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This is my little brothers first guest post. His name is Haseeb and he's 18! |
BY HASEEB WAHEED With the
eagerly anticipated return of the Barclays Premier League this weekend, many
pundits have dubbed this the season of intense competition, fierce battles and
an agonisingly close shave to lifting the prestigious trophy. That being said,
can Chelsea really win the title with the wonders of Jose Mourinho which
everyone is so adamant about? Who’s got what it takes to challenge the
customary contenders? Which teams will be fighting for Premier League survival?
At the close
of the opening weekend of the new season, those pre-season worries and fleeting comments seemed to have gathered substance. No matter what Arsene Wenger says or does,
his team are in dire need of some players and the boss really needs to spend
big money. He has tried. He has failed. Luis Gustavo, Wayne Rooney and Luis
Suarez have all gone by so quickly. I remember those Arsenal fans who
previously claimed ‘money can’t buy class.’ Ironically that is exactly what
they’re trying to so with £40m + bids. However, names like Suarez won’t step
into a team that give a lacklustre 1-3 performance against an Aston Villa side
who were the butt of a heavy defeat many a time last season. It seems like to
buy class you not only need money, you need to have a classy side too.
The trophy every team is eyeing up |
As for the
title, Arsenal won’t be challenging – they’ll be lucky to get top 4! Now that
my little rant about Arsenal’s expected demise is over - the same goes for
Liverpool – they've got a developing squad but this season is too early for the
possibility of glory filled Champions League nights – Europa league will have
to suffice.
My top 4 consists of Chelsea, Man
City, Man Utd and Spurs. Manchester City have brought in a host of new, top
quality players but as we've seen with the likes of Sunderland and Cardiff on
the opening day, new signings aren't always an immediate success. Sometimes
it’s those contract extensions (Benteke!) Although Chelsea have been somewhat
subdued in the transfer market, the world should never underestimate the impact
the return of ‘the happy one’ can have on the Stamford Bridge outfit. Lampard’s got his shooting boots on, Terry’s
regained confidence and if Lukaku lives up to the hype then there’s a new
Drogba in town.
However, much
of the title race will be dependent on the new managers. Pellegrini made his
mark in Spanish football with Malaga, after having a disappointing season with
Real Madrid, but this by any stretch of the imagination is no guarantee that he
will succeed at City. On the red side of Manchester, David Moyes has been
thrown into the spotlight quite quickly and only time will tell if he’s capable
of managing a world-class club.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho |
As for the
‘top 4’ contenders, the usual lot will be up there – Everton, Newcastle,
Liverpool and Arsenal will all be vying for a top 4 finish but don’t be
surprised if the likes of West Brom, Aston Villa, Norwich, Southampton and
Swansea are up there too. They've all done excellent business in the market and
have come on leaps and bounds from the previous year.
It’s hard to
predict who’ll be in the Championship come next season with the unpredictable
likes of Sunderland and stoke, but it’s got to be the newcomers who face the
drop. They’ve all deepened their squads but the Premier league may prove a
little too much for them to handle.
Taking
everything into account, my predictions are as follows:
Top Four:
1.Chelsea 2.Man City 3.Man Utd 4.Spurs (possibly only with Bale!)
Challengers:
5.Liverpool 6.Arsenal 7.Swansea
8.Everton (other notable mentions: Norwich, West Brom, West Ham)
Bottom Three:
18.Stoke 19.Palace 20.Hull
Of course, my
words should be completely disregarded if Hull come swooping in with a £100m
offer for Bale, Arsenal manage to Land Suarez, Ronaldo returns to United or
Mourinho somehow loses his managerial touch and ‘love’ for his ‘home’ at
Stamford Bridge.
But one
thing’s for certain. Expect shocks - lots of shocks!
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