Raghuraman Uthaman | raghuramanuthaman@hotmail.com
theridge
A NUSSU Publication
theridge takes a look at the ever popular English Premier League and takes a shot at predicting how the saga plays out over the coming season!
12 weeks of agony have ended. The source of excitement and entertainment for many, over the weekends, is finally back. A whole new season of thrills and spills, of top-of-the-table clashes and relegation dogfights, of managers mouthing off at each other, of players sniping at each other, of the fastest and most physical football on the planet. Welcome to the Barclays Premier League.
The managers had 12 weeks to work their magic. In the transfer market, even non-football fans would have heard of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s 80 million pound move to Real Madrid. The Manchester United camp is divided on this issue, with some bemoaning the loss of their top scorer while others are glad to be rid of his prima donna ways and the opportunity for the other players to step up. However, what the Manchester United camp would probably unanimously agree on is that Carlos Tevez has turned traitor by going to Manchester City. Manchester City has earned the rancour of many a football club, poaching, or trying to poach, many of their top players (look at insert below).
What is notable about this season’s transfer activity is the marked lack of high-profile signings. In fact, it could be claimed that after Ronaldo and Manchester City’s wheeling and dealing, the most striking piece of transfer news is the loss of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid (which has, for your information, spent a total of US $375 million this summer). Whether that has an impact on the quality of football, and the vaunted global appeal of the Premier League, remains to be seen.
The season proper finally kicked off over the weekend of the 15th of August. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all kicked off their season with wins; Arsenal’s being a superlative 6-1 demolition of hated rivals Everton at Goodison Park. Manchester City, despite being completely dominated, eked out a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, getting to a good start in achieving their lofty ambitions. Liverpool and Aston Villa lost their games to Tottenham and Wigan respectively, lacklustre displays costing them the opportunity to get their first 3 points on the board. Newly-promoted Burnley lost 0-2 to Stoke, last year’s newcomers.
Did the first weekend change my prediction? Not really.
9 months to go. The writer apologises in advance if any of the predictions turn out to be horribly wrong at the end of the season. All in a bit of fun, really. Enjoy your football, and may the best team win!
Top Four.
They have experience, they have ambition, and they have top-class managers who have seen everything. Expect Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United to be battling it out for honours come January, but it may well turn out to be a two-horse race by April.
Europa League.
Manchester City have invested heavily, but the spine of the side is not yet settled and the squad looks top heavy; they will not last the season. Expect them to join Tottenham and Aston Villa in the fight for the Europa League next season.
Relegation battle.
Newly promoted Birmingham seems to have the mettle to stay up, manager Alex McLeish having done well in close-season to prepare his team for the rigours of the Premier League.Wolverhampton and Burnley look like they’re going to go straight back down, however. Portsmouth is most likely to join them; they spent most of the 2nd half of last season in freefall and haven’t really done anything to significantly strengthen.
Golden Boot.
Golden Boot to be between Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres. Barring injury, Torres has the edge over the other two due to the system Liverpool employs which requires the centre-forward to be the main source of goals, in contrast to the systems which Manchester United and Chelsea employ which heavily involve the midfield players as well.
First manager sacked.
Carlo Ancelotti is surely somewhere near the top of the list of managers who are likely to be sacked – this is no reflection on his ability but rather the demands of owner Roman Abramovich. However, Phil Brown is my prediction to face the sack first. After their fantastic start to last season, Hull City just could not get their act together and the manager was blamed. He regularly makes a fool of himself in front of the cameras and microphones and has turned into a somewhat reviled figure. He’s still in the hot seat, but Hull might very well be looking at a new manager soon.
Fair Play league.
Not many know this even exists, but the winner of this league is rewarded with a place in the lucrative Europa League. The rankings in this table are determined by the number of yellow and red cards that a team accrues over the season, 1 point for a yellow and 2 for a red. The team with the lowest total wins the league. It is difficult to envisage the outcome at the top, the bottom of the table is easier to predict. Expect one from the trio of Stoke City, Bolton and Blackburn, teams with a direct physical style which relies on strength and shutting down the opposition, to be at the bottom of that table.
Flop signing.
Would you rather a player who made his move to a new club injured, or a permanently injured player who’s lived on nothing but his reputation for the past 3 years? Take your pick. Alberto Aquilani or Michael Owen.
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