English Premier League Preview

By Mark Giammarino
Love of Sports Correspondent

It seems like only yesterday when we saw Manchester United hoist the English Premier Trophy, and NOW we’re only a few days away from the start of ‘08 season.

Man U come in as the favorites to repeat, of course. However, there are three legitimate contenders as well as one sleeper team that might surprise things this season.  Let’s take a look.

English Premier League Preview

Chelsea

With Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich running the show, it’s almost certain Chelsea will be in the title hunt this season. However, if the Blues want to win the Premier League, they’ll have to do it with a new manager. Interim boss Avram Grant was let go despite a Champions League final birth and a Premier League title race which saw his squad lose out by only two points. In comes Luiz Felipe Scolari, a man with tremendous success and experience at the international level. He’ll now try and bring that winning attitude to London after successful stints with Brazil and Portugal. Scolari will want to put his mark on this Chelsea side, who’ve been known to play a boring, defensive style the last few years. His creativity and offensive mind should make the Blues a more exciting and compelling team in the Premier League this season.

Chelsea’s strength starts from the back with keeper Petr Czech between the posts. Not only do they have one of the best keepers in the world, Chelsea also poses two of the best central defenders in captain John Terry and Portuguese international Ricardo Carvalho. They also have an abundance of wing backs at their disposal, including Andy Cole, Juliano Beletti and newly acquired Jose Bosingwa. The Blues also improved their midfielder with the signing of Brazilian born Deco from Barcelona. But the most of important move of the summer wasn’t who they brought in, but who they decided to keep. Frank Lampard and Dedier Drogba were both linked to a move to Italian club Internaziole. Former Chelsea manager Jose Mauninho (now coach of Inter) had said to be interested in reuniting with the pair, but talks sputtered with the two teams. Lampard’s the heart in sole of the Chelsea midfield, so it probably was in the best interest of the club to keep the 30 year old. He’ll anchor an impressive midfield alongside Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and Micheal Essian. The midfield’s arguably the most essential unit on the team, as four of their top six goal scorers from last season came from that position. As for Drogba, he indeed is the focal point of the offense and will be counted on heavily to produce this season. Strikers Claudio Pizzaro and Andre Shevchenko might be on their way out of Stamford Bridge, so it’ll be up to Drogba and fellow countryman Solomon Kalu to lead the attack.

Having said all of this, don’t look for Chelsea to be Man U’s main competition to repeat, as Abramovich will likely want to focus on the Champions League, a tournament Chelsea has yet to win in its history.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger brings a young, vibrant Arsenal squad into the 08 campaign. The Gunners haven’t won the title since 2004 where they went undefeated and had a remarkable 90 points. They only lost out by eight points last season and will have to play well all the way to the end to have a chance. Wenger’s been criticized in the past for having too much faith in his younger players, and many experts say this is the team’s downfall. There isn’t much experience on this Arsenal side as the team sold two of its more veteran players: goalkeeper Jens Lehman and Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva.

Replacing Lehman will be 31-year-old Manuel Almunia, who was Wenger’s No. 1 choice most of last season, so it shouldn’t be difficult for the Spanish keeper to handle the pressure as the team’s go-to guy. At the back, they’re led by three Frenchman, with captain William Gallas as the catalyst. Kolo Toure provides versatility to the unit with the ability to play either in the middle or on the wing.

The midfield will have a new look with two of their starters gone to greener pastures. Along with Gilberto Silva, Arsenal also lost young stars Mattieu Flamini, who went to AC Milan and Alexander Hleb, who bolted for Spanish giant Barcelona. However, Venger did bring in a fresh new face to the midfield with the signing of 21-year-old Samir Nasri from Marseille. He’s been said to be the next Zidane of French soccer, so Arsenal fans will expect big things from the youngster. But arguably the most gifted midfielder on the Gunners, and maybe in the entire world, is Cesc Fabregas, who’s coming off an impressive Euro where he helped gear Spain to their first major championship in over 40 years. Another key component to the Arsenal midfield will be Thomas Rosicky, who’s coming off knee surgery and should be back some time next month. With these three creative players, Arsenal’s midfield should be a free-flowing, innovative unit in the middle of the park.

Despite all the talent in the midfield, Arsenal’s strongest unit might indeed be its forwards, where Wenger’s numerous attacking players at his disposal. Emmanuel Adabayor leads the Gunner attack and is no doubt the go-to man upfront. He led the team in scoring last season with an impressive 24 goals. Along with Adebayor, Wenger will lean on Dutch superstar Robin Van Persie and the injured Eduardo Da Silver, who should return to the club around Christmas. But the young man who might have the most pressure on his shoulders is Theo Walcott, who changed his number from 32 to 14, the same number worn by the great Thierry Henry. Despite all the pressures, expect big things from the 19 year old this season.

Look for Arsenal to compete for the title. They have depth at every position and herald one of the best managers in the game. Their own downfall might be that they don’t have enough veterans on the team especially for the big games. Nevertheless, I see them finishing in the Top 3.

Liverpool

Known as the choke artists of England, Liverpool look to end their 18-year drought and win their first Premier League title since 1990. This year might be their best time to do it. Coach Rafael Benitez has an abundant of talent at his disposal, and this might be the Spanish manager’s last chance to save his job.

Liverpool’s tough at the back, all starting with keeper Pepe Reina, who’s been one of the best goalies in the Premier League since coming to England. The Red’s defense is no slouch, either, with Jamie Carragher anchoring a strong back four. Benitez will have to find a replacement for left-back John Arna Riise, who joined Italian club AS Roma over the summer. Benitez has many options including Brazilian Fabio Aurelio and Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa. The middle is where Liverpool excels the most, with captain Steven Gerrard leading the way. As Gerrard goes, so does Liverpool. Along with him, The Reds have a wealth of talent, including Javier Marcharano, Xavi Alonso and Ryan Babel, just to name a few. However, manager Rafa Benitez is keen on signing another midfielder, Gareth Barry from Aston Villa. Benitez loves Barry’s versatility and believes he would be a tremendous acquisition to his side.

Liverpool’s also strong upfront. Leading the way will be Spanish striker Fernando Torres. After an inspiring European Cup where he scored the winner in the final, Torres should be in top form this season for the Reds. Fan favorite Peter Crouch is gone, but the pain of losing him was short lived as the team signed forward Robbie Keane from Spurs. The signing of Keane should shed some of the burden off Torres as the Irishman brings energy and creativity to the Liverpool attack. Benitez will also lean on Dutchman Dirk Kuyt to help shoulder some of the scoring. Kuyt had an inadequate domestic campaign last season and is looking to redeem himself this coming season.

With all this said, Liverpool should be the team Manchester United should fear the most this season. The Reds have always been competitive in the Champions League too, so look for them to focus on winning the Premiership and break their drought. Go Reds!

Sleeper Team - Tottenham

If any team is going to compete with the big four this season, it has to be Tottenham. I know, I know, they’ve lost star Robbie Keane and are on the brink of losing Dimitar Berbatov to United. However, this might be the year the Spurs actually compete for a Champions League birth. If Tottenham indeed sells Berbatov, that’ll leave room for the signings of Russian striker Andrei Arshavin and maybe, just maybe, David Villa, who we all remember was the leading goal scorer at this years Euros.

The Spurs have already made some wholesale changes to their club. Gone are keeper Paul Robinson, Pascal Chimbonda, Teemu Tainio and Steed Malbranque. In comes Luka Modric, Giovani do Santos, Heureolho Gomes and David Bentley, who are all expected to contribute to the squad this season. Insert Daren Bent to the mix, and this could be one of the most potent attacking teams in the entire Premier League. Bent’s had a terrific summer, scoring 13 goals, and has been recalled by England coach Fabio Capello to rejoin the national side. With newly acquired keeper Gomes in net and Ledley King and Jonathon Woodgate at the back, Tottenham’s defense should be a force. Add the creativity and talent upfront, and the Spurs should be a team to be recon with. Premiership beware! This might be the year for a team from London to shine - not named Arsenal or Chelsea.