It's that time of the year again when football fans gear up to watch their favourite teams and stars in action after a three-month-long break from the beautiful game and it's arguably the most popular league in the world - the English Premier League.
The EPL is back and this season it might be even bigger and better. The most entertaining football league in the world is all set to begins its new season on Saturday. After a long summer of endless transfers and rumours, almost every team is ready barring a few. The new season always brings with it excitement among fans, players and management but at the same time it is also a career-defining moment for some.
The lunchtime kick-off on Saturday will not just be a match. It is going to be a cracker. Twenty-time League champions Manchester United, who are currently in a transition phase, will host the 'dark horses' Tottenham Hotspur at the Theatre of Dreams - Old Trafford. It is surely going to be the biggest match in the opening week and will also be the perfect way to get the new season underway. The first weekend will also give a feel to the fans how the new signings for respective clubs are gelling and whether they can cope up with the physical demand of English football.
Last season, on numerous occasions, EPL lacked excitement on the pitch as Chelsea were runway winners, and top four spots were also settled well before the climax. At the same time, even the relegation battle was very much decided a few weeks in advance. The most memorable moment from the last season that comes to one's mind is the Jose Mourinho-Arsene Wenger tussle on the sidelines. Other moments were some glorious goals and bizarre press conferences and season-ending speeches from the coaches. Remember former Leicester coach Nigel Pearson's bizarre rants and Louis van Gaal super season ending speech?
Although the season starts Saturday, the Community Shield was decided last Sunday, and we already got the hint that this season is going to be a stunner. Wenger's Arsenal got the better of Mourinho's Chelsea for the first time in 14 attempts and that followed the two mangers snubbing the handshake afterwards and then the 'Special One' throwing his runners-up medal in the crowd. The competition has well and truly begun. This season there are a whole new set of storylines that will emerge and live in fans' memories for a long, long time.
Title favourites and challengers
There is a very familiar feel to Chelsea squad this season as compared to the last one. The defending champions have hardly made any changes to the squad, just two to be precise: Stoke City keeper Asmir Begovic replacing Pete Cech and Radamel Falcao joining on loan. Falcao was a big flop last season for Manchester United and Mourinho has taken a big risk as Chelsea are short of options upfront. Diego Costa and Luke Remy are the other two strikers. Although Costa is one of the best in the league, his injury record is not that good over the last couple of years.
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However, Chelsea still look the most promising side of the twenty in fray, especially with one of the best tactical managers in the world. Mourinho not only makes The Blues the most strongest team in the competition, he also makes sure the players have more and more hunger for success and have a winning mentality added to their character. In Eden Hazard, The Blues arguably possess the league's standout player and with depth and class in every position, Chelsea are surely the favourites for the title this year as well.
Talking about the other favourites and title contender, first team that comes to mind is Manchester United. Although the team has performed below par since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure two years back - but the Red Devils under Van Gaal have showed some glimpses of the old United. The work, though, is far from done and they are still in transition. After spending around 250 million pounds, LVG will have no excuses if they come short of winning the league.
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Red Devils were quick in spending £80m on new talent as they brought in the likes of Bastian Schweinstiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian and Sergio Ramero. But at the same time they have let the likes of Nani, Robin van Persie, Rafael, Falcao and not to forget their record signing Angel Di Maria go just after one season.
Although the new signings will improve the squad, the departures have let them short of options upfront, and they are still a defender short to be considered the real title contenders. However, reports say that Pedro from Barcelona and a centre-back still might join and this will surely make them a team to look out for. Ferguson famously said - "Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles." So they surely need to tie up with a defender ASAP.
Moving from the red side of Manchester to the blue, Manchester City have a squad with immense talent but their manager Manuel Pallegrini needs to ensure that they hit the ground running from week one if they want to win their third EPL title in five years. They came close to the title last season as well but fatigue and inconsistency in the middle pegged them back. But the manager and the board have made sure that there is enough quality in the squad with the new recruitments. They set a new club record of £49m for Raheem Sterling and snapped up Fabian Delph for just £8m. The duo surely brings in quality in the positions which were lacking depth at City last season.
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Talent in the City side is obvious. In last year's golden boot winner Sergio Aguero and David Silva, they have a deadly duo that can cause havoc and win matches on their own. Then they have Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany who have the leadership qualities. And if City can add Kevin de Bruyne to their squad, then without a shadow of doubt they will be right up there with Chelsea fighting for the title. They have won the Premier League twice in four seasons, so that champion temperament is there.
That brings us to the most unpredictable team of the EPL - Arsenal. Once again they will be looking to mount a serious title challenge after falling short in previous seasons but do they have the mettle to do so? With only one signing in Cech so far, the Gunners are still in the market for a striker but whether it will happen only depends on Wenger. After two consecutive FA Cup titles, Arsenal must aim for EPL this season. With the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott up their sleeves, they have the quality to go all the way and lift the crown but their inconsistency has let them down for over a decade. But this year Wenger will be hoping that the players remain fit and they can finally end the long wait of 12 years for the EPL title.
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Surprise Package:
Brendan Rodgers must deliver for Liverpool this season, else he could be on his way out. Liverpool have brought the likes of Roberto Firmino, Christian Benteke, Danny Ings, James Milner, Nathan Clyne and the list goes on. But Rodgers will have to make sure that new signings gel quickly and start performing from the word go. With Daniel Sturridge and Countinho already well settled in the team, the Reds have a good mix of attacking options but defence is what should worry them. However, in terms of finishing in the top four, Rodgers may have made a mistake in failing to replace his goalkeeper and back four who have conceded 98 goals in the last two seasons.
Relegation Battles
Newly promoted Bournemouth will play first debut season in the English Premier League. Although the team won the Football League Championship, to make heads turn may be a task too difficult for the newly promoted side. Leicester City will be the other team that will be in the relegation scrap. In Claudio Ranieri they have a new coach but it might be difficult for him as a number of teams have improved and Leicester still don't have a match winner. Watford have also been promoted but they too could be part of relegation zone. Although they have brought in lots of players, whether they can cope up with the EPL is a different thing altogether.
Another newly promoted side Norwich City can have a difficult season as well. Moments after securing promotion to the EPL, Norwich coach Alex Neil announced he needed some quality signings if they want to be competitive in the EPL this season. Unfortunately they haven't added the quality that can see them through.
Another two teams that might be in the relegation scramble are Aston Villa and Sunderland. With key striker Christian Benteke off to Liverpool and midfielder Fabian Delph signing with Manchester City, Aston Villa will surely have a tough time this year. Same goes with Sunderland. Coach Dick Advocaat was the hero for Sunderland last season after his management helped them out of the relegation zone but this year might be the another one where they have to continue fight for safety.
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