Barclays Premier League 2009/10 Season Preview

One of the best and most predictable leagues in the world starts this weekend, but this year could far different than years gone by.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have all lost players, while Chelsea have a new manager and Manchester City have spent millions of pounds in an attempt to break into that elusive top four.

Elsewhere newly promoted sides Birmingham City, Burnley and Wolves will be aiming to make an impact in one of the leagues more open years.

Arsenal:- Another summer, and more of Arsenal’s best players have departed but still the media and fans expect the same top four finish. The sales of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayour might have in a strange way been a welcome relief for the fans, but the inability to attract replacements might make them think again, and something that could be a factor that writes them out of the title race before its even begun. However the Gunners have always thrived on being underdogs going into a season as they showed two years ago after the sale of Thierry Henry. Andrey Arshavin’s first full season in this country could be one to savour, but a lot of the fans will point towards Robin van Persie, who had his best season in an Arsenal shirt year. More of same will be the message from the Emirates.

Aston Villa:- Martin O’Neill will do very well to repeat the heroics of last season when an excellent opening two thirds to the season saw them push Arsenal all the way in qualification for the Champions League. After loosing out in the closing weeks of the season the loss of Gareth Barry won’t help close that gap. Stuart Downing and Fabian Delph have been brought in, but given Delph’s age and inexperience its unlikely he’ll play week in week out. As for Downing, without a single Premiership goal last season a £12,000,000 price tag might seem a bit steep for the left winger, and given that he’ll be almost certainly be moving Ashley Young to the right hand side, away from a position he’s made his own, it could disrupt the sides dynamics. Top half is a certainty but Europe should be beyond them.

Birmingham City:- Plenty of investment this summer has raised hopes across the Midlands this season. Plenty of players from the Championship have come in including Scott Dann and Roger Johnson, while the club broke a club record in signing Christian Benitez for over £7,000,000. The success of the new Ecuadorian striker will be crucial in the clubs survival hopes, but Alex McLeish has a decent spine of the team to work the squad around. Joe Hart, Johnson, Lee Carsley and James McFadden are the Blues big players this season, and for me with a quality starting eleven at their disposal survival shouldn’t be a problem for the St Andrews side.

Blackburn Rovers:- The loss of Roque Santa Cruz might be seen by most fans as a huge loss, but in truth the £18,000,000 gained for the player is a great deal for Rovers. The Paraguayan played very little last season after a knee injury ruined most of his season, but it might be the loses across the rest of the pitch that could hurt the side. Aaron Mokoena and Andre Ooijer have both departed, and although they’re not big names they added the needed steel to the side. Replacements have been few and far between, and goals will again be a problem. With Sam Allardyce the team are always going to do the basics right and be well organised, but I worry about where the goals will come from. They should gain enough points to survive at the end of the season, but I predict a bottom eight finish.

Bolton Wanderers:- With four signings all leaning towards adding strength to the back four the onus will yet again be on Kevin Davies to provide more heroics at the other end of the pitch. The skipper endured his best ever season in the Premiership with 11 goals last season, but he’ll need help from others if Bolton are to retain their Premiership status. Johan Elmander will want to improve on a return of just five goals last season, a poultry sum after his £12,000,000 transfer. They look pretty sound at the back with Zat Knight joining England hopeful Gary Cahill in the middle of defence, while Sean Davis will partner Fabrice Muamba, one of the stars for England’s Under 21’s this summer, in the middle of midfield.

Burnley:- They came from no-where last season to grab promotion from Sheffield United at Wembley, and now Owen Coyle has the biggest challenge of all; keeping Burnley in the Premiership. On first assessment you’d think they haven’t strengthened enough for the new season. Steven Fletcher, a man with no Premiership experience has been signed for £3,000,000 from Hibernian, in a deal where the money could have been spent more effectively elsewhere. Richard Eckersly and David Edgar won’t exactly set the world alight either in a league where they have little experience as well. Coyle, sure to have been restricted by funds, hasn’t made the most of them and he’s set to suffer as a result. Relegation seems a certainty for them.

Chelsea:- Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in charge is sure to be full of expectations. After three years without a league title Chelsea will be keen to get back on the winning road, while still trying to hunt down that elusive Champions League trophy. Three managers have tried and failed, and Ancelotti, a veteran of two wins on Europe’s biggest stage could be the man to provide it. I worry over the money he’s spent this summer though. I’ll be the first to mention how brilliant a player Yuri Zhirkov is, but I don’t see how he fits into the Chelsea side, especially with their new diamond midfield, it’s a puzzling signing. Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge have also joined, having turned down first team football elsewhere for a pay packet at Stamford Bridge. Always title challengers, but getting the system and the partnership up-front correct is crucial for their chances.

Everton:- After spending most of last season without a recognised striker but still reaching the FA Cup final, Everton will be struggling to think how they can repeat last seasons heroics. The return of Yakubu and an extended loan of Jo, who impressed last season, despite my own reservations about the deal, should give the club the added firepower they need. The possible departure of Joleon Lescott will be a serious blow, and his possible replacement Philipe Senderos is quiet frankly not up to scratch. Top half should be achieved, but Europe might be a long shot.

Fulham:- After last season’s unbelievable finale Roy Hodgson would have been fully focused on building a bigger squad for a tougher season that will included European football. Bjorn Helge Riise has signing for £2,000,000, and Stephen Kelly on a free, but these are the solitary signings by Hodgson, not exactly the squad building the fans had in mind. They will take solace in fighting off bids for Brede Hangeland however, while they still fight for the signature of Jonathan Greening. Mid-table would be a credible finish, as they strive to compete on the European stage, mixing the two will be a difficult task.

Hull City:- If Phil Brown is to keep the Tigers in the Premiership this year, equalling the start the club had in the opening half of the season (27 points) will be crucial to the cause. Only eight more were gathered in the second half and with a losing mentality now instilled within the players you can’t see much changing at the KC Stadium. New players were initially hard to come by, with the deal to bring in Bobby Zamora breaking down at the last minute. But Stephen Hunt and Kamel Ghilas have been signed just days before the beginning of the season, and with Real Madrid’s Alvaro Negredo also set to join things finally seem to be coming together. Despite these imports it seems unlikely Brown can beat last seasons excellent start and relegation looks difficult to avoid this time around.

Liverpool:- Rafa Benitez at the end of last season has put together squad capable of finally breaking the clubs Premiership duck and delivering a first title to Anfield. However the sale of Xavi Alonso, a player whose range of passing made him one of Europe’s hottest properties and that of established full-back Alvaro Arbeloa broke that squad up immediately. Glen Johnson has come in to replace the right-back but in Alberto Aquilani, a £20,000,000 signing from Roma, Benitez has not properly replaced the Spanish midfielder. Aquilani is more forward thinking that Alonso, not to mention how prone to injury he is, something that keeps him out of the beginning of this season. The Reds did show they coped ably without both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, but if both are fit for a longer period this season, the Premiership title isn’t far away.

Manchester City:- Nearly a £100,000,000 has been spent by Mark Hughes this summer and with every high profile signing that has arrived, pressure has added from the fans, and owners and the football world that this team can be the first since Everton to break the top four. Yes Everton have yet to finish that high since, but this City side with its star-studded line-up have the capabilities to stay there for the foreseeable future. My only worry is the lack of experience in winning league titles that the squad have. Only Kolo Toure and Carlos Tevez have won a Premiership title as a player, while Mark Hughes won it as a player with neighbours United. Hughes turned around a struggling Blackburn side and took them into Europe, but he now has a bigger challenge to convert a mid-table side into Premiership contenders. Top four a bridge too far for the Eastlands club.

Manchester United:- As if attempting to win a forth successive Premiership title was hard enough, United will have to do it without both Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. Replacing the hefty amount of goals that the Portuguese International contributed will be the first port of call for Sir Alex Ferguson. Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia have come in to replace the duo, but it’s unsure as yet whether they can step in to guide United to yet another Premeirship title. The loss of both Edwin Van Der Sar and Nemanja Vidic for the beginning of the season is a big one, given United’s predictably slow start. The side’s loses have been the worst of the top four and seeing them at the top of league in May is a difficult thing to see.

Portsmouth:- With all the focus on the club’s possible takeover it’s important to remember the awful loses the team have encountered. Last season’s top scorer Peter Crouch has gone to Tottenham, Glen Johnson has moved to Liverpool and Sol Campbell’s contract has run out forcing him to leave as well. Add to that the appointment of Paul Hart as manager and you’ve got a recipe for disaster at Fratton Park. The exits don’t seem like letting up, and as for Hart, a man who barely kept the club up last season, he’s sure to struggle over a whole season in the Premiership. With a wafer thin squad, no money available and an inexperienced manager at the helm relegation seems a certainty.

Stoke City:- After finishing six points above the relegation zone last season Tony Pulis might have been worrying about how ‘second season syndrome’ might affect his squad this season. To prevent that Dean Whitehead has been brought for £3,000,000, and he should add a bit of stylishness to the Potters midfield. Additions to the squad though have halted at the former Sunderland midfielder, and the squad will be basically the same one that beat off relegation last season. Teams will have adapted to Stoke’s long throw tactics and being found out, particular at home will worry Pulis. James Beattie’s goals will be crucial in keeping the side afloat.

Sunderland:- This time last season under Roy Keane’s management the fans at the Stadium of Light had high hops of a top eight finish after signing the likes of Djibril Cisse in the close season. Now with Steve Bruce preparing to re-build a club who came within a whisker of relegation, hopes of mid-table are just as high after a number of big money buys. Darren Bent, Lee Cattermole and Frazer Campbell have signed for big fees to bolster the squad. Add to that the return to full fitness of Kenwyne Jones and the Black Cats can be considered contenders for a top half finish, under Bruce, a manager who is well equipped to turn the club around.

Tottenham Hotspur:- Harry Redknapp first summer at White Hart Lane has been an eventful one. Peter Crouch has been signed again by Redknapp, along with Sebastien Bassong and Sheffield United pair Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker. Walker will return to Sheffield on loan, while Basong and Naughton will bolster what has been a struggling defence in recent times. Jonathan Woodgate looks set to miss the beginning of the season, and with concerns always surrounding the fitness of Ledley King, Redknapp’s defensive minded signings are shrewd enough to consider Spurs as top half contenders. Crouch will link up with Jermaine Defoe as he did at Portsmouth, but his partnership with Robbie Keane, who loves playing with a taller player up front, could push Spurs into the top eight.

West Ham United:- A lack of funds at Upton Park has restricted the activity in the transfer window this summer. However Gianfranco Zola has an excellent squad at his disposal already and with Dean Ashton set to return for the new season along with Carlton Cole another top half finish could be possible. Cole stepped up with more goals in the second half of the season to replace the goal threat of the departed Craig Bellamy. Lucas Neill has failed to renew his deal however and he’ll be a big loss for the Hammers. Finishing higher than last season’s ninth might be a big ask however, as their opponents continue to improve.

Wigan Athletic:- Roberto Martinez has been trusted in bringing his passing football game, that he developed at Swansea City, to Wigan Athletic in the Premiership. However without the same elegant players available at the DW Stadium it might be difficult to translate his fast passed playing style. The loss of Antonio Valencia and Lee Catermole is hugely decisive, but Martinez has replaced Emile Heskey who departed in January with Jason Scotland. Scotland’s strength and quality with his back to goal is similar to that of Heskey, but his transition into the Premiership from the Championship will have to be instant. Scott Sinclair has joined his eighth club in four years, to continue his apprenticeship away from Chelsea, while Jordi Gomez is another ex Swansea player to join Martinez at his new club. However with Martinez signing players who are unproven in the Premiership his transfer deals are a slight gamble. Survival must be the team’s ambition.

Wolverhampton Wanderers:- Mick McCarthy had a difficult time the last time he was promoted into the Premiership. With Sunderland he was sacked as manager in March after an awful season at the Stadium of Light. The club eventually finished with just 15 points, but with the squad that McCarthy has at Molineux and the money he’s had to spend, not a luxury he had while at Sunderland, could help keep the team in the league on this occasion. Kevin Doyle adds to an impressive goal threat, Andrew Surman will brings goals from mid-field as well as the ability to fill in at full back and Marcus Hahnemann will compete for the Number 1 jersey. Michael Mancienne returns on loan from Chelsea for another season in maybe the most crucial of all their transfer dealings. Survival is realistic.

Champions: Liverpool
Champions League: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal
Europa League: Manchester City, Tottenham Hotsphur, (Aston Villa)
Relegated: Portsmouth, Hull City, Burnley