Which Teams are Going To Be The Surprise Packages of The PL Season?

For those who religiously follow the Premier League every year, one discernible trend is that a team or two in each season surprise the footballing audience and exceed all expectations in terms of how they play, the results they fork out and the position in which they ultimately finish. On a European level there is a similar pattern annually where teams emerge from some of the best leagues in the world and impress us football fanatics unexpectedly by playing football that can only be described as eye-candy. These teams in Europe become the 'hipster' teams that most football fans in the world (bar the teams' rival fans) develop a soft spot for on top of the team they support, almost like adopting a pet in addition to the one you've adored and cherished from childhood. Recent 'hipster' teams include the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Athletico Madrid, who have appealed to many aficionados in the past few years, emerging as two of the Europe's elite playing some of the most attractive football you're ever likely to see being played with players like Reus, Lewandowski, Hummels, Costa and Koke etc making a name for themselves globally in the process. 

Last year in the Premier League, Southampton were the stand out surprise team in the league, playing a tika-taka like passing game under Mauricio Pochettino with the help of youthful exuberance in the shape of the likes of Luke Shaw and Nathenial Clyne - they took the Premier League audience by storm. The previous season of 2012/13 was their first season back in the Premier League and they managed a very respectable 14th placed finish but in the 2013/14 season, they upped their game tremendously and dazzled their way to an 8th place finish behind the then reigning champions Manchester United. The way they played was even more impressive, with the likes of Lallana, Rodriguez and Lambert, Southampton gave us England fans some hope that we as a nation are capable of pulling off a tika-taka, fast-paced, high energy passing game like those awfully good Spaniards. Getting results against Liverpool, Man United and Man City along the way, continually endorsing a refreshing brand of fearless football in the process, The Saints were marching all the way into the Top 4 in the first half of the season demonstrating how impressive they really were. 

So which teams are going to be the surprise packages of this year's Premier League season? 

 One team that could have a change of fortunes from a season which left their faithful craving for more, is Newcastle United. Last season, Newcastle despite finishing a respectable 10th, The Magpies didn't 'wow' their fans because their season was littered with some dismal performances. The 3-0 home loss to bitter rivals Sunderland was a hard pill for Magpies' fans to swallow and there was a stage in the season where Newcastle incredibly suffered 6 consecutive defeats up against the likes of Swansea and stoke. This summer with all of the marquee signings made by the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea, Newcastle's transfer business has slipped under the radar, there are no stand out names but Newcastle have had one of the most astute windows by any team this summer in my eyes. The acquisition of Siem De Jong was an intelligent one, he can bring back to the Newcastle midfield and attack the dynamism they lost with the sale of Cabaye as he has a superb range of passing and shooting abilities which he has displayed at Ajax, despite the slightly underwhelming stats of 7 goals in 19 games. He can play in central midfield, in the hole or even up front  and it is this versatility on top of his high work-rate which in my opinion will make him an asset to the team wherever he is played. They also signed Daryl Janmaat, a right-back, who will seamlessly slot into the position left by Mathieu Debuchy, as he showed exactly what he's capable of in Brazil marauding up and down the right hand side with great energy, he was pivotal to the success of Louis Van Gaal's Holland. The signing of Emmanuel Riviere is an exciting one, again even though his record isn't eye-catching with 13 goals in 36 games last year, he was one of the most highly rated prospects in Ligue 1 and finished Monaco's top scorer ahead of Falcao and James Rodriguez. His blistering pace and swagger up front will be an exciting prospects for Magpie fans, compared to Thierry Henry, he will be wanting to prove himself capable of scoring consistently to live up to the hype he has created for himself. Arguably the most exciting signing is Remy Cabella from Montepellier, he got 14 goals and 5 assists whilst creating 81 chances on the way in the league last season - an impressive return for an attacking midfielder.

He was on the radar of Manchester United and Arsenal last season just showing what kind of an impression he was making in European football, he's the type of player fans pay to see, someone who loves to dribble and unleash his box of tricks on defenders. Cabella resembles Magpie legend David Ginola's stylistically with his dynamism and creativity, in fact he has the potential to be one of the players of the Premier League season if he adapts to the English league. This summer on top of bringing in exciting new talent they've got rid of deadwood like Marveaux and S. Ameobi, I think if the new players can integrate well and gel quickly, it's going to be season where Newcastle could push up the table by challenging for Top 8 and impress us with some stylish football. 

This season, I feel the biggest change of playing style will come in the shape of Stoke City and their reputation of being a hoof ball, rugby team will be forgotten. For years under Tony Pulis, Stoke City were renowned for being a team that solely bullied and muscled teams with their height and physicality with disregard for actually playing football. However that stereotype of being an 'anti-football' team will change, as we've seen glimpses of last season under Mark Hughes, Stoke are in the process of adopting a fast-flowing passing game with tactical fluidity. Teams always need to adapt to times, even Barcelona's seemingly unstoppable tika-taka game came under serious question and scrutiny when the Barcelona team were embarrassed 7-1 on aggregate by Bayern Munich a couple of seasons back. With the new signings and new philosophy installed by Hughes, Stoke are certainly going to surprise a few in the manner in which they'll stroke the ball around on the floor. Stoke's main issue last season was the distinct lack of goals scored, with just a meagre 45 in the league, they managed only 2 more than 17th-placed West Bromwich Albion and still somehow managed a 9th place finish. Now they may well have solved that problem with the signing of Bojan Krkic - a former Barcelona number 9 who's arrival at the Britannia has bought excitement and optimism amongst The Potters' fans.

Even though his career has stagnated in recent times with 26 goals in 104 games for Ajax after just 4 in 24 appearances for Barcleona, he was once hyped as the best young players from the Barcelona academy making his Champions League debut aged 17 and he's still only 23, hence with the right management he could definitely flourish in the Premier League. He's already shown signs of being one of the buys of the summer dazzling in pre-season with 3 goals in 3 games, he could be the bargain of the window at £3m, because his trickery and pace can definitely trouble defences on a consistent basis and fill the goals void for Stoke City. Mame Biram Diouf is another signing in addition Bojan that will bolster Stoke in attack, with a more potent goal-scoring record with 25 goals in 57 games for Hannover will be wanting to prove United fans wrong in the league after he was considered a flop at Old Trafford. Diouf and Bojan are comfortable on the ball, their presence in front of goal will help the creative sparks Arnautovic, Odemwingie and Ireland floruish and their additions will help Stoke adapt quickly to the new fast-paced attacking game that Mark Hughes wants Stoke to endorse whilst simultaneously making it a philosophy that works at the club. The pragmatic signings of Premier League veterans Steve Sidwell and Phil Bardseley will strengthen the squad further. It's a new era at the Britannia, with a drastic change in style of play and the ambition to push into the Europa League positions, Stoke City have the potential to be a surprise package for football fans this upcoming season.

Like Crystal Palace showed last season, promoted teams can shock both the Premier League stalwarts and fans alike by looking incredibly comfortable in the top flight after 8 years in the Championship. Palace finished a very impressive 11th in their first season back in the Premier League, we could something similar with Queens Park Rangers. The last time we saw QPR in the Premier League, their club was marred with controversy and misdemeanor with ill-discipline on the pitch in the shape of a mountain of red cards and had players who were excessively high paid but poorly motivated. Looking back retrospectively, if the players like Samba, Granero, Mbia and Cesar were actually motivated and cared to work hard for QPR, they wouldn't have dropped to the Championship because the quality was there but their desire wasn't. This season they have the same manager with bags of Premier League experience Harry Redknapp but the big difference is that this team can actually be called a team because there is unity in this squad now after the owner Tony Fernandes shipped out many of the foreign exports who were clearly playing for money and not QPR. This time, they've made some more astute signings that could really propel the QPR team to Premier League safety.

The signing of Steven Caulker could be one of the most important made by any Premier League team this season, Caulker last season was one of the best centre-backs in the league and was highly underrated as he was strong, comfortable on the ball and brilliant in the air providing several headed goals for Cardiff. Rio Ferdinand, who has been arguably one of the centre-backs of the last decade in the Premier League still has fuel left in the tank, his acquisition on a free transfer maybe a smart one as he and Caulker will form a very solid partnership at the back. Jordon Mutch is another signing that will improve QPR's squad in the midfield, as he showed with Cardiff last year in the Premier League with 7 goals and 5 assists from the middle of the park. Mauricio Isla is a fantastic coup for The R's on loan, he is a very versatile player with great pace, most likely he will be deployed as a right wing-back for QPR like has played with Chile and Juventus. Isla was very impressive at the World Cup for Chile and his signing alongside the other defensive signings suggest that Redknapp will play the adventurous 3-5-2 formation this season. I feel Charlie Austin is going to be another Rickie Lambert, a striker that has scored a bucket load of goals in the lower leagues and  then comes to the Premier League and continues to be a deadly striker scoring goals aplenty. Rickie Lambert scored a bundle of goals for the likes of Rochdale and Bristol Rovers in League 1 and 2 and has since netted 28 in 2 seasons for Southampton. Austin was playing non-league football for Poole Town 5 years ago, now he's going to play in the Premier League, last season in the Championship he was on fire scoring 17 in 31 games. I think we will see another fairytale like story with Austin netting many times for QPR with his physicality and strength being adept for Premier League football. Him and Remy behind he tricky Junior Hoillet could be quite a strikeforce if they can stay fit and motivated, with the combination of pace, power and trickery they have the potential to fire QPR up the league table with consummate ease. With an attack that has goals in them and a defence that looks solid, QPR could surprise many bookmakers and fans by not only staying up but by finishing in the comfort of the Premier League mid-table. 

Whether these teams do become the surprise packages of the season or not, one thing is for sure, with the amount of quality throughout the Premier League outside of the 'big guns', I believe we can still label the Premier League as the most exciting, competitive league in World Football. 

By Hesham Bilal-Hafiz (@hesham786)

Who Has The Best Squad Depth in the Premier League?

Many football fans look at the first team line-ups and naively judge them solely on what they see from the 11 names on the team sheet. However, if one does like to judge a team on paper before assessing them on the pitch, a football team's quality and potential for success should be judged on their squad as a whole. Whether a team is chasing the Premier League title, wanting to challenge for Top 4 or even wanting to avoid the dreaded Premier League relegation, quality squad depth is essential for a successful Premier League campaign. The owners of a team may make a high quality first team for his club but if the team doesn't have sufficient quality outside of the first XI, that team would struggle to be consistently successful through a Premier League campaign in my eyes.

 11 players is nowhere near enough to withstand the physical demands of a Premier League season. A large squad with quality throughout is particularly essential for those teams who finished in the Top 6 last season (and Hull), as they have to cope with European games on top of the domestic competitions in England i.e. Capital One Cup and the FA Cup. Even teams not in European competitions still have to play in the aforementioned domestic cup competitions, so I believe good squad depth is an indispensable part of a successful formula.

 Why is it so crucial? Injuries are an inevitability, last season Stoke suffered the least from injuries with but still suffered from 555 days worth of player injuries, in contrast Arsenal suffered the most with injuries from players which amounted to an incredible 1716 days of absence from players. When injuries are rife, the bench strength becomes incredibly important, as your second or third choice player in the position of the injured player may need to play in crunch games. Player absences may be for suspensions, bans or perhaps international competitions like the African Cup of Nations, whatever the reason if you have confidence in the replacement of a first team player in the squad, you can be confident of doing well in a Premier League season, likewise if you're suspicious that the replacement may not be good enough for the Premier League then your team in all probability will suffer in the first-teamer's absence. 

It is clear to see from all the top European teams in World Football now, not taking transfer speculation into account or injuries, have widespread quality in their ranks which extend beyond their first team. 

A prime example is Real Madrid. They have arguably the strongest line-up in the World with the additions of World Cup stars James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos, in my view now on paper they have the best team in Europe. 

 Even with the dream-team like First XI, Real Madrid have a second team that has individuals who would walk into most teams in European football. It seems an injustice to call it a second team. If any of the first team players got injured, the replacements are of such quality that they wouldn't weaken that much if at all with player absences. This is a model all top European teams should aspire to emulate in terms of widespread squad quality but unfortunately for most teams, they won't be able to match up to the financial power of Los Blancos but still this should be the idealistic aim for most teams. 

Let's see how the top teams in England compare. The best squads in England often do end up winning the Premier League and the squads with mediocre talent on their benches are often the ones being relegated, as simple as that. 

These are Chelsea's two teams:  Man for man, I think Chelsea have the strongest squad in the Premier League. With the additions of Costa, Courtois, Fabregas and F.Luis, Chelsea in my opinion have the best first team on paper with all departments looking potent.
Even though the first team looks very strong, their second choice team shows that they have an incredible amount of quality squad depth. The 2 central-defenders in reserve may not be household names but Zouma and Ake are 2 of the most promising young CBs in the country. They are are strong powerhouses, comfortable on the ball that could walk into Chelsea's team after the looming Terry retirement. Meanwhile the likes of Ivanovic and Cech possibly being second-string players seems an injustice as Ivanovic and Cech are Chelsea veterans who have bossed the Premier League in the last few years and are still brilliant players in their own right. Ramires, Mikel and Van Ginkel are great players to have warming the bench, all 3 could slot in the team in Fabregas / Matic absence and wouldn't weaken the team drastically. Drogba and Torres will provide Chelsea with strong options from the bench from a forward perspective. Schurrle has had a brilliant World Cup being an impact sub for Germany and Salah impressed late last season hence they both could have regular first-team action, but the Chelsea squad has that much competition for places that they could be second-string / bench-warmers.  

The squad which comes closest, perhaps just matching Chelsea for brilliant squad depth is reigning Premier League Champions - Manchester City.
City fans may disagree with the first XI and say that Kolarov should start ahead of Clichy, Dzeko / Jovetic ahead of Negredo or even Nastasic ahead of Demichelis.  

The fact that this sort of debate happens just shows the quality City have in their squad. The first team is obviously very strong as it is the team that made Etihad a fortress on the way to winning Premier League title no.2. Nevertheless the signings of Malaga's Willy Caballero, Fernando and Bacary Sagna have improved the squad depth considerably. Sagna could easily rotate with Zabeleta as he's proven to be one of the most consistent right-backs in the league meanwhile Caballero was one of the stand out keepers outside of the top 3 in La Liga yet he's set to be a back up to Joe Hart. Fernando, whilst not being a signing to wow masses of fans, he is a good, pragmatic back up to Yaya Toure / Fernandinho should they be injured even though their absence would be greatly missed. Dzeko, Navas and Milner saw plenty of first team action last season, Dzeko was City's second top goalscorer of the season with 26 goals in all competitions and Jovetic has looked impressive whenever he has had game time. Hence with 4 quality strikers in their ranks and 2 wingers that would slip seamlessly into the first team in Nasri or Silva's absence - City much like Chelsea have impressive squad depth which makes them serious title contenders again now with an even stronger squad.

Arsenal have made 4 good signings this summer adding to a team that spent 128 days on the top of the table last season, they are the dark horses for the title this year. I've said it before I'll say it again, I think Alexis Sanchez is the signing of the summer, hence I think because of him Arsenal will be reinvigorated and mount another title challenge.  

The first team line up may look different in reality because of the plethora of midfielders at Arsenal's disposal it is difficult to guess what would consistently be a first choice XI. The Arsenal first XI does look very strong, the front 6 look like a potent combination. Quick wing-backs who are astute defensively, an ever improving goalie in Szczesny and a dependable centre-back duo make this Arsenal team look very strong on paper. If I was Arsene Wenger I'd be tempted to play Alexis Sanchez up front as a False 9 whilst playing someone like Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wing in place of Giroud - to make it one of the fastest front 3's in the league that could be too hot for PL defences to handle. In terms of midfield options, I definitely believe Arsenal have the strongest squad depth in the league. Arsenal's front 6 in their 'second team' can't be classed as second-string at all, they all can interchange with the 6 in the first team as they are of such consistent quality. They have plenty of good attacking options not even on the 'second team' such as Joel Campbell who had a fantastic World Cup with Costa Rica, Serge Gnabry who showed great promise last summer and Yaya Sanogo who unbelievably scored 4 goals today vs Benfica. Chambers and Ospina make for strong back ups in the right-back and goalkeeping positions. However what maybe Arsenal's downfall is because of the lack of quality in their other defensive positions. With Vermaelen seemingly heading for the exit door, Arsenal need another CB or two to strengthen their squad to a level of the likes of Man City, Djourou and Monreal don't fill fans with confidence either as potential replacements if a few of their first team defenders got injured so there is some work to do for Arsenal to be consistent force in the league and in Europe. 

Looking at Manchester United's squad exemplifies the desperate need for new additions. Man United characteristically have always had brilliant squad depth, a fundamental reason why they've 13 Premier League titles. After the catastrophe of last season, Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra all have left the club and Giggs has put up his playing playing boots. 

This of course left a hole in the squad that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. This first team may look different at the start of the season, Fletcher likely to be first choice CM with Carrick's injury alongside Herrera and Young has been very impressive in the wing back position in pre-season hence may become the automatic starter in that position ahead of Valencia or Shaw. The first team itself does look quite impressive with RVP, Rooney and Mata making up one of the best attacking 3 in the Premier League. Herrera and Shaw will add much needed pace and exuberance to a team which was lifeless at times last season. I think Herrera will be one of the surprises of the league and will impress greatly from central midfield as his passing distribution, tackling ability and speed coupled with his goal-scoring credentials will make him a real asset to the Premier League. I think the only department United are sufficiently strong in, is the attack, especially so because Van Gaal has made wingers into forwards. An attack supply of Van Persie, Rooney, Welbeck, Hernandez, Zaha, Nani, W.Keane and J. Wilson is full of world class talent and very talented youngsters. Unfortunately though, other departments are in serious need for reinforcements. One of the most striking weaknesses is the United defence, only 3 recognised first team defenders is concerning, but the concern isn't necessarily because of lack of quality as all 3 have shown at times to be very capable defenders, it's because all 3 are seriously injury-prone. Man United's 2 back up CBs are young and promising but I'm not sure if they could be PL regulars just yet - therefore one or two high quality central defensive signings with some experience and maturity are a must this window for United to be competing for the title this season. The centre of midfield is another serious concern. Carrick injured and Fellaini seemingly heading to Napoli, United have only 3 recognised CM options in Herrera, Fletcher and Cleverley. Kagawa is going to be converted into a "no.6 or no.8" (CM) in the words of LVG to make it 4, but United are in clear need of a strong, powerful perhaps defensive-minded central midfielder therefore it is clear The Red Devils are in need of some quality reinforcements to get the squad back to the level of quality it needs to challenge for the title again.

With Liverpool it's quite a strange one analysing the quality of their squad depth because they've made several signings aimed at improving their squad and they have definitely improved the squad but the team still doesn't look like it's become much stronger at all.

Liverpool's team was left with a whirlpool of hole when Suarez that I feel hasn't been filled adequately. The CB partner for Lovren isn't set in stone and could be Agger, Skrtel or Sakho as none are stand out candidates, perhaps highlighting their weakness in that area. Lovren is an addition who will definitely sure up the defence and make it more solid which will be music to Liverpool fans' ears as it was their defensive frailties which was a prime reason why they fell short of the title last year. Nevertheless I still don't think the first team is as strong as the team that looked like genuine title-contenders throughout last season. Lallana is a quality signing, I rate him highly and believe he is the best signing Liverpool have made thus far and he will dazzle interchanging with Liverpool's skilful attacking midfielders. The bottom line is though Lallana replaces Suarez in the first team and that in my eyes means the flood of goals scored last season will dry up massively. In Liverpool's second string of players I struggle to see masses of goals in the front 4, if I were a Liverpool fan (never going to happen) I'd be very worried that my team has Sturridge, Lambert and Borini as my strikers going into the Premier League season. The expectation on Sturridge's shoulders to score goals will be massive and considering he is injury prone, suffering from a hamstring injury as I write this, to have Lambert as the sole back-up would make most Liverpool fans anxious. Therefore it is clear, the position Liverpool need reinforcing most importantly is up front. They need to find a strike partner for Sturridge capable of scoring 20+ goals in the league every season (easier said than done) because Suarez's absence will hit Liverpool hard. I think Can and Allen are decent enough back ups to Gerrard and Henderson but I feel Liverpool are missing a Matic-like figure, an out-and-out ball-winner to give the midfield some steel. A better quality LB to compete with Enrique wouldn't go amiss either, so all in all I think Liverpool still have some way go to compete at the very top of the league consistently again with a 4th place battle more likely.

Last season Manchester City by far had the strongest squad in the league and won the title for a second time. Similarly last year Chelsea's squad lacked quality depth in the striker department leaving them to finish short of the top spot at times struggling to score in the crunch moments of the season i.e Sunderland at home and Palace away, 2 fixtures which cost Mourinho Premier League success again. This season however, Chelsea in my opinion have the strongest squad in the league with most departments covered. Whether they convert the squad depth into a title winning formula depends on how fast the new players gel and get accustomed to the Premier League - if they gel fast, they'll win it, if they don't, it's anyone's title to win. City and Arsenal are two teams that could certainly win it with the strength in depth they have too. United, I think are one or two signings away from a title-challenging team, but in saying that, if no further signings are made and United can keep the injury list small, Van Gaal's teams can never be ruled out. His wining mentality driving a rejuvenated team means that cynics ruling out a United title win completely would be foolish. Liverpool are slightly short of a title-challenge team thus far, the team looks like it could be short of goals after Suarez's departure, signings are a must in order to emulate last season's challenge. 

All in all, it is clear though, that a team which has widespread quality in it's ranks beyond the first team can be confident of Premier League success. 

By Hesham Bilal-Hafiz (@hesham786)

2014/15 Premier League Season Top 7 Predictions

With over 5 weeks left until the transfer window closes, it may be premature to give predictions for the season because those 35 days could be pivotal to the success or failures of clubs depending on signings to be made. Nevertheless I thought it'd be interesting to do a post now on my predictions for the season and one after the transfer window closes - to see what impact the first few weeks of the PL make on my initial expectations and the signings made in that time. 

We've been treated to an enthralling World Cup this summer in the carnival atmosphere of Brazil which will long be remembered for being one of the most exciting in living memory due to the sheer number of goals and moments of drama. The World Cup definitely eased the hangover the abysmal 2013/14 Premier League season left as a United fan but now it's time for the Premier League to recommence. All the teams in the league have renewed vigour and hope this season with new signings and new managers. Resulting in fans from nearly every club being overly ambitious and optimistic at this time, often escaping from reality and going into their own fantasy world picturing their team winning the league or qualifying for the Champions League. 

As a cautiously optimistic, yet realistic United fan, this is how I think the teams at the top of the league will fare this season if it were to start this weekend.

Top 6

This year after some big managerial changes and some massive summer signings strengthening competitors, the battle for the Champions League places in the Top 4 and the Title itself is going to be fiercely competitive and is going to be an incredible spectacle for all football fans.

Manchester United -  'The Chosen One' has become 'The Chosen Gone' and now there is another new era beginning, this one starting with rejuvenated ambition with a proven world-class manager in Louis Van Gaal. After success at Bayern, Ajax, Barca and impressing recently with Holland - it's hard not to get your hopes up as a Man United fan. The loss of 4 club legends (Rio, Evra, Giggs and Vidic) in a season has left a massive hole in an already depleted squad hence the squad has been somewhat weakened, concerning the more pessimistic fans like myself. Nevertheless the signing of the 2013/14 Premier League LB of the season Luke Shaw and young Spanish sensation Ander Herrera has put United in the right direction. Both signings will massively improve the team now and for many years to come, from what we've seen in their first few games for the club, the two will be brilliant additions. The team will be playing the adventurous 3-5-2 / 3-4-3 formation under LVG which will make for fast-flowing, possession-heavy football which will be exciting to watch -  a change from the rigid, defence-minded 4-4-2 that Moyes deployed. The Carrick injury has highlighted the existing squad problems though, United are in desperate need of 1 or 2 quality CB's, at least 1 high quality central midfielder and a top winger / wing-back to get back to the summit of the Premier League in my estimation.
Van Persie will thrive under Van Gaal and will be scoring goals for fun once again, potential contender for the Golden Boot this season, with the likes of Rooney, Mata, Herrera and Januzaj providing additional quality in attack. Even though the squad lacks quality in depth in all the positions, I feel that Van Gaal will get that extra 10-15% out of every player at the club like Sir Alex did, even out of the deadwood like Young and Cleverley if they stayed. He is widely considered as a tactical genius and it is this tactical nous, in addition to his ability to convert the youth / reserve players' potential into success, which I believe will be the telling factor in United's success with a squad visibly weaker than some of their top Premier League competitors.

 

Manchester City -  Last season they won the league because they had the best squad in the league, as simple as that. This summer they've bought Bacary Sagna and Fernando in what has been an uncharacteristically quiet transfer window this far. Buying Sagna, means they now have the strongest right-back duo in the Premier League as they could easily rotate him with Zabeleta with the team not getting much weaker at all. Fernando is an addition that I don't think will strengthen the team, but yet again he will strengthen the midfield in terms of the squad, he isn't a top world class signing by any means, after being scouted he was turned down by Real, United and Chelsea because it was perceived that his passing wasn't good enough. A world class CB hasn't yet been signed by City, which will be the final jigsaw piece to Premier League dominance once again I think. The major worry is the injury-prone Aguero. This World Cup he proved for what seemed like the 123935th time that he is a delicate injure-prone striker, he's like Fine Bone China, very valuable for the owner but needs looking after because it is so delicate and can be broken easily. Aguero and Yaya are pivotal to the club's success therefore if they can keep fit and find form again, City will be right in the title mix once again.

Chelsea - 2 seasons without a trophy is unchartered territory for Jose Mourinho and he will be hell bent on not making it 3 trophyless seasons in succession. The signings this summer has exemplified the ambition from Abramovich and Mourinho. In my eyes, they have done the best business in the transfer window thus far. Matic needed a world class, forward-thinking CM alongside him and now he does in the form of Cesc Fabregas. Fabregas is a proven central midfielder in the PL and on the back of a La Liga campaign where he was the 2nd top assist-maker with 13 assists and scored 8 goals from a deep midfield position - very impressive return from a player who was not a regular in the first XI. Fabregas-Matic could be the best midfield partnership in the Premier League this upcoming season. Then there was a raid of the La Liga 2013/14 Champions - Athletico Madrid. Bringing back Courtois now means Chelsea have the strongest keeping duo in the league, as Cech still has the ability to be Chelsea's no.1 but that position will be seriously challenged by one of the best young keepers in world football. Ashley Cole left the club this year, but that void was filled more than adequately with the signing of the best LB in La Liga last season - Felipe Luis. He will be a great addition to the statistically best defence in the league and make it even stronger. Chelsea were one world class striker away from winning the league in my opinion, and now they may just have found the last piece to the title-winning puzzle in the form of Diego Costa. Quick, strong and a  potential target man that will suit the Chelsea system down to a t, he was signed on the back of a season where he scored goals with consummate ease and frequency becoming one of the hottest properties in world football. 27 goals last season in La Liga, with the mountain of number 10s at the club, Costa could capitalise on all the ammunition behind him to spearhead a Chelsea title win.



Arsenal - Arsenal spent 128 days at the top of the league last season - more than any other team in the league. For the first time in years, Arsenal last season looked like genuine title contenders before plummeting and retaining their 4th placed trophy. Arsenal have never characteristically been a team to make 'big marquee signings' but they've made 2 in 2 seasons now. The stand out signing for me this summer isn't Suarez to Barcelona, it is Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal. Everyone thought Ozil would be the signing to propel Arsenal into the title picture and he did, as shown by the days they stayed at the top but unfortunately for Gooners he didn't consistently live up to his £42m price tag. I think it will be different with Sanchez, I had some reservations whether Ozil could cope with the physical demands of the Premier League despite his clear playmaking abilities. Sanchez on the other hand is a powerhouse, one of the fastest players in the world, he is strong on the ball, has a rocket of a shot, with 19 goals and 10 assists in 27 games for Barca he is a world class forward capable of playing anywhere in attack. He will adjust to life in the Premier League faster and easier than Mesut Ozil in my opinion and if he hits the ground running, an attack of Sanchez, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain will be the fastest in the league, capable of causing any defence problems. Debuchy was another astute signing to replace Sagna, as he is France's number 1 right-back and is a proven Premier League player. Ospina , a star for the Colombian team at the World Cup will give Szczesny much needed competition and now Arsenal can feel as though they've made the goal-keeping position as strong as they can now. If Arsenal can keep their injury list as small as possible (which is often something they can't manage) and use Sanchez effectively, they can challenge for the title once again but this time a sustained title challenge rather than one petering out to the usual 4th placed finish.


Liverpool - Last season Liverpool had their best season in 5 years as they finished 2nd for only the third time in Premier League history. Top of the league for 49 days, the over-zealous Liverpool fans often used the infamous words 'This Is Our Year' throughout the season believing they would win the league. They came incredibly close but slipped up (pun intended) at the final hurdle. Suarez was arguably the best striker in the world for parts of last season and was unstoppable at times scoring an incredible 31 goals and notching up 11 assists in 33 games. Even as a United fan who hates the diving, biting racist with a burning passion, I couldn't help but admit he was a world class striker that could have taken Liverpool to title no.19. Thankfully he didn't and now he's taken his biting antics off to Barcelona. Liverpool have spent their money from him and their budget on quantity rather than quality in my opinion. Lambert, Lallana, Can, Markovic and Lovren are the summer acquisitions. Other than standing out because it seems Liverpool are transforming into a hybrid Southampton team, there is no stand out world class purchase to replace Suarez thus far. Their summer window is looking very similar to Spurs when Bale left to Real last season, where they are buying a number average to good players to replace one world class star. Granted the signings will improve Liverpool's squad and help for their Champions League return but I still feel the massive hole left by Suarez still hasn't been adequately filled. Sturridge and Sterling will impress again this season, but I feel the title challenge they had last season won't be emulated this season with so many new arrivals and their absence of their main protagonist - Luis Suarez.

Tottenham - Pochettino era beginning at Spurs, will he be the manager to take Spurs back into the Top 4 and live up to the sky-high Levy expectations? I think not. Spurs were at times completely average last season under Villas-Boas and Sherwood, who often looked like a fan put there after winning an online competition. In saying that though, they did show signs of promise with the revivial of the mercurial Adebayor and Eriksen made an impression as one of the best number 10s in the league. This summer, Michel Vorm was one of the strangest signings of the window because seemingly he has gone from a no.1 at Swansea to a rotating bench-warming Spurs keeper. He has improved their squad but Spurs need to improve their first team and signing him won't have done that with Lloris the number 1 and one of the best in the league. However Ben Davies is a signing that will strengthen the team, he is brilliant left-back with great attacking potential, he is one step in the right direction for the Spurs team. Spurs do have quality in their ranks, if they can get Lamela, their record signing who promised big things from his big money move from Serie A, firing then they could potentially mount a serious challenge for the Top 4. Nevertheless in comparison to the aforementioned competitors I'm not sure if the Spurs squad has enough quality throughout to finish in the Top 4 regardless of who is managing them.  

 

Everton - impressed massively last season, playing some of the most attractive football in the league with a new 3-5-2 formation with an ambitious manager in Roberto Martinez finishing 5th last season. Lukaku was the key with 15 goals in 29 appearances and Barkley emerged into the media spotlight as the future of England, skilful, quick and a fearless attacking midfielder - he was becoming one of the hottest properties in English football. This season the addition of Besic will re-strengthen an already strong midfield, but the success of the season I feel is dependent whether Everton can sign Lukaku permanently. He is linked with Wolfsburg, Athletico Madrid and even Real Madrid so Everton would do brilliantly well to land him. They have the best attacking full-backs in the league with Coleman and Baines and a strong midfield with the likes of Mirallas and Barkley, so if they can buy a top striker like Lukaku, like last season they will be a team challenging for the CL spots.

 

So if the league was to start tomorrow this is my prediction:

 

1st -   Chelsea

2nd - Manchester City

3rd - Arsenal

4th - Manchester United

5th - Liverpool

6th - Everton

7th - Tottenham
 

Right now, I think Chelsea are the clear favourites for the league title, I perceive the 3 quality new signings and a top manager determined to end his uncharacteristic trophy drought to be a title-winning combination. If Costa can adjust to life in the Premier League quickly, Chelsea could run away with it, but I think it will take him a few games to get going, hence it's going to be another tight race for the Premier League title. Manchester City will be Chelsea's strongest competitors if they can make an Etihad a fortress once again but I think the lack of a world class CB partner alongside Kompany will result in a 2nd place finish. Man United, as of now I don't think have enough quality throughout the squad to mount a title challenge but I feel that Van Gaal will be the main perpetrator for a strong Man United season, his tactical flexibility and ability to get every ounce of talent out of his players means I think we would pip Liverpool to the final Champions League place. Liverpool will struggle to cope with the demands of Champions League football and a Premier League title race with the squad they have right now hence I think they will be going through the season in the race to finish 4th, interchanging in 4th with Arsenal, United and Everton but will be edged out in a tight finish by Van Gaal's Red Devils. The signing of Sanchez will lift the Arsenal squad out of their usual 4th to the lofty heights of 3rd, but not enough to topple the incredibly strong squads of City and Chelsea. Everton and Spurs will have similar seasons from last year, hovering around the Champions League and Europa League places to finish just outside the Top 4 due to not enough quality in their ranks - with both teams not strengthening massively but others surrounding them, improving their teams / squads in comparison drastically.

 

In the next 5 weeks, this prediction will fluctuate because I know there will be a lot of new signings within these top 7 teams and the pre-season games to follow will, without doubt, be a potentially persuasive influence in changing my mind. One thing is for sure, every football fan is eagerly anticipating the start of the Premier League season and is delighted that it's back.

 

 

By Hesham Bilal-Hafiz (hesham786)