Top 10 things to look forward to this EPL season
We are days away from the kickoff of one of the most promising BPL seasons of all time. Manchester United‘s revival, Manchester City‘s class and Chelsea‘s new signings will be the most talked about points heading towards the start of 2012/13 season. So, what else should you know about before the season kicks off? Let us see.
# 10 – The New Boys
Okay. Not essentially ‘new’. West Ham United, Southampton and Reading will be back in the premier league this season. And unlike the newly promoted boys, you cannot count any of these three teams to go down easily.
Will Rickie Lambert shine in the big stage?
Sam Allardyce, after being sacked unceremoniously by Blackburn Rovers, has led West Ham United back to the premier league. Southampton’s Rickie Lambert scored 27 goals which earned them promotion and Rickie will be a man to watch this season. Reading won 23 of their last 31 matches to finish first in the Championship and backed by their influential manager Brian McDermott, they will be no pushovers.
# 9 – The New Managers
Andres Villas-Boas’ second innings in charge of yet another London based club Tottenham Hotspur will be the most talked about Managerial changes this season. At Spurs, Villas-Boas will have more control over his team which is very talented.
A New Dawn or a New wine in a old bottle?
Under Brendon Rodgers, a new revolution will begin at Liverpool. Rodgers, who is known for his passing game will bring some excitement to Liverpool, who had a pretty hard season last year.
Other managerial changes include Steve Clarke joining West Brom, Paul Lambert to Aston Villa, Michael Laudrup to Swansea City and Chris Hughton to Norwich City.
# 8 – The Transfer Sagas
These 15 days will be very interesting before the transfer window closes. Robin van Persie’s future still remains uncertain. Manchester City and Juventus are apparently out of the race and Arsenal are unwilling to sell their priced possession to direct rivals Manchester United.
Where are they heading?
The Luka Modric saga is another thing that is getting hotter by the minute. Real Madrid are not matching the price quoted by Tottenham and Villas-Boas is determined not to let Modric leave for anything below the quoted price.
# 7 – The New Players
Will fulfill his promise?
Shinji Kagawa, Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, Jan Vertonghen, Oscar, Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Fabio Borini and more to come bring a new flavour to the league.
How they will fare this season is every fans guess. Arsenal and Chelsea have strengthened their squad considerably, so will this lead to a change in strategy? We will have to wait and see.
# 6 – The Characters
On one hand, you have a Mario Balotelli, who is crashing cars and lighting crackers in his bathroom. Then on the other hand, you have 37 year olds who are just way too good for their age.
Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes – Last season or are we just starting?
What will happen with Mario Balotelli, who knows? On one night the guy is untouchable and on others, he is gatecrashing parties with hookers. He could lead Manchester City’s title charge if he can get his act together or else, he could fail miserably.
Then there are Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. The last of the stupendous class of ’92. Paul Scholes came back from retirement last season and he was just too good. Will this be the last season or will we get to see more of them?
# 5 – How will the teams play?
Can they repeat this feat again?
Okay, in reality none of our EPL teams are going to play tiki-taka. But that doesn’t mean they have to park the bus every time they play a team of Barcelona‘s caliber.
Arsenal are undoubtedly one of the most attractive team in the league. With Kagawa’s arrival, United too must play some fluid football through the middle. Rodgers will introduce this style in Liverpool and AvB too isn’t that conservative. Chelsea with all their money spent on midfielders must play some good football.
Overall, this time, the league will not be boring. We can expect loads of goals.
# 4 – Arsenal and the title drought
Seven years without a title is too long for a manager like Arsene Wenger. And seven years for a club like Arsenal is way too much.
Will Arsene Wenger finally deliver?
With players leaving one after another, Arsenal have struggled consistently over the past seven years. Although they were abysmal at the start of the last season, they still managed to pull the strings together and earn a respectable third place finish. They have strengthened their offense but their back line still remains a concern.
Will Wenger deliver this season? What will the RvP saga do to Arsenal? We will have to be patient to find out more.
# 3 – The Top Scorer Race
If Arsenal somehow pull the strings to keep Robin van Persie at London for one more year, I doubt if he will repeat his performance from last year. After all, an unhappy player is not a good player.
Will this be the year of the Rooney?
Sergio Aguero who scored 23 goals last season will spearhead Manchester City’s attack. And this might well be the year of Wayne Rooney. Rooney at 27 should be in his prime and he left his anger issues behind. He was booked only twice last season and if he continues to do what he does best, we might expect a 30 goal plus season from him.
With all the strength behind him, Fernando Torres should find form to find the net. Will the race be between these top guns or will a certain newcomer come and steal the show? We will have to wait and watch.
# 2 – Chelsea
The joke on Twitter is “Q – How do you make a 50 Million striker score goals? A – Get him three Attacking Midfielders worth 100 Million”
Will Hazard – Marin – Oscar link up with Torres?
Well, is this what Chelsea are trying to do? I mean, we get Hazard but Marin and Oscar especially when you have Lampard, Mata, Meireles and a handful other fringe players in your squad? Chelsea are not even trying to offload some players.
So, according to me, Chelsea will be the most followed team this year. How they will twist and turn their team will be closely followed. With their squad, they should pose a good challenge to the title.
# 1 – The Battle of Manchester
No matter what one might say, the title race will be between the two clubs of Manchester. After a dramatic last season, Manchester City have not changed their squad much and that is not a bad thing given their squad and bench strength. However, it will be interesting to see how Roberto Mancini copes under pressure and how he handles the title of being the defending champions.
Mancini vs Ferguson will be the most interesting battle this year.
Manchester United on the other hand might have been defeated, but they always come back. With Sir Alex Ferguson at helm, they are always the team to beat. With Robin van Persie potentially arriving, his partnership with Wayne Rooney could be dangerous.
I cannot wait for the league to start. After the European and Olympic Hangover, it is time for real football action to begin!