Season Preview 2017-2018

£400m PSG trio of Mbappe, Neymar and Cavani

While I may have missed my regular season review due to time constraints, I wasn’t going find an excuse to miss my season preview. There will be hints that the Gooner in me will try to avoid addressing my very flawed predictions at the start of last season (Yes, it ended disastrously for Arsenal and I never fancied Chelsea’s chances). Well, that means you just have to bet the opposite of what I predict. Arsenal’s season did end with another victorious day at Wembley, but the deep roots of Arsenal’s real failure still persist in the big picture, we have not progressed. More on that later.

The transfer market this year has moved like a Bitcoin, never seen before prices with no rationality. Who knew it took so little time to dwarf the £89m spent by Man Utd on Paul Pogba last season. This summer PSG had other ideas, shelling out a mind-boggling £200m on Neymar, smashing the previous world record by more than twice. They also manage to secure the services of highly sought after Kylian Mbappe, who moved in a deal that will take him on loan initially and end up costing £166m. It’s not however clear whether PSG is obliged to make the move permanent. The Qatar owners look pretty serious about things, and their finances do not look shaken by the sanctions imposed by their Gulf counterparts. The figures mentioned in the transfer market have been drastically inflated compared to just two years ago. We’ve seen Suarez and Higuain move for £75m recently, but prices in the market today have gone pretty beyond £100m mark. Are the Financial Fair Play rules actually enforceable? Do clubs really make that much? The spotlight will be on PSG on how they explain their way out. The question now is whether the footballing regulators are serious about limiting these “artificial financial assistance” from club owners. 

Last season saw Chelsea regain the top spot in England after a tactical masterclass by their new manager, Antonio Conte. While it didn’t look like his first season was going to be fairytale at the beginning, a dazzling 13 game winning streak made all the difference in the title race. The rarely successful formation of having three at back worked wonders and was instrumental to their triumph. It was indeed a quick rebound after falling to a lowly 10^th last season. The paradigm has shifted at the top, with Spurs again making decent challengers for the title, their ascendancy and influence has become ever more noticeable. City and Liverpool hung on to their top 4 places as periods of inconsistency largely left them out of contention. Despite a customary late resurgence, Arsenal for the first time in 17 years, failed to qualify for the Champions League. And lastly, Manchester United had a lower than usual finish as they took a calculated risk to enter Champions League from the alternative option of winning the Europa League. It was an unconventional way but Jose decided the chances of a top 4 finish were much slimmer. His judgement was spot on and Utd are back in Europe. This transfer window saw England clubs participate in another record where £1.4bn changed hands. The commercial revenues generated by the Premier Leagues clubs have spilled over to the smaller teams. You can now see a smaller club like Everton spending over £100m.

As my team from North London, it's been further downhill and it looks pretty bleak at this point of time. I’ll start off by addressing the crisis Arsenal is facing.

Arsenal's record signing Lacazette

Arsenal – The Emirates Meltdown

Cancer doesn’t develop overnight, neither does it progress through stages in days. In fact, it develops over a long time and depending on the severity and how soon before being detected, determines the chances of recovery. Much like Arsene Wenger, he started out as great organ and the system functioned well. As the organ deteriorated, the system went into decline. But as he refused to be replaced by good functioning organ, the system has gone critically ill. He has had great achievements in the past and his methods worked magic. But today, his tactics are futile and predictable, the team is in disarray, the morale is at rock bottom, key players are running down on their final year of contracts, there is no Champions League football and the fans have all but turned on their longest serving manager. How has the situation got this bad? 

For a start, the problem has been brewing for years and he has finally run out of luck, except for the mind bending fact on how he managed to secure a contract extension this year.  The problems at this clubs is on many occasions we have been bailed out by exceptional players in the past like Henry, Fabregas, Van Persie, Alexis and dare I mention even players like Nasri and Adebayor. These players have covered for our weak defence, making us a perfect illustration of “attacking is the best form of defence”, but that hasn’t worked, has it? For years we have played with the fire of mediocrity, conceding easy goals, self-destructing during crucial games and lacking the mental toughness to pull through on our off days. Luck has been our side as we managed to always finish in the top four. 17 consecutive years in Europe’s elite competition, a fluke is completely out of the question with that kind of consistency. By keeping our heads just above the water, the position of Arsene Wenger has never been challenged. It’s as though the 13 year league drought has no impact on the club. Like how Jack Welch describes, the people in middle are the most difficult, there are not good enough to promote and neither are they too bad to sacked.

The club has been on a decline, no progress on challenging the title, no improvement in Europe (think the number of times we get knocked out in the last 16) and the same old problems of a leaky defence and the repetitive collapses every season. Arsene Wenger is absolutely clueless and becoming irrelevant in football today. He over relies and overplays key players, his staff does a terrible job in the treatment room, he doesn’t seem to understand that there are so many gaps in the team and continues to deploy his methods that are clearly not working.

Let’s get down to what happened during the summer transfer window. For years, Arsene expressed interest in looking for ‘world class’ players. Yes we’ve seen Ozil and Alexis arrive despite having more attractive suitors elsewhere. Apart from that, it’s been a bunch of average players that Arsene seems to see something we can’t. Walcott, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Elneny, Wilshere, Jenkinson, Welbeck, Chambers, Gibbs, Gabriel, Sanogo, Perez, Joel Campbell. How can you compete for anything with players like that in your squad? How far do you think you can go? The fact that most of these players are still here clearly shows that Arsene has completely lost the plot. While we might not actually know whether he has tried to offload them (I note some of them have left), the negotiators have done a horrendous job this close season. We still have all these players on our payroll amounting to millions a week and we know these players aren’t going to make us title contenders. We could be doing so much more with these players sold. What have we done to address out number 1 problem of a bad defence? We offer Mustafi for sale, we keep Debuchy, stick to Mertesacker and Rob Holding and buy.... nobody? I’m really starting to question whether he knows any common sense at this point. The defence is the elephant in the room that needs fixing and Arsene has done nothing about it, get us a god damn centre back mate!

Alexis has been eager to leave, he certainly doesn’t want to sign a new contract despite a new contract on the table. We’ve been as usual, playing the enquiring game and some “stealth-like” mission where we fear other teams knowing who we want to buy. Based on the transfer news in the summer, it’s been a serious lack of activity. You’re not going to sign Mbappe or Lemar, so get on with it and find us someone else! Instead, we waited for the last 2 days to negotiate an exit for Alexis, made a whopping £92m bid for Lemar, who was never interested in moving to a club that plays in the Europa League. Now Alexis will be lost on a bossman and the club has effectively squandered £60m. A wise man once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. Arsene, a man who has lived for a good 67 years and been in management for more than two decades, has done the exact thing and left the club for the dead. Only one major signing all season with the rest of the weak links waiting to be exploited. The fans will be enduring more thrashings by the big teams, getting accustomed to it, much like a mid table team.

There is nothing much positive to takeaway this summer. We have fallen to new lows and were expecting new blood to drive the team forward (player AND manager). Instead, the board have failed miserably in their role to bring in change and improvement.  Their lack of competence and ignorance will hurt the history of the club and the loyal supporters who have remained defiant despite some of the worst times in history. The club has lost its identity as a competing club for the league title, we are no longer daunting opponents like before and a fixture against Arsenal now represents an opportunity for 3 points instead of 1. The decline in this club is going to continue unless change finally comes in. Although football is pretty unpredictable, the league table doesn’t lie, over a period of time, Arsenal will be exposed time and time again, leaving the team realistically aiming for finish in the top four. 

The main contenders, briefly.

Chelsea's new goal machine Morata

Chelsea - Staying on Top

The Blues have only successfully defended their title once, during the golden age of Frank Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and of course Jose Mourinho. This summer saw the arrival of Alvaro Morata, who decided to step out from the shadows of the superstars that surrounded him at the Bernabeau. A prolific and clinical finisher that is perfect for Chelsea after freezing out Diego Costa. The other arrivals were Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Antonio Rudiger and Davide Zappacosta. They have bought the right enforcements while doing good business offloading many players who are surplus to requirements. Willian, Kante, Alonso and Hazard will remain the key players for the Blues this season. Batshuayi will play an important role as a second choice striker and is expected to step up when called upon.  Like how Leicester lost Kante when they won the title, it was a surprising choice to sell Nemanja Matic, who provides enormous strength in the midfield. While Kante still provides the defensive qualities, the extent of Matic’s absence could be a factor in Chelsea’s season. We'll see whether Bakayoko can fill this void. The back three formation will be in the spotlight and there will be less doubts this time around, the mercurial David Luiz remains a concern. Only a slim chance of defending their title.

Lukaku and Co ready to take over

Manchester United - The Much Awaited Breakthrough

Based on the opening weeks of the season, it’s looking like a very promising season for the Red Devils. They have a massively talented young squad and their new signings have strengthened the team further. While I tipped United to go further last season, they needed more time to find their best eleven and for Mikhitaryan and Pogba to fit in. I believe the transition is almost complete and they are ready to show their title aspirations once again. Their last triumph was with Sir Alex Ferguson, and I’m sure they wouldn’t want to keep making reference to that year. This year looks the most encouraging with the signing of Matic and Lukaku. Matic will work wonders in the midfield, replicating what he did at Chelsea, while his partnership with Pogba is a pretty exciting one. They probably have the best midfield in the country when you consider their other midfielders Herrera, Mata and Mikhitaryan. At the same time having Lukaku, Martial, Rashford and Ibrahimovic ready to bang in the goals makes a mouth-watering prospect. Lukaku is probably the best choice striker after Harry Kane, a player who is a finished product with Premier League experience. With De Gea between their goal, it just leaves their defence to hold up their end of responsibility for a good chance of the title. Jose knows how to win and we know he can get it right on his day. They got all their inputs right, let’s see whether they can execute. 

Exciting talent Gabriel Jesus

Manchester City - Addressing the Shortcomings

Pep Guardiola’s first season was one with many lessons learned and luckily for City it wasn’t too much of a failure. Considering the amount of talent at his disposal, a season that didn’t go well just used up one of his “lifelines”. The owners didn’t pour so much of resources to wait a few years for success, Pep is fighting for his job this season. There isn’t much too criticize in terms of City’s offensive play when they have the likes of Aguero, De Bruyne, Sane and new boy Gabriel Jesus, but it was the lack of finishing and wasteful opportunities which cost the Citizens last season. Jesus had a sterling debut season before being disrupted by a serious injury. He will be one to watch to contribute significantly to their goals tally.

An unreliable Claudio Bravo and a shaky defence added to their woes last season. Otamendi was again vulnerable and their old guards were no longer playing at the highest level. Pep has done a pretty comprehensive restructuring job this summer by bringing in Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva, Ederson and Danilo Silva. At the same time, he has cleared out out of favour players like Iheanacho, Bony, Nolito, Fernando, Kolarov, Nasri, Zabaleta, Clichy, Navas and Sagna. I mentioned last season how City needed to do a massive overhaul of their squad and I think they have done just that. Hats off to them. City needs to improve on all their shortcomings from last season and they have made the right moves in addressing them this season. Bernardo Silva will be their player to watch and will add to the already remarkable attacking line-up. Ederson will do better than Bravo and Mendy will strengthen City’s defence. Mangala and Otamendi remain as weak links in the City defence while I’m not convinced Kyle Walker is worth £50m. Nevertheless, I expect City to show improvement overall and have a good shot at the title. 

Final Say
I have noticeably excluded Spurs and Liverpool, maybe they are worth putting some money on based my track record. As you can see I've devoted most of this writing on Arsenal and you can imagine the frustration of a Gooner. It doesn't get easier these days as the chances of winning the league now being a 4 to 5 horse race. One team will be jubilant and the others will be left disappointed. It then begs the question, how far should a club go to seek success of a silverware, knowing that it requires 9 digits of financial capital and still doesn't give very high odds. Football as a business can continue as long as people are willing to spend money watching the beautiful game. My hope is that the game does not get overshadowed by the money and we still see clubs investing in youth, as opposed to knowing you can own any player because you have the financial strength. The sport still thrives on excitement of new talents, small teams doing giantkilling and how every game is so unpredictable. Let's hope the sport keeps its identity. Enjoy your season.

~deyao~

Season 2016-2017 Preview

The New Logo

Britain's exit from the EU termed the "Brexit" was a cause of fear, uproar and uncertainty. The predictions were dire consequences for the British economy and seemingly disaster to follow. The footballing scene in the England however, was not in sync judging by the transfer activities. Not only were transfer records smashed, spending again broke record highs. While a weaker Pound took a hit on the purchasing power of British clubs, it was almost unnoticeable based on how things have panned out. The commercial power of the big clubs have got frightening, gone were the days when 30 million pounds was a big deal. When Higuain moved for 72 million pounds from Napoli to Juventus, it was official things have gone haywire.

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.

Ahmed Musa

Leicester City - A Top 4 Target
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.

Granit Xhaka

Arsenal - Can They Go One Better?
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.

Michy Batshuayi

Chelsea - Can Conte Bring the Blues Back to Picture?
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.

Vincent Janssen

Tottenham Hotspur - Their Best Team in Decades
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.

Leroy Sane

City - An Overhaul at the Eastlands
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.

Mkhitaryan, Ibrahmimovic, Pogba and Bailly

Manchester United - Devils Go For Broke
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~

2015 / 2016 Season Review

For the people who didn’t agree that the Premier League is the best league in the world, this season set the record straight, it's been exciting and the most unpredictable one yet . The reigning champions fell hard while a team you would never have guessed did the unthinkable. Although Premier League teams have been doing poorly in Europe, it’s arguably still THE best league overall terms of excitement, competitiveness, quality and entertainment value. Fresh from escaping relegation at the end of last season, a ‘reasonable’ 5000-1 to go all the way, Leicester City’s astonishing fairytale win is one of the greatest achievements ever seen in modern football. When Sergio Aguero slotted in the winning goal at the death in 2012, Martin Tyler exclaimed that “I swear you'll never see something like this ever again”. And yes, we might never see the title settled in that manner again, but what we witnessed this season, was like fiction crystallising in slow motion. Leicester went from strength to strength, incredibly resilient in the face of doing the impossible to defeating all the odds stacked against them along the way. They even did it with 2 games to spare. Considering the circumstances where the big teams have long dominated the league by recruiting the best in the world, for Leicester to bring a pretty much unknown team and win the league, you had to see it to believe it. It’s an inspiring tale that will be told for a very long time.

I really love the game of football and I have to admit I didn’t know much about Leicester’s players at the start of the season. I went as far as this. Kasper Schmeichel, I remembered his time back in City when Thaksin took over and they were vying to be the next big thing. He had huge potential at that time but went missing a few years when playing in the Championship. It’s a good surprise he has stepped out from senior Schmeichel’s shadows. Robert Huth, once played for Chelsea and represented Germany as well. Always lacked the consistency and very un-German-like despite his huge presence. Marc Albrighton, I remember him being a rising star in Villa with lots of potential. Then he left Villa and I thought, another unfulfilled one.

How on earth did Leicester build such a good team with so little funds spent? Where did they find players like Kante, Mahrez and Morgan? Should Chelsea have kept Ranieri? How can a good part of England not know who Jamie Vardy is? Were the Foxes on drugs? What miraculous training did they undergo last summer? How they did survive coming out on top against the bigger guns? Did the Buddhist monks play their part? It’s still a shocker as I write this. I can’t quite explain how they went all the way. I’ll leave the discussion on the Foxes later.

The 2015-2016 season has been the most unpredictable ever, putting my early season prediction deep in the dumps, even my ‘clear’ favourites City weren’t even close. A huge hit on my analytical credentials I must admit but a big win for the neutrals that had too long watched the big four or five teams challenging for the trophy every year. I thought I knew football pretty well with 18 years under the belt and seasons like this will be my biggest lesson yet and remind me that the favourites have an equal chance of falling short. The new disruptors in Leicester and Spurs have turned tables on the capitalists of football where the wealthier clubs have dominated for more than a decade. It’s was hard seeing Arsenal doing the ‘usual’ collapse once again in February and March. We finished above ALL our rivals and yet didn’t finish first. So much for an opportunity to end the on-going drought of 12 years! We almost had to give St. Totteringham day a miss this year, luckily for a heroic performance from relegated Newcastle as they bowed out in style. Spurs have been a breath of fresh air this season, having some fantastic players like Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Christian Eriksen. They fancied their chances during the latter stages in the season but just couldn’t keep up the consistency at the end.

Final bridge burned?

Defending champions Chelsea had a season to forget, with plenty of infamous events that brought unnecessary attention to the team. Jose’s controversial behaviour and comments finally caught up with him, his foolish attack on the Chelsea physio and then losing the support of the dressing room ultimately led to his expected dismissal. Chelsea were much unchanged from the last season so definitely plenty had went wrong for them to be the worst defending champions on record. The first half of their season was nothing short of appalling. From the signing of Falcao and Pato, selling Cech, Hazard’s drastic drop in form, Costa’s erratic behaviour, Zouma’s terrible injury to John Terry’s decline, it was the worst finish for the Blues for a long time. There was little to cheer during the whole season, Courtois, Willian and an exciting Loftus-Cheek were the only handful to have made the grade. Kevin De Bruyne’s stunning move and magnificent debut at City summed up the bad judgements during Jose’s turbulent second spell. Second marriages seldom work and this was no exception. Guus Hiddink did his best to turnaround the team once he arrived, but the damage was already done and only could pull through a lowly 10th finish. Antonio Conte will have to take charge of a massive rebuilding next season and it's going to require some big names wiling to come in without European football. Roman’s desire for success after taking over 13 years ago would also be a huge factor on how much funds would be committed in the transfer window.

Impressive debut season for Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City, in my opinion, had all the ingredients and the right chef to bring the ‘pizza’ back to the Eastlands. While the rest of their rivals strengthened marginally, City went on a shopping spree that left Europe in awe. Big money moves for Sterling, De Bruyne and Otamendi signalled to Europe that they were looking to conquer beyond England. The end result however, was vastly underwhelming and disappointing. Like Chelsea, many factors contributed to the poor finish for City’s standards and level of spending. The biggest one was the woeful record against the top 8 teams, managing only one win from a possible 14. This perhaps was worthy of losing out on a Champions League spot, but they manage to scrape through ahead of their less noisy neighbours. I underestimated the effects of an ageing City squad with Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, Sagna, Zabaleta, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Kolarov, Navas and Fernandinho all above 30. However age alone should not be blamed for the poor form shown by some of these players especially Kompany and Yaya Toure, who have been brilliant over the years. Their decline is a big concern for City as they don’t have players within their team to fill in their roles. The question is now whether these players would be kept to play at a title chasing level. Otamendi was a let-down as he struggled to cope with the Premier League’s while Sterling just didn’t live up to all the hype with his below par showing overall. City announcing the appointment of Pep Guardiola as their manager in the middle of the season wasn't the right move in my opinion. I am not fan of telling people they are sacked 6 months in advance when there is still a lot at stake. The morale of the dressing room would be affected and the respect of the players for their coach would inevitably be somewhat lost. The sheer determination of City in securing Pep’s services was handled more in his favour rather than City’s and that level of desperation was obvious. Pep has got a long summer of work to replenish the talent pipeline and I would estimate at least 5 new faces. City has definitely got the right person to takeover, albeit without a track record here. It wasn’t all doom and gloom at the Etihad, we saw the emergence of young attacker Iheanacho, who scored some pivotal goals during the season. Sergio Aguero again was a standout whenever he played while new signing Kevin De Bruyne, delivered a superb first season with some exceptional goals and plays. So far, his record price tag has been justified. Joe Hart was again solid on the line but was no longer well protected like before.

New sensation Marcus Rashford

I tipped Man Utd for an improvement at the start of the season as Van Gaal would have settled with his team and went one step further. I wasn’t impressed with their signings in the summer as there was not enough a big name for a big impact. Anthony Martial proved me wrong with his impact already felt on his debut game and went on to create and score many vital goals during the season. He is a huge talent for his age and has done an exceptional job for a first season in England. A comparison with Thierry Henry would not be far off with his great finishing and opportunities created for his team mates. He would have done even better had he been playing up front all season. Schweinsteiger was average as he got injured for a long spell while Depay struggled to follow up with a good start. The story of Utd’s season has been Van Gaal’s questionable style of play and management style which left many fans dazed and confused on his intentions. The lack of creation of chances due to his methodical and rigid methods led to some defeats that were most unlikely in previous years, not to mention the numerous dismal performances during the season. Losing to Norwich City at home was clearest signal too much has gone wrong. From his infamous 3-5-2 to playing players out of their position, the Devils have caused many sleepless nights for their fans.It was like a bunch of talented players playing their second favourite sport. The long injury list also hit the Devils very hard as they lost players like Shaw, Jones and Rojo.  Despite that, Van Gaal was not a complete disaster from a neutral point of view. Utd, despite some poor performances, was able to grind out narrow wins from games and kept in the touch with the top 4 throughout the season. There were some glimpses of the dominant giants when he got it right. He gave opportunities to players like Rashford, Fosu-Mensah, Lingaard and Borthwick-Jackson which could pay dividends in the coming seasons. Rashford has been the story of the season and has even been included in the Euro 2016 team. As of this writing, Van Gaal has just been replaced by Jose Mourinho. It wasn’t all surprising at the end despite winning the FA Cup. Now it’s reached a certain tipping point where Jose has to salvage his and his club’s reputation at the same time.

Red hot Chilean Alexis Sanchez

Arsenal finished higher than most could have predicted this season, and yet it was another season of failure. We failed to defend the FA Cup, put up a tame effort in the title race and another campaign in Champions League with no improvement. It wasn’t poor by Arsenal’s current standards and that’s the sad part. People now expect people NOT to challenge for league as they know the Gunners will somehow falter in one period in the season and screw everything up. That hasn't changed this season. Arsene Wenger has been in charge for two decades now and perhaps he doesn’t know how to get us up there again. It couldn’t have been a better opportunity this season, Chelsea out of contention from the start, Utd, Liverpool and City struggling, why on earth did Arsenal not do it this time? There were enough positive signs this season for Arsenal to go all the way, Ozil and Sanchez were playing their best seasons, Bellerin was fantastic, Cech was what we needed years ago, Monreal was good and Giroud was scoring. Arsenal took 6 points from Leicester City and yet lost the title by 10 points. The season was another one that started very well and then when fixtures started to come thick and fast, Arsenal 'customarily', lost steam. Arsenal have run out of excuses of not achieving more, money has been available and spent, so many tough lessons over the years, but it’s still the same old Arsenal. Injuries to Cazorla, Sanchez, Ramsey, Welbeck and Wilshere have also adversely affected the team during the campaign. We can't blame injuries forever and the real reasons why Arsenal's struggles will continue would be because of the following

1)       The defence needs fixing, it’s been leaking for too many years from Senderos, Squillaci, Djourou, Silvestre to Mertesacker. I am absolutely disgusted our defence is still the problem after all these years. Hiring Steve Bould is not cutting it, the vulnerability of our defence is still there, we need world class, now!

2)       Weak mental strength and wrong mentality. Successful athletes will tell you mental strength is the defining line between good and great. Arsenal just don’t have enough resilience and mental toughness when things don't go their way, players go missing in big games and a few weak performances is all it takes to eliminate us from all competitions. The 4-0 loss to Southampton on Boxing Day is a good example how we can't adapt to an unusual day at the office. The amount of times Arsenal have surrendered leads is also a big concern, can we stop playing complacent football when in the lead and focus on killing the game off?

3)       Same strategy to achieve better results? The 'Professor' from France has officially run out of ideas, he doesn’t know how to win anymore. His instincts have not produced results worthy of his experience in managing a football club. He continues to overplay players who are in-form and wearing them out, his approach of beautiful football is pulling the hair out of supporters as we don’t create enough chances and too often overplay football that do not translate to goals. His predictable tactics are well known and not getting the results, so why continue with it?

It’s been pure frustration this season with the highlights being the loss to Watford at home in the FA Cup where we started to play in the 88th minute in the game, the loss to Utd when our opponents struggled to field a recognisable first 11 and how we let our lead slip against Crystal Palace and Liverpool. Arsenal deserve to be where they are because they’ve done things the same way all over again and repeated the same mistakes made in past. Why are we not learning?
 

Dele Alli has arrived!

The other North Londoners Spurs finally made their mark in the title race, they were the final hurdles of Leicester’s bid for the crown, a big step forward for them. Spurs have suffered the middle class syndrome for a very long time. They were always close fighters for a top 4 finish but always lived under shadows of the bigger teams. Many years of optimism and promises couldn't be fulfilled. There was one major piece always missing and they finally got it. Mauricio Pochettino has managed to lift Spurs to greater heights this season with his visionary management. We have seen some sublime performances and stunning goals from Spurs this year, I am pretty envious how well they worked as a team compared to Arsenal. My highlight would be the incredible goal by Dele Alli against Crystal Palace and Harry Kane's strike against Arsenal. Both will be part of the Euro 2016 England team. Lamela was the most expensive acquisition from the Gareth Bale sales proceeds but never quite made the impact. This year he’s finally showed what he capable of with some very impressive displays. His contribution this year has been a big improvement with assists and offensive threats he posed. Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld have been standouts for Spurs. There seems to be a great balance in this team with their defence having conceded the least goals this season while their attacking artillery is mouth-watering. Hugo Lloris has also been a key figure on the Spurs line. Although they too missed out on a glorious opportunity, they have played much better football and were the more improved team compared to Arsenal. With new foundations built this season, it looks like Spurs will look to go one better next season.

Morgan scoring before being crowned Champions days later

Last but not least, Champions Leicester City, my oh my, how did they manage to barged into this part of the table and crash the party? It was not the usual giant killing act we’ve used to see on and off where smaller teams knock out bigger teams in cup competition. Leicester’s triumph in the league was a complete category on its own. Coming out tops after 38 games is no fluke. The success of Leicester this season was an equation made of a group of players that played incredibly well together, a great deal of consistency,  players playing their best football of their lives, a manager’s magical touch and some good fortune along the way. What was spectacular about Leicester is they had such spirit and momentum that they never looked like they were going to slip up. They topped the table for most of the season and their grit to hold on despite a few bumps along the way and how they kept their nerves was pretty amazing. It is by far many times more incredible than Atletico Madrid topping Real and Barca in Spain. We’ve seen different champions over the years and some of the key factors that differentiated champions are being able to squeeze out 1-0 wins on their toughest days (Leicester had 7), making effective substitutions, new talents emerging, a top striker, deadly combos, a mean defence, quick recovery after a defeat etc. Leicester has ticked off all the boxes during the course of the season, the combos of Vardy, Mahrez and Okazaki blew even the biggest teams away. The goal from Mahrez against Man City, Vardy’s record breaking 11 consecutive games of scoring and THAT stunner against Liverpool, pretty much wrote the story of Champions.

Another incredible stat I’ve discovered from Leicester would be how they were able to select their best players for more than 90% of their matches.

Appearances in 38 games in league (game starts + substitute in)

Kasper Schmeichel: 38 starts

Wes Morgan: 38 starts

Marc Albrighton: 38 (34 + 4)

N'Golo Kanté: 37 (33 +4)

Riyad Mahrez: 37 (36 + 1)

Shinji Okazaki: 36 (28 + 8)

Jamie Vardy: 36 starts

Robert Huth: 35 starts

Danny Drinkwater: 35 starts

Christian Fuchs: 32 (30 + 2)

Considering they won the league in 36 matches, they were able to pick 10 of their key players at least 90% of the matches. I believe there is a very successful fitness and training regime behind the scenes to be able to keep all their key players available. The opposite view should also be considered Leicester had no part in European football and only played 5 matches in domestic cup competitions, allowing significantly more recovery time. The lower fatigue levels most likely also played its part when compared to the bigger teams who play around 50 matches a year. The injury record for the teams below Leicester would show a sharp contrast. The big notables this season would be the defensive qualities of Kante, Wes Morgan and Robert Huth who have conceded only 36 goals, leading to having the second best goal difference. Schmeichel junior has followed the foot steps of his dad to to win the Premier League with his fine display all season. And of course, all of this would not have happened if not for Ranieri's mastermind tactics and strategies. After his disastrous stint with Greece, his appointment wasn't viewed positively. His most notable comments were how he was targeting surviving relegation despite them clearly in the running for the titile. He was written off early with many pointing to his lack of success in his CV. How he has managed to defy all the criticism by delivering silverware just shows that even the most established experts in the game can get it wrong. Hats off to Ranieri on the historic win!

Final words
The outcome of this season has surely has left many people including myself dumbfounded. Leicester's success was not forthcoming in any way. Mid table teams can now draw on this inspiration next season and certainly dream bigger. It's still a stretch to put money on Leicester to win the league again, even I would be very hesitant. Come next season, they would need to accustom themselves with the bright lights of Tuesday and Wednesday night, it's going to be a real culture shock on a grandest stage of all. Nevertheless, the neutrals will be very happy with their breakthrough and be looking forward to seeing them in Europe's elite competition. Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Aston Villa's decline will continue to remind people that success is temporary and it all reverts to zero the following season. You can never be sure of your future regardless how many times you've done it before or how much you spend. Villa's 30 year stay in the top division came to an end. What history has also taught us is to always have plans for the future and be ready to change as good things may not last. While the flow of money in football seems to be indefinite now, understanding financial sustainability will differentiate great and good clubs in the future, even more so when the hot flows of investment takes a break. Leeds and Portsmouth are prime examples of that. More changes in managerial positions have been confirmed as of now while new signings have started to flow in. With the European Championship happening in the summer, let's see whether new talents can be unearthed in France. 

A special mention would be the two important improvements in league which have improved the quality of our game for the second year running. From resolving dubious decisions on ‘goals’ and distance of the wall from a free kick. Goal line technology has been the most important development in the modern game, effectively making goal line decisions with precision within seconds. A major burden is off the referees allowing them to focus on other crucial areas like offsides and fouls. The vanishing magical spray also deserves an accolade for saving precious time between fouls and free kick taken. This is crucial for a sport that rides on momentum with only one official break, as compared to other sports.

For the love of the game, enjoy your summer. Thanks for reading.

~deyao~

Season Preview: 2015-2016. What to expect this season.

When August comes, girlfriends and wives of men would be thinking, "Here we go again, did 3 months go by that fast?". They know Saturday, Sunday nights and some weekday a.ms would be very different again. "Sometimes he would spend the whole Saturday evening glued to the TV, doesn't a football match last only 2 hours?". Yes it does, but there's early kickoff at 8.30, normal kickoff at 11 and late kickoff at 1.30. When asked what can be done to appease his other half, a radio listener said what it took was to build a "solid foundation" throughout the day, so when it was time at night to escape to the football world, the transition would be easier. Asia has god to thank for probably the best time zone for watching football. No wonder Asia is indeed the main audience of the Premier League.

Last season, we saw a very consistent Chelsea grab top honours. Being one of the two teams to have successfully defended their title (2005 and 2006) in the Premier League era, it would be a huge achievement to see it done again. The last team that did a back to back was Man Utd in 2008 and 2009. Of course, the Premier League isn't about predictability, and their journey to retain their title this season is not going to be a straightforward task. This summer's transfer window again produced some staggering numbers with likes of City and Utd leading the way on the big deals. The Premier League clubs led the way in Europe, splurging on an estimated £1billion in 2015, a new record. Most of the biggest deals this summer involved Premier League clubs which will be covered later. Some notable transfers outside England would be Arda Turan to Barcelona, Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal to Bayern Munich, Geoffrey Kondogbia to Inter Milan and Jackson Martinez to Atletico Madrid. No new 'Galacticos' this year.

The Premier League still prides itself as the most exciting league in the world despite the recent slump in representation in the latter stages of the Champions League (CL). The new draw format in the CL sought to give advantage to the teams who are winners of their league. I don't think it has made the intended impact as there are usually two clear stronger teams in each group. The four English teams would be expected to make it to the last 16 based on the recent draw.

Only one combination of team finishing positions will be correct come end of the season, let's see how far mine goes this season. By the order of finishing last season, here are how each team stands this coming season.

Chelsea - Could Be Feeling The Blues

Getting to the top is tough, staying on top is even harder. Chelsea has one man who can do it, Jose Mourinho, the football genius who is one of the most colourful characters we have in the game. He was the first to bring success to Stamford Bridge, he left and went on the manage two big clubs, and he has come back and won it again. Roman's multi billion dollar empire also helped along the way. Last season was quite clear cut, Chelsea bought some fantastic players and they played a great season of football. Players like Hazard, Matic, Fabregas, Costa and a rock solid defence led by John Terry played starring roles in their superb title winning performance. Chelsea this season still looks the same, but would they be good enough to hang on with their rivals having strengthened considerably?

To find fault in the Champions is hard. But after a long hard look, perhaps there are some weaknesses that Chelsea need to deal with this season. In defence, the ever reliable John Terry is counting down his finest days and question marks will be raised whether he still has enough in him to play at this level. His deputy is Kurt Zouma, who is about 14 years his junior. Is he the best guy Chelsea could have? I think there will be parts of the season he would be called upon and there will be a stress test on the Chelsea backline. That will be a key factor in the title race.

There is nothing to comment about their midfield plainly because it's absolutely brilliant with some of finest in the world. Now here is where it gets a bit interesting. Chelsea has four strikers, Costa, Remy and the new arrivals Pedro and Falcao. Costa is proven quality and needs to replicate his goals contribution again this season. There were issues with his fitness last season so Chelsea would be praying hard that he appears on the team sheet throughout the campaign. Pedro, the new £21m signing (quite a bargain) who has an incredible CV comprising of his record breaking success with Barcelona and Spain. He would be a key player for goals this season and should not be needing too much time to deliver for a player at his level. Not being a natural striker, he could be playing just behind the main striker. Remy and Falcao will both be huge gambles this season. Remy has yet to prove that he belongs at a top team despite having a decent record with QPR and Newcastle. On the other hand, it was a surprising move for Falcao, who had a torrid first year in England. He was one of the top strikers a few years back but isn't his recent form a better indication? Jose seems to see something we don't and let's hope he's right.

On a side note, Chelsea has about 33 players loaned out this season. It remains a mystery whether they could have monetised some of the players and further improved their squad. Players like Cuadrado, Moses and Salah could have raised over £30m between them. Time will tell whether it could cost them.

Backbone: Nemanja Matic, Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas
Exciting prospect: Pedro

Verdict: Runners up. Retaining their title remains a realistic target. I think the depth in their back four could be called into question this year and they might face challenges in answering them. They are depending on Costa to deliver at least 20 plus goals who needs to get the ball rolling after a slow start. Undoubtedly still one of the best in Europe but the odds are slightly against them.

Man City - Major Warning From The Eastlands

After a rather subdued transfer window last season, the Arabs have reopened the flood gates in style, even the current low oil price regime have not held back their ambitions. Notably with the signings of Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi and Fabian Delph, they have forked an estimated £150m this close season. For people who think money can't buy the title, Man City has followed the footsteps of Chelsea and risen to become a top European powerhouse. Football has undeniably become a game of money buying success. It's not guaranteed but it goes a very long way for sure.

City probably has the most depth and quality defensively. Their defensive midfield itself has Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Fernando and Delph which is a good problem of too many choices. A slight off season for the back four last season warranted a new signing and in came Otamendi , regarded as one of the best in La Liga, arrived to prop up the back four. Their improved defence this season would be vital to be in contention for the title. Offensive wise, they did let go of a few big players like Dzeko, Milner, Negredo and Jovetic. In return, they've 'updated' the list of biggest transfers in the Premier League history by bringing in Raheem Sterling from Liverpool, coming just a few million shy of the record set by Torres. But Man City were not done and went for the home run, shattering that record with a mind boggling £54m fee for Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg. De Bruyne just had a sensational season in the Bundesliga and that would have been priced in by a good margin. Only sold for £18m not too long ago, tripling of his market value however would take time to justify. The signings combined with their already star studded squad with likes of Silva, Nasri, Navas and Toure, would be kept a watchful eye by the rest of Europe.

Despite the big signings, there is still a great deal of burden on Sergio Aguero, who will continue to shoulder the need to bring in 25-30 goals. The only other natural striker would be Wilfried Bony who has yet to show any meaningful returns for his big transfer.

Backbone: David Silva and Sergio Aguero
Exciting prospect: Kevin De Bruyne

Verdict: Champions. Their new signings has re-energised the whole team, added another level of quality and a show of serious intent to wrestle back the title. They have done the best business in Europe and are my team to beat. This could be their best European campaign since the current owners took over.

Arsenal - Same Old Arsenal

It might have been an impeccable pre-season for Arsenal, making a clean sweep of all 3 trophies they competed for, even upsetting league champions Chelsea for the Community Shield. First match into the new season, it was back to reality. Defeat to West Ham indicated Arsenal were still pretenders for the title. It's the same old Arsenal again this season, still lacking a quality centre back and striker. It's not been addressed during this transfer window, making Petr Cech the only significant signing the whole summer. With the goalkeeping woes settled for now and the emergence of Coquelin to do the hard man job in the middle of the park, Arsenal would be considered an improved outfit, albeit by a small margin. Forget about title credentials this year, it's about battling to stay in the top 4 to secure European football.

It's been sheer frustration being a Gooner this summer, there was not one hint of us strengthening the obvious weak spots in the team. Giroud is as close as pleading for someone to back him up and we really need a top class striker who can do the job when Giroud is rested or injured. Benzema was never on the cards and it is hard to believe no other player in this world could meet our quality to budget ratio. That leaves Walcott, Welbeck and Joel Campbell as alternatives to Giroud, which to me are pretty weak choices to have for a top team. Walcott's best position is not up front, Welbeck is out till December and Joel staying was unexpected. A very risky move by Wenger that will only have savings financially to justify his choice. The midfield might be the pride of Arsenal, but there are still dead-weights like Flamini, Rosicky, Arteta and Wilshere, who you would not even bother imagining them in a champion's line up. It's puzzling why we are keeping players who are not good enough for us. Defensively it's also a worry, with Mertesacker lacking consistency and pace, Chambers not ready and Gabriel still finding his way, leaving only Koscielny as the most reliable among them, same old Arsenal?

The few bright spots would be Alexis, Ramsey, Chamberlain, Ozil and Cazorla who will be the key players for us this season. It's one of the most exciting combinations we had in midfield for a long time and we''ll be counting on them to deliver. The lack of activity in the transfer window will cost Arsenal dearly, the reluctance or rather the failure to continue improving the team to keep up with their rivals would undoubtedly extend the league drought and put the team in danger of missing out of Champions League qualification for the first time in 18 years.

Backbone: Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla
Exciting prospect: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Verdict: 4th. At worst 5th. The several unresolved gaps will continue to haunt Arsenal. Periods of inconsistency would again be prevalent, leaving the optimists to continue their wishful thinking.

Man Utd - Van Gaal's Revamp Taking Shape

 

The Red Devils are back on the ascendancy, largely due to their ruthless and impetuous manager, Louis Van Gaal.  The start to his tenure was met with massive headwinds as he battled to turnaround a team that were champions a year ago but yet had sunk below unimaginable troughs the following season. Of course the void left by Sir Alex Ferguson was too much to handle for his successor, David Moyes. Fast forward another season, Utd are back in Europe and are looking to contend for honours again.

So where has Van Gaal got it right? The answer is in the very first sentence. The way he has cut losses, corrected mistakes without wasting time and making good football decisions. He has shown that he is absolutely not be messed with judging by the way he has handled player disputes. Whether it was dealing with one of the best keepers in the world (De Gea), their record breaking signing (Di Maria) or players who were unhappy with his style (Valdes), he has shown that he is ready to burn bridges and not think twice about it. His ruthless and speedy 'chop and change' has sent mediocre and uncommitted players packing and leaving the real deals to deliver the results. So far, that intensity of management has definitely won over the majority of the fans. Players like Fellaini and Ashley Young have seen their faltering careers being revived.

Following last season's monstrous spending, this season is a strong follow up. Depay, Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, Darmian, Romero and Martial altogether cost close to £126m. Net spend was lower due to significant sales proceeds. Schweinsteiger probably is the biggest name of the lot being a World Cup winner. He's at a prime age and his experience would be very valuable. Depay, the Dutch rising star, will add a lot of spark for the Devils with his trickery and pace. The confident and skinful lad will be wearing the iconic number 7. Their best signing to me would be Schneiderlin, who will look to be Carrick's eventual replacement in the middle.

Their biggest signing Anthony Martial was a shocking signing, like a certain Colombian last year, was to me an unusual choice and exorbitant fee (£36m) for a 19 year old. I was rather surprised Man Utd didn't go for a more experienced striker which would be a quicker fix, something they desperately need and could afford, maybe Harry Kane or Sadio Mane? Whether a Henry or Rooney in the making, it's still a strange decision considering Man Utd being in dire need for a ready solution. Their inability (or deliberate attempt on stalling) to sell De Gea was also very questionable as he could very likely leave for free and sign a pre-contract with a new club in 4 months!

The huge sum spent this season haven't showed sufficient strengthening having offloaded several big players like Di Maria, Chicharito, Van Persie, Januzaj and Evans. I don't think Utd has done enough in the transfer window given the financial power and the money they have raised from selling those players. Although there's still plenty of quality in the team with Mata, Rooney, Herrera, Young and their new signings, they would not be mounting a serious title challenge this season.

Backbone: Wayne Rooney and Daley Blind
Exciting prospect: Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial

Verdict: At best 3rd, at worst 4th. I think defensively there is a concern there. There haven't bought a centre back and if Romero is to replace De Gea as first choice, that could lose them some points. A gamble with Martial to bring in the goals with no fully recognised striker other than Rooney. They could still clinch 3rd as Arsenal and Liverpool have their own problems.

Liverpool - Ready to reclaim a European berth?

Being a Liverpool fan is tough, they went through a period without the Champions League, then came back to win it and are out again. Then there is also the league which they last won in 1990. Their 2005 success in Istanbul remains their sole bragging right for many years to come, to Man City and Arsenal fans at least. Liverpool has no doubt been through many challenges, back when Rafa suddenly lost it, Kenny Dalgish's short stint, the battle of ownership of the club, lost of big players, big flop signings and Brendan Rogers' turbulent administration currently. Last season saw Captain Supremo Steven Gerrard bid farewell after an amazing 18 years with the club. A host of under performing players and tactical errors capped off a season to forget, especially the last game against Stoke.

This year, they sold yet another huge player in Raheem Sterling for a colossal £49m. So how have they done this time around? I think they brought in some interesting and much better players this year. Among the notables would be Benteke, Firmino, Milner, Ings, Clyne, Gomez and Origi. To me it's a big improvement compared to last season and less riskier as most of them have experience in the league. Benteke, Origi, Ings and Sturridge are definitely going to spruce up the goal tally this season, something very lacking last season. Benteke being the most experienced, will get the goals if given proper service. Long term absentee Sturridge would be hoping to get back on track. Milner will bring much needed experience and steel in the team with Coutinho, Henderson, Emre Can and Lallana forming a very decent midfield. The Reds would be most excited with their new £29m signing Firmino, who will attempt to bring back the energy and temperature at Anfield. 

The centre back positions would be a potential problem this season and it's surprising Rogers hasn't spent much after their lackluster campaign. Lovren will be looking for a better season while Sakho and Gomez will be looking to upstage veterans Skrtel and Toure. It's going to be a uphill battle for the Reds. Can they make a breakthrough with their refreshed squad?

Verdict: 5th. Liverpool are still in a transition and would find it tough to have a crack at the top 4 who have much more established squads. The gap between them and Arsenal have narrowed. Small chance for 4th

Backbone: Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson
Exciting prospect: Roberto Firmino

Prediction
1) Man City
2) Chelsea
3) Man Utd
4) Arsenal 
5) Liverpool

That wraps up my analysis on how I think the teams will end up this season. It would be a bonus if I get it right. What's important is we enjoy another amazing season of football ahead. For the love of football, may the best team win.

Thanks for reading

~deyao~