Let the games begin....
With the new season only a week away the team reveals their predictions for the coming 9 months...
Oskar's Predictions
1 Arsenal
2 Liverpool
3 United
4 Chelsea
5 Man City
6 Tottenham
Bottom 3
18 Wolves
19 Burnley
20 Portsmouth
Top Scorer
Dimitar Berbatov
In what has been an off season that has been characterised more by subtraction then addition, the landscape of the top of the premier league has seen significant upheaval.
While it is big spending Manchester City that have grabbed the headlines with their lavish spending, the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso are likely to cause just as much commotion as Arsenal’s Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor. While three of last year’s top 4 are involved in this wheeling and dealing, it is the final member of the group who are conspicuous in their absence. Chelsea are many people’s favourites for the title this year, often because of the virtue that their pre season has been the most settled. There have been no high profile departures from Chelsea this year, despite sustained interest in Ricardo Carvalho, Joe Cole and most of all, John Terry. The fearsome Michael Essien continues to draw the plaudits and Didier Drogba’s signature on a 2 year contract extension will have caused more wrist related pleasure to Chelsea fans then they ever could have thought possible. However despite this, I believe the blues will finish fourth this year.
Let’s be honest – they will stroll into the champions league places. I simply can’t see City disturbing the top four this season, at least without the addition of a quality defender. But if Carlo Ancelotti’s record in charge of a bunch of pensioners is anything to go by, league glory is a long way away from Chelsea’s grasp just yet. In charge of a settled, talented but grey Milan team, Ancelotti won only one scudetto in what is a very long time in Serie A football. It is still astonishing that Galliani, Berlusconi et al deemed to keep him in a job given his last few seasons at Milan. With Yuri Zhirkov the only major addition to a side that needs major freshening up, I can see Chelsea adrift of the other big 3, although don’t be surprised to see them finally succeed in Europe.
Manchester United are perhaps the hardest side to predict this season. The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly going to have a big effect on the champions, with many games last season won solely through the magic right foot of the world’s best and most arrogant player. Replacing his goals is going to be a huge challenge for United, but not so much I would suspect as winning the midfield battle. The anonymous performance of Anderson in the champions league final suggests the talented youngster has a bit more to go before he is good enough to be a mainstay in this side, and despite Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher being useful players, neither would instantly command a place in the midfield of Chelsea or Liverpool. On the flanks, Luis Antonio Valencia is an exciting prospect who one suspects may struggle at this level, while neither Giggs nor Nani would inspire any fear into the opposition. While I have a feeling that this is the season Wayne Rooney will be exposed as being far from world class, I also feel that Dimitar Berbatov is the man who will get the goals for United this season. Marginalised under the reign of King Ronaldo, the Bulgarian maestro will live up to his £30m fee this year, and I predict will be this season’s top scorer. The defence will be rock solid as usual, and Ben Foster will claim the England number one jersey but there isn’t enough bite in midfield to sustain a title challenge, despite three victories on the trot.
Liverpool were originally my favourites to win it all this year, but the departure of Xabi Alonso has left a gaping void in the middle of the park. Benitez has done well to get £30m out of Madrid for a defensive midfield player, but neither Lucas nor new boy Alberto Aquilani is the answer here. Liverpool have lost their heartbeat, and while they are far too talented a side not to challenge for the title, I fear they will come up slightly short, by 3 or 4 points. While it is hard not to rate a side that boasts a motivated Steven Gerrard, a fully fit Fernando Torres, a consistently excellent defense upgraded by an £18m full back and the vastly underappreciated Dirk Kuyt, it is hard to escape the notion that Liverpool without Alonso is the equivalent of an Arsenal without Fabregas.
It is this very Arsenal who I believe are this year’s champions in waiting, despite their 9-1 price tag with the bookies. Arsene Wenger has the look of someone who has indentified the problems in his team and who knows how to fix them. A combined fee of £39m for Adebayor and Toure is masterful business, and although the Frenchman has not yet spent the proceeds, I expect a midfielder with steel to be recruited to help Fabregas in the centre of the park. Thomas Vermaelen, despite his much cited lack of height, is an astute addition to the squad, and Johan Djourou is deserving of an extended run in the first team. Two top class full backs and an underrated keeper give Arsenal a solid look, but expect to see Wenger’s failed 4-5-1 experiment manifest itself into a 4-3-3 with the lethal Arshavin and the brilliant van Persie complementing Nicholas Bendtner in the centre. The mercurial 17 year old Jack Wilshere has looked excellent in pre season, and based on how much he has bulked up I expect him to play a big role in the gunners season this year, although Theo Walcott may find himself marginalised. Wenger’s patience has been both his virtue and his greatest flaw, but I feel that this is the season he will be rewarded. The Arshavin compromise with his philosophy has added a new dimension to the team, and with so much attacking talent in one side I can see Cesc Fabregas lifting the premiership trophy this season.
At the other end of the table, the only team I see surviving of the newly promoted threesome is Birmingham City. Alex McLeish appears to have heeded the lessons of his relegation season by bringing in some foreign talent in the form of the powerful Christian Benitez, who despite an injury which will rule him out of the start of the season, has potential to be an excellent signing for the blues. The astute purchase of Roger Johnson from Cardiff City along with a solid spine to the team makes them survival material in my book. I hate Phil Brown as much as the next man, but I believe his patience in the transfer market will be rewarded with another season in the top flight. Seyi Olofinjana adds beef to a midfield that desperately needs it, and the addition of Jozy Altidore could in my opinion prove to be a masterstroke that allows Brown to take the pressure off Geovanni.
Wolves survival prospects can be shot down in two words: Mick McCarthy. Burnley’s can be killed off with a swift glance at what is a bloody awful squad. The established side I fear for this year is Portsmouth. Virtually unrecognisable from Harry Redknapps FA cup winners, the farce surrounding their takeover bid has put the south coast side in massive danger of relegation this year. If Sylvain Distin leaves the sinking ship for Liverpool as expected, they will lack solidity as well as bite – let’s not forget that Kanu and David Nugent are their only two strikers as of now. They look relegation certainties to me, and probably face a reunion with Milan Mandaric in the 2010/2011 championship season.
That’s it for my preview – for the record Barca win the Spanish league, Inter the Italian, Stuttgart the bundesliga and Chelsea the champions league. Here’s hoping for a great season.
Shane's Predictions
Top 6:
1 Chelsea
2 Man U
3 Pool
4 Arsenal
5 Everton
6 Man City
Bottom 3
18 Hull
19 Portsmouth
20 Burnley
Top Scorer
Anelka
Compared to last year’s squads none of the top four have yet strengthened (by the time the season begins Chelsea will probably gazump me by signing David Villa and Franck Ribery) and in fact you could argue that Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal have gotten weaker in comparison to last year. As a result my favourites for the title this year are Chelsea.
For the last few years Chelsea have had the strongest squad in the Premiership and if it wasn’t for the revolving door fixed outside their manager’s office I believe they would have won a lot more. They have remember been extremely close, in ’08 they lost the Champions league and Carling Cup finals and were pipped to the premiership on the last day. After last year’s much talked about semi with Barca they can again count themselves unlucky/robbed not to have got the chance to atone their previous years champions league final defeat. In terms of their league campaign last year they definitely suffered from the instability of Scolari’s departure but a worrying stat for Ferguson et al is that Chelsea picked up 34 points from the last 13 games of the season when a steady manager arrived. I predict Ancelotti to have a similar effect as Hiddink, he’s been hugely successful with a ‘mature’ squad at Milan and will have a similar age profile at Chelsea. Not that thats important, what is important is how he sets his team out. The Italian favours a midfield diamond which will liberate Frank Lampard. Unlike Scolari, he will benefit from the energy of a fully fit Michael Essien and a focused Didier Drogba, with Yuri Zhirkov – recommended by Hiddink – a potentially eye-catching addition on the left. Add to this the ever improving Florent Malouda, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Nicholas Anelka and a fit again Ricky Carvalho back to partner “Mr Chelsea… if the price is right” John Terry and you’ve got a squad that I think will triumph come next May.
Ruling out Man Utd is always dangerous.... The obvious argument is that United will struggle to find the goals Ronaldo scored but it’s a real problem they face and difficult to see where else those 25-30 goals will come from. Less obvious is Tevez’s effect on United’s season last year. He single handedly dug them out of a few games they looked destined to drop points in last year and came up with goals and assists at crucial points of crucial games.
Last summer Benitez felt Alonso was surplus to requirements but this year he tried everything to keep his compatriot. The fact that new boy Aquilani has barely played since March would worry me and I think the Pool will find a gaping gaping 'not too shabby' Alonso shaped hole in midfield as his guile, experience and passing range is difficult to replace. I also think Liverpool played above themselves for much of last season. They needed their best season for years to stick with United and even then they fell 4 points short. I don’t think they will be able to last the pace again this year.
93% of Arsenal fans don’t think they can win the league without landing a major signing (according to a poll on the clubs website) and I couldn’t argue with them. In fact I think they need two or three signings of Arshavin’s quality to be considered serious contenders. They are a class act on their day but have too many off days when they fall behind in a game and with nobody in the team capable of pulling them out they end up dropping points in games where none of their title rivals struggle.
Some may be surprised that I don’t predict Man City to challenge at all. It will be very interesting to follow their progress but my tip is for them to be as mediocre as the ambition of the players who joined them. Saying that I think they’ll have enough quality to see them to a Uefa cup spot.
In terms of relegation, I probably could have picked six teams likely to go down but I think Burnley, Hull and Portsmouth will be the weakest and I’m not looking forward to watching games involving any of them.
Most importantly and to have it as printed proof if Chelsea finish above Arsenal this year than Oskar Persson will have to bow down to yours truly and hand over a cool 20 bills. Come on you blues....
Fenning's Predictions
1-Liverpool
2-Man Utd
3-Chelsea
4-Arsenal
5-Man City
6-Everton
18-Hull City
19-Pompey
20-Burnley
Top Scorer: Dider Drogba
Liverpool have strengthened their squad in a few important areas (Glen Johnson and Aquilani) and for this reason I believe they will end the 19 year wait and lift the Premier League for the first time. Also I believe Liverpool will bring in one more player before the end of the window. My concerns lie, predictably, with the fitness of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, and then secondly, the ability to fill the spot which Alonso has vacated. Javier Mascherano is a young player who has plenty of ability; Liverpool fans will hope that he can improve the passing element to his game.
The rest of the top 4 have all lost important players. I believe Wayne Rooney will be a huge player for Man Utd this season. But not even Rooney can be expected to score the goals that Ronaldo has scored in recent years and he will also have to cover for the departed Carlos Tevez.
Chelsea will be interesting to watch under a new manager, but I believe it will take Carlo Ancellotti a season or two to understand the frantic pace of the English game.
I think Man City will be a real force this year, but a top four spot is just out of their reach as it will take time for all their new players to gel.
posted by Shane @ 1:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home