ChelseaBoy 2,441 Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 On 13/07/2019 at 07:47, compo said: Chelsea have appointed a dud as a manager and United already have a dud I think Dick Emery at Arsenal will prove to be a dud also.... so will be a 3 way battle! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo 7,037 Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 11 hours ago, ChelseaBoy said: I think Dick Emery at Arsenal will prove to be a dud also.... so will be a 3 way battle! A dud often year award ? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 850 Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 The Curtain Raiser today, Man City v Liverpool. Not a match (Community Shield) Ive ever rated, neither side will go 100%. A wee club by club preview in sections and league prediction at the end - feel free to hammer me considering some of my predictions last season. Obviously the transfer window is still open so its subject to change ? Arsenal / Aston Villa / Bournemouth / Brighton / Burnley: Arsenal: A lot of people had concerns about Arsenal, their away form last season was almost relegation form. They seemed a bit dysfunctional and needed a large overhaul in players. Two wingers, a midfielder and 2 defenders were needed. However the Pepe signing is a massive coup - what a player he is. And getting Ceballos in could be the important one as Arsenal had too many passengers in midfield. So going forward they look frightening if Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe click. There is no excuse for Ozil to disappear with those 3 around him. They are still screaming out for a top centre half plus Tierney should sign. Right back is still an issue until Bellerin gets fit. Prior to the signings I thought they would drop out the top 6, now I think if they get a defender they will be top 4. Aston Villa: A welcome return to the top flight to a huge club and they have spent big with 9 new players. Fulham did this last season and it didnt work out so its a big task for Dean Smith in what is his attempt at Premier League football. Villa Park is one of the best grounds in the country - a good traditional stadium and IMO should still host FA Cup semi finals. It creates a terrific atmosphere so the Villa will need a 12th man from the crowd. They will be aiming a bit higher than just staying up but consolidating their Premier League status will be the most important thing. Being a big club with momentum from last season I think they will be OK and will win enough home games to be safe. Bournemouth: Eddie Howe keeps this tiny club punching above their weight but last season wasnt such a good campaign as the previous one despite a good start. They are one of the teams I expect to drop out the top flight eventually - possibly once Howe moves on. Only 3 new faces have been brought from Luton, Bristol City and Huddersfield therefore its not Premier League experienced players yet. Its always a tight little ground to go to and they do play a good style of football but its a tall order to see them being any higher than 12th. Brighton: Raised a lot of eyebrows right at the end of the season by sacking the respected Chris Hughton and replacing him with Graham Potter from Swansea - I personally found that Potty. Brighton did survive late on the season but Hughton has taken them up and kept them up in two campaigns. The jury is still out with Potter, he came in from the Swedish league and was pretty unheard of then Swansea took a punt and he had an average season in the championship where he was brought in to restructure the club. They havent done much business in the transfer market and still rely on the ageing Murray upfront to get goals. I have them as one of my 3 to go down. Burnley: Another club who have punched above their weight to remain in the top flight. Like Bournemouth a lot of that is down to the manager. They suffered the Europe League syndrome last season but got going late in the season to be safe. Its their hard gritty style of play that grinds out results and you wonder how long they can keep doing that. Still not much fashionable names in their squad and little activity with signings so it could be a long hard season for Burnley. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 850 Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 Chelsea / Crystal Palace / Everton / Leicester / Liverpool Chelsea: Where do you start with Chelsea. A Transfer ban, Losing their best player or appointing a club legend yet unproven manager. The one thing I think with the appointment of Lampard is the fans will be patient if their is a poor run of results. Obviously if they are super struggling they will raise a red flag but they have enough talent to still be top 6 this season. They have had high numbers of players out on loan over the years but that has paid off and they have recalled a lot of good talent to be in this seasons squad due to the transfer ban. The signing of a already registered Kovacic screamed a bit of desperation as he didnt perform great last season, however Frank might get more out of him due to Sarri's previous rigid system. One thing that will happen is Kante moving back into his preferred role as the best holding midfielder in the world which will improve them. The other January signing of Pulisic with hindsight has also helped. But losing Hazard who is simply world class will be big, he contributed so much to them. However Willian, Pedro, Pulisic, Barkley, Loftus Cheek still boasts a lot of talent. Crystal Palace: Wan-Bissaka leaves a big hole for Hodgson to fix but a concern could be that Zaha might throw the toys out of the plan for his move to Arsenal not going through. He has been away on international duty so will return late anyway. Palace seem like a team who always go under the radar yet still pull out good results on enough occasions to keep them safe. They dont have the biggest squad yet unlike teams like Burnley who rely on fight Palace have a blend of tough players with silky players like Townsend and Zaha. Tough team to predict and could depend if they get some signings done before Friday else I think they are a banker for bottom 6. Everton: Marco Silva has been busy in the transfer window and signed some interesting players. No doubt his plan is to turn Everton into an attractive attacking side yet last season they were awful on the eye. Moise Kean coming in from Juventus could be a coup as Everton have never replaced Lukaku's goals. But Everton need to back Silva as they have had too many changes and the fans always get their way with Martinez, Koeman and Allardyce all was pretty much removed from fan discontent and all three had different styles. Fabian Delph from Man City could be a good signing, he will bring in experience and a winning mentality. Can Everton break into the top 6? I think they wont be far off it. Leicester: Brendan Rodgers first full season in charge and he has seemed to install a good spirit in the squad and got them going towards the end of last season. We know Rodgers likes to play attacking football and getting Tielemans in on a permanent and Perez from Newcastle is good business. They are about to lose Harry McGuire at the back for 80m which they must be laughing at as I dont see an 80m pound player. They can spend less than half that on a replacement. The rise of the clubs positions in the last few years has been remarkable. From being a top flight side for years to then dropping down two divisions only to come back to the Premier and have Pearson keep them up by the skin of their teeth to then go on that title winning season to then losing their owner. Leicester wont have much problems this season and will be comfortable top half. Liverpool: I'll try remain neutral ? but the mentality of their fans to practically think they should be given a trophy for being the record runners up irks a lot of other fans. They were outstanding last season - no doubt about that and the capped it off with a 6th European title albeit in the worst CL final Ive ever watched. Its all about going to do it again now for Liverpool and its a big ask to have such a good season. Mane and Salah have had African nations cup summers so wont have had the best of rests. They havent made any massive signings but have Oxlade Chamberlain and Adam Lallana back fully fit along with Joe Gomez. The OX was showing his talent prior to his injury and if he is back to his best it will be like a cracking new player. They have the best centre half in the league and Harry McGuire transfer fee makes Van Dijks fee a snip. They will be strong again and in the top 2. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 850 Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 Man City / Man Utd / Newcastle / Norwich / Sheff Utd Man City: As far as the premier league era goes City are fast moving up the ladder of Greats and back to back titles was achieved for the first time since Sir Alexs Utd in 2007-09. A third title in a row is now on the cards. Obviously they have an open cheque book and can sign anyone but its easy making signings and the hard part is gelling a squad of top internationals. You only have to look at Real Madrid and see you just cant buy success. What I like about Pep is he is never held to ransom by players i.e. Sanchez. Its hard to find a fault with Man City the only position I dont think they are top notch is at centre back and I think that costs them in Europe. They have sighted out Fernando' long term position with Rodgi and Ben Mendi will be fit at LB. David Silva in his final year will want to go out on a high and IMO they have the most complete player in the league in De Bruyne. Cant see anything other than further trophies but Pep may opt for the CL as his priority. Man Utd: Probably the most intriguing team to write about. They are desperate to get back to winning titles again and seem to only do knee jerk reactions. I dont think they have the right man in charge, OGS came in and did well but once made permanent they went back to being lackluster. Like Arsenal their defence is a shadow of teams gone by but going forward on paper have a top notch team. Mata, Lingard, Sanchez, Pogba, Martial, Rashford on their day would walk into most teams but something isnt right as only Mata and Rashford perform. Sanchez for me was always going to run out of steam about 4 or 5 consecutive international summers, Arsenal got the best out of him. Now Man Utd have an Ozil situation where they have a heavy player on the books who they wont get the best out of. OGS has addressed the defence with Harry McGuire for 80m. If thats the going rate then players prices have went out of control. They still have 3 average centre halfs in Smalling, Bailly and Lindelof so it remains to see who will partner McGuire. Upfront Lukaku is an enigma, he scores goals but doesnt do much work yet when I saw him in the World Cup for Belgium v Brazil on the right wing he was MOTM. All eyes will be on Man Utd, if they start slow the OGS could be out the door. Newcastle: Rafa Benitez to Steve Bruce is downsizing. I like Bruce as a person and a Championship manager but he has done the rounds a bit now and I thought Sheff Wed was the perfect job for him - a bit club in his right environment. But he wasnt going to turn Newcastle down. He has been back a bit from Ashley however they did receive a heavy lump sum for Perez but Joelinton and Saint-Maximin may excite the Toon. Bruce has to start well as will be one of the manager who will be scrutinized from the off. The style of play at St James' will change and there could be some high scoring games there this season. Rafa is a brilliant manager but with his hand tied at Newcastle he was playing a lot of 'not lose' football. Another interesting team to watch and I think they will be OK. Norwich: Second of the new boys to review - who ended up winning the Championship with ease. Norwich have been a bit of a slow yoyo club but I quite rate this manager Daniel Farke. He is a bit of a Klopp junior. But playing the way they did in the Championship could end up them getting torn up in the Premier League. Goals may be an issue for Norwich so they need to be strong at the back. They have a tough start with Liverpool and Chelsea in their first 3 games. Home form will be vital but I expect them to be right in a relegation battle. Sheff Utd: Another team who bounce about the leagues but did very well coming up automatically well ahead of planned time after being in League one not so long ago. They have made about 7 signings with veteran Phil Jagielka returning to the club where he made his name. More interestingly is the signing of trouble maker Ravel Morrison. He is a player even Alex Ferguson rated as incredible and showed masses of talent at West ham but have practically been moved on from every club he has been at. I cant see how they will get a tune out of him but if he give an 8/10 every week then it will help Sheff Utd. I cant see anything other than a return to the Championship. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 850 Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 Southampton / Tottenham / Watford / West Ham / Wolves Southampton: First full season for Ralph Hasenhutti, again a manager I quite like and improved Southampton when he came in after Mark Hughes reign. They are back established in the division after a few years away but a club who are cherry picked constantly for both players and managers and that means they are regularly at the wrong end of the table lately . So it says their model is correct but they cant go to the next level. Imagine their team if they never sold any players - Bale, Mane, Walcott, Ox-Chamberlain, Van Dijk, Schneiderlin, Shaw, Lallana.....with either Mo Po or Koeman in charge! Instead its an average squad who struggle for goals. They might be more attractive under Hasenhutti but they will be in the bottom 8 IMO. Tottenham: Champions League runners up, playing back at White Hart Lane and so far in the market they have only broken their transfer record and kept their best players. For me their best spell last season was when Kane and Alli was out of the team, I thought Son raised the bar and Moura was outstanding. Eriksen is key to running the midfield so if they keep him along with Alderweireld then their depth is bigger and they can have a better run in the league. How they dropped to 4th in the end was poor, they were challenging for the title in January. If they get one more key signing Spurs could be closer this year. Mo Po is a cracking manager but he does come out with some bizarre comments. If they adapt to White Hart Lane then they will be a force. Watford: Im surprised they didnt change their manager even though he did well! It seemed to be as annual as Christmas. But Watford had a cracking season and it only tailed off when they reached the FA Cup final, bar that they were around 7th for a long time which is great for them. They are a big physical team with good flair in midfield and can cause teams problems. They have been quiet in the transfer window so to repeat last seasons form they may need an addition before next weekend. They will be OK and around mid table to 14th. West Ham: Manu Pellegrini started his West Ham tenure poor but they got stronger as the season went on but are easily the most inconsistent team in the league. They can beat Man Utd one week then get turfed away to Wolves the next. Consistency is key to West Ham having a good season. They still cant fully adapt to the London Stadium yet its done now so it has to be accepted and started to be a fortress like Upton Park was as the home form in the last 2 seasons has been awful against teams they should beat. On paper an quality squad and have broken the transfer record this summer with Seb Haller coming in from Frankfort to lead the line. Pablo Fornalls from Villareal is the key signing though and will be the playmaker behind the striker competing with Manu Lanzini. Felipe Anderson was a good signing and if he improves plus Jack Wilshire stays fit then West Ham could be the team that challenge the top 6. The blessing was to get rid of Marko Arnautovic. West Ham turned him into a cracking striker yet has horrendous attitude and he went missing if he wasnt in the mood. Wolves: Full credit to them last season for an amazing first season in the PL and I like the manager along with some cracking players. Their problem last season was poor form against the lower teams in the league like losing twice to Huddersfield. They are back in Europe for the first time in decades - will the Europa haunt them also? I think they have more quality to compete in both but if they reach the group stages then repeating 7th may be a tough ask. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 850 Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 As it stands I'll predict this (will edit with signings during the week). Man City Liverpool Tottenham Arsenal Chelsea Man Utd Leicester West Ham Everton Wolves Watford Bournemouth Newcastle Aston Villa Southampton Crystal Palace Burnley Norwich Brighton Sheff Utd 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rousseau 10,604 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 I've got a feeling Liverpool will drop off. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 850 Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 7 minutes ago, Rousseau said: I've got a feeling Liverpool will drop off. I still think second place but the points tally wont be as high. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott7 6,004 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Gribz, much as I’d like to, I can’t disagree with a word of that. Nor can I argue the placings except Hammers might not end up quite so high. What you say about the Villa is spot on. Blades will go down but I’d rather it was Palace along with Norwich and Brighton. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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