Anyone keeping tabs on the new PL season coming up on the 16th?

Also, my Top 6 predictions:
1) Liverpool. Man United losing C. Ronaldo will affect them. All Liverpool needs to do is perform the same way as they did last season, and they should be able their first PL title, most likely on the last day of the season.
2) Man Utd. Now, it's widely understood that Sir Alex is a genius, and he will most likely get a Ronaldo-less team going quite nicely. But replacing Ronaldo's goal scoring attributes will be tough to do, and it will take time. I could see them win the next year, but not this year.
3) Chelsea. They'll finish 3rd because their back four isn't very convincing IMO. Please sell Terry and buy someone better!!!!
4) Arsenal. The youngsters just won't be able to move up if they can't get solid buys for a central midfielder and a tall striker to replace Adebayor. (People should just call it the Top Three from now on.)
5) Man City. Simply because they just bought everyone. Look for high-scoring games because they don't have much of a back four, and an outsider needs a solid back four to reach the Top Four, so they'll be fifth.
6) Everton. It's widely debated with my friends on this one, as they think Tottenham would finish sixth. But I got a man-crush on Tim Cahill, so they get my pick for sixth.

Who's going down?
1) Hull City. Couldn't get anyone.
2) Portsmouth. They lost Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson, and couldn't get anyone.
3) Burnley. I just can't see them staying alive, but it'd be nice if they did.

I also set up a fantasy team on premierleague.com and I'm planning on setting up a fantasy league. So if anyone's interested, send me a PM and i'll give you the details.

Burnley will stay up. Turf Moor is a fortress and will continue to be. Hull City are gone, as Phil Brown couldn't get a chimp to sign on to play striker at this point.

Liverpool will never win anything. Alonso is 95% gone, Mascherano doesn't wan't to stay, they only have 1 striker (Torres) as N'Gog doesn't count since he's a bit shit, as is Dirk Kuyt. Reina is a solid keeper but his defense is not nearly as strong as anyone says. Glen Johnson being heralded as the second coming is akin to the same people who said Veron was a flop. Absolutely untrue. Liverpool are a solid team, but when you come down to it, Rafa is a bit shit so....

Chelsea will stay where they are, but not move forward. The fact that they are trying to bring in Pirlo over Pato, speaks volumes about the stupidity rampant there. An already solid solid midfield doesn't need someone who only functions with tons of time on the ball. Pirlo was tailor made for Serie A, and in the Prem he would struggle. Chelsea also seem resigned to never ever ever ever playing a youth player. I think Franco di Santo got like 2 games last year.

Manchester City and Sparky are doomed to a year of infighting. Bellamy, Robinho, Tevez, and Ade-paymemore in the same dressing room, how I fear for their team of conflict resolvers. Tevez won't get the first team football he craves, and will be exposed as a mercenary. Bellamy will be shunted to Carling Cup duty and will inevitably kick up a fuss. Ade-paymemore will whine about how he must be good since Barca and Milan wanted him. Robinho will probably be the best out of the lot. The fact that their defense is really quite shit means they will be pretty much screwed. Sparky has this year to break the top 5/top 4, whatever you want to call it before the Sheikh gets a little bored, IMO.

Aston Villa will NOT get farther than last year, they needed reinforcements and haven't got them.

Everton will possibly move up and take Arsenal's spot if Wenger doesn't reinvest. His wealth of attacking flair and youth is clear, but currently their central defense is Vermaelan and Gallas (if he isn't having a strop). Sagna and Clichy are solid, but they need the bite in midfield that they may get from Viera, but you wonder if he has 38 Prem games in him at this stage.
David Moyes is a brilliant manager, and with a full strike force, as the YAK is coming back, Jo, Anichebe, and Vaughan will be really good. Cahill is a solid player, Fellaini, if he cuts down the fouls can be even more useful, and they have a solid man in Phil Neville. Lescott may go, but Moyes will get brilliant money for him.

United (of the Manchester variety) will surprise you. Valencia is already looking an astute signing and I reckon Obertan has some tricks in his bag. Nani may not come good, but I guarantee Anderson will. That first goal will kick him into gear. Owen has been pilloried, but he is already striking up a good partnership with Berbatov, and that much football IQ is just striking. Wazza down the middle is always good. Hargreaves will return and add what we were missing at stages last year. And, plus, Vidic will probably kill anybody who comes near the 6 yard.

Chelsea:
Of the big four clubs, the only side that has strengthened this summer by addressing something they were missing last season is Chelsea. What Chelsea lacked last season was quality wide players. Florent Malouda has rounded into form nearing the end of last season and was arguably the best wide player in the league late-on. Joe Cole has also returned from his season-long injury and the addition of Yuri Zhirkov adds another high quality wide player. I find it laughable that you criticize our back four, when the exact same back four conceded the least amount of goals (24) last season. Your comments are evidently unfounded, not based on any proof whatsoever. With his experience in Italy, Ancelotti will prefer his defenders to play defense, unlike Big Phil, who relied heavily on Bosingwa and Ashley bombing forward. Playing the 4-diamond-2, Lamps can play in his preferred position at the tip of the diamond, just off the strikers, Essien can use his amazing strength to push forward playing at the right of the diamond. Flo/Zhirkov will alternate at the left of the diamond and Mikel will play the holding role infront of the back 4. Ballack will also slot into that role, as he's been molded into that type of player for the past year and his passing vision is still phenomenal, similar to Pirlo. I might be biased as a Chelsea fan, but the stats show that we have the BEST back 4 in the league, with 4 of the best midfield players in the world playing their preferred positions and Drogba and Anelka provide a VERY capable strike pair.

Liverpool:
Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso wanting out of Liverpool will only disrupt their chemistry and team spirit. They've already sold Arbeloa to Madrid and haven't really brought in anyone of quality, unless you rate Glen Johnson highly..haha. If one of those two leave, Liverpool will be hard-pressed to finish in the top 3. I don't see how they can repeat their performance from last year, much less improve to win the league. If those two stay, I can see Liverpool finishing second or third.

Man Utd:
The loss of Cristiano Ronaldo will hurt United a lot. They've signed Valencia, who has great potential, but comparing him to Ronaldo would be like comparing Fraizer Campbell to Wayne Rooney. United will need to change their entire style of play this season, to a less attack-minded approach to more defensive style. A lot of that will depend on the return of Hargreaves and his ability to play a solid holding role like Mascherano and Mikel. There are too many uncertainties with the loss of CR7. Can Rooney elevate his play to compensate for the missing goals, will Berbatov prove that his move was not a flop? Can aging Ryan Giggs stand out for another year? Can Anderson and Nani finally elevate their play to warrant first-team action? Can Owen revive his career? With all these questions, it's hard to predict how United will finish, but SAF is a quality manager and if anyone can handle losing one of the best players he's the one.

Predictions:
1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Liverpool

Originally Posted by batman

Aston Villa will NOT get farther than last year, they needed reinforcements and haven't got them.

Strange how they haven't got anyone. They're not struggling with the financial issues like Liverpool, they've got money, and they only used it to get Downing. He's made out of glass, so it's such a waste.

Originally Posted by batman

Everton will possibly move up and take Arsenal's spot if Wenger doesn't reinvest. His wealth of attacking flair and youth is clear, but currently their central defense is Vermaelan and Gallas (if he isn't having a strop). Sagna and Clichy are solid, but they need the bite in midfield that they may get from Viera, but you wonder if he has 38 Prem games in him at this stage.
David Moyes is a brilliant manager, and with a full strike force, as the YAK is coming back, Jo, Anichebe, and Vaughan will be really good. Cahill is a solid player, Fellaini, if he cuts down the fouls can be even more useful, and they have a solid man in Phil Neville. Lescott may go, but Moyes will get brilliant money for him.

I agree. If they weren't so plagued with injuries, they would've got 4th already and go far in Europe. I wouldn't sell Lescott until a better deal comes along.

Originally Posted by _Luu_

...I also set up a fantasy team on premierleague.com and I'm planning on setting up a fantasy league. So if anyone's interested, send me a PM and i'll give you the details.

The season starts on the 16th, so get your teams in!

Actually Carefree, on the contrary United have a chance to play much more attacking and freedom based football then last season. The reason being, Ronaldo was a free role primma donna who never ever tracked back. Hence you had Rooney tracking back/playing on the left or you HAD to get in the ineffective Park to do some defensive work.

Now if I look at it we have a very balanced and effective "team" that doesn't need to rely on one person to get them out of trouble, we will miss Ronaldo no doubt but as a team we are better off. We have a Front two of Berbatov and Rooney with Owen, Wellbeck and Macheda as back ups. Similarly we have balance in the midfield with Nani and Valencia both skillful but hardworking direct wingers. They will bomb down the line, cross and then track back. In the Middle we still have a good choice between Anderson, Hargreaves, Carrick, Giggs, Scholes.

What alot of people also are forgetting is that United still have a huge chunk of the transfer kit left over and Fergie often likes to make his buys later on in the window, so expect one or two more quality players to come in August(Another Striker, Silva or Villa, De Rossi).

Similarly we are in a transition where players like Nani have to step up(which he really has done if you watch the pre-season games in detail) and players like Macheda and WellBeck are showing great promise after breaking through. So we might struggle at first but I am confident we will be there or thereabouts for the title at the end.

As for Liverpool, lol never! They will Lose Alonso; Mascherano might leave to Barcelona or even if he stays his heart is not in it anymore either! Hence the whole two defensive midfielder base that allowed Gerrard & Torres to Roam will no longer be as effective! Plus Rafa is a bit of a loony who destroyed the last years title run with his FAKHT rant.

As far as Chelsea goes John Terry is becoming a liability with is bad back and turning speed of an oil tanker. Carvalho is their main man, if he stays fit the defense will operate properly. Cech still doesn't look anywhere close to recovering from his brain damage. Their Strike force is pretty good, though their ability to dovetail together still seems questionable, Ancellotti isn't the same thing as Hiddink(who was able to find a system where both can play together) and he tended to prefer lone strikers at Milan. Plus they don't have striking depth, Di santo is not a reliable third striker nor is Kalou(he can't play upfront). They should have gotten pato, instead they bought the pedestrian Pirlo who will be slaughtered by the speed of the English Game. Lampard and Essien are class performers, Left side looks pretty good with Zhirkov, the unreliable but talented Malouda and the Lost in transition Joe Cole(Whose Career is pretty much on a downward trajectory ever since he decided to come to Chelsea) but the problem is the Base of the Diamond. Obi Mikel is no makelele, he still hasn't convinced me that he is top 4 quality, Ballack has never and most probably will not hit his Munich Peak. Plus at Munich he was the fulcrum of the Midfield, not the deeplying enforcer.
Chelsea desperately needed some young blood this window instead of over the hill thugs that they are largely populated with. Zhirkov is the sole unproven but good signing(Based on CL and Euro)

Originally Posted by huzaifa47

...Ancellotti isn't the same thing as Hiddink(who was able to find a system where both can play together) and he tended to prefer lone strikers at Milan...

Huge ego fight looming between Anelka and Drogba.

Originally Posted by _Luu_

Huge ego fight looming between Anelka and Drogba.

LOL true, It will really be a trust of Ancelotti's man management skills, also since Anelka got the Top Scorer award last year his ego will become even larger. Drogba isn't the one to sit on the bench either!

Plus the problem with Anelka is that if you drop him he wouldn't fight back for his place, he will just turn into Le Sulk and sit in a corner; that would pretty much be career over for him at Chelsea and he will move on as usual! That is even more likely as I said with his Golden Boot last season!

Why would there be a clash between Drogba and Anelka when Ancelotti has already stated that he will be playing a 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield?

Originally Posted by Carefree

Why would there be a clash between Drogba and Anelka when Ancelotti has already stated that he will be playing a 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield?

lol what do you mean "he will be playing a 442". The last time I checked it is Ancelotti who sets out the formations and lineups! And given his defensive Serie A background he is highly likely to go for one striker. Especially since he loves mercurial midfielders more then out and out strikers so chances are he'll put in Deco and Joe Cole into a five man midfield like at Milan

Originally Posted by huzaifa47

lol what do you mean "he will be playing a 442". The last time I checked it is Ancelotti who sets out the formations and lineups! And given his defensive Serie A background he is highly likely to go for one striker. Especially since he loves mercurial midfielders more then out and out strikers so chances are he'll put in Deco and Joe Cole into a five man midfield like at Milan

Last time I checked Chelsea were not the same team as AC Milan. Ancelotti has stated in press conferences that he wants to use 442. Even at Malouda's resigning conference they confirmed this. Throughout the preseason they've played 442 and I expect them to do so next weekend at Wembley. If 442 doesn't work out then maybe he will revert to what he is comfortable with, but more likely he will revert to what Chelsea is more comforable with: 433.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/englan...ative-midfield

Originally Posted by Carefree

Last time I checked Chelsea were not the same team as AC Milan. Ancelotti has stated in press conferences that he wants to use 442. Even at Malouda's resigning conference they confirmed this. Throughout the preseason they've played 442 and I expect them to do so next weekend at Wembley. If 442 doesn't work out then maybe he will revert to what he is comfortable with, but more likely he will revert to what Chelsea is more comforable with: 433.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/englan...ative-midfield

Look at how many times he mentions "can play behind the striker". The Diamond is just a test formation dependant on the fitness and form of a number of players, if it fails to get results Ancelotti will have no choice but to go back to his 4-3-2-1 or else face the axe like Scholari who didn't have much of a plan B

I hope Ancelotti is smart enough to start Essien over Mikel in the holding midfielder role. Mikel is a hack. Want proof? The Vucinic goal on one of the Chelsea-Roma games in the CL. He just walked around him.

Adebayor was not the best player in arsenal last season, not at all. And after watching preseason games so far, i am totally confident we do not need any more strikers. defense im still wavering on, we lost touré's speed, but we did gain vermaelen's heading ability and communication has been much better when he was on. The dm part still disturbs me. wenger this season looks to be changing to a 4-3-3 with song/denilson as the dm in the midfield 3. song according to wenger does not have the stamina to go the whole season as first choice which means a lot of denilson unfortunatly. if we get a good dm like matuidi or m.diarra we can challenge for the title.

my heats says
1.arsenal
2.villa
3.everton
4.manc
relegated: hull,spurs,wolves

my head says: (if no more exits/entries)
1. pool
2. chavs (italian defending...)
3. manure
4. arsenal
relegated: hull, burnley, wolves

Originally Posted by camais

Adebayor was not the best player in arsenal last season, not at all. And after watching preseason games so far, i am totally confident we do not need any more strikers. defense im still wavering on, we lost touré's speed, but we did gain vermaelen's heading ability and communication has been much better when he was on. The dm part still disturbs me. wenger this season looks to be changing to a 4-3-3 with song/denilson as the dm in the midfield 3. song according to wenger does not have the stamina to go the whole season as first choice which means a lot of denilson unfortunatly. if we get a good dm like matuidi or m.diarra we can challenge for the title.

my heats says
1.arsenal
2.villa
3.everton
4.manc
relegated: hull,spurs,wolves

my head says: (if no more exits/entries)
1. pool
2. chavs (italian defending...)
3. manure
4. arsenal
relegated: hull, burnley, wolves

lol why is it that alot of people think Liverpool are ever going to win the title anytime soon? They just don't have it in them, far too dependant on Gerrard and Torres. Plus Alonso just got sold today, T & G might be the ones in the headlines but in my opinion Alonso was most probably their most important player. Because Gerrard moved to a CF position they needed Creativity from the back, since their wingers are obviously pretty average. Now that he is gone they will have an unmotivaed and unhappy Masch and another random DM. But that DM won't have the Passing abilities of Alonso, who is a pretty unique player!

Plus the Fat Spanish Waiter is rubbish.

As for Arsenal, Vermaelen is completely untested in the PL. He might be a decent header but he could very well turn out to be one of those who cannot adapt to the pace of the Premier League. Plus you forgot to mention Eboue, he might be a douce of a person but he was useful on the right flank simply because he could play both RB and RM. If Walcott Underperforms or gets Injured you don't really have a Right Winger as Plan B. You could move the perma crocket Rosicky or Denilson or Arshavin or Diabolical over there but they aren't Right Wingers!

It's all falling apart pretty much!

I still see a two way between Manutd and Chelski first half of the season and Liverpool thereabouts till midway through second half. Chelsea's midfield could creak to a halt since they have failed to add youth to it!

Also Arsenal REALLY need a striker, Preseason proves nothing. The Season has over 45 games! Van Persie will never play the whole season, Eduardo is pretty prone as well. That leaves the Arrogant"I'm gonna be the best in the world but I cannot Finish" Danish Bean Pole Upfront, he is terrible! Vela still needs one more season of experience before he becomes a quality player!

p.s: I'm totally Jealous of Wilshere, WOW! But Macheda will be pretty good in a few years I think!