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| The New Logo |
There have been lots of major changes in the summer, managers have been replaced and some of the biggest players have arrived in the Premier League. The world's most exciting league is living up to its strengths once again. The Premier League relinquished all forms of its sponsorship starting this season in its bid to be independent and clean. It would be a good move as football has been hit with many scandals in recent years from the match fixing in Juventus, the World Cup hosting, the fall of Sepp Blatter and the not so transparent agent commissions from transfers. Football has become the air the fans breathe every day, an important 'economy' of its own, anything that would damage the integrity and reputation of the sport cannot be tolerated.
Since my season review 3 months ago, we had very eventful summer with the Euros in France and the Olympic Games in Brazil. The Euros looked to be an exciting opportunity for England and France considering how much their squads have improved. England look re-energised with some new talents like Dele Alli, Jamie Vardy and Raheem Sterling. However their campaign came to a premature end due to some bad judgments by the now sacked Roy Hodgson. An unexpected defeat to Iceland was disappointing after a promising start. France was flying high all the way in the tournament led by the scintillating Griezmann and impressive Payet. But it wasn't to be for the host, as Portugal, despite some shaky performances during the early stages of the tournament, persevered and won it in extra time. It was a dream come true for Christiano Ronaldo, who also lifted the Champions League in May.
The transfer market this close season was abuzzed with signings of top players and managers. The traditional big clubs had amends to make after a considerably poor season. The surprise top 3 Leicester City, Arsenal and Spurs, found themselves in unfamiliar territory and they too needed to strengthen or have their places wrestled back. Let's see how the teams line up this season.
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| Ahmed Musa |
Nothing is impossible, a mantra they now live by after their fairytale triumph last season. However most Leicester supporters would accept that defending their title is a mountain too high this season. They know their rivals will be coming back with vengeance after their poor showing last season. Despite the pressure of having to live up to their title as Champions, they shouldn't be too concerned and will continue enjoying their football. Leicester has done something out of the ordinary and should be remembered for that. Their owners have rewarded the players and staff handsomely after their triumph, hopefully that keeps the motivation going.
With a good majority of the team in tact, it's a good sign for the Foxes who are looking to extend their stay at the top. They haven't held back their spending this summer, they welcomed notable signings in Ahmed Musa, Nampalys Mendy, Islam Slimani, Bartosz Kapustka and Luis Hernandez. Musa comes in as a prolific striker who has played his last 4 years CSKA Moscow and Slimani had a 27 goal haul with Sporting Lisbon last season. Both players would add more firepower and help out Vardy with the goals tally. One notable casualty is N'Golo Kante, who moved to Chelsea. Kante had an exceptional season and played a key role in the middle en route to Leicester's success. It remains to be seen how Mendy will be able to fill in that area. It may not look like a big transfer window for Leicester but the key has been their ability to tie down their superstars like Mahrez, Vardy, Drinkwater and Okazaki. This has been the biggest plus point for the Foxes this summer. The 'distraction' of the Champions League will no doubt make it a more strenuous season, hence Ranieri and Co. will need to up their game by a few notches to stay on top.
Prediction: Leicester will win a great battle to stay in the top 4.
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| Granit Xhaka |
A runners-up finish last season might seem like the club is heading in the right direction. There's no discounting how impressive things look having only signed a keeper for the whole season compared to the other clubs that spent many times more. While Arsenal's usual rivals faltered for numerous reasons last season, Arsenal were on a few occasions, favourites for the title. While I have already described how Arsenal's problems are so deeply rooted in my Season Review, the next question is has there been any progress yet? While Arsene Wenger knows many club supporters are disgruntled by the way he has managed the club, it still hasn't reached the point that he concedes that his tactics and decisions were to be blamed. Or worse still, the fact that he can no longer deliver the title. The beginning of last season saw Arsenal in desperate need of another centre forward and a centre back but we managed to go past the transfer window without an outfield signing. The high dependence on Giroud has been alarming for awhile but Wenger has chosen to fall back on makeshift strikers in Walcott and Alexis. Even as Giroud played through the pain barriers of knocks and bruises, why should Wenger put the club at risk? Something I still can't comprehend. Our defence has been inconsistent and shaky for years, why is there still no improvement? Chambers and Gabriel have arrived in recent years but they have not made the grade.
An impressive start to the transfer window saw the arrival of highly rated Swiss international Granit Xhaka, who is versatile and another fantastic passer of the ball. On the other hand, with a crowded centre of midfield with Cazorla, Ozil, Ramsey, Wilshere, Elneny, Coquelin and Iwobi, it wasn't the most critical area we needed reinforcements. A striker was definitely on Wenger's watchlist but lack of progress can only be down to the 'fair' prices he was willing to pay. Higuain joined Juventus, Vardy turned us down and no improved bid for Lacazette was made after the first. Surely we knew that prices have gone up drastically and don't expect to pay prices from 10 year ago. Story cut short, we couldn't get any of our preferred targets and settled for little known Lucas Perez, for a very affordable £17million. A new striker for us but we need to keep our expectations in check. The defensive reinforcements fared slightly better as we brought it Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding to cope with the injuries by Mertesacker and Gabriel. The once highly rated Calum Chambers was sent out on loan as his progress hasn't been up to expectations. Wilshere and Joel Campbell might have played their last games at Arsenal after being loaned out at this stage of their careers.
Prediction: Title ambitions isn't up for discussion as far as I know. Another top 4 finish to aim for. Could miss out this time.
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| Michy Batshuayi |
After a bitterly disappointing campaign last season, Chelsea have sprung major changes to their team with Antonio Conte being the heart of it. Chelsea being way off the pace last season was their worst finish since Abramovich took over in 2003. In not so "Special" fashion last season, Jose Mourinho parted with the Champions while their key players struggled to find their best form. Players like Hazard, Fabregas, Oscar and Matic all had a season to forget. They would be key to a recovery this season. Conte's job wouldn't be so much a major transformation but careful steps to get his big players back on track to their best. In terms of new signings, the notables were Michy Batshuayi, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso and the shocking return of David Luiz. Batshuayi would be the key signing as Costa is the only recognised out and out striker. Eventhough John Terry extended his stay, I thought Chelsea could have done better than David Luiz. He does have an attacking side to his game but I don't think that's what Chelsea really needs. Selling a defender for £50million was a great deal of business, but I'm not so convinced about buying him back for £32million.
Chelsea's squad is full of experience and winners in football, the only variable left is for Conte to rediscover the missing spirit and belief in this team. These players can deliver if given the right strategy and guidance. Conte definitely has those qualities and experience to drive this team in the right direction. As of this writing, the players have already felt the positive influence of their new boss. I think Chelsea will need time to regroup and find their best touches again. It's not time to compete for number one yet.
Prediction: Chelsea is tipped to bounce back into contention. A fight for the top 4.
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| Vincent Janssen |
Spurs have always dreamed big of breaking into the top 4 and with ultimate ambitions of being the best London's best club. They have improved tremendously over the years despite losing Gareth Bale a few years ago. Last season finally saw a real breakthrough as they kept closest to Leicester overall. Spurs have done it without spending tons of money like their rivals, thanks to some fantastic scouting to unearth some of the best English players today. Players like Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Kyle Walker, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen have all cost Spurs 'a song' for today's standards. It was the only way they could outsmart their rivals and they've done a fantastic job. Their intelligence and work in the background have paid massive dividends.
Getting to the top is very hard, staying on top is the hardest. Has Spurs done enough this summer? They have brought in Moussa Sissoko, Vincent Janssen, Victor Wanyama and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou. I think they have got the right players as they needed some reinforcements in the middle having most of their midfielders being more offensive. Wanyama and Sissoko will need no introduction and are expected to make an immediate impact. Janssen will be an exciting new striker for them having had an impressive season with AZ Alkmaar, scoring 27 goals and providing 4 assists in 32 games in the Dutch league. He will look to form a fearsome partnership up front with Harry Kane.With Lamela, Son and Eriksen also providing options in attack, this Spurs team will be a tough nut to crack. This season will be the real acid test for Spurs, are they contenders or pretenders?
Prediction: It's going to be very challenging staying on top, nevertheless the depth of talent will give them a chance.
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| Leroy Sane |
It must be pretty frustrating for Citizens after spending staggering sums year after year and still need to just to keep up. On paper, this team should have won the title convincingly. But due to the beauty of football, it's never that straightforward. As I mentioned in my Season Review, this team is due for a replenishment in talent pipeline due to ageing of squad members. We've seen some amazing football played by Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and David Silva over the years. City have to accept that good players do not last forever and need to look for replacements eventually. Players like Joe Hart, Mangala, Bony and Nasri would have been expected to play much longer in this team. However, circumstances haven't worked out as well and it's surprising see them being cut loose. Along with their less noisy neighbours, Pep Guardiola has arguably the toughest job as he not only had to send some big players packing, he also needed fresh proven talent. To have a £32million defender sent out on loan sends the message that he means business. Money isn't an issue in the Eastlands for now despite the weak oil prices, hence another £150million was splashed in the transfer market. The inflated market currently did not help City's causes as they shelled out £47million for John Stones, £42million for Leroy Sane, £21million for Ilkay Gundogan, £17million for Claudio Bravo and £14million for Nolito among the notable signings. They don't look like slowing down, do they?
The fate of City still largely hinges on Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero, they were top draw last season and the team needs both of them to deliver again. Sterling and Otamendi have to drastically improve on their performances this season after a slow start. This very expensively assembled squad is going to feel the pressure more this year with the huge outlay. Their rivals have also spent big so there will be no guarantees for City again. Pep has already made some tough decisions on players and enforced his style of play on this team. Being one of the finest managers in Europe, it's another personal milestone if he were to win in new territory. City has pulled out all the stops to secure the best this season, can they regain the title?
Prediction: City will be a big contender for the title.
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| Mkhitaryan, Ibrahmimovic, Pogba and Bailly |
United has gone all in this summer, maybe because they haven't got a choice to begin with. The biggest club in the world has gone through some tough times post SAF, with Moyes and Van Gaal unable to deliver the silverware (the ones they want). The patience has run out for the Old Trafford chiefs and only the most effective and aggressive strategies have been pursued this close season. This summer saw United blow everyone away by making one of the most spectacular line up of acquisitions ever seen in the football world, probably only second to Real's splash on Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema in the same season in 2009. The world record signing Paul Pogba arrived along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly for a cool £156million. All was not complete without the signing of Jose Mourinho, the 'Special One' who will attempt to steer them back on track in his third stint in England. A pat on the back for the United executives for pulling off some of the biggest deals in football, they did their business early and were rewarded.
Now armed with a squad of top talents including the existing players like Rooney, Mata and Martial, can this all star team gel quickly enough to deliver on their first attempt? The early signs look good so far (at this point of writing) and these are exciting times for the Devils. The immense firepower up front and the strengthened back line with the addition Bailly, no one can doubt that they'll be challenging for honours this time around. All eyes will be on Paul Pogba's sensational return after 4 years and his eye-watering price tag. The very talented Frenchman will provide some much needed domination in the midfield while giving the attacking players more freedom to play in their opponent's half. Michael Carrick has been the man for United for years, now they can be more assured handing over his position. Ibrahimovic's arrival is going to give defenders a nightmare with his ever prolific scoring record. One Europe's finest strikers will be looking to replicate his success on English soil. Age certainly is only a number for him as his performances in the last few years has been pretty stunning. Mkhitaryan arrives after an impressive season with Dortmund and will provide the quality on the wing. Now that United have shown all their aces, can they make it count?
Prediction: A superb squad and manager are now in place. They just have to deliver .
Final words
Predictions and odds always seem likely at the start of the season. But at the end of the season, only one combination will be the right one. If I manage to get the correct 6 teams in the top 6, that will just leave me 720 possible combinations to choose from for their positions (If I got my permutations formula right). Yup, just 720, about a 0.138% chance!
This year I'm going to forget about all the statistics (and most of the things I wrote above) and roll the dice on this one. There will be no need to explain why I selected the team in 1st.
1) Arsenal
2) Manchester United
3) Manchester City
4) Tottenham Hotspur
5) Chelsea
6) Leicester City
Thanks for reading.
~deyao~
