After an extremely busy and expensive transfer summer window, the 2014-15 Premier League campaign is gearing up to provide plenty of heart palpitations for supporters, but more importantly, the race for the title could prove to be the best ever.
Barclays Premier League on Sportsnet: Watch Barclays Premier League games live on Sportsnet throughout the 2014-15 season. Consult the broadcast schedule by CLICKING HERE.
TITLE CHASERS
Arsenal: The cup jinx is over, and the Gunners reloaded in the off-season in an attempt to be crowned English champions for a fourteenth time. A quartet of new signings—headlined by Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez—will help, though, there are still spots that need to be filled. Arsene Wenger has failed to strengthen two key areas, including providing cover for Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman fizzled out last season following a great start and needs help to shoulder a portion of the goal-scoring burden. Also, the Gunners’ spine is absent of a hard-nosed, tough-as-nails defensive midfielder. Callum Chambers is said to be the long-term solution, but for the time being, the 19 year-old will be deployed at right-back. After three years of on-going rumours of Wenger’s future at the club, Arsenal awarded him with a new three-year contract almost immediately following his FA Cup success. Anything but a league title or Champions League trophy will be considered a step backwards.
Chelsea: Jose Mourinho has cleared the decks, recouping almost £85 million off the sales of David Luiz, Romelu Lukaku and Demba Ba. The trio generated the necessary funds to sign Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Felipe Luis. The Blues also signed Didier Drogba on a free. The Ivorian returns to Stamford Bridge, reuniting with Mourinho and the club he holds dear to his heart. That being said, the upcoming campaign will be the first time since the beginning of the new millennium without Frank Lampard. Chelsea’s all-time goal-scorer wasn’t offered a new contract, the same with Ashley Cole and Samuel Eto’o. Overall, the Blues are much stronger and in a better position to win trophies than they were at this point last year. The ‘Special One’ has the club aligned for a special season, as consecutive years without silverware is an unthinkable conclusion for a manager of his pedigree and stature. Chelsea are geared up to be a dominant force.
Manchester City: The reigning champions head into the new campaign under the UEFA microscope, having been punished for breaching Financial Fair Play rules. Although, the club wasn’t banned from participating in the Champions League, severe transfer restrictions and reduction of squad size has resulted in some creative off-season recruitment. Bacary Sagna and Frank Lampard were added on a free, the latter being a short-term loan from MLS expansion side New York City FC. Roughly £50 million has been spent to date—defenders Eliaquim Mangala and Fernando, goalkeeper Willy Caballero and midfielder Bruno Zuculini. Notice the trend? Manuel Pellegrini has focused his attention on strengthening a key area of weakness. No need to bring in added offensive power, the squad is well stacked in that category. Expect to see more of Stevan Jovetic this season—the Montenegrin forward was on fire during the club’s pre-season tour of America.
Liverpool: The big question that looms large over Anfield surrounds the £75 million sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, and if a title push is a realistic possibility without the Uruguayan. Suarez scored a league-leading 31 goals last term and added 12 assists. The addition of Rickie Lambert—28 goals and 15 assists over two seasons at Southampton—alongside 20-goal man Daniel Sturridge will help. Adam Lallana and Emre Can are both significant signings in midfield, supporting Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson. Both newbies arrive with much hype, as does 20 year-old Serbian winger Lazar Markovic. However, Liverpool wants to win now, not in a few years, thus the trio are under pressure to hit the ground running. Last season the Reds conceded 50 goals—only three clubs in the top 10 allowed more. Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovren was bought for £20 million, right-back Javier Manquillo on two-year loan and the rumoured imminent arrival of left-back Alberto Moreno from Sevilla will provide the necessary depth for a two-front battle.
Manchester United: It’s better to just move on from last season’s seventh place result under David Moyes. Better days are ahead, with Louis van Gaal accepting the responsibility of restoring the club’s illustrious reputation. Curiously, only four players from last season’s squad have departed, minus new assistant manager Ryan Giggs who retired. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic left on a free, with Alexander Buttner and Patrice Evra being sold for a combined £7 million. While the money coming in has been minimal, the expenditures have been vast. Luke Shaw (£32 million) and Ander Herrera (£27 million) were added to the ranks, and Wayne Rooney has seemingly rediscovered his best form during their pre-season tour, winning the International Champions Cup player of the tournament. The iron fist dictatorship rule of Van Gaal will get this group in line and deflate some of the massive egos. Considering they won’t be playing in Europe, all of United’s focus will be placed on the league. Discipline and respect evokes unity—something that was clearly absent under Moyes—therefore United will be back in the title mix.
Soccer Central podcast: SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HERE.
EUROPA OR BUST
Everton: Roberto Martinez’s first season in charge at Goodison Park was a success. A fifth placed finish and a club record haul of 72 points earned a guaranteed spot in the Europa League group stage. The Toffees had the fourth-best home record last term, collecting 42 of a possible 57 points. Romelu Lukaku was a major player in the team’s success, scoring 15 goals in 33 matches on loan from Chelsea—Everton decided to smash their transfer record this summer by acquiring his permanent rights for a whopping £28 million. Another loanee that has now made a similar move is Gareth Barry; the former Manchester City midfielder is an integral piece of the puzzle. Martinez also made sure to invest in the future by getting Ross Barkley to commit to a four-year extension and rewarding 20 year-old defender John Stone with a new five-year contract. The £5 million purchase of Bosnian youngster Muhamed Besic from Hungarian side Ferencvaros is another positive step forward. Everton will be in the hunt for European places once again, though, the impact of their participation in the Europa League this season may prove to be a destabilizing force.
Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino has become the third manager in two years to walk through the gates at White Hart Lane. Plenty of investment was made last season following the £80 million sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. However, the only player that made any real impact was Christian Eriksen, as the rest of the money recouped from the Bale transfer was wasted. Erik Lamela made a total of three Premier League starts, Roberto Soldado scored only six top-flight goals, and Paulinho ended the season on the bench under Tim Sherwood. For all the bad results last term, Tottenham fans can at least look forward to a more entertaining on-field product under Pochettino. The addition of left-back Ben Davies is the only move of significance. Michel Vorm will back-up Hugo Lloris in goal, and highly rated English defensive prospect Eric Dier is one for the future. Spurs are definitely worthy of top-six consideration, though, breaking into the Champions League places is a bridge too far at this point.
Stoke City: No one expected much from the Potters in Mark Hughes’ inaugural campaign. Tony Pulis’ departure left a sour taste in the mouths of the majority of supporters despite three seasons of very little progress. However, the Britannia Stadium faithful were surprisingly treated to the club’s best top-flight season (50 points), cracking the top-half of the table (ninth). The jump into Europe is a tall order, considering Stoke finished 19 points behind sixth-placed Tottenham. Funds are hard to come by, thus, a creative approach is needed for continued improvement. Phil Bardsley, Steve Sidwell and Mame Biram Diouf have come into the squad free of charge, but the biggest transfer coup was the Potters’ most recent addition of Bojan Krkic. The Spanish forward signed a four-year deal and joins Stoke following a year on loan at Ajax, having also spent time at AC Milan, AS Roma and Barcelona. Bojan will get his best shot at finally living up to the immense hype, possibly leading the Potters and potentially playing himself back into the international set-up.
European Football Weekly: Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Dan Riccio, Derrick Brandao and Thomas Michalakos take an in-depth look at the beautiful game on the European Football Weekly podcast. For more details and to listen to past shows, CLICK HERE
THE IN-BETWEENERS
Aston Villa: Three seasons of teetering on the brink of relegation has left the Villains in dire straits. American owner Randy Lerner revealed his decision to put the club up for sale, but has since back peddled, delaying the process so the team can concentrate on the season ahead. The writing is on the wall for manager Paul Lambert–consecutive years of barely maintaining the club’s top-flight status has his managerial position under threat, especially now with Roy Keane as his assistant. Joe Cole has been brought in on a free, along with Philippe Senderos. Both Premier League veterans are way past their best days. Minimal investment has been made due to the current situation; Kieran Richardson and Aly Cissokho cost a combined £3.25 million. Aston Villa are a decent side with quality players, so only relegation would be a worse off result than last season—and they are not that bad.
Leicester City: The Foxes have returned after 11 seasons in the second-tier of English football. Nigel Pearson guided his side to first place in the Championship, but now that they’re back in the Premier League the challenge ahead is much more intense. David Nugent (20 goals) and James Vardy (16 goals) will have to do the business, though, admittedly life will be much tougher and goals harder to come by at this level. Matthew Upson and Marc Albrighton were brought in at zero cost, adding necessary squad depth. However, Kasper Schmeichel will be the main reason why Leicester City won’t be in a relegation battle. He is the son of legendary Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, basically learning his trade from one of the best in the business—like father like son.
Newcastle United: Geordie nation has regrettably become accustomed to underachievement and sorrow. Expectations must be kept at a minimum. In saying that, the Magpies have actually conducted their transfer business properly this summer with some smart buys—Remy Cabella, Siem de Jong, Emmanuel Riviere Facundo Ferreyra—which should provide the required depth and quality that was absent in the previous campaign. Newcastle supporters shouldn’t get their hopes too high. Mathieu Debuchy was sold to Arsenal for £15 million, but Daryl Janmaat (£6 million) was brought in as a replacement right-back from Feyenoord.
Queens Park Rangers: The Hoops have bounced straight back up to the big leagues on their first attempt after finishing at the bottom of the Premier League table in 2013 with an embarrassing 25 points. QPR spent big on Steven Caulker and Jordon Mutch this off-season. They also landed Juventus midfielder Mauricio Isla on loan and Rio Ferdinand on a free transfer. Harry Redknapp has also trimmed down a bloated squad list. The top-half of the table is an unrealistic ambition, but a relegation battle is equally far off. Somewhere in the middle is where QPR will comfortably land when the dust settles.
Sunderland: With six games remaining and the Black Cats rooted to the bottom of the table last season, Gus Poyet stated nothing short of miracle would be needed to ensure the club’s Premier League status. Sunderland collected 13 points from their next five matches to secure survival with one match to spare. The next step is not to be in such a precarious position so late in the season. Poyet has made some quality additions, most recently the £10 million purchase of Jack Rodwell from Manchester City to go along with left-back Patrick van Aanholt (£3 million) via Chelsea. Goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon and Jordi Gomez have also arrived. The unity witnessed in the dressing room between the players and coaching staff at the tail end of last term provided the necessary foundation to build off.
West Ham United: Another season, another injury. Andy Carroll will once again begin the new campaign on the sidelines after sustaining ankle ligament damage during the Hammers’ pre-season tour of New Zealand. The striker cost the club £15 million last season and he only netted two league goals from 15 total appearances. Thankfully, Sam Allardyce convinced the board to splash some cash on a striker after West Ham managed only 40 goals last season. Ecuadorian striker Enner Valencia agreed to move to London from Mexican side Pachuca (£15 million). Senegalese centre-back Cheikhou Kouyate (£7.5 million) and right-back Carl Jenkinson (loan) also have arrived to strengthen a shoddy back-line. Mid-table obscurity is on the horizon.
For a limited time get Sportsnet Magazine’s digital edition free for 60 days. Visit Appstore/RogersMagazines to see what you’re missing out on.
SINK OR SWIM
Burnley: Good luck Sean Dyche, you’re going to need it. Burnley has done very little in the off-season by Premier League standards to ensure their most recent top-flight venture doesn’t end in disaster. The players brought in over the summer are not of the calibre and quality for this level. Lukas Jutkiewicz, Marvin Sordell, Chris Baird and Michael Kightly would be decent signings in the Championship, but as a collective, the Clarets fall way short in comparison to their opponents. Enjoy the first-class treatment this season because relegation will be the likely outcome.
Crystal Palace: Premier League manager of the year was a well-deserved honour for Tony Pulis last season. He pulled the Eagles out of the fire after taking over from Ian Holloway last November. The former Potters boss used his brand of defensive and physical tactics to restore balance within the squad, but more importantly confidence, which was severely lacking before his arrival. Palace ended the campaign four points below a top-half finish. Can he produce the same magic in a full season at the helm? We shall soon see, though, it would be foolish to expect anything more than a dogfight to the end. Frazier Campbell was a positive addition to an offence that scored only 33 goals last year—only relegated Cardiff City and Norwich City scored fewer.
Hull City: The Tigers almost paid the ultimate price of an extended FA Cup run to Wembley, having got a little too comfortable and confident with their league position way too soon. Hull ended up two places and four points above the drop zone. Steve Bruce has stockpiled a decent crop of new talent, starting with Tom Ince on a free, plus Jake Livermore and Robert Snodgrass for a combined fee of approximately £15 million. They have the necessary parts to avoid the drop but it’s definitely not a forgone conclusion.
Southampton: Small market clubs such as the Saints are accustomed to getting pilfered for their top players during the off-season. However, the extent of this summer’s cleanout has basically destroyed the club’s foundation. That’s not to say Southampton didn’t profit from their success, having raked in over £100 million from the sales of Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Callum Chambers and Rickie Lambert. The void left is massive, and new manager Ronald Koeman has done very little to plug the holes—not that he has been given an adequate portion of the cash which has come in. Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle arrive from the Eredivisie with a combined £20 million price tag, and Saphir Taider and Ryan Bertrand have joined on loan. The Saints are going to have to dig deep to avoid the drop.
Swansea City: The Swans have made astute summer signings, with the additions of Lukasz Fabianski, Bafetimbi Gomis, Jefferson Montero and the return of Gylfi Sigurdsson. However, the sale of Ben Davies and the loan of Michu to Napoli will hurt in a major way. The teams around them have strengthened in similar fashion, which means competition will be tough. Should Swansea fend off outside interest for Wilfried Bony—who led the team with 16 goals in his Premier League debut last season—the challenge ahead will be made a little easier. If not, his goals will be missed and could be the defining factor in the Swans retaining their top-flight membership card.
West Bromwich Albion: The sacking of Steve Clarke last December was a decision the Baggies lived to regret. Pepe Mel might have kept the club above water, but just barely, avoiding relegation by three points. Alan Irvine steps into the hot seat at the Hawthorns with zero Premier League managerial experience, having spent the last three years as manager of Everton’s youth academy. Only Joleon Lescott and Craig Gardner have arrived, both on a free. Simply put, West Brom haven’t done enough to strengthen what already was a weak squad. Their fifth consecutive Premier League campaign looks destined to end in failure.
[polldaddy poll=8198002]
