The World Cup is nearly out the way, and with players returning to pre-season training there is only a couple of months for teams to strengthen their teams. The transfer market has been decidedly slow, due in part to the World Cup im sure; but the new rules on naming a squad of 25 that cannot be altered until the January transfer window (even if players are injured) is impacting as well.
In terms of the top three; Chelsea would appear to have the strongest squad and have supplemented their midfield with Benyoun. That looks a smart signing at £4m. Arsene Wenger has bought in two young talents from the French league (surprise surprise), I expect them to take time to adjust to the English game. Man Utd have got Smalling to the training camp after he spent last season on loan to Fulham, as well as a South American, Hernandez. Your guess is as good as mine with him, but the former champions squad needs to bring in players up front and in midfield. Title challengers flattered them last season, as Giggs, Scholes and Neville put in some heroic performances considering their age. I cant see them continuing this into their early forties, so Sir Alex better get his cheque book out and spend some of that Ronaldo money!
The group of would be title challengers, Spurs, Man City, Liverpool and Villa have had varying fortunes in the summer transfer market. Man City have paid too much (as usual) for Boateng (German defender), Yaya Toure (on a reported 220k a week) and the strong signing of David Silva. All players are of undisputed quality and are at least a large percentage of the remaining jigsaw pieces if not all. Villa have an unchanged squad and will be pleased to start the season with James Milner still in claret and blue. They still need a striker in my opinion, Heskey and Carew are one dimensional and Agbonlahor is hit and miss. Spurs have not added to their squad. Im sure ‘Arry will bring in players that they will need with the extra European games . Joe Cole would be up their if I was Harry, however Shawn ‘move from big club to big club to play in the reserves’ Wright-Philips has been linked to Spurs. I believe that Spurs already have an over rated, over paid crap midfielder called David Bentley.
The Liverpool saga could be a whole other website never mind paragraph. Reports that Torres and Gerrard are on their way out. Also that Gerrard got his sister in law pregnant are just a few of the whispers from Anfield. In short if Liverpool lose either or both of Torres or Gerrard the will say goodbye to the slim hopes they have of regaining a top four spot. Roy Hodgson has an unenviable job. It will be very interesting though to see what squad they start the season with.
The three promoted teams have not been over active in the transfer market. The shit (*lbion) have spent 800k on two players, and need to keep hold of Dorran’s who is under offer. Newcastle look short of any premier league pedigree having signed only Perch from Forrest. Whilst Blackpool have yet to secure even the players they loaned in last season, and so could start the season with a worse squad than last season. I wish them all the best as I admire their achievements and am looking forward to a day out when Wolves go up there. All three need to get quality players in quick or I fear they could leave amidst the same company they came up with.
The pick of the rest for me is Bolton’s free signing of Petrov. In a word; inspired. Top quality player who will anchor Bolton’s team im sure (one for the old fantasy football!). However, Robbie Blake to Bolton; uninspired. Blackburn are another unchanged squad. Wigan have signed Estudiantes de La Plata’s star player (!!!), Bosellii. Incidentally Wigan are going to be keeping Blackpool and friends company this season in my opinion. West ‘Am have bought Hitzelsperger from Lazio. Mmmmm he wasn’t that good at Villa so what’s changed? Im sure he will prove me wrong! Everton have signed Beckford who, I will stick my neck out and say will not usurp Saha or Yakubu from their starting XI. Although I do think Moyles’s team are one to watch next season. Fulham conversely are going to slide as I think they will struggle to replace Hodgson who worked wonders on a limited budget. Sunderland and Stoke have made a couple of ok-ish signings. Their squads aren’t great but still enough to finish comfortably above relegation.
Birmingham have been flashing the cash and have signed Zigic, Foster and Valles. Foster wont be as good as Hart and im not convinced about the two Johny foreigners. Blues were woeful the back end of last season, winning only one of their last ten games (and that was against relegated Burnley). I expect them to start the season that way unless the squad changes. The mighty Wolves have spent £18m, on Hunt, Fletcher, Mouyokolo and Van Damme. The later will come in at left back whilst Fletcher will accompany rising star Doyle. However I am realistic I expect us to consolidate a position comfortably above the bottom three.
As things stand and purely to spark debate, with the squads as they stand this is how I believe the Premier League would finish:
Chelsea
Man Utd
Arsenal
Man City
——–
Everton
Spurs
Villa
——–
Liverpool
Bolton
Sunderland
Blackburn
Fulham
Stoke
Wolves
Birmingham
West Ham
Newcastle
——–
Wigan
The Shit
Blackpool
2 Comments
Great article in parts however, as stated your article should spark some significant debate. For me, as a Liverpool fan, I believe you are off with your end of season predictions. Spurs over achieved in the last campaign while we with relatively the same team that finished second the previous season(less Alonso & Hypia) woefully underachieved. I simply cannot see a repeat of this in the upcoming season. Additionally, have I missed something with Everton? I saw nothing (on or off the field) to suggest they will not only finish above the red half of Merseyside for the first time in years, but end the season just behind the top four.
Many people are predicting the irrecoverable decline of Liverpool FC and some even believe they will follow the example set by Newcastle. If you are suckered into believing the media doom and hype printed daily on the back pages, there will be no return to the top half of the table let alone CL qualification but the simple facts suggest otherwise.
Firstly, there is no real evidence other than the wishful thinking by Chelsea and the newspapers needing to fill column inches that Fernando Torres will be moving from Anfield following the World Cup. His agent has already publicly denied making any statement to the contrary. As a world class striker, many clubs with the required resources to sign him would love to do so but let’s remember that since taking a pay cut to play for the club he supported in his youth he has consistently showed loyalty to Liverpool FC. In my opinion (but that’s all it is) Torres will stick around another year IF Roy Hodgeson can convince him the club has ambition and the resources to back that up, failing that, he will probably go to a club that has. Even then, I still feel it will never be a Premier League rival.
Following the disastrous World Cup campaign, Steven Gerrard is another key player who is under a great deal of scrutiny. A recent internet rumour did insinuate that he’d had an affair with his sister in law. This is clearly ridiculous since Alex Curran doesn’t even have a sister. On this point alone, even the Daily Mail (who are usually sparing with the truth regarding LFC) printed a story about the internet lies.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/England-captain-Steven-Gerrard-rocked-internet-lies-affair.html
He has now met the new manager Hodgeson who is directly quoted saying he is confident his captain would remain a red. Once again in my opinion, I reckon he wants to be sure that the club will be moving in the right direction before committing his future. If anything, I’m slightly concerned that he has still not publicly stated his desire to stay since the new manager made his comments but feel his loss would be felt far less than that of Torres. I don’t agree with the original post that LFC are doomed without their Captain.
Another key factor to make me optimistic about the upcoming campaign is that the club is up for sale. Broughton, our Chelsea supporting Chairman has already indicated that he expects bids to be tabled mid July by some of the ‘many’ interested parties. One of whom is confirmed to be Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum the elder brother of the current Manchester City owner. If true, he has amassed vast fortune said to dwarf that of his sibling. With the club debt as it currently is, RBS have made sure that current owners Hicks and Gillette can no longer veto any sale and I have every faith that they and their profit rather than progress driven ways will soon be gone for good. Further, but again only in my opinion, I believe that the sale is far more advanced than we are led to think. I believe the new owners will be Arabian and that Yossi Benayouns’ move was less about his personal ambition and more about his Israeli nationality.
Factor in that Liverpool have a very good first team of players. Admittedly, one that did not play to their potential and did not have the squad players at their disposal when key players were injured but with a bit of post World Cup bolstering they will definately have the potential to finish above Everton, Spurs and Villa. I also fully expect Aquilani, Maxi and other of last season’s fringe players to make a significant impact this time around.
To conclude, I’m not one of those deluded LFC fans who believes we’ll be back challenging for the title this season but with the new regime, potential new ownership and a season not hampered by injuries and beach balls, we will be back up there knocking on the door of Champion League qualification. In short, don’t write us off just yet.
If Gerrard has a brother and is married he will have a sister in law!
Everton spent most of last season without Arteta, Jagielka, Yakubu and Cahill (for parts of the season). If they start this season how they finsihed they will be top six matierial.
Sorry Billy, I cant see Liverpool doing much with the same squad as last season.