Season Predictions:
Premier League Winner
This season the Premier League will have traded quality for competitiveness. Out the door have gone perhaps two of the top 10 or 15 players in the world. In the door has come Phillipe Senderos, back from his year long loan in Milan. Most of the transfers amongst the high end clubs have involved players already sucking from the teet of a Premier League club, and so the unknown is whether players like Barry and Valencia can be Big 4 players as opposed to whether Shevchenko or Veron will be superstars on English shores. Perhaps the fact that the latter two were massive flops has discouraged clubs from dipping into foreign markets. Whatever the case, technically gifted foreigners have not been brought in, and the league will be the poorer for it. A player like Diego going to Juventus is a microcosm of the current trend in European football, and if it escalates then things will only get worse. Unless of course English players suddenly become technically proficient. (pause for laughter)
Anyway, onwards to my prediction for who is going to be the best of a poor but competitive lot. For the simple reason that United, Liverpool and Chelsea will be weaker this season, I'm going to tip my hat in Arsenal's direction. Their defense isn't as bad as people make it out to be, nor is their midfield. Sure a couple of signings wouldn't go astray, but if they employ the 4-3-3 somewhat as effectively as Barcelona did last season -- thus reducing the need to be defensively sound -- they can brush aside most of the 19 other teams in the league, and take enough points off their rivals to clinch the league with the lowest points tally in many a year.
Big 4
Arsenal
Man Utd
Liverpool
Tottenham
Yep. Tottenham. This is the end for Chelsea. Anelka is a joke, Drogba will lose interest, Malouda is still rubbish. I predict it will all fall to pieces for Chelsea Football Club.
Surprising strugglers
That would be Chelsea. As far as I'm concerned only their defense can save them. I expect them to be out of the title race by Christmas thanks to too many draws against mediocre opposition.
Surprise package
Why the aforementioned Tottenham, of course. Man City have overtaken them in the "this is our year to break into the Big 4" hype, and this will only serve to help the Spurs cause. They possess a couple of decent keepers, a strong defense, a solid midfield with complimentary flair in the form of Modric, and a proven strikeforce.
There are drawbacks of course. This team is mentally brittle. Losing a half 5-0 to Manchester United last season suggests as much. But they won a half against United 2-0, the beat Liverpool, the drew twice against Arsenal, and they picked up 4 points against Chelsea, all in a season where they were a bit of a shambles. If Harry can instill something resembling consistency and stability into his starting 11, the result could be a genuine push for fourth place. I don't make them favourites for 4th of course, but given the decline of the Big 4, the silly purchasing of Man City, and the inevitable falling away of Everton and villa, this -- the year when nobody seems to be saying it -- could be Tottenham's year.
Top goalscorer
Jermaine Defoe. The lure of a possible trip to the World Cup, the skyscraper that is Peter Crouch flicking balls onto him, the genius of Modric putting things on plates - it all bodes well for Defoe and for Tottenham.
Most exciting player
Andrei Arshavin. The day he leaves the Premier League will be the day it has truly died. This guy simply makes things happen. He's not afraid to try anything, from clever little passes inside the box to long-range drives to flicks inside his own half. His decision making in the final third is impeccable, possessing as he does an attacking brain that is fully formed and two feet which comply to its every whim. If Arsenal do win the league, this gooner will have been at the heart of it.
Champions League winners
I want to say Barcelona, but the player discussed in the next prediction has forced me to look elsewhere, as has the fact that it's extremely difficult to win the competition twice in a row. I'll narrow it down to three teams, then one. Liverpool, Madrid or Arsenal. I'll go with Liverpool.
Most overpriced, underperforming Swedish string of misery who has never done it when it has mattered and who will continue to disappoint even when surrounded by superstars
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Real Madrid - What of them?
Perhaps the most intriguing storyline of the season. Will they or won't they? They have the players, they have the manager. The system will take time to develop, but if Pellegrini manages to get his players playing the way he wants them to play, I expect fireworks. Will he manage that? There are enough professional players in his ranks to make me believe he will. Kaka, Alonso, Benzema - these are no prima donnas. Even Ronaldo is extremely motivated, albeit for his own sake.
Perhaps one midfield player is missing for the complete set. For Messi, Eto'o and Henry read Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema. For Xavi, Toure and Iniesta read Alonso, Lass and...er...Gago? Perhaps Granero will be Madrid's Iniesta, as others have said. I think they need such a player to truly become the re-incarnation of the Galacticos. A player alongside Alonso who can be the bridge between defense and attack; the one who will make the front three look even better than they are.
This is assuming a 4-3-3 of course. They could go 4-4-2, with Ronaldo as a nominal left-winger, Robben on the right, and Kaka behind Benzema. I wouldn't do this against Barcelona, but it will work against most others.
However, the secret to Madrid's success will be something very unglamorous. It will be hard work. Put it in, and they will be contenders for everything. Try and get by without it, and they will come up short when it matters. A Barcelona team full of stars needed to work hard to win. The same will be true for this Madrid team.
Man City
Unlike Real Madrid, they have neither the players nor the manager. Their signings have largely been a joke. Bellamy? Santa Cruz? De Jong? Adebayor? It's difficult to see the logic behind anything that has happened at Eastlands. It will certainly be interesting to see it all unfold, but interesting in the way it is to see a drunk man try and make his way home from a club at 3 in the morning.
Mark Hughes is out of his depth, and if the manager isn't right then nothing will be. I honestly can't believe he's still in charge, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is the first out of a job, although he's lasted this long, so...? If City replaced him with Mourinho tomorrow, I would expect them to finish in the top 4. Their players aren't great, but they're good enough to do something significant. As it is, I expect a 6th place finish, and maybe, just maybe, much worse.
What will happen to Darren Bent?
He will score a few goals, appear on Football Focus saying that all he needed was the confidence of his manager and a good run of games, he will play down his England chances saying that he's just taking things one game at a time and enjoying his football, and then he will disappear off the radar completely.
Top 4 Match of the Day cliches
- Michael Owen will score you goals.
- Key to Liverpool's success will be keeping Gerrard and Torres fit.
- Manchester United are capable of going on a run of 10, 12 games unbeaten.
- Chelsea's best signing this summer? Keeping John Terry at the club.
Player of the year
Andrei Arshavin. See above.
Best signing(s)
Honestly, there is no one I'm particularly excited about. Signing Gareth Barry was a good idea, if not particularly inspired or inspiring. Same goes for Peter Crouch.
Worst signing(s)
Premier League Winner
This season the Premier League will have traded quality for competitiveness. Out the door have gone perhaps two of the top 10 or 15 players in the world. In the door has come Phillipe Senderos, back from his year long loan in Milan. Most of the transfers amongst the high end clubs have involved players already sucking from the teet of a Premier League club, and so the unknown is whether players like Barry and Valencia can be Big 4 players as opposed to whether Shevchenko or Veron will be superstars on English shores. Perhaps the fact that the latter two were massive flops has discouraged clubs from dipping into foreign markets. Whatever the case, technically gifted foreigners have not been brought in, and the league will be the poorer for it. A player like Diego going to Juventus is a microcosm of the current trend in European football, and if it escalates then things will only get worse. Unless of course English players suddenly become technically proficient. (pause for laughter)
Anyway, onwards to my prediction for who is going to be the best of a poor but competitive lot. For the simple reason that United, Liverpool and Chelsea will be weaker this season, I'm going to tip my hat in Arsenal's direction. Their defense isn't as bad as people make it out to be, nor is their midfield. Sure a couple of signings wouldn't go astray, but if they employ the 4-3-3 somewhat as effectively as Barcelona did last season -- thus reducing the need to be defensively sound -- they can brush aside most of the 19 other teams in the league, and take enough points off their rivals to clinch the league with the lowest points tally in many a year.
Big 4
Arsenal
Man Utd
Liverpool
Tottenham
Yep. Tottenham. This is the end for Chelsea. Anelka is a joke, Drogba will lose interest, Malouda is still rubbish. I predict it will all fall to pieces for Chelsea Football Club.
Surprising strugglers
That would be Chelsea. As far as I'm concerned only their defense can save them. I expect them to be out of the title race by Christmas thanks to too many draws against mediocre opposition.
Surprise package
Why the aforementioned Tottenham, of course. Man City have overtaken them in the "this is our year to break into the Big 4" hype, and this will only serve to help the Spurs cause. They possess a couple of decent keepers, a strong defense, a solid midfield with complimentary flair in the form of Modric, and a proven strikeforce.
There are drawbacks of course. This team is mentally brittle. Losing a half 5-0 to Manchester United last season suggests as much. But they won a half against United 2-0, the beat Liverpool, the drew twice against Arsenal, and they picked up 4 points against Chelsea, all in a season where they were a bit of a shambles. If Harry can instill something resembling consistency and stability into his starting 11, the result could be a genuine push for fourth place. I don't make them favourites for 4th of course, but given the decline of the Big 4, the silly purchasing of Man City, and the inevitable falling away of Everton and villa, this -- the year when nobody seems to be saying it -- could be Tottenham's year.
Top goalscorer
Jermaine Defoe. The lure of a possible trip to the World Cup, the skyscraper that is Peter Crouch flicking balls onto him, the genius of Modric putting things on plates - it all bodes well for Defoe and for Tottenham.
Most exciting player
Andrei Arshavin. The day he leaves the Premier League will be the day it has truly died. This guy simply makes things happen. He's not afraid to try anything, from clever little passes inside the box to long-range drives to flicks inside his own half. His decision making in the final third is impeccable, possessing as he does an attacking brain that is fully formed and two feet which comply to its every whim. If Arsenal do win the league, this gooner will have been at the heart of it.
Champions League winners
I want to say Barcelona, but the player discussed in the next prediction has forced me to look elsewhere, as has the fact that it's extremely difficult to win the competition twice in a row. I'll narrow it down to three teams, then one. Liverpool, Madrid or Arsenal. I'll go with Liverpool.
Most overpriced, underperforming Swedish string of misery who has never done it when it has mattered and who will continue to disappoint even when surrounded by superstars
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Real Madrid - What of them?
Perhaps the most intriguing storyline of the season. Will they or won't they? They have the players, they have the manager. The system will take time to develop, but if Pellegrini manages to get his players playing the way he wants them to play, I expect fireworks. Will he manage that? There are enough professional players in his ranks to make me believe he will. Kaka, Alonso, Benzema - these are no prima donnas. Even Ronaldo is extremely motivated, albeit for his own sake.
Perhaps one midfield player is missing for the complete set. For Messi, Eto'o and Henry read Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema. For Xavi, Toure and Iniesta read Alonso, Lass and...er...Gago? Perhaps Granero will be Madrid's Iniesta, as others have said. I think they need such a player to truly become the re-incarnation of the Galacticos. A player alongside Alonso who can be the bridge between defense and attack; the one who will make the front three look even better than they are.
This is assuming a 4-3-3 of course. They could go 4-4-2, with Ronaldo as a nominal left-winger, Robben on the right, and Kaka behind Benzema. I wouldn't do this against Barcelona, but it will work against most others.
However, the secret to Madrid's success will be something very unglamorous. It will be hard work. Put it in, and they will be contenders for everything. Try and get by without it, and they will come up short when it matters. A Barcelona team full of stars needed to work hard to win. The same will be true for this Madrid team.
Man City
Unlike Real Madrid, they have neither the players nor the manager. Their signings have largely been a joke. Bellamy? Santa Cruz? De Jong? Adebayor? It's difficult to see the logic behind anything that has happened at Eastlands. It will certainly be interesting to see it all unfold, but interesting in the way it is to see a drunk man try and make his way home from a club at 3 in the morning.
Mark Hughes is out of his depth, and if the manager isn't right then nothing will be. I honestly can't believe he's still in charge, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is the first out of a job, although he's lasted this long, so...? If City replaced him with Mourinho tomorrow, I would expect them to finish in the top 4. Their players aren't great, but they're good enough to do something significant. As it is, I expect a 6th place finish, and maybe, just maybe, much worse.
What will happen to Darren Bent?
He will score a few goals, appear on Football Focus saying that all he needed was the confidence of his manager and a good run of games, he will play down his England chances saying that he's just taking things one game at a time and enjoying his football, and then he will disappear off the radar completely.
Top 4 Match of the Day cliches
- Michael Owen will score you goals.
- Key to Liverpool's success will be keeping Gerrard and Torres fit.
- Manchester United are capable of going on a run of 10, 12 games unbeaten.
- Chelsea's best signing this summer? Keeping John Terry at the club.
Player of the year
Andrei Arshavin. See above.
Best signing(s)
Honestly, there is no one I'm particularly excited about. Signing Gareth Barry was a good idea, if not particularly inspired or inspiring. Same goes for Peter Crouch.
Worst signing(s)
Michael Owen. So what if he cost nothing. So what if he's on a pay as you play contract. Before United signed him he was heavily linked with Hull City, and was a joke player for a joke club. Had Hull snapped him up, we'd all have been laughing. Why shouldn't we laugh now?
Antonio Valencia. I say this mainly because I don't like him. He's Quinton Fortune with a bit more pace. I've never been a fan of traditional wingers and I never will be. His presence on the United starting 11 will be a step backwards, to a time when they may have won Premier Leagues but when they were also well off the pace in Europe. This sounds like heresy, but give me Nani before Antonio. (I think I need a shower after writing that.) Like Michael Carrick, this will end up being a case of United making him look better than him making United better. Surely the 16m could have been better spent, especially when you consider that Arsenal paid 15m for Arshavin. When you put it like that, oh dear.
Santa Cruz and Adebayor. A £42m [?] strikeforce on paper, but what little value for money City actually got. If you're going to spend ridiculous amounts of cash, why not spend it on really good players as opposed to a profoundly lazy Arsenal reject and a forward who wasn't even the best Blackburn had to offer? Silly.
This will be a defining season for...
Wayne Rooney. The shadow has disappeared. The days spent at left-back appear to be over. For the past few seasons Wayne Rooney has been defined by what Ronaldo wasn't: a hard worker who'll sacrifice himself for the team. Now is the time when Rooney needs to be defined by what Ronaldo was: the chief attacking threat of Manchester United, the player to make things happen.
Rooney has the ability, but years of misuse by Ferguson have stunted his growth. Has he really improved since he burst onto the scene at Euro 2004? I honestly don't think so. But this can be the year to right that wrong. Will he (and this applies to Rooney and Ferguson)? Ferguson has little choice but to stick Rooney where he's at his best, and so it will be up England's Saviour to do his part. I've always been a fan (anyone who calls Andres Iniesta the best player in the world is okay by me) and so I think he will flourish this season, in spite of what's around him. I expect him to carry United to a second place finish and a Champions League semi-final, but go the distance they will not. Not with that midfield. Not with Michael Carrick at the heart of it.
*********
So that's it, unless there are other things readers want me to predict. I'd be lying if I said I was ecstatic at the birth of the new season, but there are enough good story-lines to keep me interested, if not in England then certainly in Spain.
Anyway, spread the word. Football Beauty is back, as uninformed as it ever was!
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