Who Will Finish Where?
As the new season gets underway it’s fair to say that the new season brings with it a fair amount of change. Last season’s top scorer, Luis Suarez, has left for Barcelona. Louis van Gaal has taken over the Old Trafford hot-seat whilst Jose Mourinho has brought in La Liga stars Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa.
Arsenal have spent big, by their own standards at least, Southampton have lost the nucleus of the side that did so well last term and watched as manager Maurico Pochettino left to replace Tim Sherwood as Tottenham boss
Brendan Rodgers has spent big to compensate for the loss of Suarez whilst Man City have also improved their squad.
Here is a look at how the final table may look come May 24th 2015.
20th – Burnley
Everyone is predicting that the Clarets will be the whipping boys in 2014/15 and that prediction isn’t made out of spite, merely an inevitable outcome for the Turf Moor side. Boss Sean Dyche has a mountain to climb and the signings he has made this summer don’t look likely to prevent anything other than a instant return to the Championship.
19th – West Brom
Alan Irvine has taken the reins at the Hawthorns and the Baggies look set for a testing campaign. The club saw fit to invest £10m in relatively unknown striker Brown Ideye and one can see West Brom struggling to find the back of the net though the acquisition of Joleon Lescott was a wise one.
18th – Swansea City
Garry Monk has lost Michu, Ben Davies and Michel Vorm and is unlikely to retain loaned in midfielder Jonathan de Guzman after his World Cup exploits, similarly there is every chance Wilfried Bony will be on his way out and the Liberty Stadium side will struggle to retain their top tier status in 2014/15.
17th – Leicester City
Nigel Peason has the financial backing required to keep his Championship winning side in the Premier League with the Foxes spending a club record fee to bring in Brighton forward Leonardo Ulloa whilst experienced performers like Matthew Upson and Aston Villa winger Marc Albrighton should also help to scrape points where possible.
16th – Aston Villa
Paul Lambert has had no funds to invest in the transfer window and surely no one can believe the free transfer additions of Joe Cole and Philippe Senderos as being the level of player to really add anything in the way of quality to an already average squad.
15th – Southampton
Ronald Koeman has lost a host of talents and has struggled to replace those joining the Premier League’s elite with those who can ably replace them. Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Calum Chambers have all moved on and having lost the nucleus of the side that helped the Saints to a superb top half finish it’s only fair to assume a season of struggles is on the cards.
14th – Crystal Palace
Though Tony Pulis has surprisingly left the club one imagines the Eagles have enough to retain their top tier status being one season wiser and more experienced in the travails of life in the Premier League. Solid defensive additions of Brede Hangeland and Martin Kelly will help to solidify things at the back and the Eagles faithful will hope Frazier Campbell can deliver the goods up front.
13th – QPR
Harry Redknapp has done well to bring in some top quality additions to help prevent an instant return to the Championship. The centre-back pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Steven Caulker is on paper a very strong one and if Loic Remy remains at Loftus Road then the Super Hoops have a first class finisher to ‘do the business’ in the final third.
12th – Hull City
Steve Bruce enjoyed a fair bit of success in 2013/14, reaching the FA Cup final and steadfastly staying clear of a relegation dog-fight. The Tigers boss has invested well this summer to bring in talented English winger Tom Ince as well as Jake Livermore and Robert Snodgrass. Ideally the KC Stadium side would be knocked out early in the Europa League so as to not impinge on their Premier League campaign.
11th – West Ham
Boss Sam Allardyce, who appears constantly under-fire for no real good reason, has spent well this summer and the club’s board has certainly backed their manager. World Cup hero Enner Valencia should boost things up front, and Cheikhou Kouyate should offer some steel in the centre of the park. Expect a season of consolidation this term.
10th – Sunderland
Gus Poyet pulled off the great escape last term and will build on that success in 2014/15 and the additions of Jack Rodwell and former Chelsea youngster Patrick van Aanholt will add more quality in potential ‘problem areas’ and if the Black Cats can land long term target Fabio Borini then the north-east side will do just fine.
9th – Newcastle United
Alan Pardew saw last season’s efforts derailed by the January sale of Yohan Cabaye, which led to a real nosedive in form, but owner Mike Ashley has been happy to bankroll the Magpies boss this summer. Newcastle United have signed a number of top quality players and the Toon Army masses will hope the likes of Daryl Janmaat, Remy Cabella, Emmanuel Riviere and Siem de Jong adapt swiftly to life in the Premier League whilst Jack Colback will look to make the most of his contentious move from the Stadium of Light.
8th – Stoke City
Mark Hughes worked wonders last term and his success led to the capture of real quality captures that should help the Potters to solidify their status in mid-table. New strikers Mame Biram Diouf and Bojan should help to improve the Britannia Stadium attack whilst their defence has always proven sturdy and Steve Sidwell should provide a strong defensive midfield presence.
7th – Tottenham
The White Hart Lane side look set for a season of transition, yes another one, as new boss Mauricio Pochettino looks to blend a smattering of new signings with a number of under-performing players brought in by Andre Villas-Boas a year ago. The former Saints manager will hope Dane Christian Eriksen puts in another quality season and may well look to bring in a strong striker signing before the summer is out.
6th – Everton
Roberto Martinez worked wonders in his first season in charge of the Toffees, mounting a genuine top four push, and one can expect the Goodison Park side to do likewise this term. £28m was invested in Romelu Lukaku and Everton also managed to lure Gareth Barry to the club on a permanent deal and having retained the services of a number of highly desired youngsters, Ross Barkley and John Stones in particular, the future looks rosy.
5th – Liverpool
Liverpool have had a busy summer and whilst Brendan Rodgers has brought in a slew of signings one has to wonder if the club will manage to make up for the loss of Luis Suarez. Of the myriad of players brought in by the Northern Irish boss the likes of Divock Origi (loaned back to Lille), Lazar Markovic (possibly too young to make a real impact in 2014/15) and Emre Can are clearly long term prospects. Saints trio Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren will look to provide quality in their respective areas but I can see the Merseyside outfit faltering this term.
4th – Man City
Though Manuel Pellegrini has strengthened his defence with the big money signing of Eliaquim Mangala and retained all his top talents it’s the attitude and commitment of star-turn Yaya Toure that could make or break the Etihad Stadium side’s season. The Ivory Coast powerhouse was arguably one of the best five players on the planet in 2013/14 but he has seemingly fallen out with the club and this could lead to a disrupted dressing room that scuppers the club’s efforts to clinch another Premier League title.
3rd – Arsenal
Arsenal have spent well and haven’t felt the need to sell any of their top talents after the north London club ‘turned the corner’ with the morale boosting end to their silverware drought courtesy of their FA Cup final triumph against Hull City. Alexis Sanchez’s arrival significantly improves the options open to Arsene Wenger in the final third whilst Mathieu Debuchy ably replaced Bacary Sagna, David Ospina is a solid back-up keeper and Calum Chamber is one for tomorrow who is more than able to make an impact today. Possibly one or two signings shy of a proper Premier League push.
2nd – Chelsea
Jose Mourinho had an average first season back at the Bridge, by his own very high standards at least, but the Chelsea manager has done excellently well to sell those he didn’t deem worthy of a spot in his side (Romelu Lukaku, David Luiz and Demba Ba) to fund the captures of Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and Diego Costa. The return of Didier Drogba is an intelligent short term move whilst the ushering in of Thibaut Courtois shows the west London side are in good stead in the long term.
1st – Man United
Louis van Gaal to provide the impetus to a real return to form following a disastrous, but brief, spell under David Moyes? Yes, I think so. Though Man United finish seventh last term it’s clear their squad was by no means a poor one, after all it was the squad that happily triumphed in 2012/13.
The arrival of a hard task master, and a proven winner, will do wonders for the Old Trafford outfit and the addition of Ander Herrera promises to be a masterstroke. If the club can snap up either Arturo Vidal or Angel di Maria in the final days of transfer window then that would further aid their push.
No European involvement will certainly benefit Man United’s chances of domestic title success.
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