Only four teams can win the EPL
Roar Guru By Gabriel Knowles, 15 Aug 2008 The Crowd is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Avram Grant, Champions League, David Gallop, Didier Drogba, Euro 2008, Liverpool, Manchester United, Premier League, Robbie Keane, Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney
David Gallop must wish Sir Alex Ferguson coached the Bulldogs instead of Manchester United. Considering the Scotsman stood firm in the face of a 70 million pound bid for Ronaldo, Sonny Bill wouldn’t have got halfway to the airport under Ferguson’s watch.
At least Gallop can console himself with the knowledge that his league is more competitive.
Anyone could win the NRL, but only four teams are really in the running to take out the Premier League.
And even that’s fast becoming a two horse race.
Especially given that Tottenham look set to lose Dimitar Berbatov, the man whose goals have helped put them on the cusp of an elusive Champions League place, to United for 28 million pounds.
Retaining Ronaldo and the imminent acquisition of Berbatov could be the defining deals of the upcoming season.
It will be interesting to see how Berbatov meshes into a frontline that was irresistible at times last season. Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez have an almost sixth-sense like understanding, and with Ronaldo to return from injury shortly, there’ll be no shortage competition for spots.
Berbatov may just become the most expensive impact player in the league not wearing a Chelsea tracksuit.
The defending champions have the inside running, although they’ll have to rely less on the aeing guile of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in midfield and do without the tactical nous Carlos Queiroz.
Ferguson’s long-time assistant has been crucial to United’s recent successes and his departure to manage Portugal is said to be one of the major reasons Ronaldo wanted to leave.
Michael Carrick’s consistent form, and the emergence of Nani at the backend of last season, and a fully fit Owen Hargreaves, should be enough to see them over the line again.
The biggest threat to Chelsea’s title tilt is their embarrassment of riches.
Big name players such as Michael Ballack and Andrei Shevchenko don’t take to sitting on the bench well. New manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has the unenviable job keeping all those overpaid egos in check. But ‘Big Phil’ has enough tickets on himself to mix it with the best of them.
Much will depend on how new signing Deco slots into an already crowded midfield with Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Ballack also competing for places.
Portuguese newcomer Jose Bosingwa should keep the Stamford Bridge crowd entertained with his marauding runs from right back.
And the petulant Didier Drogba looks to have found peace after an unsettled 2007/08.
Drogba at his best is a handful for even the leading defenders in Europe. If the grossly under-qualified Avram Grant managed to make United wait until the final day of the last term to clinch the title, Big Phil will have to win the Champions League if the title eludes Chelsea again.
Otherwise he’ll have to massage his own jobless ego next off-season.
Arsenal must be quietly confident of crashing the party this season. They led for much of last season and only finished four points adrift in the end.
In the end, it was their lack of depth that undid them and it could well be their undoing this time around, too.
Despite bringing in France international Samir Nasri from Marseille, they’ve lost first team players in Mathieu Flamini, Alex Hleb and Gilberto Silva.
Arsene Wenger will need to buy another player who isn’t a teenager to ensure Arsenal greatest achievement this season isn’t in making a profit on the transfer market again.
Rafa Benitez, on the other hand, could learn a thing or two from thrift-minded Wenger.
The Liverpool manager seems intent on breaking the bank, with little to show for it on the domestic front. Signing Robbie Keane for nearly 20 million pounds to partner Fernando Torres up front when his Euro 2008 winning strike partner David Villa was reportedly available for a similar price could come back to haunt Benitez.
Chasing Gareth Barry when he already has (the arguably better) Xabi Alonso was just plain disruptive.
Given the resources he’s had access to, this could be Benitez’s last shot at it with Liverpool.
Unless he can put out a consistent line-up, Liverpool will stay bottom of the top four.
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August 15th 2008 @ 3:47pm
Slippery Jim said | August 15th 2008 @ 3:47pm | Report comment
Good article, Gabriel, although I had a chuckle at the fact you think Chelsea won’t beat Utd this season due to too having many good players. Man Utd will have a shaky start to the season which will mean they have to play catch up, Liverpool are no longer top four. I hope Everton displace them this season (for irony reasons). Arsenal have lost their focus on winning and will also trail this season. Chelsea will, of course, win at a gallop. “Win what” You ask? Everything that counts is the answer. Hope this clears things up for everyone
August 15th 2008 @ 4:18pm
jimbo said | August 15th 2008 @ 4:18pm | Report comment
The usual suspects again and the clubs spending the most money are winning the Leagues right across Europe.
Interestingly these clubs still have a relatively high turnover of players as compared to other clubs, because they have very high standards to achieve and even the players get bored with winning all the time.
August 15th 2008 @ 6:37pm
Phil Coorey said | August 15th 2008 @ 6:37pm | Report comment
As a West Ham fan – I’m just hoping they don’t get relegated
August 15th 2008 @ 6:50pm
Ben of Phnom Penh said | August 15th 2008 @ 6:50pm | Report comment
As a Nottingham Forest fan at I still have bit of a wait before the EPL becomes relevant once more. As for Chelsea winning everything…. I think there is going to be a serious tilt at the Champions League coming from the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid; Juventus have something to prove as well.
August 16th 2008 @ 7:18pm
Rabbitz said | August 16th 2008 @ 7:18pm | Report comment
Technically, only one team can win…
Sorry – Couldn’t resist
Rabz
August 18th 2008 @ 9:27am
Slippery Jim said | August 18th 2008 @ 9:27am | Report comment
Man Utd having a shaky start, having to play catch up, Chelsea winning at a 4-0 gallop and top of the table – just call me Nostradamus folks!
August 18th 2008 @ 9:48am
Big Kev said | August 18th 2008 @ 9:48am | Report comment
the thing with the Premier League is that there is so much interest apart from just the race for the title (which generally includes 2 or 3 teams each year). Firstly just the passion of the fans. My team, West Ham, sell out every home game and take a large contingent to every away game, irrespective of where they are in the table and whether it is early or late in the season. Add to that the relegation battle, Champions League and UEFA Cup spots also make it more interesting. Then there are the 2 domestic cup competitions, giving all teams (from all divisions and non league) a shot at glory.
Imagine if the NRL was just a normal league without the playoffs – a battle for the minor premiership! 90% of fans would lose interest 1/3rd of the way through the season. They have to manufacture interest with a ridiculous 8 team playoff in a comp of 14 teams! It’s a joke really.
August 18th 2008 @ 9:53am
Phil Coorey said | August 18th 2008 @ 9:53am | Report comment
kev – did you see the Hammers game on Saturday?
I fell asleep after it was 2-0 but had happy dreams that the Hammers were able to resign Ashton. Great start to the season for the boys.
August 18th 2008 @ 9:59am
Koala Bear said | August 18th 2008 @ 9:59am | Report comment
Slippery Jim (Nostradamus)
What an amazing start to the season and I saw a brief interview with big Phil.. This shall be a season where a club will take out all four trophies … Big Phil has said as much.. And I’m not even going to be my usual arrogant self this year… Man U a shaky start. Yes.. Trouble at Old Trafford..
~~~~~~
KB
August 18th 2008 @ 10:01am
Benjamin said | August 18th 2008 @ 10:01am | Report comment
As a Tottenham fan I think it is clear that we are going to struggle this year. If you want to be top 6 then a point away to Middlesbrough is a must.
I am convinced that Ramos is out of his depth. Last season we had 1 good game out of every 3 under him and our Carling Cup success was more due to Grant’s selection inconsistencies than any excellence on the part of Tottenham.
Take the Middlesbrough game as an example; the team was shockingly imbalanced in midfield, and also defence. Why were Bale, Berbatov and King on the bench? Either they are fit to play and start or they are not? Why pay all that money for Bentley and then put him on the left? Mindboggling. Tottenham need to play Zokora in midfield. He is a mediocre player but Huddlestone is too casual with his defensive duties. Also Ramos needs to decide whether Jenas or Modric start. They are too similar to share duties.
The back four, when fit looks pretty outstanding but what good is two maraduing full backs that with a callow left winger playing in the ‘hole’ and your best 7 playing at 11, and no dominant striker either? Spurs have really hamstrung themselves by not offloading Berbatov earlier. Awful decision. At least we can take solace from being better than those Hammers.