Dear men all around the world (and some of you women too) that time of the year has come back around. When being single is cool, your emotions run high and banter is in full flow. there will be tears both of joy and pain and heartaches that will change the way you are. However come May 2014, the cup runneth will be over and a team will be crowned as the champions.
If you haven’t already gathered what I’m on about, it’s the start of the new Premier League season. A whole summer of ‘who will buy who? Is he gonna go? ‘He isn’t worth that’ and ‘please don’t leave us’.
Summer time sadness
The three big summer stories circulate around three of the best players in the Premier League, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Liverpool forward Luiz Suarez and Tottenham Hotspurs winger Gareth Bale. If any of the three or all of the three move on, it would drastically change the fortunes of the clubs, both financially for the better or their outcomes in the league for the worst. The drama surrounding their futures is the perfect build up for the league starting this weekend.
Shake up, make up or break up
The top three clubs have all had a change of managers. Jose Mourinho has come back to Chelsea to re-kindle his love affair with the club. David Moyes is the surprise at Manchester United, yes Sir Alex Ferguson finally retired (even I pinch myself as I write that) and Manuel Pellegrini has taken over the hot seat at Manchester City. Three new men at the three top teams in the league, again another reason as to why this season is building up to be the best season ever in the history of the Premier League. I wonder if all three will still be there come the end of the season.
3 is the magic number
In this case the three happen to be Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United. They have the strongest squads and wealthiest owners. The league will be destined for one out the three for the foreseeable future. However this year, the ‘special’ one will rise victorious, he has the experience, the love and the squad to make it happen. They have created a new beast in Romelu Lukaku and in the form of new signing Andre Schurrle they have German efficiency at it’s finest. Alongside the rest of the multi-talented squad and a possible arrival of Wayne Rooney who could be the missing part of the puzzle, is the making of another Premier League crown for Chelsea with or without Wazza. Followed closely by Manchester City in second who have invested £70 million in fire power with Fernandinho, Alvaro Negrado, Jesus Navas and Stevan Jovetic to add to Dzeko, Aguero, Silva, Toure and Nasri, sounds like a team nobody will like to play. Manchester United are yet to buy someone, and I truly believe they won the league last year because everyone else was so poor not because they played that good, their team is one of the weakest I’ve seen in years and without any additions to their midfield I cannot see them winning the league this year. However saying that, you can never dismiss United as they have proved over the years that they have a knack of winning trophies at will, but can Moyes re-create Fergie’s magic? It all remains to be seen.
The year when 4 became 1
They say coming second means nothing, but coming fourth now means coming first after first. Fourth has become the new first! With the top three now in a league of their own, fourth spot (the final Champions League qualifying spot) has just as much importance. Participation in the Champions League is not only a major financial incentive, it is an opportunity to attract and keep hold of the best players in the world. You can ask Brendan Rogers and Andre Villas-Boas just how important that is. The three teams fighting for this ‘trophy in itself’ are Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. It’s been a two horse race in recent years and Liverpool have seemed to fall out the pecking order, however this year with a little bit of luck, the class of Coutinho, the departure of Tottenham’s Bale to Real Madrid and holding onto Suarez (maybe I’m asking for too much as a Liverpool supporter). Either way no matter what happens, the race for fourth will be full of surprises, heartache and joy.
The surprise package
Last season’s little bundle of joy came in the form of Swansea with their free flowing football and this season having held onto Michu and adding the likes of Wilfred Bony and Jonjo Shelvey with the added Spanish flair in their ranks and the influence of Michael Laudrup I believe a top 6 finish is more than achievable for the ambitious Welsh club.
Mid table mayhem
It’s unfortunate for Everton that David Moyes has left after a few incredible seasons at Everton, not that Roberto Martinez is a bad manager he just ain’t David Moyes who had worked wonders with a very small transfer budget, I just can’t see Martinez being able to keep Everton in the top 6, so this year they will probably finish around 7th/8th. One team I do think will do well, if they can keep star striker Andy Carroll fit is West Ham United. They’ve signed Andy Carroll and Stuart Downing from Liverpool to be included in a team that already has Matt Jarvis, Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan, if they can all click together there may well be a top 8 finish on the cards. Sunderland have more or less bought a whole new 11, I’m not too convinced by their signings and their ability however I am convinced that Paolo Di Canio is going to be a great manager. He knows what he wants and is a daunting presence in that dressing room. Would you want to score an own goal knowing you have to face him at half time? I wouldn’t either! I can see them in the right half of the season this time around. Fulham have 2 players capable of walking into any of the other Premier Leagues teams in Dimitar Berbatov and Adel Taarabt, would be foolish to write them off especially after being purchased by a billionaire over the summer.
The bottom three
Life in the Premier League is tough and unfortunately every year three teams have to go down, last year was quite shocking as nobody expected to see QPR and Wigan go down but in football anything is possible. This year I think it will be a little more straight forward. My three picks to go down are Crystal Palace, they’ve just lost their best player in Zaha and haven’t signed anyone with the quality to keep them up. Cardiff for near enough the same reason, they just don’t possess the quality required to remain in the Premier League and if they do the unthinkable and stay up it will simply be because of their fans (the 12th man). Finally I pick Hull, they need to add some real creativity in midfield to stay to fight another day. The three that came up will in my opinion be the three that go down. I hope I am wrong and made to eat my words once the curtain falls come May 2014.
The best of the new fantasy football picks
Jonjo Shelvey, will thrive on first team football at Swansea. A box to box player who happens to have been Steven Gerrard’s understudy for the past few seasons. Expect goals, assists and a few red cards.
Wilfred Bony, dubbed the new Didier Drogba. Need I say more? Expect goals and a whole heap of problems for Premier League defenders.
Roberto Soldado, Tottenham dried up when it came to goals last season, other than Bale nobody else made much of a difference. I expect Soldado to start week in week out (other than injuries and suspensions) and I also expect goals as that is exactly what £26 million pounds says.
Andre Schurrle, Chelsea’s new midfielder is part of the German school of excellence that is currently producing some of the best footballers in world. Gets goals and assists, expect big things from him.
Matej Vydra, scored goals for fun in the Championship which many say is harder than the Premier League, think he will be valuable for money (put him on the subs bench).
Ricky Van Wolfwinkel, who has added some Dutch delight on Delia Smith’s menu at Norwich, expect a few ‘goal’s of the month’ from him and some phantom Fantasy Football points too.
ZIP Football Author: Ali Butt @alib84
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