The Premier League's summer narrative was set nice and early: Liverpool's excellent transfer business, combined with their stellar 2018 form, got chins wagging over a serious title race between themselves and Manchester City. It would be more competitive this time, more compelling, and it would be the story of the campaign.
Or so we thought.
While Liverpool's tussle with Manchester City is hardly a non-story, it's Chelsea's emergence as both a potential title contender and a stylistic rival to Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's charges that's whipped up more interest and intrigue than anything else.