The upcoming Premier League campaign promises to be another classic campaign. If the relegation battle is anywhere near as good as it was last year then we are in for a treat. Last season, we ended up with five teams attempting to avoid the two remaining relegation places on the final day. The thrilling drama even entered the last three minutes, when Stephen Hunt's late goal for Wolves eventually sent Birmingham City (who only a few weeks earlier had appeared safe) down. It was as dramatic a any final day as any in the last decade. At one point, Blackpool even led at Old Trafford, before eventually succumbing to relegation after a wonderfully brave fight. Let's hope for more of the same drama at the bottom of the table over the next nine months.
Talking of Old Trafford, and focusing firstly on the top of the league - Manchester United are clear favourites to claim their 20th league title. They have lost several key players, but appear to have replaced them as well as they could have hoped.
David de Gea is probably the newcomer under the most pressure. He is the second most expensive goalkeeper in history and at the age of 20 is vastly inexperienced. In addition, acquiring goalkeepers has not always been Sir Alex Ferguson's greatest asset, so it will be interesting to see how quickly the young Spaniard settles in. His talent is not in doubt, but he is prone to the odd glaring error, especially when it comes to long range shooting. His performance in the Charity Shield will offer other teams some hope, but it is very early days. de Gea is at the right club, but there is no doubt that Edwin Van de Sar will be incredibly hard to replace. It is virtually impossible to re-create that presence and respect overnight.
The retirement of Paul Scholes is the highest profile of all the departures. But Scholes had not been a regular starter for a couple of years now. If the club signs Wesley Sneijder they have a ready made replacement and a world class player. However, if the Dutchman's wage demands prevent a move to Old Trafford occurring, the midfield will continue to fall short of challenging the supremacy of Barcelona on the European stage. And this is what Sir Alex really craves.
I would also suggest Ashley Young is rather a strange acquisition. Is he really needed? The club already have Park Ji Sung (who has reportedly just signed a new contract), Ryan Giggs, Nani and Antonio Valencia on the flanks. You would expect the club to play Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez up front, so where does Young fit in? Will Rooney drop back into midfield? Of course Young's presence strengthens the depth of the squad, but Nani, Valencia and Young are are very good players who will not want to be sat on the bench regularly. They are all too talented for that, so something is going to have to give.
United's defence is particularly strong. The two youngsters, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are excellent back up to Vidic and Ferdinand and can also play anywhere across the back four. John O'Shea and Wes Brown have departed to Sunderland, but shouldn't be missed too much, despite their versatility.
I do think Manchester United will retain the league title, but not at a canter. They are probably looking at gaining around 80 points again, but I doubt they will finish nine points clear this season. I expect a sterner challenge from their rivals and in particular a challenge from a side much closer to home than in previous years.
I can envisage Manchester City finishing runners up and I expect them to at least reach the knockout stages of the Champions League in their first season. In fact, the pool of players that Roberto Mancini has at his disposal are possibly better suited better to Europe and that should make them major contenders. Players such as Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli, David Silva and Yaya Toure are class acts, and are as good as most players in their positions in the world.
To win the league however, Mancini probably needs to execute a more positive approach away from home. And, now they have achieved their initial aim of winning a trophy and ensuring Champions League qualification, the board will probably expect a step up in playing style and league position. The amount of investment they have pumped into the club demands a more expansive playing style, surely.
A top two finish and a good Champions League run is the least they should expect at the newly named Etihad Stadium, and I think it will happen. They should run their neighbours very close.
I can picture Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal battling it out for third and fourth place. Chelsea will be excellent defensively, but they are lacking in midfield. Michael Essien is set to be out for a while with a nasty injury and will be a huge loss, while Frank Lampard is 33 and cannot go on forever. The England midfielder has also started to pick up more injuries - something that never happened earlier in his career. Lampard's goals are so crucial to Chelsea's success. Florent Malouda is inconsistent, as is Salomon Kalou, while the Brazilian star - Ramieres, still has a much to prove if he is to succeed in the Premier League.
Under Andre Villas-Boas, the Blues will be well organised and hard to beat, but ultimately, I think they will fall short. Nicolas Anelka is ageing, as is Didier Drogba. Fernando Torres is a shadow of his former self and they will need a vast improvement from him and from the rest of the team if they are to challenge for the title once again.
The trump card at Stamford Bridge, however, could turn out to be Daniel Sturridge. He is still relatively raw and will need to improve his general play if he wants to step up to the plate, but expect a more appearances from the former Manchester City player under Chelsea's new coach - he seems to like him.
Saying that, I predict no higher than a third place finish with perhaps another decent run in Europe for the West London giants.
Liverpool should snatch the final Champions League place. A lot has been made of their overcrowded midfield, but at least they now have several variable options going forward- something they have severely lacked in recent years.
Critics have also discussed at length - their weaknesses in defence. However, since Kenny Dalglish took over at the turn of the year, their defensive performances has been up their with the best in the league. Clearly aided by Steve Clarke's expert tutor-ledge, the Reds conceded only 12 goals in their last 16 league games last season - this is as good a record as anyone. The defensive problems are perhaps a myth created by Roy Hodgson's catastrophic reign at the club, although much does depend on the fitness of Daniel Agger - a class act.
The impending signing of Jose Enrique though, certainly strengthens that back four, and in addition to that - the creativity of Charlie Adam and the width and energy of Stewart Downing are clearly improvements on last season. There are also an enviable array of striking options available to Dalglish. Andy Carroll, Dirk Kuyt and the brilliant Luis Suarez all bring something different to the table. I think the Liverpool fans can look forward to a pretty good season at Anfield resulting in a Champions League place at the end of it.
The Reds could well claim fourth spot at the expense of Arsenal. Although unlike many pundits, I don't believe Arsenal will give up their top four place without a fight. However, no one can dispute the fact that they are losing two of their three best players (along with Robin Van Persie). Cesc Fabregas will depart to Barcelona and Samir Nasri is all but certain to move to Manchester City before the end of the transfer window. The Gunners' new summer signing, Gervinho, is a terrific talent, but the Gunners will need Van Persie to stay fit for the majority of the season to challenge. However, history suggests this is unlikely.
Much will be expected of Jack Wilshere, once again - and he is a supremely talented player. But at 19, he is no 'Fabregas' yet, and he is carrying an awful lot on those young shoulders, for both club and country. Can he deal with it? We shall certainly discover over the coming season.
Scott Dann has been linked with a move to the Emirates today, but he is really the missing piece of the jigsaw. When you compare Arsenal's goalkeeper, the defence, the midfield and their set of strikers with the other teams in the top five, even the top six (including Tottenham), the Gunners appear to be weaker in most positions.
Arsene Wenger has proved critics wrong many times down the years, but this is a massive season for him. He has never finished outside the top four in his time at Arsenal, but it will take something very special to prevent them from slipping out of it this year. My prediction: A 5th place finish and an early knockout stage exit from the Champions League. Difficult times at the Emirates...
The relegation battle should be another cracker. I can't see Wigan surviving this year. Losing Charles N'Zogbia is a huge loss, and they have also lost Tom Cleverley, who has returned to Old Trafford. Roberto Martinez is a shrewd manager, but the club lack the pulling power of other clubs. In addition, if they lose James McCarthy (many clubs are pursuing the young Irishman) they can surely kiss goodbye to their seven year stay in the top flight. I can actually picture the Latics propping up the rest of the league come May - which would be a shame, as they play decent football.
At QPR, the future is impossible to predict. The Loftus Road club are like a soap opera. If they have a bad start, I can see Neil Warnock (perhaps fairly or unfairly) being quickly dismissed as manager, immediately causing instability and unrest. But in contrast to that , if Warnock does see out the season (very unlikely) I can see Rangers surviving.
However, merely 'surviving' will probably not be enough for the QPR board, despite their frugality in the transfer market. And, because of that, I doubt whether Warnock will last the season. This likely scenario may also hasten the exit of Adel Taarabt too, and with that, any hopes of survival will surely go up in smoke.
I, like most pundits, can also see Swansea struggling, but I don't think they will be stranded at the bottom like some suggest. Unlike QPR for instance, the South Wales just don't have the resources to buy top quality players, so much will depend on the methods of their progressive and dogmatic manager - Brendan Rodgers. In addition to that, the Swans will be attractive on the eye and will have passionate support. Their defence is probably the strongest of the three promoted sides, and I can see Scott Sinclair and Danny Graham causing many defences problems in attack. I expect the club from the Gower to be battling it out with QPR and Blackburn to stay up, and they might just do it!
The reason I think the Welsh side may just stay up is partly due to the mess that has been created at Blackburn Rovers. Phil Jones has departed and I would be surprised if Chris Samba saw the season out in Lancashire. I am also yet to be convinced that Steve Kean can really cut it at this level, and this combination may be enough to send them down.
Again it's a pity, as they have some excellent young players at Ewood Park and it would be good to see them survive. But behind the scenes they appear to be in totally disarray and have barely spent a penny. Remember, they only survived last year by the skin of their teeth, after appearing to be relatively safe around March.
I predict that the third of the promoted sides - Norwich City, will survive. Paul Lambert appears to have the magic touch and has signed some hungry young players. I also think Grant Holt and Steve Morrison will prove to be hits in the Premier League. How long the club can keep hold of Lambert though, remains a concern for the Carrow Road faithful, especially if he keeps them up this year.
Finally, I, like many critics, can see Stoke City as the surprise package. They may have Europe to distract them, but Tony Pullis has built his team into a formidable outfit. Their pool of centre halves - Ryan Shawcross, Robert Huth, Jonathan Woodgate (if he stays fit, and it's a big 'if') and Matthew Upson - are as good as pretty much any other squad in the league. It is a clear sign of the their newly formed strength in depth. Just imagine if Arsenal had had this set of defenders at their disposal over recent seasons? They would probably have one league at least once. A top half finish for Stoke and a good run in Europe are not beyond the realms of possibility for the club from the Potteries.
It should be another compelling year in the top echelon of English football.
So here we go... Last season, I predicted the top four exactly right. Let's see how I do this year..
MY PREDICTED FINAL PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE (COME MAY):
1. Manchester United
2. Manchester City
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
5. Arsenal
6. Tottenham
7. Everton
8. Stoke City (surprise package)
9. Sunderland
10.Bolton
11.Aston Villa
12.Fulham
13.West Brom
14.Newcastle
15.Wolves
16.Norwich City
17.Blackburn
18.Swansea
19.QPR (unless Warnock stays for the whole campaign)
20.Wigan
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