Two days to go now until Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City get the ball rolling on the 2010/11 FA Barclays Premier League campaign, which could turn out to be the most compelling and competitive seasons in the league’s history. Here is a brief round-up of what we can expect between now and the end of May.
The Leading Contenders
Chelsea won the double last season and starts the season as the favourites with most pundits and bookmakers. Carlo Ancelotti has stuck with the same formula from last season, with the exception of acquiring Ramires and Yossi Benayoun. The squad may be ageing considerably, despite getting rid of the likes of Deco, Belletti and Ballack. I can’t see them being a main force in the Champions League, but they remain the best domestic side on paper, so don’t be too surprised if they become the team to beat. Sir Alex Ferguson will be desperate to bring the title back to Manchester United. Their impressive performance at Wembley last week in the FA Community Shield will have raised a few eyebrows. United have a nice blend of experience and youth, which could see them become England’s most successful club for league titles this season. Much will depend on the form of Wayne Rooney. Can he bounce back from his miserable summer? He should be supported really well by a formidable attack line of Nani, Ryan Giggs, Antonio Valencia, the returning Michael Owen and new signing Javier Hernandez, who could turn out to be a real surprise package. They certainly have all the ingredients to snatch the Premiership back from West London.
The Challengers
Much will be expected of Manchester City this time around, so the pressure will be on Roberto Mancini from the word go. He has spent £77million in the summer, desperate to end a very lean period of no silverware at Eastlands. David Silva, Yaya Toure, Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov are the latest on the payroll and it will be interesting to see how Mancini can keep the squad all happy, especially with the new squad regulations for the Premiership. The top four is a minimum requirement. Arsenal need to show the real guile and spirit this season, otherwise it could be another frustrating season for the North London fans. Arsene Wenger must get the best out of his youngsters and no excuses can be made now, especially as it has been six long years since any silverware made the Emirates trophy cabinet. It has been a distracting summer for the Gunners, as Cesc Fabregas has dithered over his future. Not the best preparation then, but if Marouane Chamakh can smash in the goals like Ian Wright and Thierry Henry used to, then Arsenal can never be discounted. Liverpool had an awful time last season, and Rafa Benitez paid the price with his job. This is Roy Hodgson’s big chance, as he finally gets a deserved shot at the big time. Joe Cole’s signing is quality, especially on a free, as is the signature of hard-working Dane Christian Poulsen. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have committed their future and the boardroom struggle could also be coming to a swift conclusion too. The Reds are still probably slightly short of a title challenge, but they should be in the mix a bit more this season. Their Merseyside rivals Everton have barely spent, but don’t have the injuries that crippled the beginning of last season for David Moyes side. It will be interesting to see Jermaine Beckford perform at the top level, and with the likes of Louis Saha, Tim Cahill, Leon Osman, Yakubu, Maroualine Fellani and Mikel Arteta around to back him up, Everton could turn out to be a very formidable opponent this season. Tottenham may have finished 4th last season and deservedly so, but Harry Redknapp has really struggled to use his position of Champions League football to acquire new blood in the transfer market. Although Tottenham are still a very dangerous side and can beat anyone on their day, I don’t see them being a title contender, as they still lack the modern consistency needed for a proper title tilt. Aston Villa has been rocked by Martin O’Neill having walked out on the club just five days before the start of the campaign. There is a lot of uncertainly around at Villa Park at the moment, they need a new manager and fast.
Surprise Packages
If anyone can break into the European places, don’t look much further than UEFA Europa League finalists Fulham. Mark Hughes has a chairman who loves him, the funds to splash and a managerial reputation to restore. Fulham are serious dark horses to break into the top seven. Birmingham City was a revelation last season and despite being very quiet in the summer, Nikola Zigic will cause fear and tremors through Premier League defenders, due to his towering height. If Zigic can provide the cutting edge that Alex McLeish missed last season, then Birmingham could become the best of the Midlands sides. This is Steve Bruce’s second season at Sunderland and improvements are required, as the Black Cats have underachieved massively for far too long. They need support for Darren Bent in the goal scoring department to move up the order significantly, but should be luckier than they were last season with injuries. Both Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City have solid sides, without many world-class players, but have lots of team spirit in abundance. Both need major improvements in diabolical away records to reach the next level. With Avram Grant onboard and a more settled approach from David Gold and David Sullivan, West Ham United must improve on last year’s narrow miss with relegation. They should do so, with Grant having pulled off some impressive captures in the transfer market over the summer.
Relegation Candidates
Blackpool surprised everyone with their shock promotion last season. Ian Holloway deserves a shot at the big time, but the club have not strengthened at all of note, and could be in for a very tough struggle at the basement of the Premier League. West Brom returns to the top flight and is the biggest yo-yo club around. Like Blackpool, they haven’t spent much and are relying on the side that got promoted last season, which I think shows some real naivety from Roberto di Matteo. Their Black Country neighbours Wolves have added Steven Fletcher to their strike ranks and did well to beat the drop last season, but it could be tougher for Mick McCarthy this time around. Unless they manage to shore up the leaky defensive that shipped a bunch of goals last campaign, it could also be a very tedious and frustrating campaign for Wigan Athletic. I would expect these four to fight it out for the relegation places, though Bolton Wanderers & Newcastle United could also be in the shake-up at the wrong end of the table come the end of the season.
