Man Utd v Swansea
This will be interesting for both
clubs as both seem to be going through a bit of new transition. We all know how
Moyes faired at Man Utd, whose fault that was is peoples own opinion, but it’s
over now, and the Van Gaal period is beginning from here. No doubt he’ll
improve it, not because i think Moyes is a bad manager, i just think Van Gaal
fits the Utd mould better. He’ll get them organised and ruthless. During the
world cup he got an average Holland side pretty far by making hard to beat and
organised, and he’ll do that at Utd too. I’m a little surprised he hasn’t spent
more money so far, but he’ll make a few signings before the end of the transfer
window for sure. With that in mind, this could be good time to play Man Utd,
but with it being his first home game a full crowd will make a huge difference.
The success of the Spanish Armanda Laudrup
brought in seems to be changing very quickly with Garry Monk getting rid of
some key players for Swansea. I’m so surprised good players with the likes of
Michu, Chico and Hernandez followed Laudrup to Qatar but that shows how big an influence
a manager can be. I think Swansea will struggle this year to be honest. They
never looked the same as the team since Laudrup left and Monk took over. He’s
got a hard job. They were looking strong, playing great passing football and
moving up the league and into European competitions, but it started to go
downhill and never really got back going again. It seems more players have gone
out than came in which is never very encouraging. Sigurdsson is a good signing but
they will need a lot more to avoid a relegation scrap. Saying that, the
pressure should be off and as with most teams this year, if they get anything
out of this match, it’s a plus.
Verdict: Mainly because i think Swansea will
struggle this year, it’s got to be a comfortable win for Man Utd 2-0.
Stoke v Villa
The old Stoke we were used to watching
at the Britannia under Tony Pulis is fading away. Once over, stoke loved
nothing more than to be playing at home on a cold, windy, rainy night where
they could bully teams into submission with long balls and a physical style of play,
but Hughes is trying to get them playing neat and tidy football and it’s
working. He’s gradually brought in some talented, technical players and last
year they done well. Not much has changed so there’s no reason why they won’t
continue to stay around that 12-15th spots. Villa on the other hand,
i can’t say the same. Nothing much has changed from last year and i don’t think
they weren't good enough then. They’ll be without Benteke, who is easily there
key man, and they will find it hard to keep up with most of the teams this
year. They relied heavily on hard work and grinding out results last year and i
personally thought they would drop. Sadly, no real game changers have came in
except Joe Cole (who has a last chance to prove himself) and without Benteke,
and possibly Vlaar going, they will find it tough. They could go down in my
eyes which is a shame because with the right backing Lambert is good manager
and could do well.
Verdict: Stoke will win it in the second
half, but Villa will not go down without a fight, they may just lack that individual
talent that stoke now have. Home advantage will help too 2-0.
QPR v Hull
QPR are in a better position this
season than they were last time they were in the premier league and that’s
because of Harry Reknapp. Harry has been neat and tidy in the league, but
they’ll still need more. Ferdinand is an interesting choice and whether he is
still a good enough defender to do it in the premier league, in a struggling
team, and whether he can stay injury free will be big for QPR. As big a signing
as Ferdinand may seem, the signing of Caulker is brilliant. He was sensational
for Cardiff last year and he’ll be easily as reliable for QPR this year. He’s
solid and i think he could have gone to a bigger club (no offence to QPR).
They’ll need more in midfield and probably up top with Remy looking likely to
go (and that would be a big loss for them), but we all know Harry will pull off
some cheeky business deals come 31st of August. With that in mind,
playing QPR before Harry gets to bring in these players might be good timing
for Hull. Last season Hull stayed up against odds, and never looked in trouble.
Steve Bruce should be delighted, they were organised, hard working and with
Huddlestone and Livermore in midfield, they provided that premier league class
that got them dictating play from the midfield which is so important in the
premier league. Keeping a hold of those two is good, as i thought some other
clubs may have fancied taking them away. Tom Ince will be a good signing but if
they lose Long, they’ll need to hunt out another striker. I can see hull
staying up again but it won’t be as comfortable as last year.
Verdict: Both managers will fancy this as a
potential 3 points on the calendar, or at least not losing 3 points. I think
QPR will struggle this year, but i can see them nicking a 1-0 win on the
weekend. The small and tight Loftus road pitch is tough to play on and they
need to utilise that this season.
Arsenal v Crystal Palace
Arsenal finally looked the real deal
last year after spending a record fee on Ozil,... then injuries occurred and
the form of Giroud and Ozil, in particular, subsided and they slowly fell by
the wayside. Ramsey was class. He was one of the best midfielders in the world
last season, never mind the premier league. I think keeping key players injury
free is key and with Sanchez potentially being my signing of the season,
they’ll be stronger this year and i except them to mount a bigger challenge.
Palace was everyone’s favourite to go
down, if they say they weren’t, they’re lying to you. Tony Pulis replaced
Holloway and he got them playing exactly how you’d expect a Tony Pulis team to
play... not pretty at all, but tough, physical, and hard to beat. They’ll still
be all that this year too, but they haven’t done much in the transfer window
when i think they needed too. Same as Villa, hard work and organisation only
goes so far in the premier league without that individual flair and spark from
a few players. It only takes one lapse in concentration, and that can happen to
even the best players from time to time, and that organisation becomes undone
and you’re punished. Palace will be kicking round the bottom i think.
Verdict: Arsenal needs to win this one and
everyone expects it for sure. They should win it comfortably 3-0. Saying that,
Arsenal like to slip up on the opening day, you ask villa fans from last year.
West Brom v Sunderland
Not many changes at West Brom this
pre-season, a few signings namely Joleon Lescott. I think he could be a decent
signing for them. He made a good partnership with Kompany at Man City, but then
he seemed to slip down the pecking order, so if he can recapture some of that
form, he’ll be a solid acquisition for Brom. I also think they need to stand by
their managers, either that or make a decision that they’re prepared to back. Recently
they’ve not really gave any managers they’ve appointed a great deal of
confidence. They were always so consistent with backing their managers but the
sacking of Steve Clarke sparked worry i think. West Brom struggled last year,
but they’ve got some good players and i expect them to be more comfortable this
year. There are certainly 3 worse squads in the premier league than West Brom.
Gus Poyet achieved the almost
impossible with Sunderland last year, they can back from an almost dyer
situation, but they had a good run of form towards the end. One thing is for
sure, Sunderland need to begin beating the teams around them, in the league
especially at home and i think that was their big problem last year. However,
if one thing came of out of the end of last year, was the form of Adam Johnson.
He was a showing the form we always knew he could. If they bring back Borini
too that would be huge bonus because he was inspirational too. What will be big
for Sunderland is keeping consistency going. O’Shea and Brown need to keep fit
and solid (which they can be), Johnson needs to stay fit and on form, but also
Fletcher and Altidore need to start scoring goals! They could hardly hit the
net between them last year, but i think they’re both capable of it. If they get
a good start to the year and score a few goals, themselves, and Sunderland will
find it a much improved season.
Verdict: Both teams will fancy at least
point out of this game, and i think both will get a point.1-1.
Leicester v Everton:
Leicester stormed the championship
last year, with relevant ease. This year will be different. They’ll find it
hard and i’m not sure they’ll survive the drop. They've done some business but
nothing that changes my mind. Nugent and Vardy were a great partnership last
year, they chased every ball and worked so hard, but that won’t get them far in
the premier league, the step up is huge these days, i can’t see them having
much luck against top defenders. They’re other big signing, Ulloa, i’m
reserving judgment for, but at the moment, i think he’ll struggle to find the right
service to score goals. Pearson is a good manager so i’m completely writing them
off yet.
Martinez done a great job at Everton
last year. He had a difficult task to replace Moyes and he did a better job of
replacing Moyes, than Moyes did replacing Ferguson at Utd. He revamped their
playing style, made the team his own and it worked a treat. They’re main
permanent signings so far have been the loan signings they had last year, but
both Barry and Lukaku were brilliant last year, so that’s good business.
Everton will be as solid as last year and i think they’ll be comfortably in
that top 10, whether that’ll be enough for Everton fans we’ll have to see.
Verdict: Everton win for me. Although,
Leicester will give it their all and the fans will keep their team working
hard. Everton to sneak a goal in the second half to win it 0-1.
West Ham v Tottenham
West ham went through most of the season
without a striker last year and the hammers fans were called for “Big Sam’s”
head for most of it. I don’t think the pre-season has really quietened those
fans down either as most still seem to want him gone. The main reason is because
of the brand of football he opts to play which isn’t exactly pretty, but can be
very effective, especially when you have the ideal tool. Andy Carroll is that
ideal tool. Unfortunately, they don’t have that tool because it’s always
injured. This won’t help Sam’s case with the fans on the pitch or off the pitch
and i think he’ll be the first manager to be sacked this year. West Ham haven’t
really strengthened much, only a few players of note have came in, Enner Valenica
arrived for £12m so already there’s pressure on the new guy to hit the ground
running. I think they’ll find themselves in and around the drop zone, but if
they keep Sam, i can’t see them getting relegated, even if they don’t like how
they stay up!
It seems like yet again another
season and another big chance for spurs to push on. Daniel Levy certainly isn’t
a man to give managers bedding in periods! Last season, after receiving a world
record fee for Bale, they spent it badly. They went and tried to buy any player
who was available, instead of who was right. A few players moulded but most
didn’t. Another new season, and this time they have a new manager, but pretty
much the same squad. I think the squad is strong but they may need to add
another striker (perhaps Remy?) but they have a good manager in Pochettino.
Levy needs to stand by this guy as he proved his worth doing wonders with
Southampton. I think he’s going about his business properly too. He knows they
have good players so hasn’t went out and bought quickly and rashly, he’s going
to evaluate what he has and buy where he needs, like what good managers do. I
think Spurs will do ok this year, they’ll be in the top 10 comfortably probably
similar to Everton. However, if Levy wants champions league football, he’s not
going to get it this year, and he’s certainly not going to get it changing
managers and squads so quickly! I expect Pochettino to get more from Soldado
and Lamela this year too.
Verdict: Tottenham to win this one narrowly
or maybe a draw... 0-1 Spurs!
Liverpool v Southampton:
A lot to write about this fixture. Firstly,
what a season Liverpool had last year. I think every neutral wanted to see Liverpool
clinch the title on the last day and for so long they looked they would. Brendan
Rodgers will be gutted, because not only did he come so close to winning the
title, i’m sure if he was honest, he’d tell you they won’t have a better chance
to win it in the next couple of years or so. Like him or loath him (generally
the latter), Suarez was a class act last season, he finally got his down and
showed the world how good he was at football without all stupid incidents that
usually gets himself the headlines... then he does it again. Not dwelling on it,
but i for one am happy he’s gone and think Liverpool, as a professional sports
club deserve a lot of credit for getting rid (and at a handsome price) of that
bad egg employee. He’s bad for the club... but he’ll be missed. Now Sturridge
has a lot on his shoulders and the big question is can he do it alone, because at
the moment he’s not got a load of other strikers to compete with him. Lambert
is decent but he’s not the sort of signing a champions league club would make
in my eyes. They spent a lot on Lallana and Markovic. We’ll see how the fit in,
but without any European football and only the premier league to focus on, last
year was their year to do it. They’ll still be strong and will be up with the
best going for a champions league spot, but i can’t see them coming as close
this year. Let’s hope they do it for Gerrard after the commitment and career he’s
had.
Southampton... where to start,
naturally, the (close to) £100m kitty they got for selling... nearly their
entire team, and losing their manager who was the centre of the good football
they played. Sorry Saints fans but remember last year fondly because this
season will be different i think. Koeman is a good manager, but like all
managers, he needs to tools to work with. What was good about Southampton last
year was they had a solid spine of the team. Fonte and Lovren were great in
defence, Wanyama and Schneiderlin were tidy in midfield, Lallana was a creative
force and Lambert was working hard up front... thinking that Schneiderlin will
eventually leave, not many of those are left and that should be a concern for Southampton.
Although i’ll reserve judgement on the new signings, i can’t see Southampton anywhere
close to how good last season was. I can see them hovering around that 15th
spot.
Verdict: Liverpool to win 3-0. I think Liverpool
will want to show people that last season wasn’t a fluke and put on opening day
feast for the kop. Saints will struggle to adjust to big changes.
Burnley v Chelsea:
David versus goliath right here and
Burnely fans won’t get a harder task all season. This is free game for them,
the fans just need to enjoy the spectacle of hosting Chelsea and opening day will
be a great occasion for them to do it. Who knows, they may pull off an upset,
but if they do, it’ll be the biggest upset for the entire season. Burnley know
how hard it will be and i’m sure even the most die hard fan will expect them to
go straight back down, but they’ve got a hard working team and if the fans get behind
them, they could get Turf Moor rocking. It’ll be important for the players to
enjoy the occasion and keep moral up, but the fans will need to do their part
too, they need to support their team and not to get on players backs easily,
because that’ll make things worse for sure. Mourinho is doing it again, give
him parts to make a tank, he’ll make you a tank but if you give parts to make a
Ferrari, he’ll still make you a tank! He’s starting to put a stamp on his team
too. Losing Lampard will be big, but getting Fabregas to replace him is a
stroke of genius. No one better to replace him in my mind, he’ll be a star,
just like he was for Arsenal and just like he was for Barcelona. Don’t be surprised
to see him score around 15 or more goals this year. Barcelona’s lose is
certainly Chelsea’s gain. Diego Costa was brilliant last year, had a season to
remember. He showed class to step up and fill the main strikers role after
Falcao left Atletico and he almost single handily scored the goals to make
Atletico champions of Spain. With his style of play and his characteristics, he
should fit in fine and score goals but we know how some big money Chelsea strikers
have fared poorly in the past, and one of them is still there. If Fernando
Torres didn’t cost £50m, he’d be gone by now, it’s only because they don’t want
to make such a huge loss on him that he still has a shirt number. Chelsea will
be battling with the best and be right in the mix for the title this year.
Verdict: Chelsea win 0-3, but Burnley
shouldn’t take anything too negative from this game. Their real season starts
next week when they play Swansea. Unlike a lot of clubs who are still looking
to do business, Chelsea seem to have done all there’s (except maybe another centre
back) which means they should hit the ground running from the start, bad news
for Burnley.
Newcastle v Man city:
Newcastle is the hardest team to
predict. Sometimes they’re world beaters sometimes they look dreadful. Last
season they were the typical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. After a distinct lack of
business in the summer, they began last season well and Remy was immense. But
in the second half of the season, they can consider themselves lucky they got
so many points previously because if they didn’t they probably would have went
down. There’s no coincidence this timing coincided with Cabaye leaving, Remy
getting injured and Cisse being, well, useless. But they've added some good
players this year (apparently, i’ve never heard of), bought in positions that needed strengthening (namely that centre midfield void left by Cabaye), but most
importantly they brought in a few forwards and the Geordies will want to see
how they do because they love nothing more than a good forward at Newcastle. In
keeping with recent times, Newcastle haven’t went out and bought big European names
that’ll cost a lot, those days are behind them, but they do generally buy
really effective players, that often get sold on for much bigger sums of money.
Don’t be surprised to see this new crop of players do a similar job. Newcastle will
be comfortable in my eyes. With such an influential crowd, they play a big role.
If they get behind their team, they’ll carry them far, get on top of the team
and they’ll push into trouble. Hard to predict but i think they’ll be safe,
around the mid table mark.
Man city is becoming a machine, but
they nearly threw away the title last year and they’ll want to make a firmer
stamp on it this time. They've added Mangala who may finally be the consistent centre
back partner for Kompany and Fernando who will strengthen up the midfield. They’ll
rely on Aguero to keep fit, and if he does, he’ll score goals. Yaya Toure
staying is as big as signing another player but they need him happy and playing
well because he’s unstoppable when he’s on form. I expect city to sign maybe
one or two more players but even if they don’t they’ll be challenging for the
league.
Verdict: City
to win 2-1 but it’ll be a close encounter with a strong Newcastle crowd!
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