Every year when the Premier League begins I get very excited and think it doesn’t get any better than this…but this year I think could easily be the greatest Premier League ever!
I just think we’ve got such a brilliant array of foreigners and English players in the league this year, even the teams that in the past haven’t been the best are now looking like a difficult away match. Five or six years ago a game at Portsmouth would be a guaranteed three points for the bigger teams, now, however, I think if you come away with a point you’re pretty pleased with the result. The gap between the brilliant teams and the mid-table teams is closing, not necessarily enough for them to push for a top four place, but enough to raise the standards of the league to another level.
United need a Target Man
It’s great news for United that Ronaldo is going to hang around and they’ve been strongly linked with Berbatov. Although the Bulgarian is top class and would make a great signing for obvious reasons, in my honest opinion United don’t need any new players who position themselves just behind the front two. Rooney and Tevez already do that job well so I think Ferguson might turn his attention to buying an out-and-out striker. They need somebody who can lead the line and the likes of David Villa and Thierry Henry have been mentioned in the last few weeks.
And the Winner will be…
Without wanting to sound biased I think United will win the League. It’s an unusual situation for them to start the campaign without adding a few names to the squad - even if they bring in a striker it looks like it’ll be the only big buy. Chelsea have bought Bosingwa and Deco, Spurs have signed loads of players but because United are a pretty young squad they haven’t needed to buy. Ferguson has a strong squad and I think they’ll overwhelm the opposition this year.
Liverpool look Dangerous on Paper, Arsenal don’t
Provided Keane and Torres stay fit and both play together they’ll be deadly. Benitez doesn’t need to rotate these guys, they’re so good I even think they can help Liverpool overtake Chelsea. I think Spurs will be strong this year and might pip Arsenal for 4th place.
Arsenal have sold a lot of big name players again and although they’ve got a great array of young talent as seen in the Emirates Cup you don’t, as Alan Hansen said, win anything with kids. I think it will be too difficult for these young boys to gel and put in a realistic challenge for the Premier League title, maybe they’ll be ready next year. It looks like Spurs haven’t finished yet in the transfer market and I can see them really pushing for a Champions League place.
The Rest of the Pack
Portsmouth look like a good bet this season, I’m a massive Harry Redknapp fan and I was delighted when he won the FA Cup last season, even though they beat United on the road to Wembley. Everybody who likes football wants people like Harry to do well. They’ve signed some really good players; Defoe and Crouch will do exceptionally well together and Kaboul from Spurs was a good bit of business. David James, Sylvain Distin and Sol Campbell are also very experienced at the back as well.
Everton will have a good season, but I think Newcastle will struggle, maybe not relegation but in the 2nd half of the table. Newcastle are a giant club and they deserve to be much higher but Keegan knows that he needs to be given time to build a solid squad.
I think the three teams who got promoted will really struggle to stay up. Stoke and Hull will find it so hard, although West Brom might do slightly better. I don’t think what Reading did a couple of seasons ago will be repeated but it’ll be exciting nonetheless.
New Boys Worth Watching
I was originally sceptical about Deco’s age but I think he’ll be a great player for Chelsea. Whenever you get a big club like Barcelona releasing a player of his calibre you have to wonder whether they know something that we don’t. That being said I look forward to seeing him play.
Spurs have bought a couple of cracking players in Luka Modric and David Bentley. Bentley scored some fantastic goals in pre-season against Roma and he’ll be a great addition to their side. We already know about Robbie Keane but he’ll be brilliant for Liverpool, even if they paid a bit too much given he’s 29 years old. Spurs cashed in big-time before he hit thirty. Benitez won’t mind about the money, he might just be the missing part of the puzzle at Anfield.
United do not need to Sell
Ronaldo won’t get any hassle in the United dressing room, most of what was written in the Summer was paper speculation. Even when he was spotted wearing a white t-shirt people said it was a sign that he wanted to join Real Madrid! At no point did he make a real statement saying he wanted to leave. United fans just need to look at the end result and be thankful that the best player in the world still plays for them. When you put him in a team alongside Rooney, Tevez, Nani, Carrick, Scholes, Hargreaves and Giggs you’ve got a frightening attacking formation. There is not one weakness…every player in the front five has the potential to score a match winning goal.
United have never been a selling club and we’ve always prided ourselves on being the biggest club in the world. The money doesn’t really make a difference, no matter how big the fee. It is more important that a big club can prove that they can hold on to their best players.
Hull’s Prodigal Sons Return
I think it’s great that players like Dean Windass get another shot at the Premier League but Helen Chamberlain reckons it’s terrible. She reckons Dean and teammate Nick Barmby won’t get the same chance to play as they did when Hull were in the Championship because the game will be too quick. She might be right, Dean is a great guy but it wouldn’t be surprising if they turn to younger players to get the goals. Nick Barmby was a cracking player in his day and he’s got a lot of class, with a Teddy Sheringham footballing brain…but I doubt he’ll be knocking on Capello’s door for that left-side midfield position. I hope I’m wrong with Hull, I’d like to see them stay up but it’s like they’ve won a competition to be in the Premier League for a year and are just fulfilling a dream.
Sack Race
I think the first person to leave their manager’s job could be Mark Hughes. He did a fantastic job at Blackburn but if he doesn’t get the money he was promised then I can see him getting bored with the situation and walking away from Thaksin Shinawatra’s boardroom drama.
Championship Tip
QPR are without doubt my top tip for a return to the top flight because of the amount of money the owners have. If they can stay in touch up until Christmas I reckon they might buy a few players in the January transfer window to give them a final push for the Premier League. Knowing the prize on offer I doubt the owners will resist the temptation. I think they are 13/2 to win the division and 3/1 to go up…in my opinion that is a great bet. Until next time…