Arsenal - Mgr: Arsene Wenger
Recent History: Arsenal's last 9 seasons read like a 9 hole golf scorecard straight from my wildest (wet) dreams. From '02-'03 to '10-'11 these were their EPL table finishes: 2, 1, 2, 4, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4. A blistering start out of the gate with what I can only imagine was at least one eagle in addition to the ace, followed by strong strong pars/birdies the rest of the way. Indeed, this has been Arsenal's calling card. Always a tough opponent, they will consistently threaten the top of the league but have been unable (save their "Invincible" '03-'04 season) to end up there at the end of the year.They also cannot for the life of them win a cup trophy as of late. They just can't do it.
Significant Changes: Perhaps the most significant change to the squad is one that has not happened: the ever-bubbling Fabregas-to-Barcelona rumor cauldron. After zealously guarding him in January, the Gunners have priced him at £40M. After the most cursory of Google searches, Barca haven't offered more than £35, so Arsenal haven't budged. Yawn. Call me when he signs the Barca contract. Moving on. Gervinho will bring more forward depth and newly signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain becomes the newest AFC starlet to flirt with London's child labor laws. Oh yeah, they also have four goalkeepers, three of whom have seen regular starting time.
Player to Watch: Robin Van Persie is without a doubt one of the top 15 players in the league, if not top 10. Despite his utter lack of a right foot, he is dangerous around the box due to his ability to continually trick people into thinking that, just this once, he might go right. Then he goes left shoots with his left and scores.
Predicted Table Finish: Top 4
6 more clubs after the jump
Aston Villa - Mgr: Alex McLeish
Recent History: A 9th place finish last season was very respectable from the Villians. Two draws against Chelsea and a 0-0 draw at home to Manchester United highlighted the middle of the season, while wins of 2-1 away to Arsenal and 1-0 home to Liverpool finished the season in style.
Significant Changes: New manager McLeish has taken his talents across town to Villa from former club Birmingham. Once-mighty Villa are now a midtable side, the type of side with which McLeish has had success and is comfortable. In terms of players, Villa have lost their two best. Ashley Young and Stewart Downing have both been snapped up by richer and more competitive sides (Man U and Liverpool, respectively). Down 2 solid wingers, AVFC have recouped one loss partially with the signing of French midfielder Charles N'Zogbia. Solid, not spectacular. They also signed Irish keeper and Fifa 02 legend Shay Given from Man City.
Player to Watch: I'm tempted to say N'Zogbia, but I'm going with Mark Albrighton. Only 21 years old, I love his style of play and his crossing ability from a wide area. Not a typical English bulldog midfielder in the Gerrard mold, he has pace and a bit of flair. It will be interesting to see how he and fellow Villa youth team product Gabby Agbonlahor link up.
Predicted Table Finish: Middle of the Pack
Blackburn Rovers - Mgr: Steve Kean
Recent History: Sitting only 4 points clear of the relegation zone after season's end can never be considered a successful campaign. Rovers had a -13 goal differential while going 11-17-10. Not great by any standards, but good enough for another season of top-flight football. One highlight from last season was their 3-1 victory over Liverpool on January 5th.
Significant Changes: Namewise, Blackburn kept things very similar from last season to this one. Mame Biram Diouf, scorer of 6 goals last season while on loan from Man U, is back with the Red Devils. Enter El-Hadji Diouf, Europe's answer for Dennis Rodman. Also, as Roque Santa Cruz returns to Man City from his loan with Rovers, they've gone out and replaced him with Julio Santa Cruz. Maybe all Blackburn fans are nearsighted and will think the players on the field are the same as the ones from last year.
Player to Watch: Morten Gamst Pedersen. If i had to pick one, he's got my favorite name in the league. Additionally, he's their best player with 4 goals last season from a wing position.
Predicted Table Finish: Low, but not relegated
Bolton Wanderers - Mgr: Owen Coyle
Recent History: Bolton finished exactly a win above their neighbors to the north, Blackburn, but had a much better goal differential. At only -4, they seemingly deserved a few more draws. Look for them to potentially jump up a few spots in the table for a few reasons: The weakness of promoted teams Swansea, QPR, and Norwich, and also the return of Stuart Holden from the injury sustained after Jonny Evans's horror tackle.
Significant Changes: The big and technically gifted Swede Johan Elmander is out, having joined Galtasaray on a free this summer. Dan Sturridge returns to Stamford Bridge after a successful loan stint at Reebok Stadium. Another blow comes in the form of Lee Chung Yong, the midfielder having broken his leg in a preseason friendly has been ruled out for 9 months. Not many imports besides workhorse midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker.
Player to Watch: Holden. Love this kid's game. He would kill it in Spain, where he wouldn't be playing against bruisers in the midfield like Evans. Great vision, weights the final pass beautifully, and can be a threat from distance.
Predicted Table Finish: Middle of the pack
Chelsea - Mgr: Roman Abramovich (jk it's new man Andre Villas-Boas)
Recent History: Ah, yes, the blues. We all know of Chelsea's sudden rise to relevance after Russian
Significant Changes: Starting from the top, in comes new manager Villas-Boas, straight from glory with FC Porto. He won the treble and went undefeated in league play, can't ask for anything more than that. As for players, the hottest news off the wire is that they've signed Dutch striker Romelu Lukaku, a promising youngster. With their established glut of top-level talent, not much change was needed. They did let Yuri Zhirkov shove off for the barren ice-covered fields of Russia.
Player to Watch: Fernando Torres. Bought from Liverpool at the death of the January transfer market, one can say absolutely NOTHING positive about his half season in London. He simply couldn't score. When he finally did, it was only because of a wet pitch. Regardless, he is making outrageous money and will therefore still see big minutes (kind of like Daisuke Matsuzaka in that regard). Additionally, he still is tremendously talented. It remains to be seen whether AV-B can get Torres to work well with any of their other strikers.
Predicted Table Finish: Top 4
Everton - Mgr: David Moyes
Recent History: Everton is one of the most interesting teams in the Premier League. One of my friends, a Scotsman who's also lived in Florida and Dubai, counts Everton as his favorite team because, as he put it, "They could lose 5-0 one weekend and win 5-0 the next". After finishing 7th last season, only 4 points back of city rivals Liverpool, Everton could finally be poised to make the leap into the European positions in the table. It remains doubtful that they can spend like the big boys, but they can play with them, as evidenced by draws with United, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Liverpool and wins over Liverpool and Man City last season.
Significant Changes: No noticeable changes to speak of here. Everton has a strong core of defenders to choose from, including Jonny Heitinga, the imposing duo of Sylvain Distin and Tony Hibbert, and the always reliable Phil Jagielka.
Player to Watch: Leighton Baines. A much more offensive defender than those previously mentioned, Baines bombs down the touchline with reckless abandon and has been known to knock in a dangerous crossing ball with regularity. With towering heads like Victor Anichebe and Yakubu Aiyegbeni waiting in the center, things could get nasty for opposing center halfs.
Predicted Table Finish: Just out of European qualification
Fulham - Mgr: Martin Jol
Recent History: Fulham reminds me of Everton in terms of club stature in England. Certainly not a smaller team like Wolves, but not quite up to the Man City or even Tottenham level. However, they have shown they can compete in England and most importantly, they can pull points from games. 11 each in the win and loss column, their 16 draws were crucial to their success. Of course, naysayers would say many of those games should have resulted in 3 points.
Significant Changes: A few interesting developments. First, Martin Jol finally gets his crack at finishing what he calls some "unfinished business" in English football. Jol and FFC were keen on reaching an agreement last summer, but Ajax would not part with their coach. Second, Fulham lose creative midfielder Zoltan Gera to West Brom. Third, and certainly most importantly, the Riise brothers reunite in London at long last! That's right folks! The Norwegian Warhammer has landed at Craven Cottage! Be on the lookout for thunderbolts like this.
And this.
And who can forget this epic blast? RELEASE THE KRAKEN
Player to Watch: Besides Riise, and the obvious choice of Clint Dempsey, I'd say Brede Hangeland. The 6'4 center back is the pivot point of the team, has excellent vision and distribution from the back, and can get forward well on corner kicks and clog up the middle.
Predicted Table Finish: Middle of the pack
Agree? Disagree? Comment and let us know.
No comments:
Post a Comment