On September 12, Alan Shearer updated his personal column, predicting Barcelona will win the Champions League this season and Haaland will win the Champions League Golden Boot.

Arsenal unlikely to win Premier League unbeaten

I would be very surprised if Arsenal had another unbeaten season. Arsenal's 2003-04 season was unbeaten in the Premier League, which was a remarkable achievement. It's incredibly difficult to achieve in any era. But standards today are higher, and other teams are equally strong. I don't think Arsenal will repeat that feat, but I believe they can still win the league.

Currently, only Manchester City and Chelsea are closely challenging Arsenal, but we've seen Arsenal beat Chelsea, and it was a deserved victory. Arsenal will win the league; they've strengthened their key positions, and squad depth is crucial to their success.

Predicting Barcelona to win Champions League

While I expect Arsenal to dominate domestically, the Champions League this season will be a major challenge for them. With the quality of their players, excellent technical ability, and experience gained last season, they could go far.

However, the big clubs—particularly Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain—will pose a threat once again. For the French club, achieving a treble would be a proud achievement.

This season, I'm backing Barcelona to win the Champions League. That's my pick, and I think they've signed some top players. Therefore, I predict Haaland will be the Champions League's top scorer, and Barcelona will win the trophy.

Assessing Isak's form this season

Isak needs to maintain his current form throughout the season. Ekitike will be absent for a while, so Isak's consistent performance is crucial. If he can do that, Newcastle have a good chance of securing a Champions League place next season.

I'm really not happy with Newcastle's defensive system; they're too loose, and that was evident in Wednesday's match against Atletico Madrid. I think when you concede as regularly as Newcastle, you'll eventually be punished, and you have to stop it.

Isak needs to perform at his best this season, and the team must get the ball to him quickly from the wings and midfield. When opponents defend deep and protect their goal, it becomes quite difficult, and that's when you need to attack from the flanks and deliver the ball to him quickly.

If Newcastle can get the ball to Isak, he becomes a completely different player. Once you put the ball at his feet and he starts attacking defenders, very few defenders can stop him in one-on-one situations.

Barcola needs to improve his finishing

Paris have Gakpo, Barcola, Ngoumou, and Muñoz. Barcola came off on Wednesday with a calf complaint, which is slightly concerning; it seems like more than just a cramp.

Barcola is a top-class player, but he needs to improve his finishing. He had one or two chances on Wednesday night that he should have converted. He's a talented player who can produce brilliant moments for the fans and set the atmosphere on fire.

Referees working to improve VAR

Referees are working hard to improve the VAR system. Last season's performance was unacceptable, and they know it. This season started well, but when you see the decision not to award Arsenal a penalty against Aston Villa, it's clearly a mistake.

Similarly, when Liverpool was awarded a penalty for Alisson's contact with Neco Williams, that decision was also wrong. They released a video 24 hours later, but that's not enough, and we don't want football like this. The information provided on the day wasn't sufficient for me, and although they provided full context about 24 hours later, they couldn't find enough evidence to overturn the decision at the time.

Clearly, I, like everyone else—or most people—feel the same way about VAR. I want the Premier League to have VAR, but I didn't expect it to work out like this.

VAR will never be perfect. Given the number of matches and the constant incidents on the pitch, there will always be some controversy every weekend, and perhaps not all of us will agree on these decisions. But when you hear them talking about thresholds and evidence, and then see a review panel make a decision, you can't help but wonder: exactly what are we dealing with?

I'm sticking with my Newcastle prediction

I'm impressed with Newcastle's form and Howe's performance this season. The late signings during the transfer window, Fernandes-Pardo and Nico Gonzalez, have made a significant impact. But like everything else with Newcastle, it's black and white here. Either they perform brilliantly or they perform poorly. There's no middle ground, no compromise. Currently, they've made a very good start, so everything is positive.

I expect Newcastle to go through some difficult periods this season because the squad is still young and the manager is relatively inexperienced, but they've played five matches and remain unbeaten, so I'm pleased with that.

Newcastle have shown enough quality to suggest they'll have a good season, but I won't change my prediction; I still think we'll finish mid-table in the Premier League.

Rangers and Celtic fans have only themselves to blame

It's unfortunate that this season's Old Firm derby (Celtic vs. Rangers) will have no away fans. I've attended many Old Firm derbies, and they've always been brilliant, but sometimes the atmosphere can get slightly tense. Unfortunately, fans have only themselves to blame.

I can feel the emotions that come with the derby and everything else, and the rivalry between them, but sometimes those emotions cross the line. I've experienced and witnessed it firsthand. So it's unfortunate that there will be no away fans anymore.

This will affect the atmosphere; these matches always have a great atmosphere, and it's unfortunate that there won't be a small number of away fans present, but that's the reality. For safety reasons, they had to make this decision.

Martin O'Neill's performance at Celtic is remarkable

Martin O'Neill has done an outstanding job as Celtic manager, helping the team win the league title last season. I didn't expect him to return there, and once he did, he's stayed, even remaining through this summer. Scottish football standards have clearly declined rapidly in recent years—both Celtic and Rangers failed to qualify for the Champions League this season.

Martin O'Neill is a wonderful character, full of passion, and the fact that he can still manage Celtic at his age (74) shows what football means to him and how much he loves the sport.

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