AuthorJeffEyesRimmer At last the football season kicked off earlier this week with the Football League starting. It’s been a long close season in my opinion. Last season saw Chelsea crowned champions and deservedly so. Sunderland were finally relegated after flirting with it for so long, along with Hull City and Middlesbrough. Harry Kane won the golden boot for the second season in a row: can he improve on his 29 goals from last season? So with the start of the EPL this Friday night how are the teams shaping up for the coming season? AFC Bournemouth
A great achievement last season finishing in 9th and Eddie Howe became the top performing British manager in the process. They moved quickly in the transfer window to improve on the deficiencies they had in the squad from last season. In has come title winning goal keeper Asmir Begovic for £10m from Chelsea and drastically improves on a fading Artur Boruc. Nathan Ake has also returned from Stamford Bridge for £20 million and although that is a big price tag it is likely Ake will get more first team opportunities. Bournemouth has brought him in with a future increase in value later down the track in mind. The signing of Jermain Defoe for free from relegated Sunderland is a fantastic piece of business and the Cherries have added guaranteed goals. Defoe managed to score 15 times in each of the last two seasons for a very poor Sunderland side and will be looking to combine well with 16 goal man Josh King. Bournemouth are looking good going into the first game of the season and can see them getting into the top ten again. Best Signing: Jermain Defoe (free, Sunderland) Arsenal Fresh off a Community Shield win over the reigning champions, Arsenal are looking pretty good. As Jose put it last season the Community Shield is a major trophy, so Wenger can quite happily lord that over his great rival from the word go. They finished last season very much the form team. As I indicated in my top four predictions (here) I think Arsenal will return to the top four this season. The signing of Sead Kolasinac on a free already looks a shrewd piece of business and who looks like a player the Arsenal faithful have already taken to. He looks like a player that Arsenal has lacked over a number of seasons. He is big, strong and quick and doesn’t seem to mind putting his body on the line (I can see a few red cards coming). A move to a back three with four in midfield looks a pretty good system for Wenger as well. Granit Xhatha looks like he is calmer with the current system and in Lacazatte they have found a new and hungry striker. Overall I think Arsenal will be better than last season and with no Champions League to worry about and a large enough squad to deal with the Europa I think Arsenal will be back where we all feel they should be – 4th. Best Signing: Sead Kolasinac (free, Schalke) Burnley Burnley very much depended on their home form last season and they turned Turf Moor into a fortress. . I do worry for Burnley this season, as we indicated in our podcast (here) they don’t appear to have strengthened enough. I don’t think they can rely on their home form this season which very much carried them through last season. They really did struggle for form towards the back end of the season and could land them in the relegation scrap. In has come Jon Walters and in my opinion they have signed a very underrated player and one that can hold the ball up and interlink play well. They have lost arguably their best player from last season in Michael Keane and so they do need another centre back. They could easily be pulled into the relegation scrap this season. Best Signing: Jon Walters (£3m, Stoke) Brighton and Hove Albion Chris Hughton is trusting in his squad that got him into the Premier League in the first place it seems after admitting it was difficult to attract players to his team. This has worked for teams even as recently as Bournemouth and so it is a tried and trusted technique. Brighton are relying on impressive Championship players such as Anthony Knockaert, Dale Stephens and Lewis Dunk to step up and perform at the higher level and I think those players are very capable of doing that. Looking at the squad though I wonder where the goals will come from. I do like the signing of Australian goal keeper Matt Ryan; he is a keeper that doesn’t have an issue with playing the ball out from the back and is confident in that regard. There are still two weeks of the transfer window remaining and I would expect to see some potential premier league experience come in as teams start working out their final 25 players. However, if they don’t then it might be a long hard season for Brighton. Best Signing: Mathew Ryan (£5m, Valencia) Chelsea A stellar season last year winning the EPL title, although the loss in the FA Cup final and then this past weekend in the Community Shield, both times to Arsenal, will grate with the fans and Conte alike. We said in January that Antonio Rudiger could be a potential purchase and Conte certainly delivered on that. Rudiger is a good defender and certainly adds to the quality in the backline. A lot of thought is on whether Chelsea can maintain the form that won them the league last season along with the Champions League. They still have plenty of quality in the squad but the transfers that have been made appear to just be replacements for those going out the door. They seem light on first teamers for Chelsea to compete on four fronts, although I expect this to change, if it doesn’t then Chelsea really could be pushed out of the top four. Hazard being injured for the first few months of the season is a major blow and I now wonder where the creativity will come from. I think Chelsea will be up there but won retain their title. Best Signing: Antonio Rudiger (£33.3m, Roma) Crystal Palace It was a bit of a shock at the beginning of the season with the announcement of Sam Allardyce’s retirement from club management and then the appointment of Frank de Boer. De Boer struggled at Inter Milan last season and was sacked after 85 days following a run of four defeats in five; Palace even mistook him for his brother in social media. A rather auspicious start but Palace should be aiming for the top ten at the very least. In Jeff Schlupp and Patrick van Aanholt they have fast, attacking full backs, Scott Dann is ever reliable in defence and in Zaha and Benteke they have quality in attack. On paper it’s a squad that should be aiming higher that what is has been achieving. The loan signing of Ruben Loftus-Cheek will also finally give the youngster a chance to get first team experience. Much has been made of Loftus-Cheek so hopefully he can finally grow into a role. Overall a mid-table is likely for Palace this season I think. Best Signing: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (loan, Chelsea) Everton I hate the term ‘winning the transfer window’ but if any team that can lay claim to that title so far this close season Everton can. While others have brought in quantity it seems to me Everton have brought in quality. Davy Klaassen from Ajax is a great signing and Sandro Ramirez could be the bargain of the summer. The signing of Michael Keane adds quality and experience to the backline even though he is still young and Everton also have a vast array of top youngsters that helped England to two tournament wins this summer. They have drastically improved their goal keeper with the signing of Jordan Pickford (3rd best keeper last season) as well. I have reservations over where Wayne Rooney will fit in, as per our article here, but in preseason Rooney has looked hungry and not the spent force we have become used to over the past few seasons. The malaise over Rooney seems to have dissipated. However, replacing Lukaku’s 25 goals of the 58 league goals scored by Everton last season is a massive task and because of that I can’t see them making it into the top six. Best Signing: Davy Klaassen (£23.6m, Ajax) Huddersfield While Brighton might be trusting in their squad that got them into the Premiership Huddersfield manager David Wagner has gone big and already brought in 11 players either permanently or on loan. Its very much the quantity approach and a major question is whether all the new arrivals will be able to gel together quickly and hit the ground running (it has worked for Watford in the past after all). The signing of Aaron Mooy is a good edition, he proved his quality in the promotion campaign last season and much will depend on whether Steve Mounie can replicate his 14 goals from Ligue Un last season. One big question for me though is the defence, Wagner has brought in Scott Malone from Fulham and Mathias Jorgensen from FC Copenhagen to try to help out a defence that conceded more goals than relegated Wigan. Jorgensen could be a good addition but as a Cardiff fan who watched performances of Malone for the Bluebirds I don’t think he will be great in the EPL. Relegation fight is likely. Best Signing: Aaron Mooy (£10m, Manchester City) Leicester City The Foxes have gone from relegation candidates to Champions to mid-table in the space of three seasons. So its very hard to gauge how the team might go. In the end the managerial change last season did wonders for Leicester and Craig Shakespeare has rightly been given a shot at a full season in charge. The recent signing of Iheanacho could end up being a wonder signing as I think the youngster is quality and will likely use the Foxes as a stepping stone. Demarai Gray deserves more chances and Wilfred Ndidi flourished last season with the managerial change. Will the arrivals from last season improve after a season to adapt to the EPL I am unsure but a mid-table finish should not be beyond them. Best Signing: Kelechi Iheanacho (£25m, Man City) Liverpool At the time of writing Coutinho was still a Liverpool player and if Liverpool plan to complete domestically and in the Champions League then they need to keep hold of their best players. Making the top four last season was a good achievement last season and with the signing of Andrew Robertson Klopp has addressed the problem left back position. However, there are still concerns regarding a partner for Matip at the back, lingering issues around the first choice keeper and no traditional striker to speak of. Our guest writer Rachael also wrote a piece on the big money signing of Mo Salah and wasn’t overly impressed. Best Signing: Andrew Robertson (£8m, Hull) Manchester City Pep has gone about his transfer business quite efficiently this close season. Many people will question the fees that have been spent on players but they have addressed the squad issues that were present last season. A better goal keeper in Ederson has come in and cannot do worse than Bravo. The new defence looks a lot more mobile, youthful and can provide an attacking outlet and a new midfield force in Silva has been added. Jesus and Aguero is fully fit and firing along with De Bruyne going forward means they probably have the strongest attack in the league. It shouldn’t be a dull game when City are involved at least. I have tipped them, along with a few others, to win the title. Best Signing: Ederson (£34.9m, Benfica) Manchester United Like their across town rivals Man United have addressed the main issues that plagued them last season. A new striker in Lukaku that should put away the chances created by Paul Pogba has come in, quick wide men in Rashford, Martial, Lingard and Mkhitaryan should provide the width and outlets. A new centre back to partner Bailly in defence with the signing of Lindelöf looks good on paper but will depend a lot on how he adapts to the new league. He may need time to adjust. However, the signing of Matic should really provide the steal to the side and help free Pogba. United this season should be quite the force at set pieces too; their first team squad are all over or knocking on 6ft! Jose does seem to like to win the league at the second time of asking but I think they will just fall short this season. Best Signing: Nemanja Matic (£40m, Chelsea) Newcastle Back in the big leagues, Newcastle and Rafael Benitez’s has indicated that the Tyneside club has struggled to attract players. That hasn’t stopped them buying six players for a total of $26.9million. Granted not a lot in today’s market but they did put together the most expensive Championship side ever last season so maybe Mike Ashley isn’t keen to splash the cash this time. Of all the sides that have come up they do look the side that look the best equipped to stay up. In Christian Atsu I think they have picked up a quality youngster and one that might fit well into plenty of fantasy football teams. As with the other sides that have come up I do wonder where the goals will come from. Dwight Gayle was fantastic in the Championship last season but hardly set the league on fire when he was last in the EPL with Palace, another striker of proven quality is needed to help him. However, I do think they have enough about them to stay up this time. Best Signing: Christian Atsu (£6.2m, Chelsea) Southampton I am pretty sure Southampton are just happy Liverpool hasn’t tried to buy their whole team again. The Saints have hit somewhat of a glass ceiling, they are trying to aim for Europe but the top 6 sides are pretty nailed on at the moment and would take a monumental effort to dislodge any of them. Everton is the side for Southampton to be gunning for but they have been quiet in the transfer window so far in comparison with new manager Mauricio Pellegrino keeping his cards close to his chest. It seems most of the window has been about Van Dijk potentially leaving and has disrupted their preparation somewhat. Its possible that they maybe end up one of the sides rushing around at the end of the window trying to panic buy, which is something most of us don’t expect of the Saints. Again though they have retained much of the quality that saw them to 8th last season and I can seem them sitting in that mid-table positions comfortably. Best Signing: Jan Bednarek (£5m, Lech Poznan) (Maybe, have to say I don’t know him well) Stoke City What to say about Stoke? I think I’m safe in saying that we are not sure what to make of Mark Hughes management style. Credit where its due Hughes has tried to implement a more attacking style than his predecessor Tony Pulis but that seems to have given way to some pretty horrible stuff from Stoke last season. Out have gone fan favourites in Glen Whelan and Jon Walters, while not spectacular they were good at their jobs. Marko Arnautovic has upped sticks and gone to West Ham as well. Hughes has brought in some quality in the form of Kurt Zouma on loan but the lad is coming back after a nasty injury and will take time. However, goals are a major worry, Stoke scored 38 times last season, which is truly awful. Now take out the goals scored by those departed and Stoke managed just 24. They have not bought to improve on 38 yet let alone replace the players that have left. Stoke might really struggle this season and I think Hughes will be the first manager to be sacked. I would be remise if I didn’t mention the excellently named Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting though, brilliant. Best Signing: Kurt Zouma (loan, Chelsea) Swansea City I don’t like to admit it but Swansea have done a nice bit of business bringing in Tammy Abraham, the lad looks ace. To be honest much of the Swans season will solely depend on whether they keep hold of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente in the next two weeks. If either or both of those players leave then Swansea will be in a lot of strife. They also look light on for first team players as well and might be in a similar boat to Southampton where they are scrambling to bring in players before the window shuts. If they lose those two players and cant replace with quality then they might be looking at relegation, and that’s not just me saying that as a Cardiff fan. However, if they can somehow ward off the interest from the likes of Everton and Chelsea then Swansea should be ok this season. Best Signing: Tammy Abraham (loan, Chelsea) Tottenham Hotspur Spurs have one of if not the best first team in the league but as yet have not added to the squad in this window. While their rivals have all spent heavily and addressed their issues I have somewhat of a feeling that Spurs are being left behind. While they cannot compete on the same level as the likes of the Manchester clubs or Chelsea it is surprising that Mauricio Pochettino has not brought in anyone as yet. Has the Sissoko deal stung Spurs that much? Like I said though their first eleven is brilliant and they will be up there challenging but I can see them burning out again. The move from White Hart Lane and the Champions League I think will put a strain on the squad and they will fall out of the top four. Best Signing: None Watford Another new season and another new manager for Watford, Marco Silva has come in from Hull. I thought Silva did well at Hull City last season despite the eventual relegation and came out of that horror show with a reputation intact. What seems very odd for outsiders this season though is that Watford have gone the domestic route with transfers in this close window. We have come to expect a large assortment of foreign imports but in have come Andre Gray (£18.5m, Burnley), Tom Cleverley (£8m, Everton), Will Hughes (£8m, Derby), Daniel Bachmann (free, Stoke) and Nathaniel Chalobah (£5m, Chelsea). They finished last season in rancid form and will need to get a good start and I do think they will be in the relegation scrap this season and it could be a straight fight between them and Swansea for the last relegation place. I am looking forward to seeing what Will Hughes can finally do in the EPL after so many seasons of being linked with a move to the top flight. A partnership of Gray and Troy Deeney could be quite explosive mind. Best Signing: Will Hughes (£8m, Derby) West Bromwich Albion I think West Brom fans anticipated a little more transfer activity in this close season. Unfortunately for the Baggies their captain upped and left to go to Stoke, hardly a good sign and they really only brought in Jay Rodriguez from Southampton. Im sure the saints are happy to pass on the medical bill. While I rate Rodriguez his injury record is atrocious and is hardly a striker that will get the best out of Rondon. You can already tell its going to be one of those seasons for West Brom, never in danger, never going to threaten the major powers. After last season finishing in the top ten there was cause for optimism but it seems theres a bit of a malaise over the Hawthorns and they are content to stick rather than twist. Best Signing: Jay Rodriguez (£12m, Southampton) (if he can stay fit) West Ham United If Everton have done well in the transfer market then I think West Ham are a close second. The signing of Joe Hart on loan is a decent signing and a chance for him to prove his worth and in Javier Hernandez West Ham finally have a quality proven goal scorer. That must make him like the 40th striker they have signed in 5 years? Give or take. While I think Pablo Zabaleta legs may have gone he still will add a winning mentality to the group and experience. I think West Ham are going to be pretty decent this season and worth watching. They were all over the place last season and there were some bizarre tactics but it seems like they have a level of calm now. Theres been no daft claims from their chairmen so far this close season either which certainly has helped. Best Signing: Javier Hernandez (£16m, Bayer Leverkusen) That’s it, preview complete, what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Image credit: https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/sport-preview-chelsea-trophy.jpg?strip=all&w=960&quality=100 |
AuthorsJust Some Fans Writing About Football. Archives
June 2018
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