Hi guys,
At work, bored again so another thread.
So, with this season getting under way in a couple of weeks, I want to assess the top 4 clubs and see where their strengths and weaknesses lie and see what they will need to give them the edge. Lets start with us: (Predictions are subject to change when new signings are annouced).
CHELSEA:
Mourinho has much more work to do to this squad than he did with Chelsea 2004 squad in his first stint as manager, he arrived after Ranieiri had spent 100m + the season before on building our team.
Schurrle, Schwarzer and Van Ginkel have been added and it is widely reported that we are after a new No. 9 type player after the disappointment of Torres in recent season (albeit he did show improvement last year).
Cavani and Lewandowski were tipped as targets early on, but both are no longer options, so it appears Mourinho has his sights on Wayne Rooney.
De Bruyne and Lukaku are tipped to figure prominently for Mourinho after being promoted from the fringes and making decent pre season appearances and Essien has also returned.
I have made this known before but I am still not convinced that our central defence is rock solid. JT is getting old, Luiz I am still unsure of in a purely defensive role and Cahill appears very error prone.
I have heard people speak of our young defenders brightly, but are we really prepared to entrust our defence in unproven hands?
I think Lukaku and De Bruyne will step up this year and show their talents and I feel that we are placing too much emphasis on our attacking options when I feel it will be defence that lets us down if anything.
My prediction: 2nd (but hopefully 1st!)
MANCHESTER UNITED:
Last years Champions have also had a change of manager. Whether this will galvanise them and allow them to continue their history of success or will let them on a downward slide remains to be seen. I wont comment much more on that because it really could go either way.
Squad wise Man Utds weakness has been its midfield for the last couple of seasons, and that continues to be the case.
With RVP, they are good for goals and their defence seems pretty solid, but they are often bossed in the middle of the park by the better teams in the league, as Chelsea showed last season.
Fabregas, Modric and Fellaini have been touted as possible fixes for this and either of these 3 would strengthen their squad and therefore their title chances.
Even if this happens, there is still the "NO FERGIE" factor to deal with, so while only an idiot will write them off, my feeling is that a top 3 spot is probably going to be the smart bet
My prediction: 3rd
MANCHESTER CITY:
Another new manager. City have made some decent signings and have a very good squad, my personal opinion was that it was always the incompetence of Mancini that stopped them from dominating. Now they are rid of him, they may be able to truly make get a grip on the league. Even still, like United, a new manager is always a risk, especially, as in this case, he is also unknown to the Premier League. A lot of Citys hopes will be pinned on how quickly he can adapt to the league.
Regarding their squad. I think they are as good as anyone else in Europe and I think they will be up there. I cannot think of any real stand out weakness to be honest.
My prediction: 1st
ARSENAL:
This is the hardest one to call, purely because they havent signed anyone of note, which they promised they would.
Arsenal seem to have money to spend, but like always, seem very reluctant to part with it. Spending was promised, as they require at least 3 very good players to have a hope of challenging, otherwise its another season battling with their North london rivals to scrape 4th place.
The other thing people have questioned, is Wengers' winning mentality, which he appeared to have in droves early on in his Gunners' career, but seems to have faded since Arsenals "invincibles" season. The Premier League seems to have evolved, but Arsenal have been too stubborn to change with it. You may have been able to win the league with £6 million signings 10 years ago, and with only a transitional, post-Beckham, Pre-Ronaldo Man United to contend with, but since the billionaires descended on the league, that **** isnt gonna fly Mr Wenger.
My prediction: 4th if they spend, 5th or 6th if they dont.
At work, bored again so another thread.
So, with this season getting under way in a couple of weeks, I want to assess the top 4 clubs and see where their strengths and weaknesses lie and see what they will need to give them the edge. Lets start with us: (Predictions are subject to change when new signings are annouced).
CHELSEA:
Mourinho has much more work to do to this squad than he did with Chelsea 2004 squad in his first stint as manager, he arrived after Ranieiri had spent 100m + the season before on building our team.
Schurrle, Schwarzer and Van Ginkel have been added and it is widely reported that we are after a new No. 9 type player after the disappointment of Torres in recent season (albeit he did show improvement last year).
Cavani and Lewandowski were tipped as targets early on, but both are no longer options, so it appears Mourinho has his sights on Wayne Rooney.
De Bruyne and Lukaku are tipped to figure prominently for Mourinho after being promoted from the fringes and making decent pre season appearances and Essien has also returned.
I have made this known before but I am still not convinced that our central defence is rock solid. JT is getting old, Luiz I am still unsure of in a purely defensive role and Cahill appears very error prone.
I have heard people speak of our young defenders brightly, but are we really prepared to entrust our defence in unproven hands?
I think Lukaku and De Bruyne will step up this year and show their talents and I feel that we are placing too much emphasis on our attacking options when I feel it will be defence that lets us down if anything.
My prediction: 2nd (but hopefully 1st!)
MANCHESTER UNITED:
Last years Champions have also had a change of manager. Whether this will galvanise them and allow them to continue their history of success or will let them on a downward slide remains to be seen. I wont comment much more on that because it really could go either way.
Squad wise Man Utds weakness has been its midfield for the last couple of seasons, and that continues to be the case.
With RVP, they are good for goals and their defence seems pretty solid, but they are often bossed in the middle of the park by the better teams in the league, as Chelsea showed last season.
Fabregas, Modric and Fellaini have been touted as possible fixes for this and either of these 3 would strengthen their squad and therefore their title chances.
Even if this happens, there is still the "NO FERGIE" factor to deal with, so while only an idiot will write them off, my feeling is that a top 3 spot is probably going to be the smart bet
My prediction: 3rd
MANCHESTER CITY:
Another new manager. City have made some decent signings and have a very good squad, my personal opinion was that it was always the incompetence of Mancini that stopped them from dominating. Now they are rid of him, they may be able to truly make get a grip on the league. Even still, like United, a new manager is always a risk, especially, as in this case, he is also unknown to the Premier League. A lot of Citys hopes will be pinned on how quickly he can adapt to the league.
Regarding their squad. I think they are as good as anyone else in Europe and I think they will be up there. I cannot think of any real stand out weakness to be honest.
My prediction: 1st
ARSENAL:
This is the hardest one to call, purely because they havent signed anyone of note, which they promised they would.
Arsenal seem to have money to spend, but like always, seem very reluctant to part with it. Spending was promised, as they require at least 3 very good players to have a hope of challenging, otherwise its another season battling with their North london rivals to scrape 4th place.
The other thing people have questioned, is Wengers' winning mentality, which he appeared to have in droves early on in his Gunners' career, but seems to have faded since Arsenals "invincibles" season. The Premier League seems to have evolved, but Arsenal have been too stubborn to change with it. You may have been able to win the league with £6 million signings 10 years ago, and with only a transitional, post-Beckham, Pre-Ronaldo Man United to contend with, but since the billionaires descended on the league, that **** isnt gonna fly Mr Wenger.
My prediction: 4th if they spend, 5th or 6th if they dont.
The WUM who can dish it but can't take it, but instead sheds crocodile tears to the mods,