Sportsnet’s special panel of soccer commentators, writers and pundits offer their picks and predictions for the upcoming Barclays Premier League season.
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JAMES SHARMAN, SPORTSNET
Top four: 1) Arsenal, 2) Manchester United, 3) Chelsea, 4) Manchester City
Relegated: Bournemouth, Leicester City, Watford
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player to watch: Memphis Depay
I say this every season, but it really is a tough one to call at both ends of the table. At the bottom I have serious reservations about Aston Villa, but have not put them in my relegation three simply because the thought of a Premier League without them is not palatable to me—it would make the Premier League taste like apple-beer. At the top, this year will centre around Arsenal. The race for first is going to be ferocious, and I fully expect Manchester United to return to contender status, while Chelsea will of course be in the hunt, but with the Champions League likely being the priority, some odd results late in the season could see them derailed.
Therefore, after years of telling us that his current crop of stars are good enough, in 2015-16 Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal will finally be good enough. Petr Cech will turn out to be the signing of the season, as the Gunners’ spine will finally show some bravado and swagger. I know I haven’t even mentioned Manchester City, but their problems of last year have not be rectified, and although Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling bring in youthful energy, when has a team ever won anything with kids? Eh? Oh.
CRAIG FORREST, SPORTSNET
Top four: 1) Chelsea, 2) Arsenal, 3) Manchester United, 4) Liverpool
Relegated: Bournemouth, Norwich City, Sunderland
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player to watch: Morgan Schneiderlin
What I’m really interested in seeing is how the new rule regarding simulation and diving is enforced. The English FA can now take retrospective action against players who get an opponent sent off for feigning injury. The FA has introduced a code of conduct for managers on the sidelines and is also going to crack down on players surrounding referees after a controversial call. This is all great stuff, but will it last? Will they really enforce this stuff for the duration of the season? Or will they do it for a short period of time and then forget about it?
GERRY DOBSON, SPORTSNET
Top four: 1) Chelsea, 2) Arsenal, 3) Manchester City, 4) Manchester United
Relegated: Bournemouth, Leicester City, Aston Villa
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player to watch: Raheem Sterling
To my mind the hall mark of last season was not so much that Chelsea were the best team in the league, although they were, it was that nobody offered a serious challenge to them and so they waltzed to the title. In my opinion they were the least compelling champions in several years.
This season is different. Manchester United have strengthened, although they may still be suspect defensively. And I think Manchester City and Arsenal will all have stronger campaigns this season. Chelsea have not exactly opened the pocketbook as much as you might have expected, although there is still the better part of a month left in the transfer window, and that might be the key. Check back around Labour Day and we might have a clearer picture of the Premier League pecking order. Either way you cut it, it will be fascinating to see if the others can challenge Chelsea more effectively than they did a year ago, and what sort of response Mourinho’s men will have.
GREG BRADY, SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
Top four: 1) Chelsea, 2) Manchester City, 3) Arsenal, 4) Manchester United
Relegated: Norwich City, Watford, Leicester City
Top scorer: Diego Costa
Player to watch: Harry Kane
The big story in the Premier League this season will be whether there’s a threat to the “Big Four.” Of course, there will be week-to-week stumbles, and crammed fixture lists with FA Cup and European competition thrown in. But almost no pundit feels Tottenham, Liverpool, or even last year’s stunning top-eight finisher Southampton can make enough noise to disturb the big boys.
I’m most curious to see how Bastian Schweinsteiger fits in at Manchester United. Are they getting the player who’s been so linked to Bayern Munich’s recent glory years, or a 31-year old headed towards the downward slope of his career? He can do his best work on either side of the field, or even down the middle. Can he get the most out of Wayne Rooney?
United went from 64 points in 2013-14 to 70 points last season. They’ll need a 12-14 point increase to be even close to title contenders those last few weeks of the season next April.
JOHN MOLINARO, SPORTSNET.CA
Top four: 1) Manchester United, 2) Chelsea, 3) Arsenal, 4) Manchester City
Relegated: 1) Norwich City, 2) Aston Villa, 3) Sunderland
Top scorer: Alexis Sanchez
Player to watch: Bastian Schweinsteiger
One of the great joys of the Premier League is watching how stars from other leagues adapt when they come to England. Who will ever forget legends such as Gianfranco Zola, Thierry Henry, or Jurgen Klinsmann and how they captivated English audiences in their debut Premier League campaigns?
Last year it was Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez who stood out the most among the foreign newcomers. This year, the Premier League has swung its doors open to a number of star players from other top European divisions, most notably Memphis Depay and Bastian Schweinsteiger. As always, it’ll be interesting to see who adapts to the English game the quickest and make the biggest impact.
DAN RICCIO, SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
Top four: 1) Manchester City, 2) Chelsea, 3) Manchester United, 4) Arsenal
Relegated: Norwich City, Bournemouth, Leicester City
Top scorer: Wayne Rooney
Player to watch: Jordy Clasie/Callum Wilson
As it stands right now, I don’t think Chelsea has done enough this summer to maintain their spot atop the league table. Radamel Falcao has been their biggest acquisition of the off-season. A few years ago, that would be an unbelievable. In 2015, it’s a depth move. I’ve seen this movie before. Title-winning team doesn’t do enough in the summer to stave off the chasing pack, makes “shrewd” moves to provide depth to the starting 11. Most recently it was seen with Manchester City in 2013 and 2015. If Chelsea remains with this roster, they won’t repeat as Premier League champions.
Manchester United, meantime, has improved quite a bit. However, they still have concerns at centre-back and at striker, which will leave them just short of being true title contenders. Arsenal has only added Petr Cech, so they’ll comfortably continue to sit in the top four but not much better.
That leaves Manchester City. Raheem Sterling starred with Liverpool in 2013-14 as the support man to Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. Once he was thrust into the forefront last season things went downhill fast. His move to Manchester City returns him to a support-type role. Wilfried Bony, acquired last January, was given the opportunity to get his feet wet. He’ll get his chance to be the poacher-type goal scorer alongside Sergio Aguero. This is a deep team that has improved its starting squad. They’ve done enough to win a third Premier League title in five seasons.
JAMIE DOYLE, SPORTSNET MAGAZINE
Top four: 1) Arsenal, 2) Manchester United, 3) Chelsea, 4) Manchester City
Relegated: 1) Bournemouth, 2) Aston Villa, 3) Norwich City
Top scorer: Diego Costa
Player to watch: Alexis Sanchez
The question of the season for me is whether change or consistency wins the day. Arsenal appear to be pinning their title hopes mostly on keeping faith with last year’s squad, hoping that the addition of Petr Cech in goal will be all that’s needed to push an-ever maturing team over the line. Chelsea, too, are staying the course—hard to blame them, given how they coasted to the title last year—making additions in the name of depth rather than divergence. Manchester United, meanwhile, are hoping a change does them good, making big-money additions including Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin that can give Louis Van Gaal’s side the defensive and midfield steel they’ve been lacking. Liverpool, too, are banking on big change bringing big rewards. Two approaches to the season, but there’s only room for one winner.
THOMAS DOBBY, SPORTSNET
Top four: 1) Chelsea, 2) Arsenal, 3) Manchester United, 4) Manchester City
Relegated: 1) Watford, 2) Norwich City, 3) Sunderland
Top scorer: Harry Kane
Player to watch: Raheem Sterling
As fans of the beautiful game, we are spoiled. The off-season is so short, and packed with transfers, it feels like it never leaves us. I’m sure others will write a lot about the new “Big Four.” Chelsea are rightly title favourites again. Manchester City and Raheem Sterling will be extremely interesting to watch. I think he left Liverpool a year early, personally. Manchester United have spent their way back in to the title conversation.
Arsenal look set to finally mount a title challenge for the course of the season but I’ve heard that before. For me, interesting teams to watch will be huge clubs, with huge followings but little in the way of talent. Aston Villa and Sunderland fans deserve better than what they have on the pitch. Aston Villa sold Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph, while Sunderland barely escaped relegation the past two seasons, and could be in that dogfight again. But based on last year, don’t hold my predictions against me.
THOMAS MICHALAKOS, SPORTSNET.CA
Top four: 1) Arsenal, 2) Chelsea, 3) Manchester United, 4) Liverpool
Relegated: 1) Norwich City, 2) Leicester City, 3) Sunderland
Top scorer: Alexis Sanchez
Player to watch: Memphis Depay
When you build a team to compete for titles, a great goalkeeper should be target number one. A stellar keeper is worth their weight in gold, and can earn/save his side between 10-15 points a season. For that reason, Petr Cech has made Arsenal legitimate title contenders. Year after year, the Gunners continuously fall short, whether it’s a slow start and great finish or vice-versa. Call me crazy, but Cech’s presence has vaulted Arsenal into the title picture.
Of the other teams in the title picture, Manchester United has done the best work, with Chelsea more or less on the sidelines observing the summer spending. Despite a fresh batch of summer signings, Liverpool remains an enigma and aren’t expected to challenge for the crown. That leaves Manchester City, a team that failed to solidify their biggest weak point last term—a very weak defensive line. Instead they signed the flashy Raheem Sterling. The gap has significantly shrunk between the reigning champions and the chasing pack. Wenger broke his Jose Mourinho curse in the FA Community Shield last weekend, and I don’t see any reason why Arsenal cant end their 12-year title drought—Cech-mate!
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