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They say “In Arsene we trust”, well by my reckoning that trust will get a fresh review as the Gunners look to
win their
first trophy since the 2005 FA Cup. The last of the big spenders, Monsieur
Wenger has let Mikael Silvestre, Sol Campbell, Phillipe Senderos and William
Gallas go, yet has only recruited little-known Frenchie, Laurent Koscielny in
defence. He has also ignored the problem Keeper position so Gunners fans can
look forward to more Fabianski flapping, Almunia disasters and Vito Mannone
looking more like Mafia muscle with every passing minute.
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The good news is Marouane Chamakh is an excellent free signing and should fill
the gaps when Van Persie gets his inevitable three month injury. The problem is
that he’s probably one of the only players prepared to have a pop when given the chance,
so let’s see how long before that’s stifled out of him!
I really can’t see much changing for Arsenal this year and they will face fresh competition
from the likes of Man City, Tottenham and a rejuvenated Liverpool. They may
have a chance in the Cups, but I would have thought the Champions League would
be out of their reach too.
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Ah, the old conundrum - do we pump in more money to crack the Champions League,
or do we try and balance the
books? Well, the EPL is a pretty unforgiving equalizer and I think Randy Lerner
will see that this season as the club go in a familiar direction - backwards.
James Milner was Villa’s best player last season and if he does go, they will struggle to replace him.
As for Martin O’Neill - well they aren’t going to find a better manager than him either, so I say a slide down the
table is in order.
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One might argue O’Neill wasn’t progressing the club, one would be wrong. Finishing 6th three consecutive
seasons isn’t as easy as it looks - just ask Charlton about EPL continuity. Add to the fact
they nearly won both domestic trophies last term shows that clearly progress
was occurring, though they did still have their traditional post February
freeze (maybe they don’t like the cold?!).
There’s still excellent players at the club, in the first XI, look beyond that and you
can see why Martin didn’t rotate his team. Whoever comes in will have a difficult job, but mid-table
obscurity is where I see it all ending.
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Alex McLeish’s stubborn side stunned everyone last year by not only staying up (which I
predicted) but also climbing
into the upper echelons of the EPL (which I certainly didn’t). This year I think they will maintain that status, but will also finish above
their Midlands rivals, which I’m sure every Brum fan would be more than happy with.
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McLeish has made some steady, yet unspectacular acquisitions (given the amount
of cash owner Carson Yeung is supposed to have). Ben Foster should find himself
shining at a smaller club; Nikola Žigić is a fine signing from Valencia and
former Barca trainee, midfielder Enric Vallès, could well be an inspired addition too. I would expect Big ‘Eck to add a couple more in either this window or January to further bolster a
side that is on the up.
The only thing that could hinder them is the dreaded ‘Second Season Syndrome’, but still I can’t see that being an issue with such a fine setup at the club that should be able
to deal with all but the worst confidence crisis.
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Everyone’s favourite Premier League brutes Blackburn, led by Sam Allardyce had, in truth,
a dodgy season last time
around. Of course the final table doesn’t lie but at times, Rovers were in a spot of bother in the relegation dogfight.
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This time around Big Sam has been rather modest or pragmatic in the transfer
market, simply adding Manchester United youngster, Mame Biran Diouf and
little-known Hugo Fernandez. They do of course have highly-rated rookies, Phil
Jones and recent England protegee, Frankie Fielding which at least bodes well
for the future of the club. Letting Steven Reid go to West Brom was an
interesting move, but not one that will impact too much.
I can’t see an awful lot of excitement this term for Rovers fans, the squad is pretty
unspectacular and the buying policy is more like Allardyce’s hidden gems one at Bolton, though Premier League status is not something to be
taken for granted.
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It really is fantastic that Blackpool have finally reappeared back in the top
flight and will this season take their first
bow in the Premier League. It’s also great because Ian Holloway is one of the most entertaining football
managers around and he will provide value to every fan of the league. His squad
is predominantly a lower league one though and they may struggle, just as
Burnley did, to adapt.
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In the transfer market, Holloway recently made an unprecedented four-in-one
recruiting Man United youngster, Craig Cathcart; Malaury Martin; Elliott
Grandin and Ludovic Sylvestre, to add to journeyman, Marlon Harewood. Whether
these turn out to be tactical masterstrokes remain to be seen, but I would
suspect they would need to be to give the Tangerines a chance of staying in the
elite.
On paper and in my crystal ball, I do profess to predicting that they will drop
back down, but with Holloway in charge, I think the fans quite rightly believe
that anything is possible and I can’t argue with that. I hope they stay up but I have my doubts.
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Owen Coyle moved mountains to bust out of Burnley to get to the Reebok and this
season I can see him progressing
the club into the higher end of mid-table. Of course their reliance of Kevin
Davies will need to subside slightly, but effectively I believe that Coyle has
built on the sides physical nature and actually got them playing some nice
stuff.
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In the transfer markey Coyle has wisely resigned Ivan Klasnic on a free and also
picked up the excellent Martin Petrov and Robbie Blake without spending a
penny. Marcos Alonso was the biggest acquisition at a mere £1.6 million and this is really living proof that you can improve your team
without blowing a fortune.
This season Bolton will be as you were, hard to beat, improving and up for the
fight. If Johan Elmander actually works out where the goal is, they could
really be in business so it is crucial that they don’t sell the assets like Gary Cahill and Matty Taylor, but I do wonder if a mega
offer might be too hard for the Trotters to resist.
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In what was one of the closest Premier League title-races in recent years, the
Blues finally recaptured the crown that
had eluded them since the days of Jose and Mourinho’s ghost was firmly evident in the Champions League as they were disposed by the
eventual winners. This season it’s clear Europe’s prime competition is the ambition, but that’s not necessarily what will cost them the title.
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Carlo Ancelotti has made some interesting moves in the market - notably in
defence and unless Ricardo Carvalho is replaced, they could struggle to fulfill
their expectations. The signing of Ramires is fine, providing much-needed cover
for when Michael Essien is injured and possibly on the wing too. The club is
supposed to be concentrating on youth, yet has sold two of its brightest
prospects - Miroslav Stoch and Scott Sinclair - all very odd. Though disposing
of injury-magnet Joe Cole, and the ageing trio of Michael Ballack, Juliano
Belletti and Deco were necessary moves.
So I see Chelsea being pipped to the EPL and I would be most surprised if they
can win the Champions League, but maybe that could be the crowning glory the
players crave.
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Is David Moyes the best Premier League manager? Probably, but his Toffees
suffered last season due to their almost
obligatory awful start. This time around with no Europa League to worry about, I
fully expect Everton to challenge the top 4.
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Mikel Arteta staying is a massive bonus and Steven Pienaar, Jack Rodwell and Tim
Cahill’s commitments at least mean they won’t have the problems of an unsettled squad, thanks to the greedy Joleon Lescott
saga of last pre-season. They’ve added a couple of smart signings too, strikers Jermaine Beckford, Magaye
Gueye and Joao Silva, alongside Ján Mucha.
With all the top Everton guns left to fire without the unwelcome distraction of
Europe’s most confusing and pointless secondary cup competition will be a massive bonus
and if they don’t have a crack at the top 4, then they will have missed a massive chance. I don’t think they will and should have a good season.
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Take the Roy Hodgson out of Fulham and what do you get? Premier League
historians would tell you that it probably
means a bad season but appointing Mark Hughes was a smart move and had they got
that decision wrong, it could have been disastrous. As it is, Hughes is a good
manager and I see positive things ahead as he is yet to make major moves in the
market.
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Hodgson has left a good squad behind - the likes of the rejuvenated Bobby
Zamora; talisman Clint Dempsey; midfield schemer Danny Murphy and the defensive
rocks of Brade Hangeland and Mark Schwarzer will stand Sparky in good stead if
he can keep hold of them.
Despite the club’s super-human efforts last year in the Europa League, this season will provide
much-needed respite from a relentless and draining competition that should see
the club focus strongly on the League and I can see a high-end finish if all
goes to plan. Let’s not forget every manager has a bad spell, so let’s hope for Cottagers fans that this is not Hughes’.
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Did every Liverpool fan breathe a sigh of relief when Rafa packed off to Inter?
Certainly not Nerazzurri fans one would
imagine! It’s possible that the club is too big for Roy Hodgson, but it’s also possible that he can’t do any worse than Rafa who was clearly taking the clooob backwards.
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His signings in the transfer market have been good, whilst Christian Poulsen is
somewhat overrated, Joe Cole (when fit) will give them much-needed width and
the two youngsters - Danny Wilson and Jonjo Shelvey are good moves, as is the
resigning of Fabio Aurelio.
This time around they do have the somewhat unwanted distraction of the Europa
League and with the players at Hodgson’s disposal, as well as his knowledge of the competition, one would expect that
this is their best chance of silverware. I do think they are maybe one or two
players from challenging for the League but then I wouldn’t say it’s beyond them with the quality already at the club. So this season could well be
the one ‘Pool fans have been craving.
