I did not have the time to write an extensive Premier League preview this week, but, having nothing to do with this weekend's events, my top 4 prediction was Man City, Chelsea, Man United, and Liverpool. Of the four, Man City was by far the most impressive this weekend (albeit against the weakest opponent) while the other three sides were less than convincing. Arsenal was also sluggish and completed the sale of Cesc Fabregas, so there are plenty of worrying signs there.
The reason I believe City will win the Premier League this season is because they have added some significant pieces while the other sides have neglected to do so. The additions of Aguero and Clichy are particularly crucial, with Clichy helping secure an already superb back line, and Aguero providing some magic to lock in a brace in his first thirty minutes of Premier League action. Tougher tests await City, but this was an important start for Mancini's men. As for United, an opening day victory marks another good start, but there are a few key issues that glared at Sir Alex. First, the exposure of David De Gea, who has been in the spotlight twice and has sputtered both times. Another error allowed a goal for a resistant, but far inferior West Brom side, and more errors of that kind could really cost United against stronger opponents. Second, the health of Rio Ferdinand is a concern, as he picked up an injury in the second half, shortly after Vidic had gone off, also injured. Along with the injury to Rafael, United is all of a sudden very short at the back, and with a presently fragile goalie, creates problems for the Red Devils in the back. Lastly, United's midfield looks weaker without Scholes and Giggs, as Tom Cleverley failed to impress against Albion. United have enough experience in the front and on the wings to overcome the deficiencies of Cleverley and Michael Carrick, but the position could be a concern against teams like City and Arsenal, who have very strong midfield players.
That being said, United took the points, something Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all failed to do.
Chelsea looked like more of the same, although Torres looked like the Torres of old. With those type of performances, he will be putting the ball in the back of the net in no time. While uninspiring, the draw isn't too concerning for Chelsea, as few teams win at Stoke. With the style Stoke played, they are lucky to escape with their health. For Arsenal and Liverpool, I think the displays on Saturday were more concerning. Arsenal failed to break down a Newcastle side that sold all of their best players (other than Barton) and Liverpool played a very even game with Sunderland. Granted, both sides had their chances and were the better teams in their respective games, but the difficulties both experienced are a warning flag for the future. Liverpool need to strengthen their defense immediately and Arsenal are going to have to learn to deal without Fabregas, and likely Nasri. For all three sides, a draw is not a bad start, but there are changes that must be made to compete for the whole season.
As for the Champions League, I am excited to see the final playoff round kickoff tomorrow, headlined by Arsenal and Udinese at the Emirates. Lyon-Rubin and Twente-Benfica should also be good matches between quality sides. Normally Arsenal is already into the group stage, or a big favorite to progress through a qualifying round, but this tie presents a challenge for the Gunners. I do think they will get through, because they have to in order to have any chance of signing any top players, but despite losing Alexis Sanchez to Barcelona, Udinese present many threats to a fragile defensive side. Antonio Di Natale spearheads a side that finished fourth in Serie A last year, so I'm interested to see how Arsenal cope with the Italians.
Wednesday's games are less appetizing, but Bayern-Zurich should be interesting because of Bayern's recurring early season struggles. Maccabi Haifa-Genk and Wisla-APOEL provide good matchups between sides who would be minnows in the group stages, but will play some good football nonetheless. Haifa and APOEL have seen the group stages in recent years, while Genk and Wisla have less experience on the European stage. My first predictions for the final qualifying round are as follows:
APOEL o/ Wisla
Maccabi Haifa o/ Racing Genk
Zagreb o/ Malmo FF
Copenhagen o/ Plzen
Sturm Graz o/ BATE
Villarreal o/ Odense
Benfica o/ Twente
Arsenal o/ Udinese
Bayern o/ Zurich
Lyon o/ Rubin
Arsenal-Udinese kicks off at 2:45 tomorrow EST on Fox Soccer if anyone wants to watch live. I'm just excited to see the Champions League back.
Report on these ties (first legs) later this week. Plenty of appetizing Europa League ties on Thursday as well.
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