Another season in the EPL is upon us and this one is building up to be a cracker. After the 2012-13 season which saw Manchester United come out on top in a somewhat mellow fashion we now have a new season to look forward to which is building up to be a very tight contest at the top. We have a Manchester United side looking to defend their title with a new manager in the form of the very capable David Moyes. Their nearest rivals in Manchester City and Chelsea also have new faces at the helm in the form of former Malaga manager Pellegrini and the returning special one Mourinho. In addition to this we have stability, in respect to management, in the form of arch rivals Arsenal and Tottenham who finished in 4th and 5th last season. Add further to this an Everton side on the improve and a Liverpool team spending wisely on young talent and it certainly gives us the impression that this season is shaping up to be one of the most nail-biting yet.
At the other end of the table it’s good to see newly promoted sides in Cardiff, Crystal Palace, and Hull City join the top flight with Cardiff hitting the big time for the first time. Cardiff will be of particular interest given their rivalry with fellow Welsh side Swansea which adds to the extensive list of derby’s pencilled in by fans throughout the season. It remains to be seen who of these 3 sides can survive the drop given the surviving teams above them all look stronger as is the case every season on paper at least. What will be clear is that any side from top to bottom is capable of going on a poor run of form which will open up the door for these bottom sides to push for survival and add to the theatre of this upcoming season.
Arsenal
It was a tight finish for the Gunners last season when they managed to secure 4th spot on the final day with a win over Newcastle which in turn sealed rivals Tottenham’s fate to finish in 5th. Considering the loss of RVP, it was a solid season for Arsenal to finish in 4th for another year of Champion’s league football, but on the other hand it’s disappointing for many an Arsenal fan who wants their side to be fighting for the title. To push towards that title fight they need to invest to improve their side but they are yet to bring anyone in of significance. They’ve dabbled with the idea of signing Suarez but I for one cannot see that happening.
Despite key personnel losses over the past few years and a lack of new personnel this transfer window they are still a formidable side and are quite even across the pitch. So where do they need to strengthen most? I would argue their weakest link is in-between the sticks. Whilst Scezney is a young keeper with plenty of talent, you can’t help but feel they need a new keeper at the club to compete with him which is probably why Arsenal have been linked with Julio Cesar from QPR. Whilst they are not a side that concedes heavily, there was an interesting stat from last season that points to why this is the most important position for the Gunners heading into 2013/14. Scezney in his first 19 starts of 12/13 had a save percentage of 72.15% which is quite good but he also conceded 22 goals in this time frame. If he can improve, Arsenal will improve – They have the foundations of a strong side everywhere else.
Last season: 4th
Key player(s) for this season: Scezney/GK position – time for Scezney to stamp his authority on the game. Cazorla will also once again be influential.
Aston Villa
The 2012/13 season was a frightful one for Aston Villa given they came very close to being relegated to the Championship. If not for another young Belgium player who well and truly announced himself of the world stage they would have almost certainly dropped down. Christian Benteke’s 19 goals well and truly kept Aston Villa up whilst also keeping former star Darren Bent confined to the bench and ultimately due to be sold this summer. At the other end of the pitch though, Brad Guzan was almost as critical to Villa’s survival where he defended his goal valiantly and will be a critical component to their success this season.
It was often pointed out as a weakness throughout last season that Villa’s average age was quite young and inexperienced which resulted in a susceptibility to cracking under pressure. Perhaps this is a fair statement for last season but it should be different this year as the young players that played week in week out under Lambert would have learnt a great deal and will be better for it. They now know the expectations and demands of playing in the top flight. This should serve them well heading into this season whilst the retaining of Benteke will be a massive boost. He’ll be looking for a repeat of last season as looks to book his place for the World Cup.
Last season: 15th
Key player(s) for this season: Benteke and Guzan
Cardiff
The 2012/13 Championship saw Cardiff crowned champions and earn automatic promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history. With promotion it also brings with it another thrilling rivalry with fellow Welsh side Swansea to add to the many other derby’s we’ll be entertained with throughout the season. Of the 3 sides promoted this season Cardiff is certainly the strongest and are a good chance to survive their first season in the top flight. They’ll be looking to push towards the middle of the table when their rivals finished 11th in their re-entry to the top flight back in the 2010/11 season. They’ll certainly trouble a few sides so don’t be surprised if they do push that high.
Some tidy transfer business has also been completed by Cardiff with the signing of Andreas Cornelius and perhaps the most important being Steven Caulker who has made a somewhat shock switch to the Welsh side. As a Tottenham supporter of many years I was very shocked and disappointed that we let him go as he’s proven over the last 2 seasons with Swansea and Spurs that he can certainly play in the big time. He has huge potential to be one of the top centre-halves in the Premier league and his experience will be very important. Cornelius is another decent signing and adds depth to their striking department and is coming off a good season with Copenhagen where he scored 18 goals from 32 appearances – it’ll be interesting to see how successful he can be in the Premier league though.
Last season: Winners of the English Championship.
Key player(s) for this season: Caulker’s top flight experience will be paramount. He can also score goals from set pieces.
Chelsea
Chelsea fans will be excited given their favourite manager in Mourinho has returned to the helm after a short but successful stint at Real Madrid. It’ll be interesting to see if he can get his side off to a solid start as well as what his best XI will be given he has brought in some talented youngsters in Schurrle and Van Ginkel. These two certainly add to their depth of attacking minded midfielders with the likes of Hazard, Oscar, Mata, Lampard, De Bruyne and Moses on the books already. Whilst there hasn’t been a massive marquee signing so far, the business they have done looks good. The return from loan of Michael Essien will also be important as he’ll provide another option for that defensive midfield spot which looked a little light on last season.
A lot of people will be calling for a big name striker to join the club but to me they have some solid attacking options in Ba, Torres, and the returning Lukaku who looked menacing at times on loan at West Brom. Assuming Lukaku isn’t loaned out again, he will be like a new signing. More importantly he has the hunger to succeed at Chelsea. If he can replicate at the very least the form he showed at West Brom, there shouldn’t be the need to sign another striker at this stage unless of course Torres leaves which is a possibility.
There is no question about the talent at Chelsea and they will certainly be up there fighting it out for the title. Some might say a new manager brings its challenges for a team adapting to the new regime and game plan but for the vast majority of this Chelsea side this sort of change isn’t new and it shouldn’t really affect them. If anything, the return of Mourinho will bring a greater belief within this side and they will be up there in the title fight.
Last season: 3rd
Key player(s) for this season: Lukaku – this is his chance to shine and show he can be the “Drogba” replacement.
Crystal Palace
It was a fantastic effort for Crystal palace to gain promotion with a win over Watford in the playoff final and it sees them back in the top flight for the first time since the 2004/05 season. They’ll be hoping this season will be a more successful return given they were relegated by a point the last time, but it’s certainly going to be a long and tough road ahead for them. The issue as always for clubs coming up is that despite the financial windfall, it’s often very difficult to attract top class players during the transfer windows. On the flipside though is you have a team that has a “nothing to lose” attitude and they’ll be on a high being back in the top flight.
The transfer window has been relatively good so far for a bottom tier side with the likes of Dwight Gayle, Elliot Grandin, & Campana all joining. With the loss of Zaha to Manchester United, finding players to replace his talent will go a long way to their survival. The signing of striker Dwight Gayle is a good one as he’s young, strong, & quick – he’ll need all these attributes to be a success in the top flight. His 13 goals from 29 appearances for Peterborough in the Championship is a solid return and he’ll be looking to repay the faith after his £8 million move. If they can sign a decent centre-half to provide some support in front of Speroni and some added midfield options they may have a chance of survival.
All in all though, it’s looking like it’s going to be a very long season ahead and it could well end the same as their last visit in the top flight.
Last season: 5th in the Championship – beat Watford in the playoff final to gain promotion
Key player(s) for this season: Speroni & Gayle
Everton
Like a number of clubs this season, Everton enter a new era under the management of Roberto Martinez the former Wigan manager after David Moyes left for Manchester United. He certainly has his work cut out for him this season and the expectations will be much higher at a club that will be competing for a Europa league spot. They are coming of a strong season where they finished 6th behind Tottenham so there’ll be a lot of confidence heading into this season that they know they can trouble any side. It’ll be interesting to see how they play under Martinez and how quickly they can adjust to his game plan. I suspect they’ll pick things up relatively quickly from where they left off.
From a transfer perspective they have done some tidy work so far and have certainly added some depth to an already solid side. The two most notable additions are Kone from Wigan and the loan signing of Deulofeu from Barcelona. Their forward attacking options were perhaps a little lacking so the signing of Kone will add some good firepower upfront. Deulofeu is a young but highly talented winger that will provide competition to Pienaar and Mirallas in the wide positions. One area where they do need strengthening is in central defence and if the rumours of a bid for Alderweireld are true then he’d be a fantastic addition and would certainly help them in their push for a Europa spot. The loss of Moyes could be telling though and there could be an adjustment period under Martinez which sees them slide a little from their 6th place finish in 2012/13.
Last season: 6th
Key player(s) for this season: Kone – just the striking power they need whilst adding to their attacking depth. If Fellaini remains, he’ll also be a key for drive through central midfield whilst being a huge goal scoring threat.
Fulham
Fulham had a somewhat up and down season last year and really would have finished in a much lower position if not for the brilliance of Berbatov with his 15 goals. Thinking back to two key players in Dempsey and Dembele who both left for Tottenham in last summer’s transfer window, you could safely assume they would have finished in the top 10. The loss of those two players put them on the back foot for the season and though at times they played some good football, they never really recovered from it.
So heading into 2013/14 Fulham will be optimistic about their season ahead. They have lost a key keeper in Mark Schwarzer who left for Chelsea, though they have replaced him with Steklenberg from Roma who is a more than suitable replacement. They also have a new owner in Shahid Khan though it remains to be seen how heavily he will invest in his new team, for this season at least. One signing that they are looking at completing is for Darren Bent from Aston Villa who could be a solid addition if it comes through. Bent would provide some extra goal scoring support for Berbatov up front and whilst he might not set the football world alight, he’ll be solid enough.
It’s hard to see Fulham pressing much higher than their finish last season at this stage. If they end up brining in the likes of Taraabt on loan from QPR (Whom they have been linked with) they could push towards top 10, though I can’t see them doing so with a number of other sides looking a little stronger at this stage.
Last season: 12th
Key player(s) for this season: Berbatov once again whilst Steklenberg is capable, he has big boots to fill between the sticks.
Hull City
The runner’s up to Cardiff City in the Championship last season venture their way into the top flight for the first time since 2008/09. Their 08/09 season proved relatively successful as they managed to finish 17th and survive relegation by a point and they’ll be hoping they can achieve that again as a minimum. Much of Hull’s chances will rely on a similar mindset to Crystal Palace in that they need to take a nothing to lose approach into this season. If they look back to their 2008/09 season they’ll be hoping they get off to a flyer where after 9 games they were sitting 3rd with 6 wins against the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham, & Newcastle. But from here it’s where it all fell apart and they only got 2 more wins for the remainder of the season which just goes to show how tough this league is in sustaining form.
Heading into the 2013/14 season, Hull have dabbled in the transfer market without making too much of a splash. Perhaps the most significant signing so far would be Danny Graham on loan from Sunderland. Whilst he is not the best striker going around, he will provide a focal point for them. Additionally he has experience in a side that has been newly promoted when he was with Swansea during their first premier league campaign. Another decent looking signing is that of Yannick Sagbo to provide further attacking depth. Encouragingly he scored for the Tigers in their recent pre-season game against Dynamo Dresden and Hull City fans will be hoping for more. Manager Steve Bruce is hoping for a Premier League debut in the form of Christian Benteke from Sagbo. If he can emulate half of what Benteke accomplished then they could push for survival, otherwise it’s looking like a long season indeed.
Last season: Runner’s up behind Cardiff in the Championship.
Key player(s) for this season: Captain Robert Koren will be an important cog in the midfield engine room.
Liverpool
Liverpool have been in a rebuilding for the best part of 2 years and perhaps this season they’ll be optimistic that they can now push for a top 4 spot where they belong. Finishing last season in 7th and behind Everton would be somewhat of a disappointment but many Liverpool fans would know they would have to go through a little bit of a rough patch before again pushing towards the top. Key to their success this season will be to keep hold of Suarez even though he cannot feature in their first 6 games due to suspension. As such it’ll be an interesting start to the season for Liverpool without their prolific striker and even more so if it becomes permanent if he does get sold.
Brendan Rodgers has certainly been busy in the transfer window albeit without singing any world class players perhaps with the exception of Mignolet from Sunderland. Other notable additions have been Kolo Toure on a free as defensive cover, and Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto as additional forward options. It seems they now have a wealth of options up forward with Borini, Sturridge, Suarez, Iago Aspas, and Luis Alberto. From the outside it seems like they are just signing the same type of player with plenty of these wide type players now in the club. For me they need to sign at least another solid central midfielder type as so far Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson have not lived up to their high price tags.
One thing for sure is that Liverpool will be one of the most enjoyable sides to watch this season with the likes of Coutinho to build on his sensational Liverpool career so far. Look for an improving Liverpool side this year.
Last season: 7th
Key player(s) for this season: Suarez will be key if he’s still there. His link up play with Coutinho last season makes their partnership this season all the more tantalising.
Manchester City
The 2011/12 Champions were a shadow of their title winning season in last year and they’ll be highly motivated to challenge for the title this year. Though this year is looking a lot tougher with their main competition not coming from just Manchester United but also a resurgent looking Chelsea and Mourinho. Perhaps the clearest way to indicate how they dropped the title last year is purely on goals. In 2011/12 they combined for a total of 93 goals whilst only conceding 29. Last season their output dropped to 66 goals whilst conceding 34. When you compare this to Man United’s last two seasons, they finished with 89 goals in 11/12 and then 86 in 12/13. Perhaps this can largely be put down to the injury woes on Aguero where in their title winning season he smashed in 23 goals from 31 appearances but last year only managed 12 from his 22 appearances.
With the departures of Tevez and Balotelli, the need for extra striking power was certainly needed. The acquisitions of Negredo and Jovetic will certainly provide new manager Pelligrini options but are arguably not of the same calibre. However when you add in the signings of Fernandinho and Jesus Navas it’s certainly evident they have strengthened albeit not to the usual extent that we have come to expect of City – a Cavani would have been good to see in the Premier League. We should see a much rejuvenated Man City side this season and one that will be fighting all the way for the title as long as they can keep their injuries to key players to a minimum.
Last season: 2nd
Key player(s) for this season: Yaya Toure will be pivotal in midfield whilst they’ll be hoping Aguero can stay fit and replicate his 2011/12 form.
Manchester United
Having won the Premier League title for a 20th time it wasn’t all that surprising to anyone to see Sir Alex Ferguson retire from Management and take a back seat role at the club. Without taking anything away from Manchester United, winning the league by 11 points was perhaps more a reflection on the drop in form from Manchester City. One thing we can’t argue with is RVPs 26 goals and he’ll no doubt be up there again this season.
Whilst they are yet to make a big signing in this transfer window, there really isn’t a major need to do so as yet unless of course the Rooney to Chelsea transfer goes through. Fabregas is another name being touted though it’s difficult to see him wanting to leave Barcelona or Barcelona even wanting to let him go. Regardless, United are strong all over the park with new additions only to strengthen them further. One thing they don’t need to buy is belief and they have loads of it at Old Trafford and they’ll certainly need that this season under new manager David Moyes. It’s going to be a massive ask for Moyes to win a title in his first season in charge with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City nipping at their heels.
Last season: 1st
Key player(s) for this season: RVP. If he didn’t join United last season, the title race would have been much closer.
Newcastle
It was a tough season for Newcastle in 2012/13 where they flirted with relegation a numerous occasions. This can largely be attributed to key injuries to the likes of Tiote, Krul, Coloccini and Ben Arfa to name a few. When you lose players like these for any length of time it can certainly have a profound effect on the team. Add to this the loss of Demba Ba to Chelsea in the January transfer window and it’s easy to see why they flirted with relegation. If they can get all their key players fit and firing for the start of the season they have enough talent to push back up towards the top 7 or 8 sides. After all it was only in 2011/12 that they finished in a hugely impressive 5th spot.
I wasn’t surprised to learn that Newcastle have just signed another French player in Loic Remy on loan from QPR. We know they’ve been flirting with the idea of taking Darren Bent from Villa as a Demba Ba replacement and cover for Cisse, but Remy is a much better option. He’s got pace, can play out wide, and showed he can score goals in the top flight when he scored 6 from 14 games with struggling QPR.
Last season: 16th
Key player(s) for this season: Cabaye will be important creatively in midfield assuming he isn’t nabbed from another club late in the transfer window.
Norwich
Norwich had some brilliant patches of form last season where at one stage they were undefeated in 10 games but they also had some horror patches to go with it which resulted in only 4 wins from January. They showed their giant killer instinct with wins over Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City. The main problem was they couldn’t replicate this form against similar and perhaps lower opposition.
Norwich has certainly made a signal of intent for this season by signing some talented footballers which should, on paper at least, assist them to push towards a top 10 finish this season. The likes of Van Wolfswinkel (20 goals from 41 games in all comps for Sporting Lisbon last season), Gary Hooper, Leroy Fer, and Martin Olsson are all excellent additions to this Norwich side whilst the signing of Nathan Redmond from Birmingham is also a decent bit of business. The departure of Grant Holt would have been a disappointment to Norwich fans but their new front line looks really impressive with Hooper and Van Wolfswinkel lining up together, though whether they’ll both play together is another thing. Either way it’s looking to be a pretty exciting season for Norwich.
Last season: 11th
Key player(s) for this season: Snodgrass will be the spark for creating chances at set pieces as well as out wide on the flanks. Redmond is one to watch this season.
Southampton
Southampton look to be in very good hands under Pocchettino for the upcoming season. Their start to the 2012/13 campaign was terrible and with only the 5 points from their first 11 games they looked destined for relegation. With only 3 more wins to come by the end of December it was only a matter of time that Adkins would be sacked and Pocchettino would be brought in to replace him. The second half of the season saw a much improved Southampton side where they managed some big upsets over Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea. With this renewed confidence under their belts they rounded out the season well to finish in a decent 14th place.
Heading into 2013/14 the Saints will be looking to consolidate their position towards the middle of the table. With the likes of Wanyama joining from Celtic and Lovren from Lyon, they have certainly added some talent to push them towards that goal. Lovern will help improve a defense that let through 60 goals whilst Wanyama is somewhat of a coup signing though is not surprising given their signing of Gaston Ramierz last season. There’s plenty of talent in this side and one to really watch out for will be Luke Shaw to see if he can improve again on a really impressive season in 2012/13
Last season: 14th
Key player(s) for this season: The Saint’s player of the season Morgan Schneiderlin will again be an important midfield cog. His scoring capabilities with 8 goals was a great return.
Stoke
It could be much of the same for Stoke this season albeit further down the table. Stoke has one of the better and more stubborn defences in the league but when you couple that with one of the lesser attacking sides it doesn’t bode well for the 2013/14 season. The introduction of Mark Hughes was also a surprise to many considering his torrid time at QPR. Stoke’s first 20 games saw them only lose 3 times and only concede 17 goals which put them in a very strong position for the second half of the season. 2013 was a different story where they lost 11 of their last 18 games and were looking likely to be relegated if not for two wins in a row near the end of the season over QPR and Norwich.
It’s obvious where Stoke need to strengthen but so far they have been unable to buy any creative, attacking type players. Their only notable inclusion is fullback Erik Peiters from PSV who will improve their defence a little more. They’ve been linked to a number of attacking players but thus far nothing concrete has come through. If they can sign Sinclair from Manchester City on loan and perhaps manage an unlikely signing in the form of Defoe from Spurs they can be a little more optimistic, but at this stage it’s looking like it’s going to be a very tough season for Stoke. They just seem too one dimensional and for me I just can’t see where their goals are going to come from. Once again they may have to rely on their defence to survive.
Last season: 13th
Key player(s) for this season: The Huth and Shawcross partnership in the heart of their defence will once again be critical to their success.
Sunderland
The Black Cats should have some better luck this season and so far the signs are pointing to a much improved performance this season than their poor finish to 2012/13 where they just managed to survive the drop. For the most part their start to the 2012/13 season was quite solid being undefeated in their first 5 games with 4 draws and a win. Steven Fletcher was their standout with 5 goals in 4 games for his new club. From here they kind of lost their way and found goals hard to come by finishing with 41 for the season equal with Norwich (Only QPR & Stoke scored less).
Though they have lost one of their best players in Simon Mignolet, Sunderland can be a little more optimistic looking ahead to the 2013/14 season. They have done some tidy business in this transfer window. The best of their signings looks to be Italian International Giaccherini from Juventus who will provide some much needed creativity in midfield and relieve some of the pressure on Adam Johnson to provide that creative spark. Another signing which is a little more interesting is that of Jozy Altidore. The American didn’t have the best of experiences in his last taste of Premier League football, but this time around he seems like he’s ready to make a bit more of an impact. Transferring from Az Alkmaar, he had a stellar season scoring 23 goals in 21 appearances – If he can get close to half of that tally this season it’ll be a success in my eyes. Perhaps the weakness of this side is in-between the sticks with Mannone who transferred from Arsenal. Whilst still relatively young at the age of 25, he has time to improve but has big boots to fill in the departed Mignolet. Still expect improvement from this side under Di Canio.
Last season: 17th
Key player(s) for this season: Mannone is far from their best player but his performances will be crucial to their success.
Swansea
Much like West Brom, Swansea was a very impressive side in 2012/13 thanks largely to the revelation that was Michu. For a relative unknown to announce himself in the Premier League with 18 goals was really just incredible. Whether he can repeat that form in 13/14 will be interesting but that will largely depend on the partnership he forms with new £12,000,000 signing Wilfried Bony. Bony looks to be an excellent signing for Swansea and will help them go a long way to establishing the Welsh side in the top 10 for years to come. He’s already started the scoring for Swansea with a brace in their Europa league qualifier against Malmo whilst not forgetting his 31 league goals for Vitesse last season.
This season will be a long and perhaps unknown road for Swansea with the added dimension of Europa League competition (assuming they qualify). They’ll need to ensure they have manage their squad effectively to ensure players don’t burnout. There is no questioning Laudrup’s credentials as a manager and he’ll know the demands of European football better than most but the question remains over Swansea’s depth. They’ll need to ensure they have a healthy balance between maintaining their top 10 finish last season whilst also having a splash in the Europa league as in all likelihood they won’t be there next season.
Last season: 9th
Key player(s) for this season: The Michu & Bony partnership will be very interesting to see how that develops. Williams as always will be the key in their defensive efforts and Swansea fans will be hoping he is not prised away from a side like Arsenal this transfer window.
Tottenham
Tottenham just can’t seem to get the luck they need to gain a top 4 spot. Coming off their best ever points tally you’d think they would have captured that 4th spot but perhaps this is more of a reflection on the growing gap between the top of the table in the middle of the table. It was a fantastic season for one player in particular in Gareth Bale. It’s interesting but hardly surprising that he scored the match winning goal on 9 occasions for Spurs with the next best being RVP on 6. And with such a phenomenal season behind him where he scored 21 times in the Premier League, it’s no surprise that the likelihood of a childhood dream transfer to Real Madrid could be completed in the coming days if you believe the rumours.
So the question now is assuming that Bale leaves this summer, can Tottenham fight for top 4? On paper it’s certainly possible considering the amount of money he could potentially go for. The problem would be they have little time to bring in the players they’d need whilst also having to allow for integration into the team and AVBs tactics – for this reason it could be difficult early on in the season. If Bale miraculously stays and with the likes of Paulinho, Soldado and Chadli all signed so far, it looks a very strong chance they’ll make 3rd of 4th spot at the very least. The major problem at the moment is that their central defence. Dawson and Vertonghen are under injury clouds whilst Kaboul is returning from a long injury layoff. Then there is Steven Caulker who has since been sold to Cardiff which is mind boggling considering the situation they find themselves in. It could be an interesting opening game against Crystal Palace.
Last season: 5th
Key player(s) for this season: Soldado will be the key especially if Bale leaves. Plenty of pressure on him to perform.
West Brom
The Baggies had a fantastic season in 2012/13 when they had their best finish since the 1981 season when they finished 8th. Their season was largely built on a brilliant first 13 games where they only lost 3 times whilst compiling 8 wins. Their second half of the season was their downfall where they only managed 4 wins in 2013. This season may follow that trend as they won’t have Chelsea man Lukaku who amassed 17 goals which included a hat-trick against Manchester United in their final game. He looks to be a key for Chelsea this season given his form for West Brom.
There is no doubt that the Baggies take plenty of confidence into the new season knowing they are capable of a strong start but with the departure of Lukaku it’s hard to see them reaching the same heights. It was interesting to hear that they had signed Anelka for the 2013/14 season and at the very least it’ll ensure they sell a few more shirts. This will be Anelka’s 6th club in the Premier League and at 34 he’ll provide an added option up front. Although he scored a brace in a recent preseason game against Greek side Aromitos, I can’t see him replacing the 17 goals of Lukaku. Apart from Anelka they have yet to make a real splash in the transfer market compared to mid table rivals in Norwich, Southampton, West Ham, Swansea etc. They’ll trouble a few sides but it’s looking like they could slide down to the bottom half this season albeit for a few transfer coups.
Last season: 8th
Key player(s) for this season: Shane Long & Ben Foster
West Ham
Ambitions will be high after a strong season for the Hammer’s last year. With the loan signing of Andy Carroll now permanent, they can look to build a side around the much maligned striker. Whilst Carroll wasn’t brilliant last season, he certainly started to show signs of his Newcastle days and far improved from his horrid time at Liverpool. If he can build on his 7 goal tally last year and push to get this to around the 13-16 goal mark then he’ll be well worth the money the Hammers would have forked out for him and he could certainly push them back around the 10th spot.
To get back to that 10th spot they’ll need to do some more strengthening in the transfer market before it closes. The positive is that they can now build a side around Carroll which in turn will give him plenty of confidence. The sides that finished around them last year in the likes of West Brom (8th), Swansea (9th), & Norwich (11th) have all done some tidy transfers which makes for some stiff competition around the middle of the table. The Hammer’s should pick up plenty of points at home and look good to finish in the top 10 this season.
Last season: 10th
Key player(s) for this season: Time for Carroll to really shine. Nolan as always will be important as a leader and for his goal scoring ability.
My Predicted table for 2013/14
1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Manchester City
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham
6. Liverpool
7. Swansea
8. Everton
9. West Ham
10. Newcastle
11. Aston Villa
12. Southampton
13. Sunderland
14. Norwich
15. Fulham
16. West Brom
17. Cardiff City
18. Stoke
19. Crystal Palace
20. Hull City
