The 2018-19 Premier League season has a markedly different feel from 2017-18. This is a campaign of identities, of philosophies, of ideologues.

The change has been evident at the top, where Chelsea's Maurizio Sarri and Arsenal's Unai Emery have stamped their authority upon their sides with remarkable speed. In midtable, Everton finally have a clear playing identity under Marco Silva, and Watford appear more settled under Javi Gracia.

But the pattern is also evident among bottom-half sides, which...

Football's laws are always evolving. In recent years, there have been changes to the kickoff, alteration to the punishment for "last man" fouls and the long-awaited rollout of VAR.

The rules and regulations have not adapted much in terms of clamping down on gamesmanship, and in a way, that is the point: It is not about breaking laws as such but more about pushing their boundaries in search of an advantage.

A popular description of these actions is "dark arts," but what are its major forms? Here...

It was a complex offside situation. Sadio Mane had converted the rebound, seemingly giving Liverpool a 1-0 lead at the Emirates, but a linesman's flag had thwarted him. Mane had been offside when the initial pass was played, but wasn't interfering with play. When he was interfering with play, in the second phase, he'd been level with Roberto Firmino as the Brazilian volleyed towards goal. Mane was onside, the goal should have stood.

From the freeze-frames on the replay, we were looking at the...

If there's been one constant throughout Jose Mourinho's managerial career in England, it's been his love of bold substitutions.

Mourinho, perhaps more than any other manager in the modern game, uses his replacements swiftly, decisively and often unusually. He has made substitutions within the first 25 minutes to completely change formation; he has introduced players primarily tasked with communicating tactical messages to teammates; he's made a half-time treble substitution; he even once made a...

If you want a concise summary of Arsenal's ups and downs over the last decade, the best personification is Aaron Ramsey.

Signed from under the noses of Manchester United in 2008, after Arsenal had challenged Sir Alex Ferguson's side for the Premier League title, Ramsey's purchase was typical of Arsene Wenger during that period: A young, promising technical midfielder who would make significant improvement.

Ramsey's initial performances were composed but a horrific broken leg, suffered in February...

On Saturday, the greatest stylistic mismatch of the 2018-19 Premier League campaign takes place when promoted Cardiff City, managed by Neil Warnock, host Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

The statistics tell the story effectively. Man City's pass completion rate this season is 90 percent, a reflection of their determination to build patiently from the back and move the ball through a technically proficient midfield trio.

Cardiff, on the other hand, have a pass completion rate of just 64 percent....