Chelsea
Major summer signings: Romelu Lukaku, Lucas Piazon
Prediction: 2nd
Perhaps Chelsea’s real major summer signing was that of Andre Villas-Boas, their new manager. Certainly all the pressure of the team’s success falls on the Portuguese gaffer. Club owner Roman Abramovich does not accept failure, that much is clear, and the 33 year old Villas-Boas has now been charged with the task of Premier League and Champions League glory.
In terms of summer signings on the pitch, it is only over the last couple of days that Chelsea have bought a big player to Stamford Bridge. Romelu Lukaku, the young Belgian forward, will likely be thrown into a strike partnership with £50 million man Fernando Torres. As such it looks as though Didier Drogba is being pushed just a little bit closer towards the door as it is clear to anyone that isn’t Abramovich that the Ivorian big man cannot play alongside Torres. Their styles of play are just too similar.
The keys for success for Chelsea this season are twofold. First of all they need to bring the best out of Torres, that much is clear. However, they also need to be consistent. Last season they started magnificently and looked certain to be Premier League champions but a mid-season slump halted their progress and ultimately cost them glory.
There are many positives for the Blues this season. With many of their players fit and ready for the new season, Chelsea look like they can be a force to be reckoned with once again. Frank Lampard and Yossi Benayoun will hopefully provide the creativity and delivery from midfield that Torres needs to get back to his goalscoring ways, and John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic could form a solid centre half pairing.
Chelsea will have a great season under Villas-Boas I believe. However, I think they will just come up short of Premier League glory once again. But Torres will get back to his best this year. He has to really.
Manchester United
Major summer signings: Ashley Young, David De Gea, Phil Jones
Prediction: 1st
And so we come to the reigning Premier League champions. Last season United often looked nowhere near their, often unplayable, best. The first half of their season was typified by grit and determination though as the players grinded out victories despite their lack of form. By the second half of the campaign, however, the team were back to their best. Antonio Valencia returned from injury and was charging down the wing and Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez formed a phenomenal partnership up front.
The Red Devils have strengthened in almost all the places they needed to over the summer period. The young Spaniard David De Gea was brought in to replace the retired Edwin Van Der Sar, Ashley Young adds another wide attacking option as well as Valencia and Nani, and Phil Jones comes in as a reserve centre back who will form a future partnership with Chris Smalling and he may well help to fill out the all important defensive midfield role too.
The only place that Sir Alex Ferguson has failed to buy so far is for the creative midfield role which has been left vacant by Paul Scholes. However, if the rumours are to be believed then Wesley Sneijder could be joining the club over the next few days. Even if they don’t manage to bring the Dutch midfielder to OId Trafford though, I still think Manchester United will be the best team in the Premiership this season. With the likes of Ryan Giggs available to fill out that central midfield role plus the best defensive partnership in the league, in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, how could they not be?
Ultimately, Ferguson’s team know how to grind out the results when they are not playing at their best. Even so, I think that the Manchester outfit will start much better than they did last season. The new players are fitting into the team already and playing well, plus with recalls of the likes of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck the squad have many options.
As much as it pains me to say it as a Liverpool fan, I predict that Manchester United will have another fantastic season and will lift Premier League title number 20 in 2012.
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