Manchester City were last season’s champions, which
was expected throughout but required some slip ups, both literally and
figuratively, from Liverpool to happen. Chelsea was close but just didn't have that cutting edge. There are seven contenders for
this year’s title. Here is how I rank them:
Chelsea has the best team on paper. They have an
experienced tactician now saddled with the team that he wants. The only
thing in the balance is to see if Jose Mourinho still has his magic touch and is
able to put the pieces together into one of
his championship units. They are strong in every position – they even
have two of the top goalkeepers in the world. Signings Filipe Luis,
Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas fill the team’s voids from last season.
Nemanja Matic will be eligible in the Champions League and will anchor the midfield with Fabregas and Marco Van Ginkel. The only question is their ability to mesh together
– sometimes Chelsea would look very discombobulated and out-of-sync,
especially against weak opposition. The Costa addition should help
address the lack of goals from the forward position, and although the
sale of Romelu Lukaku could wind up hurting the club
in the long run, Chelsea looks well-rounded and deep. An injury to
Costa or Matic would leave Chelsea the most exposed, but there
are so many talented attacking players in the side to fill the void. If
the squad is able to mesh, Chelsea will dominate
the league.
Arsenal finally ended their trophy drought with
last year’s FA Cup title, and followed it up with another victory in the
Community Shield against Manchester City. They will have their issues
in defense but their attacking options can cause
anyone problems with both pace and finesse. Alexis Sanchez was the big
signing, but Yaya Sanogo will be a key player for Arsenal. If he can
emerge into a Premier League level striker, Arsenal will contend for the
title. If he cannot, there will be games where
Arsenal are missing that little extra firepower to take the title.
Defensively they have plenty of questions. The
departure of Thomas Vermaelen means that Arsene Wenger has enough
confidence in Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker to carry the squad.
New captain Mikel Arteta will have to have one of his
best seasons. At age 33, his best years could be behind him, but
perhaps this could be the least asked of him, considering the talent
surrounding him on the field. Arsenal haven’t been in a title race for
years – this squad is finally close to the caliber
needed to endure the long season. I expect good things from Arsenal,
but they will need to play much better against the top teams in the
league – an area where they were beaten heavily on multiple occasions
last term.
Manchester City are the defending champions, and
have retained the core of last year’s team. David Silva, one of their
best players, has committed to the club long-term, signing a new
five-year deal. City were fortunate to take last
season’s trophy, but they have one of the top squads on the continent,
and owners who certainly aren’t afraid to spend. City will look to be ambitious in Europe as well - their transition from a rising, rich club to an established superpower is finally complete. After City won their first title three years ago, there was a noticeable drop off during the following season. Their offensive weapons are plentiful and probably the best in the league, but despite signings of Bacary Sagna and Fernando to help the defense and holding midfield, I see their defense as a weak spot. Joe Hart has failed to convince during his years as City's #1 in goal, and Willy Caballero was terrible against Arsenal. City will score a ton of goals and should be right in the thick of it, but without someone stepping up in the defensive third, they will drop too many points.
Manchester United are a popular bounce back
candidate under new coach Louis Van Gaal. United have been impressive in
the preseason, but I don’t see them reaching the top 4 this year. David
Moyes mismanaged the club and was a major factor
in the rapid descent of the club, but the players are not good enough
and there weren’t enough big signings to overhaul the squad. The team that won the title two years ago was far too reliant on currently injured Dutchman Robin Van Persie, and there are a number of unproven players that Van Gaal will be forced to give a chance. He did a fantastic job with Holland, taking a team of youngsters to a third place finish in Brazil this summer, but the league season is a long grind, not a short sprint. Van Gaal will help develop some of the young talent and can certainly stop the bleeding from last year, but a quick jump back into the top four looks unlikely to me.
Everton’s signing of Romelu Lukaku completely
changes the outlook on the season. Without Lukaku, they were without a
bona fide striker and one of their top players from last season. With
him, they should continue to be a dangerous side.
Roberto Martinez has proven himself to be one of the best managers in
the Premier League, and with Everton actually buying players after years
of catching up with debt, a top four place is hardly out of the
question. Everton has always been a show-me squad; I'm not going to predict them to finish in the top four until I see it. They play a very attractive style and their matches with Liverpool should be very intense, but I don't see the depth to crack the Champions League places. It should be another good campaign from Everton, and Martinez will continue building this squad for the future.
Tottenham took a huge step backwards last season.
It began with Andre Villas-Boas, ended with Tim Sherwood, and was underwhelming throughout. Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid gave Daniel
Levy a massive paycheck to spend on new players,
which he did – but very few shone during the rocky season. Eric Lamela
was the biggest underperformer, with his move from Roma a complete flop
amid talks of him leaving the club after just one year. Mauricio
Pochettino proved a success at Southampton and
he could be the right man in North London. Spurs could prove to be very
good this year but they don’t stack up well against the teams above
them. They have more rebuilding to do and have had the least success in
the transfer market. It will be interesting
to see if Pochettino can end the club’s disappointing run, or if the
new players will continue to struggle. Spurs and Everton are both very good sides, but the top three teams are so strong that it's going to be difficult to take a European place.
The best team defensively in any sport is often the one who wins. Chelsea had the best defensive record last season and their defense could be even better this season. I just see Arsenal and City dropping points because of their potential defensive issues. Regardless, it should be a tight race and I'm looking forward to the season starting this weekend.
1) Chelsea
2) Arsenal
3) Manchester City
4) Liverpool
5) Manchester United
6) Everton
7) Tottenham
Trivia: Who is the highest scoring active player in the English Premier League?
Last answer: Brazil and Italy. Brazil won both finals, in 1970 and 1994.
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