Kicking-off the Premiership

With the transfer window yet to close it is the teams that have done their business early that look the strongest for the season although that does not mean those with money in the bank can be ruled out.

The Premier League has a number of teams that look as though they can challenge for the title. Over the past decade there have been few occasions on which pundits have been able to talk about two or three clubs capable of winning.
 
However, Liverpool demonstrated last season that it is possible to make a massive leap. If others are able to replicate their success then there could be up to seven teams with realistic champion aspirations.

Despite there being several big-money signings in the pre-season, it has been a free transfer that has generated most of the talking points. Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard, was allowed to leave the club with whom he won the Champions League and Premiership and initially signed for the new MLS franchise, New York. Yet thanks to their part-ownership by Premier League holders, Manchester City, he has been loaned back and lined up alongside his new teammates for the traditional Wembley opener, the Community Shield.

Manchester City is, of course, under sanction for its breach of the Financial Fair Play rules and some have been quick to point an accusatory finger, claiming that this is simply a clever ruse from the owners of the Etihad outfit to find a loophole. Friends of Lampard have countered this, claiming instead that he would have willingly stayed at Stamford Bridge had he been offered a contract until January when the MLS teams start.

Both teams look strong. As champions its difficult to look for a weakness at Manchester City, despite their drubbing by Arsenal at Wembley. With four quality forwards, creativity and power in midfield and a strong defence they turned the Etihad stadium into a fortress. The acquisition of Fernandinho allowed Yaya Toure to shine, contributing to a massive goal tally of 156 in all competitions.

There is a perception that they are over-reliant defensively on Vincent Kompany although the possible acquisition of Mangala from Porto and return from loan of Karim Rekik will counter that. In addition, the signing of Fernando brings a genuinely destructive quality to the midfield. However, as other challengers have strengthened they will hope that Toure remains motivated after his summer greivances and that Aguero stays injury-free.

Chelsea is another team that looks strong. The sale of Luiz was smart business as he was responsible for more palpitations amongst Chelsea fans than any opposing forward. The position that was least settled has been filled at left back with the acquisition of Felipe Luis and they see the return from loan of one of the best ’keepers in world football, Thibaut Courtois.

In front of them sits Nemanja Matic who ensured that Chelsea only conceded eight goals in the 17 games he played after joining in January. Despite his history with the club, Lampard had diminishing powers meaning the signing of Cesc Fabregas was vital.

However, the area of the pitch most requiring attention was up front. The signing of Diego Costa is expected to provide not only goals but a greater balance to the team that will allow three creative goal-scorers behind him to flourish. Another intriguing option is the returning Didier Drogba!

Arsenal has finally ended its trophy drought by securing the FA Cup and started the season well against an experimental Manchester City team that could have scored on several occasions. The acquisition of Alexis Sanchez looks like the signing of the summer, posing a direct threat while looking capable of bringing the best out of Giroud, and Arsene Wenger will hope that Mesut Ozil can reproduce his top form more consistently.

Having been at the top of the Premier League longer than any other club last season only to finish fourth they will need to try to keep more of their key personnel off the treatment table, particularly in defence. 

Liverpool may have lost their greatest goal-threat while cherry-picking players at will from Southampton, yet anyone thinking they will follow in the same direction as a Bale-less Tottenham may be in for a surprise. While Suarez certainly added some – ahem – bite to the attack, Liverpool actually won a far greater percentage of games without him (61 per cent) than they did with him (45 per cent).

Sterling grew with every game while Henderson was an energetic link between the forwards and defence. Concerns in this latter area could subside if Mamadou Sakho continues to improve while Steven Gerrard provided the most assists in the Premier League last season.

Optimism at Old Trafford emanates from the success that new manager, Louis van Gaal, has had in overturning the fortunes of struggling teams (Real Madrid and Bayern Munich) or squeezing greater returns than the sum of all parts of a team (the Oranje).

There is hope that a greater desire amongst the players to perform than they did for David Moyes, combined with new tactics, should see the Red Devils turn the worst performance since 1990 into a mere blip. Herrera and Shaw are strong signings while Rooney, Mata and Van Persie are world-class performers. However, there is a feeling that they look weak defensively and have failed to replace Ferdinand and Vidic.

While Liverpool will face the challenge of combining their Premier League aspirations with Europe, United will not and should benefit, as should Swansea whose overseas exertions caught up with them. Hull and Everton are two other teams that will see the depth of their squads tested with additional midweek fixtures and I expect to see both teams fail to match last season’s final position.

The dark horse this season could be Tottenham Hotspur who flattered to deceive at times yet still secured a record-equalling fifth successive season in Europe. Much was expected last season having spent the funds received from the sale of Bale on a plethora of stars although only Christian Eriksen could be considered a success.

This is another club with high hopes of a new manager, Mauricio Pochettino, who significantly exceeded expectations at Southampton with a number of academy players. His high-energy pressing style is a world apart from that adopted by last boss, Tim Sherwood, whose defence deteriorated over the winter.

At the other end of the table it would be easy to single out Burnley as relegation fodder, particularly as they will miss 20-goal Sam Vokes until Christmas. However, they conceded the fewest goals in the Championship last season and won games by scoring on fast counter-attacks in the same manner as Hull and Southampton previously.

Other sides promoted were Leicester City and Queen’s Park Rangers with a return to the elite for Harry Redknapp. It’s difficult to imagine him watching a side get relegated if allowed to manage for the whole season and, although he has invested wisely already, it is unlikely that will be the end of his spending, particularly if they start badly. Play-off winners have not finished below 11th in the last three seasons.

There are a number of other contenders who narrowly escaped last season. Aston Villa, up for sale and lacking investment, will need Benteke to regain confidence while West Brom look to be another club in flux.

Southampton are being mentioned as candidates given the high volume of players they have sold, although Ronald Koeman has had great success when faced with similar problems in the past, albeit not in the Premier League.
 
Sunderland were dead and buried before away wins at Chelsea and Manchester United saw them finish a barely creditable 14th. It remains to be seen whether this was a flash in the pan yet Gus Poyet should benefit from having the summer to put his stamp on this team.

Title Prediction: Chelsea
Relegation: Aston Villa, West Brom, Leicester (or Hull if they do well in Europe!)