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EPL
2010-2011 Season Preview |
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Whether it’s a hangover from England’s dismal performance at
the World Cup, or more likely a legacy of the global
economic crisis, this year’s EPL close-season has been
curiously low-key. With the notable exception of Manchester
City and to a lesser extent Liverpool, the top flight clubs
have largely kept their wallets in their pockets and in the
case of Aston Villa, appear to have lost theirs down the
back of the sofa. The net result of this limited spending
could be a slight reduction in the gulf between the haves
and the have nots, meaning this season’s competition may
just prove to be a little tighter than it has been in recent
years. So who will be challenging for the title, who will be
battling for a top four finish, who will find themselves
ticking over in mid-table and who will be embroiled in a
no-holds-barred battle to avoid the dreaded drop?
Title
Challengers
The major
questions this season concern whether Manchester City’s wild
spending spree will finally transform them into genuine
title contenders and whether the decision made by both
Manchester United and Chelsea not to significantly overhaul
their respective squads will back-fire.
City boss Roberto Mancini has made no
secret of his aim to have two world class options in every
position and has demonstrated that in no uncertain terms in
recent weeks, drafting in Spanish winger David Silva, Ivory
Coast midfielder Yaya Toure plus two defenders in the form
of Serbia’s Aleksandar Kolarov and Germany’s Jerome Boateng.
Question marks remain as to how quickly and effectively
City’s Italian boss can blend his galaxy of stars into an
effective team unit, but if he succeeds, the blue half of
Manchester could be in for a memorable season.
In contrast to Eastlands, Old Trafford
has been remarkably quiet this northern hemisphere summer,
with Mexican striker Javier Hernandez the only significant
new arrival. Many pundits believed that Dimitar Berbatov
would be heading for the exit door after some lack-lustre
performance last term, but the mercurial Bulgarian remains
on board as do evergreen midfield duo Paul Scholes and Ryan
Giggs. Although Sir Alex Ferguson is adamant that he has the
squad to reclaim the title, doubts remain and with the
manager publicly backing the Glazer family, the club’s
unpopular owners, a tumultuous campaign could be in store
for United.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has also decided to stick
rather than twist, believing that his ageing group of
players still have enough quality to repeat last season’s
double-winning triumph. Livewire Israeli midfielder Yossi
Benayoun has arrived form Liverpool, with Joe Cole moving in
the opposite direction and Brazilian midfielder Ramires has
also been drafted in, but otherwise the Blues remain largely
unchanged. Unfortunately for the boys from the Bridge, they
are set to start the campaign without Petr Cech and Alex,
both of whom are injured.
Top Four
Contenders
It seems strange to
talk of Arsene Wenger being under pressure, but serious
questions will undoubtedly be asked of Arsenal’s
long-serving boss if the Gunners again fail to secure any
significant silverware this season. The Frenchman continues
his refusal to go on a major spending spree, instead keeping
faith with his largely youthful squad and drafting in only
two new recruits in the form of defender Laurent Koscielny
and long-term striker target Marouane Chamakh. The Gunners
still haven’t solved their goalkeeping problems, however,
with Mark Schwarzer’s proposed move from Fulham now
seemingly on the back burner and should Robin van Persie’s
injury woes return, they also look to lack cover up front.
Arsenal fans can at least find some solace in the fact that
Cesc Fabregas now looks set to stay at the Emirates,
although the link with Barcelona is sure to resurface as the
January transfer window approaches. Arsenal’s North London
rivals Tottenham Hotspur were last season’s major improvers
and having managed to tie in-demand boss Harry Redknapp down
to a new deal, another successful campaign looks to be on
the cards at White Hart Lane. Hard-working Brazilian Sandro
will bolster Redknapp’s midfield options, as will Scott
Parker should they succeed in luring him away from West Ham.
Ensuring that their maiden involvement in the Champions
League does not have a negative impact upon their domestic
campaign will be crucial to Spurs’ prospects.
New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson’s top
priority, meanwhile, has been hanging onto his existing
stars rather than signing new ones. It looks as if the
former Fulham chief has succeeded in persuading both Steven
Gerrard and Fernando Torres to remain at Anfield, although
Javier Mascherano looks poised to move to Inter Milan. Joe
Cole’s signing is a major boost for the Reds, as is the
capture of highly-rated teenage defender Scott Wilson, but
Hodgson must surely also still be on the lookout for another
striker to provide quality cover for the injury-prone
Torres.
If one
side is likely to slip out of top four contention it seems
likely to be Aston Villa
who, despite already having the
smallest squad in the top flight, have bizarrely opted not
to draft in a single new recruit leading to the resignation
of boss Martin O’Neill only days before the season. With
James Milner and Luke Young both strongly linked with moves
away from Villa Park, things aren’t looking rosy for whoever
the new gaffer is. Many of the club’s fans are pessimistic
about their side’s chances this term and it’s not hard to
see why.
Everton, in contrast, have been fairly active on the
transfer front, with manager David Moyes drafting in four
new faces, three of them strikers. Jermaine Beckford has
arrived on a free after several prolific seasons with Leeds,
Magaye Gueye has been snapped up from Strasbourg,
little-known 20-year-old Joao Silva has been plucked from
the relative obscurity of the Portuguese second division and
the Toffees have also recruited a new goalkeeper in
Slovakian international Jan Mucha. If Moyes’ side can avoid
their traditional run of early-season injuries, Beckford can
adjust to the step up in class and Jack Rodwell continues
his impressive development, there could be plenty to shout
about at Goodison Park in the coming months.
Mid-table
Finishers
The late appointment
of Mark Hughes as Roy Hodgson’s successor means that Fulham
are effectively playing catch-up as far as squad
strengthening is concerned and it’s hard to see the West
Londoners matching their feats of last season. Philippe
Senderos will strengthen the backline and Jonathan Greening
will add some guile to the midfield, but unless Hughes
manages to attract several more quality new recruits, a
bottom-third finish looks likely. Sunderland also surprised
a few people last term and boss Steve Bruce has again been
casting his net far and wide in a bid to turn the Black Cats
into an established Premiership outfit. The most intriguing
of Bruce’s latest crop of imports are Argentinean defender
Marcos Angeleri and Paraguayan midfielder Cristian Riveros,
both of whom have the potential to become genuine stars if
they can adjust to the pace of the Premiership and settle in
the north-east. If Darren Bent can again fire in front of
goal, a top ten finish is well within Sunderland’s reach.
Birmingham City’s miserly defence was
the foundation for their impressive 9th-placed finish last
season, but they did lack a cutting edge at the other end of
the field, a problem manager Alex McLeish hopes will be
solved by the arrival of giant target-man Nikola Zigic. The
Serbian international completed a $10 million move to St
Andrews from Valencia and has been joined by goalkeeper Ben
Foster who is hoping to resurrect his career after falling
out of favour at Manchester United.
While Birmingham will be looking to
cement their berth in the top ten, West Ham United will be
keen to forget last season’s brush with relegation as Avram
Grant begins his reign at Upton Park. The former Portsmouth
and Chelsea chief has already forked out over $20 million in
swoops for one-time Aston Villa midfielder Thomas
Hitzlsperger, Mexican winger Pablo Barrera, French striker
Frederic Piquionne and New Zealand World Cup hero Winston
Reid and has also been kept busy trying to fend off
Tottenham’s persistent approaches for Scott Parker. An
improved squad and a more settled atmosphere around the club
should see the Hammers safely bobbing around in mid-table
and possibly threatening in one of the cup competitions.
Stoke City continue to attract plenty
of criticism for their uncompromising style of play, but the
Potters are more than just a long-ball unit and judging by
some of their attempted signings this summer, have lofty
ambitions. Boss Tony Pulis has reportedly tabled a $15
million bid for West Ham striker Carlton Cole having
recently failed in another big-money swoop for Welsh
international midfielder Joe Ledley. Happy to let the media
dwell on their abrasive approach, Stoke are set to cause
plenty of upsets once again and should steer clear of the
relegation dogfight.
That would also represent success for
Blackburn Rovers who at times last term flirted pretty
heavily with the bottom three before eventually hauling
themselves to safety. A possible takeover of the Lancashire
club has forced manager Sam Allardyce into a summer of
inaction on the transfer front, although Rovers may try and
land a late bargain as deadline day approaches. Keeping the
likes of David Dunn, Ryan Nelsen and Paul Robinson fit is
crucial if another disappointing season is to be avoided.
Strugglers
The euphoria that
gripped Tyneside following Newcastle United’s return to the
top flight has gradually faded as the Magpies face up to the
harsh reality of what promises to be a testing season. The
days of mega-money arrivals at St James’ Park are long gone,
with manager Chris Hughton forced to wheel and deal to bring
veteran defender Sol Campbell and promising striker Dan
Gosling in on frees. Defender Chris Perch has also arrived
after impressing at Nottingham Forest last term, but the
injury-plagued Steven Taylor will miss the first three
months of the season after dislocating his shoulder and will
be sorely missed. West Bromwich Albion maintained their
yo-yo club status by claiming automatic promotion alongside
Newcastle last term and have been tipped by many to make
another immediate return to the Championship. Under Roberto
di Matteo, however, the Baggies look far more resolute in
defence and have been further strengthened in that area by
the arrival of Welsh international goalkeeper Boaz Myhill,
along with Pablo Ibanez and Gabriel Tamas. Irish midfielder
Steven Reid has also moved to the Hawthorns from Blackburn
and could form a useful partnership with the highly-rated
Graham Dorrans. Indeed survival for the Midlands side may
well hinge on how may goals their midfielders can
contribute, as their stocks up front do not look especially
strong.
West
Brom’s fierce local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers have been
among the top flight’s more active clubs on the transfer
front, raiding Hull City to lure tricky winger Stephen Hunt
and powerful defender Steven Mouyokolo to Molineux, while
also splashing out on Scottish striker Steven Fletcher and
uncompromising Belgian defender Jelle van Damme. A climb to
mid-table may be beyond the men from the Black Country, but
they have enough quality to spare the fingernails of their
fans by avoiding the drop with a degree of comfort.
The same cannot be said of Wigan
Athletic whose disastrous late season form almost saw them
relegated last season. Roberto Martinez is a fine young
manager who likes his sides to play stylish football, but
despite picking up some decent new recruits over the last
couple of months, it’s hard to foresee anything other than
another season of struggle for the Latics. Dutch defender
Ronnie Stam should steady things at the back and midfielder
James McArthur has the potential to make a name for himself,
but the ability of Argentinean international striker Mauro
Boselli to find his feet and the goal trail could ultimately
make or break Wigan’s season.
Wigan’s near-neighbours Bolton
Wanderers also battled to avoid the dreaded drop for most of
last season, although they did show signs of improvement
following manager Owen Coyle’s controversial mid-season move
from Burnley. Coyle has returned to his former club to
secure the services of veteran striker Robbie Blake and also
opted for experience with his signing of Bulgarian
international winger Martin Petrov. Marcos Alonso has
arrived from Real Madrid to bolster the backline, but Bolton
look to have problems at the other end of the field, where
the main goalscoring burden is again set to rest upon the
shoulders of the evergreen Kevin Davies. If Wanderers do
avoid the bottom three, it won’t be by much.
And finally to last season’s fairytale
club, Blackpool. Having defied the odds to secure a first
ever appearance in the Premiership, this famous old club
will have to perform a far greater miracle to stay there.
Manager Ian Holloway is one of the true characters of the
game and his post-match press conferences will be required
viewing, but it’s hard to imagine that the former Leicester
boss will be reflecting upon too many victories for his
side. Financial restrictions have limited Holloway’s squad
strengthening thus far to the capture of Israeli defender
Dekel Keinan and there seems unlikely to be a flurry of
transfer activity at Bloomfield Road before the window slams
shut at the end of August. Attacking midfielder Charlie Adam
is likely to catch the eye, but otherwise the Tangerines
look woefully short of quality and while it’s great to see a
club of their size and stature pitting their wits against
the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, their fans would
be advised to enjoy it while it lasts.
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English Premier League 2010-2011 Betting Odds
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