World Cup? What World Cup?
With only 26 short days left until the Premier League resumes, I’ve decided to put my neck on the line and start making my predictions – which, as we all know, is a precarious pursuit at the best of times.
Some will seem fairly straight-forward, others may be contentious but please remember that all of these fore-sights are rooted in nothing but my fevered imagination.
Lets start with the biggy…
- Chelsea will win the title…
Straight out of the traps, I’m going to put my grapes on the plate and say that Carlo Ancelotti‘s men will have secured themselves back-to-back titles come this time next year – chiefly due to the return of monolithic midfield powerhouse Michael Essien to the fold, who does the work of three men all-game-every-game without ever batting an eyelid.
- Fernando Torres will only manage 17 appearances and still score 20-odd goals…
Liverpool’s gilded-pony-child is having a pretty rough time of late. After missing the last month of the domestic season following surgery on his troublesome meniscus, Torres then ventured to leave the World Cup on the same stretcher that he arrived on – and did little of note in the intervening games.
The truth of the matter is that poor Nando’s knees are knackered, and he will struggle to retain any semblance of fitness if he is rushed back into the side again – as he will be, due to a dearth of suitable deputies at Anfield.
That said, a flagging Fernando Torres is still a damn sight more threatening than a fully fit and raring Zat Knight, so he’ll still end the season with a 20-goal plus haul.
- £7 million signing Chris Smalling will be found out at Manchester United (if he actually plays)…
Considering the fact that he was playing non-league football for Maidstone just two short years ago, Smalling’s rise up through the ranks is nothing short of ‘meteoric’ and for that he must be commended.
The 20-year-old centre-back put in a string of commanding performances at the heart of the Fulham defence at the beginning of the season, thus prompting Manchester United to ‘go big’ in order to secure his services for the following campaign.
However, as soon as his £multi-million switch to Old Trafford was announced in January Smalling’s morale began to decline rapidly and an increasing sense of trepidation began to envelop his game – as such, I’ve got a nagging feeling that he may just have made the step up too early.
- Lucas Leiva will surprise people…
Whilst we’re on the subject of Liverpool, I’ve just got a sneaking suspicion that we’ll see the much-maligned Brazilian midfielder start to change people’s minds this season. Don’t ask me why, I just done got a hankerin’.
Same goes for West Ham new-boy Frederic Piquionne and Manchester United’s laconic striker Dimitar Berbatov – who I’m convinced is going to rediscover his mercurial form in 2010/11.
- Arsenal will struggle…
Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny, good players as they undoubtedly are, just don’t look like being enough to turn around Arsenal’s diminishing fortunes trophy-wise – especially when you consider the fact that almost all of the Gunner’s current central defense are set to walk out of the club in the next few weeks.
Manager Arsene Wenger is going to need to perform miracles in the transfer market if he is going to procure a raft of adequate replacements and, with time ticking, it’s going to get increasingly fraught.
- Manchester City (and Tottenham, for that matter) won’t…
City have spent a lot of money already this summer, with the acquisitions of David Silva, Jerome Boateng and the Yaya monster taking their off-season outlay upwards of the £65 million mark.
The fresh-faced trio have served to add further quality to an already brimming squad and I therefore expect a top four (maybe even a podium finish) for Roberto Mancini‘s side this time round if the Italian coach can successfully juggle so many fragile egos.
Tottenham are riding the Redknapp wave at the minute, and will be buoyed by last season’s miraculous turn around. I foresee a fairly early Champions League exit, but another impressive league showing.
Of the other clubs vying for European qualification last year, I predict that Everton will continue to go from strength to strength yet somehow remain ‘under the radar’ and Aston Villa will bomb after a season-and-a-half of running to stand still.
- This will be Jack Rodwell‘s year…
All I’m saying is that the young Everton midfielder has been very good during the pre-season. Very very good.
- Another fallow year for Liverpool, but in an altogether more positive atmosphere…
Newly-appointed manager Roy Hodgson will try to instill the aura of ‘togetherness’ within the squad that was so conspicuous in it’s absence under Rafa Benitez – but it may take some time to manifest on the pitch.
- The three promoted teams will go straight back down…
I had the misfortune to watch a lot of Championship football last season and, although you can’t deny the close, competitive side of the league is currently flourishing, you cannot say the same thing about the quality.
Newcastle and West Brom were (as was indicated by the final standings) far and way the best footballing sides in the second-tier last year but they were both miles behind in relation to their Premier League counterparts and they were pitted against a much poorer standard of lumpen opposition for the majority of their fixtures.
Any of the four teams that reached the play-offs would have been torn apart in the top flight next season on and it seems that it will now be Blackpool who will be the unlucky, but nevertheless plucky, fall-guys.
- Roberto Martinez will be sacked by Christmas (if not before)…
The Latic’s chief will be the first Premier League manager to get his P45, and it’ll come after a third-successive 7-1 home mauling – as is the Wigan way.
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Agree/Disagree? Any predictions of your own? Let’s here it…
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