FINALLY the wait is over...the new football season is upon us and with all the big clubs expected to splash the cash this promises to be one of the most exciting seasons yet.Last season showed us how unpredictable this league can be with more twists and turns than a telephone wire.With the Community Shield kicking off the season on August 7th with a Manchester derby(Is there a better way to start a season?No)I will have a look at the other 18teams in the league in this preview(in 2parts) for this week and next week I will have a look at the two Manchester clubs currently touring the U.S. on their pre-season tour. 1. ARSENAL:Here we go AGAIN.After six trophyless seasons for Wenger something had to give.Surely now was the time to revamp the squad.Surely now was the time to improve the spine of the team.With the weakness in the centre of defence clear to everyone,Arsenal had to invest this summer.But so far the only significant signing this summer has been Lille forward Gervinho.A typical Arsenal signing in a position where they have decent players already (Nasri,Arshavin,Rosicky,Walcott to name a few).With the Fabregas saga looking like it will keep going on and on and with Nasri looking like he will leave next summer if not this one,Arsenal are realistically in grave danger of giving up their top 4 spot.The one thing they have going for them is Jack Wilshire who with one full season under his belt will arguably be even better this season and will be the focal point of the midfield if Fabregas were to leave.With the dangerous(and injury prone)Van Persie set to lead the team Arsenal can still aim for a top four finish but winning the league may just be out of their grasp until they improve the defence. 2. ASTON VILLA:What a turbulent twelve months it has been for Villa.Starting with O'Neil resigning just before the start of the season the 2010-11 season culminated in Villa finishing 9th losing their manager Gerrard Houllier due to health and safety reasons.Arguably the club most mentioned about throughout the summer,they have now also lost their best two players of last season in Ashley Young who has gone to Manchester United and Stewart Downing who has gone to Liverpool.If that wasn't enough there was the controversial appointment of Alex Mcleish as manager from relegated neighbours Birmingham.Mcleish will have to win over the Villa fans by getting a few wins under his belt early on.He has already made one excellent signing in City keeper Shay Given and will be looking to sign players to provide service to 24million pound striker Darren Bent.Marc Albrighton looks a very bright prospect for this season and Villa will be looking to finish in the top 8 this season atleast.Top 6 might just be beyond their reach. 3. BLACKBURN:The 2010-11 season was a very interesting one(we don't say that often about this club!)for Blackburn.Indian poultry company Venky's took over the club in the middle of the season and showed how naive they were by firing the impressive Sam Allardyce who had guided the club into the top ten.Steve Kean was hired and with a manager of no experience it was not surprising when Blackburn were flirting with relegation but they survived.Just.They lost young defender Phil Jones over the summer to Manchester United.With no real signings so far(and El-Hadji Diouf literally disappearing)this season looks like it might again be all about avoiding the dreaded drop and survival. 4. BOLTON:The overall view in England was that Bolton have had a very decent season under manager Owen Coyle.But their league position might state otherwise.Undoubtedly their is a good feeling throughout the club and the quality of the football last season left its mark with the Mark Davies equaliser against Blackpool and Johan Elmander's solo goal against Wolves moments that will be remembered by Bolton fans for a while.Bolton have lost Elmander and Matt Taylor already this season and replacements must be found to keep the club on the up.Daniel Sturridge provided a lot of excitement with plenty of goals when he arrived on loan from Chelsea in January last season and Owen Coyle will be looking to get him back for atleast another season.With Bolton looking to sign Villa midfielder Reo-Coker and Burnley pair Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears this season the trotters will be aiming for a top 10 finish . 5. CHELSEA:At the end of last season it was all doom and gloom for the men in blue as they finished the season without any silverware and as is the precedent set at Stamford Bridge...the Manager was sacked.It is a situation that is unlikely to change under owner Roman Abramovich.Most people were expecting Guus Hiddink to take over when Carlo Ancelotti was unceremoniously removed after their last match against Everton but Hiddink's reluctance to take over a full time manager's job at such a big club was a stumbling block.So in comes 33year old Andres Villas-Boas.The man who guided Porto to three trophies last season enters a dressing room dominated by the players and a club which refuses to step out of Mourinho'sAbramovich's purchase,Getting Torres back to his best will be one of the objectives presented to Villas-Boas.He must win the Premier League or the Champions League to survive but I feel they have their roads blocked in both.With the dilemma of Drogba-Torres and lack of creativity in midfield I see Chelsea struggling to catch the two Manchester clubs but nonetheless a top 4 finish should be secure and with a bit of luck and a couple of clever signings the premier league trophy might return to West London. 6. EVERTON:What can be said about David Moyes that hasn't already been said?He is an exceptional manager who has kept this side regularly on the brink of Europe season in-season out.But there must come a time when he moves on to a club where he has the money to spend on players.Last season was almost identical to the 2009-10 season in that Everton started very slowly and were even bottom of the league in September but slowly picked up and ended the season in a respectable 7th place.I doubt very much that they can go beyond 7th unless there is some investment in the team but yet I feel when the players are fit they have one of the best Midfield's in the league.With the outstanding form of Leighton Baines and a solid back five which includes Tim Howard and Phil Jagielka if Everton could just find that player who could score twenty goals every season then they would be a massive threat to the big six.But until then 7th is the best the toffees can hope to achieve. 7. FULHAM:With the (relatively)shock departure of Mark Hughes at the end of last season which overall was a good one for the team(Finished 8th),Fulham appointed Martin Jol to take over the reigns at Craven Cottage.Last season they missed Bobby Zamora and he could be vital for them if fit this season.Jol has had a tough start with the london club as Fulham kicked off their Europa League Qualification Round(where they got in via the fair play rankings)on June 30th.That is a very early start and with the demands of the premier league,Fatigue in the latter stages of the season might be unavoidable.I believe the signing of John Arne Riise might prove to be an excellent addition to the squad and with a decent defence already in place you can expect Fulham to be organised and not give away many goals.A mid table finish in the league is likely and Jol should be looking at reaching the late stages in the Europa League where they reached the final in 2010 under Roy Hodgson. 8. LIVERPOOL:Last season was a turbulent one for the Anfield club as Roy Hodgson failed to leave a mark at the club and the new owners from the U.S. headed by John W.Henry decided(rightly) to move on and bring back the Legend that is Kenny Dalgish.Liverpool's form improved dramatically as a result and they will be hoping for a similar level throughout this season.New signings have arrived in the form of Jordan Henderson,Charlie Adam and Steward Downing.I believe the club still needs to strengthen in defence and a left-back and a centre-back are needed to complete the team.However it will be interesting what formation Dalgish employs to incorporate all the signings including the excellent Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll who were bought in January after the sale of Fernando Torres.There is an overload in the central midfield position where Adam,Henderson,Gerrard,Lucas,Meireles,Poulsen and Spearing will be fighting it out for arguably only two positions.Overall I think the squad is pretty good and Dalglish will expect to challenge for the top 4 if not the League itself.With no European involvement for the club this season Liverpool can completely focus on the League and I see them finishing in the top 4 for that reason.
This blog provides an intresting analysis of top european leagues primarily foccusing on the barclays premier league and the uefa champions league.From time to time we also look at the lower divisions in england.P.S:I have been supporting manchester united since i was 9(which was in 2002) so keep that in mind when you read the blog..enjoy!
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