this year, and he'll add even more of a goal threat and flair to a Swansea outfit that impressed everyone in recording their highest Premier League points total last season.

H Is for Hazard

The best player in the Premier League last season, Eden Hazard, enters the campaign facing one of the biggest challenges a footballer can face: proving your consistency.

Another stellar season that leads Chelsea to glory would further establish the Belgian as one of the shining stars of the modern game. And as he proved with his pre-season goal against Barcelona, there is little doubt he has the tools to do just that.

We might be about to see something special. Again.

I Is for Ibrahim Afellay

Once considered good enough to be plucked from PSV by Barcelona, Ibrahim Afellay's career has been decimated by injuries and thoughts of what might have been.

Four years and only 21 Primera Division appearances for Barca later, he finds himself at Stoke City, who have shed their tough image over the past year or two and look set for a prolonged assault on the top half of the table—one the gifted Dutchman will help with if he can stay fit.

J Is for Jose Mourinho

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He's back, and this time, he's got the added swagger of a reigning Premier League champion.

The Jose Mourinho roadshow will start in earnest again on Saturday, and there is little sign of the Portuguese's words and actions having any less of an impact in the new campaign than what we've seen already.

He'll seek to undermine and get under the skin of opponents for Chelsea's gain, which is what makes the Blues such overwhelming favourites to win the title again.

K Is for Koeman

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Can he really do it again?

Last summer, in his first few weeks in the job, Ronald Koeman lost a whole host of Southampton's important players but was able to replace them impressively.

This time around, he's seen both Morgan Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne depart for pastures new. With the added pressures of both European football and a new level of expectation upon him, can he drag the Saints back toward the big time, or will it all prove too much?

L Is for Little General

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His tears on the touchline after the goalless draw at Arsenal that kept Sunderland up last season showed you everything you needed to know about the Little General Dick Advocaat's passion for the game—despite now being 67 years old and having gone through 21 different managerial spells in his career.

Mackems fans are delighted he's stuck around on Wearside as they're set to embark upon another Premier League season. And with this looking likely to be his final role in the game, it'll be fascinating to see just how he gets on over a whole campaign.

M Is for Mitrovic

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He couldn't get to the end of his first interview as a Newcastle United player without mentioning Alan Shearer, according to the club's official site, and if Aleksandar Mitrovic proves to be half as loved on the Tyneside terraces as the club's former No. 9, then he'll certainly have done well.

The Serbian has impressed with goals for Anderlecht and his national team, and while fans will need a little patience given the fact that he's just 20 years old, he could well be the man to shoot the Magpies away from last season's relegation worries.

N Is for New Faces

It's not just Aleksandar Mitrovic who is an exciting new face in the Premier League this season. In fact, the division is full of them.

Chief among the additions is Manchester United's Memphis Depay. He's already got Old Trafford supporters salivating at the prospect of just what he can do in his debut campaign in English football.

Fellow United arrival Bastian Schweinsteiger, Liverpool's Roberto Firmino and Swansea's Andre Ayew are other exciting additions to the league. We just want it to get started now!

O Is for Ordem 3

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That's the name of the new football Nike has launched for the new season, and it's quite the looker, isn't it?

The giant red patch isn't likely to go down well at clubs whose predominant colour is blue. But aside from that, it's a stylish, modern design that should look good as it busts nets up and down the country throughout 2015/16.

P Is for Playing the Ball (or Attempting To)

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There's a new offside rule in place for the new season, and it's supposed to make things a lot simpler.

Whereas in previous years the offside flag wouldn't be raised if a player was hovering in an offside position but not playing the ball, now they are going to be deemed offside if they even make a motion toward the ball, thereby putting off the opposing goalkeeper.

Former referee Dermot Gallagher claimed on Sky Sports News HQ (h/t Sky Sports) the new rule will make the law a lot easier for people to understand. But you get the feeling we're just an argument or two away from proving him wrong.

Q Is for Quique Sanchez Flores

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How will the new Watford boss, Quique Sanchez Flores, fare during his first experience of English football? Can he get his new players to jell quickly? Will he remain dark and brooding if he's in a relegation fight?

All those are questions we're about to see answered, but he has the experience of over a decade in football management to call upon, and some of the Hornets' new signings this summer are certainly impressive.

Whatever happens promises to be interesting.

R Is for Ranieri

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It's either going to go really well or really badly, isn't it?

There would appear to be no other alternative for Leicester City following the shock appointment of Claudio Ranieri to replace Nigel Pearson, as the former Chelsea boss returns to the Premier League following over a decade away from English football.

It's going to be fascinating to see just how he does, but in reality, he really does have "winning the sack race" written all over him.

S Is for Schmidfield

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Oh, it's awful, isn't it? Sorry about the portmanteau in the headline, but it does tell the story of Manchester United's emphatic strengthening of a position in which they have needed reinforcements for a while now.

Morgan Schneiderlin adds poise and Premier League experience, while Bastian Schweinsteiger brings incredible experience and a sprinkling of stardust.

The two look to be clever additions to the United ranks by Louis van Gaal, and if they can hit the ground running, the sky could be the limit for the club this season.

T Is for Tim Sherwood

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Maybe it is the final proof, if it were needed, that Tottenham Hotspur are a higher-profile club than Aston Villa these days, but the scrutiny over every one of Tim Sherwood's acts and deeds has gone a little quieter.

Keeping Villa up and leading them to the FA Cup final are two fairly heavyweight additions to Sherwood's managerial CV, and he has become less of a figure to be mocked and more one to be respected.

As he enters the first full season of his managerial career, he does so with confidence but with the knowledge of just what could happen if things go wrong.

U Is for Upton Park's Last Stand

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It'll have been West Ham United's home for 112 years come the season's end. But this will be the last year football will be played at the Boleyn Ground—more commonly known as Upton Park—before the Hammers up sticks for the Olympic Stadium.

New manager Slaven Bilic has been brought in to try to make that swan song a successful one, and he'll be under pressure to deliver from some of the most passionate fans in the division.

V Is for Vitality Stadium

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Vitality Stadium is the new name for Bournemouth's Dean Court, which has been rebranded ahead of becoming the smallest ground in Premier League history.

The Premier League newcomers might end up increasing the capacity in their home of more than 100 years during the campaign, according to chief executive Neill Blake (via the Bournemouth Echo). For now, however, it is a ground that holds just 11,700 people, the number that will be in attendance for the club's first top-flight match on Saturday, against Aston Villa.

They'll probably sound like three times as many.

W Is for Watched

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Watched. That's exactly what Harry Kane will be in the new season, as the Tottenham and England forward goes into the campaign with everyone fully aware of just what he can do after 2014/15's stunning breakthrough performances.

Kane's name will be one of the first subjects on the lips of Spurs' opponents, with teams likely to work hard on the training ground to devise plans to stop a player who has very quickly, and deservedly, developed a strong reputation in the division.

X Is for X-Rated Challenges

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How many X-rated challenges will be seen in the new season? How many will Sunderland skipper and wrecking ball Lee Cattermole make?

Midfielder Cattermole, who is actually a better player than many give him credit for, equalled the record number of yellow cards in a single Premier League season last time out, picking up 14 bookings in 2014/15. All were for fouls.

Can he go one better this campaign?

Y Is for Yohan Cabaye

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Yes, Crystal Palace fans, it did really happen.

Eagles supporters have been in a state of bliss since the capture of Yohan Cabaye from Paris Saint-Germain was confirmed. But can the France international really make the difference for the side from south London?

Cabaye was a recognised leader for Alan Pardew at Newcastle, and the prospect of him repeating that form at Selhurst Park means Palace fans are right to be overjoyed.

Z Is for Zabaleta, Zaha and Zouma

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And so we end with the really big issues of the new season, and not ones we've arrived at simply because they are the only three active Premier League players whose surnames begin with Z.

Can Pablo Zabaleta hold down his place as Manchester City's first-choice right-back in the face of competition from Bacary Sagna? Can Wilfried Zaha go on being a lively attacking force in Alan Pardew's impressive Crystal Palace unit? Will Kurt Zouma get enough game time if Chelsea sign John Stones?

The answers to these questions and more are about to be revealed.

Don't go anywhere for nine months.