After one of the most entertaining seasons of sport that I have ever followed, we are back for a third consecutive year of football from across the ocean. A fantastic finish to 2011/2012 and a busy summer should result in another great campaign getting underway in just a few hours.
While I believe that the title will once again come down to the blue and red sides of Manchester (more on that later), I think the most interesting teams to follow this season might just be Chelsea and Liverpool.
Chelsea won an improbable double last year with the FA Cup and Champions League. They struggled in the league all year (finishing in 6th, an amazing 25 points behind City ) yet somehow managed to become champions of Europe. Those two titles reek of a team of veterans who were hell bent on giving the middle finger to a coach who thought he could take charge without their permission. While Chelsea fans benefited from this last year, they may start to pay for it this year. Those two championships basically forced Abramovich to hire Roberto DiMatteo who may or may not be suited for the job. I think Chelsea was a close second to United in the transfer market with the signings of Eden Hazard and Oscar but I'm not sure if it will add up to success in the league.
It's not crazy to think that it's more a matter of "when" as opposed to "if" in regards to success at Liverpool. After getting Swansea promoted two seasons ago, Brendan Rodgers enjoyed a very successful debut, leading the first Welsh team to play in the Premier League. Rodgers' brand of "Barca lite", possession football was both entertaining and effective last season with wins or draws against City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs. Much like Bill Parcells, (who famously said that if you're going to cook dinner you should be able to buy the groceries) Rodgers held out for complete control of football operations and immediately made moves to bring in players that can play his game. In addition to the talent at Anfield already, players like Joe Allen and Fabio Borini should make positive contributions this year. I'll buy in on Rodgers and say that Liverpool push for the top four this year. (On a side note, I can't wait for the behind the scenes "Being Liverpool" on Fox Soccer starting in September)
Other thoughts on 2012/2013....
-I have no idea what to say about Arsenal. They lost Fabregas and
Nasri at the beginning of last season and now Van Persie and
(apparently) Alex Song this year. Last year, they struggled early on,
but ended strong in third place in front of Spurs. The arrival of Lukas
Podolsky and Olivier Giroud and the development of Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain should make it an entertaining season for Arsenal who
might be better than people think after losing Van Persie. Heck, maybe
even Jack Wilshere gets healthy and does something.
-I think that Spurs, Liverpool and Newcastle will be fighting for the final Champions League spot this year. I think Tottenahm is the perfect landing place for Andres Villas Boas as he takes over a team that, while having periods of success over the past two seasons, is still a low pressure situation. Newcastle was the surprise of last year and I expect more success from them especially with a full season of Pappis Cisse and more solid work from Tim Krul in goal.
-Brendan Rodgers and Swansea got most of "newly promoted success story" press last year but you can't forget about the work that Paul Lambert did at Norwich City. I'm interested to see how he does at Aston Villa, after a season in which the team was doomed from the start after hiring the coach of a team that was both relegated and their biggest rival. I'm thinking a finish towards the top half of the table is a possibility.
-I joined a Premier League fantasy league for the first time this year and it help me realize how much I like Everton. I have both Leighton Baines and Nikica Jelavic (who I expect a big year from ) on my team and when you add in Tim Howard and a Daniel Craig look a like coach, I think I have found my second team in the league.
-What would a preview from across the ocean be without a look at the Irish players in the EPL. I'm excited for a full season of James McClean at Sunderland as much as I'm worried about Shay Given at Aston Villa who might find time a little less guaranteed after retiring from the Irish team. I'm hoping that Shane Long can stay healthy for the year and perhaps Seamus Coleman will see more first team play at Everton.
-Where are my Americans at? Well as I write this I see that Clint Dempsey has been suspended for refusing to play for Fulham. Follow that up with his mysterious Twitter feed and this sounds like this is far from over. It seems like he got lost in the transfer shuffle with only two weeks before the window closes. This seems to continue to bad luck for Americans in the EPL as both Stuart Holden and Tim Ream got relegated along with Bolton on the last day of the season last year. It will be interesting to see i this affects their development/status on the USMNT.
Now for the good stuff.
There was a time in baseball where all that mattered was
Yankees vs. Red Sox. Nationally televised games, documentaries and back
to back ALCS's in '03 and '04 led many to (incorrectly) believe that the
only baseball being played was in Boston and the Bronx. After the epic
ending to the 2011/2012 campaign last year, there's reason to believe
that the Premier League is heading toward a similar era but this time,
instead of the teams being separated by hundreds of miles, they inhabit
the city of Manchester. Although there will be teams that push them
(with Chelsea being at the top of that list) you get the feeling that
this year will mirror the last and end with a tight race between City
and United.
Each team had the summer you think a first and second place team would have. After having the title pulled out from under them in a matter of seconds (the look on the faces of Fergie and Phil Jones in Sunderland after losing the title is classic) United worked the transfer market with a purpose, ending with the landscape shifting acquisition of Robin Van Persie and his little boy. While the signing of RVP is huge, I think a full season of Nemanja Vidić is even more important for United who didn't necessarily want for goals last year as much as sound defense.
City on the other hand had a shockingly quiet off-season, much to the dismay of the finely coiffed Mr. Mancini. Whether it be financial fair play or the inability to unload massive contracts, there has only been one move of note from City. While it's tough to feel bad for a man who has had a blank check for the past few years, it's easy to understand his frustration. After you win a title, everyone in the league is gunning for you and to not make any moves to improve your team (while everyone else is bringing in players in order to beat you) might dash any hopes of a repeat. With that being said, you won't find anybody feeling bad for City who still have an incredibly deep roster that will allow them to be at the top of the table all year.
Much like last year, my brain is saying United but my heart is with City. The foundation of Kompany, Silva, Yaya and Hart, combined with the
Argentine pair of Aguero and the fresh and resurgent Carlos Tevez
(somewhat of a transfer player after only playing in 13 league games
last season) will find City at the top of the table come May.
Predictions for 2012/2013
Top Four: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal
Golden Boot: Carlos Tevez
FA Cup: Newcastle
Capital One Cup (sounds like college football): Manchester City
Top Newcomer: Eden Hazard
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