Last Word On Sports previews the 2015/2016 Premier League season by looking at who is likely to finish in the top four, and earn the lucrative spots in the 2016/17 Champions League that go along with such a finish.
Top Four Predictions
First: Chelsea – Last season was dominated by Jose Mourinho’s men. The emphatic nature of their 2014/2015 title victory has meant few additions to their squad during the summer transfer window. This isn’t a worry. The balance in this Chelsea side is everything, and the transfer dealings of last summer were near enough perfect in fulfilling the needs of a Jose Mourinho team. The loss of Petr Cech to Arsenal was certainly disappointing for Chelsea, but, overall, the transfer dealings this summer have been minimal, but necessary in consolidating the outstanding depth of this Chelsea squad.
The fitness of Diego Costa could very well determine the fortune of Chelsea in the 2015/2016 season. The link-up play between Costa and Cesc Fabregas was simply too difficult for teams to defend against at times last year. The truth is that Loïc Rémy and Radamel Falcao are extremely solid alternatives. Falcao’s time at Manchester United has given him an experience of the league, and, despite not being a highly successful one, will surely see him going into this season more prepared and with realistic expectations of how to adapt his game to cope with life in the Premier League.
Chelsea’s pre-season was far from perfect, including a loss to potential title rivals, Arsenal, in the Community Shield. It’s irrelevant now, though. Chelsea and Mourinho’s focus will solely be the game against Swansea on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. The partnership of John Terry and Gary Cahill remained strong last year, with Kurt Zouma likely to be keen to make an impact too. César Azpilicueta’s position at left back may be an area that Chelsea look to improve upon, but his performances in the 2014/2015 season will be enough to give Mourinho hope that he can still be strong there. Chelsea have the best, most balanced team in the league; it’s very difficult to look past them for the league title this year. They can, however, expect much more competition from their Premier League rivals in their pursuit of back-to-back Premier League titles.
Second: Arsenal – Arsenal have to maintain their push for a title this year, at the very least. The Gunners have been inconsistent in their bid for a Premier League title for too long now. A convincing start is essential, but squad rotation could also play a huge part in any success Arsenal may enjoy this year. With no Champions League qualifier to contend with early in the season, Arsenal find themselves in a preferred situation of purely focusing on Premier League football in the first few weeks of the season.
Again, avoiding injuries is key; the news that Jack Wilshere will miss the start of the season was a blow and one that will concern Arsenal fans greatly. Fortunately, the depth in the midfield may now be enough to make Wilshere’s absence manageable, but Arsenal simply can’t afford to lose too many more players to injury in the coming weeks.
There is no doubt Alexis Saanchez will lead the way for Arsenal yet again this year. Having someone of his quality in the team helps inspire fellow players and, ultimately, lead to a more positive atmosphere around the club. A second FA Cup, as well as, more recently, a second Community Shield, has shown that Arsenal can indeed win trophies with the squad they now have.
In a word, “potential” suffices in describing the current squad; not in the dismissive sense of the word that used to accompany Arsène Wenger’s persistence in selecting younger and more unproven players. Instead, this potential simply has to be fulfilled by a number of players; there is too much quality in the Arsenal ranks. If Injuries don’t plague the team, if competition for places enhances performances, and if Arsenal pick up from where they left off last year, they can win the league.
Third: Manchester United – Louis Van Gaal’s first season at Manchester United was a satisfactory one. The ship was steadied, with fourth place obtained, and now a summer of signings has been enough to instil further belief in United supporters this year. The battle between the Manchester clubs will be an interesting one this campaign, but can either club really challenge for the title?
In the case of Manchester United, the rest of the transfer window will still have a significant impact. David De Gea’s future remains unclear and the sooner a conclusion is reached, the better. Bastian Schweinsteiger joins the squad a born winner; his habitual winning of trophies and a determination to continue to do so at Manchester United, alongside the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay, leaves United with a ferocious midfield this year. Defensively, Matteo Darmian helps add some much-needed stability to an all too vulnerable United defence of the 2014/2015 season. Marcus Rojo, Luke Shaw, Phil Jones and the back line as whole will need to step up to the plate to maintain a title challenge this year. Speaking of stepping up to the plate, the 2015/2016 season will be monumentally important for one man in particular this year: Wayne Rooney.
For a time, the trio of Wayne Rooney, Radamel Falcao and Robin Van Persie looked terrifying for opponents. For whatever reason, it never seemed to be as successful as Louis Van Gaal would have hoped. Falcao and Van Persie have now departed and have left much of the burden on the shoulders of Rooney. It may just be that their departures can have a positive effect on the England captain, though.
Rooney looks likely to be returning to a central striking role in the 2015/2016 season and his ability to score goals is an impressive and inherent one. With 230 goals in his 479 Manchester United appearances, his ability to score consistently over a long period of time remains a relatively rare and well sought after trait in a striker. While many United fans may still want to see Van Gaal spend big on a forward in the remaining weeks of the transfer window, it is worth the consideration that the player they need is already right in front of them. The title itself may be a stretch too far this year, but Manchester United should play an important part in the title race. If enough players do step up to the plate, they may very well have enough to play the lead part this year.
Fourth: Manchester City – Will Sergio Agüero keep fit? Will Raheem Sterling justify his price tag? Will Vincent Kompany find his best form? Will Joe Hart solidify his number one spot? Will Manchester City even finish in the top four? Well, yes, probably.
The simple fact is that Manchester City still have some incredible talent at their disposal. David Silva, Yaya Touré, Agüero and yes, Kompany (at his best), are enough to make any team anxious of a visit to the Etihad. Additions have been limited, but the signings of Fabian Delph and, of course, Raheem Sterling caused controversy and, in all honesty, unwanted drama during the transfer window. For Sterling in particular, this should subside with the fulfilment of the old cliché: “do your talking on the pitch”.
With relatively few additions, the pre-existing players will ultimately decide Manchester City’s fate. Yaya Touré still showed his power and sheer strength on the footballer field last year. David Silva showed his deep understanding of the game and his ability to read and act on it like few others can in the league. Sergio Agüero showed that he is relied upon to score a significant proportion of Manchester City’s goals, which, as aforementioned, is not a problem – as long as he is actually there to do it frequently enough.
The exciting part of this Premier League season is that there is genuinely a number of teams challenging for the league title, including Manchester City. Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and a few others will have their eye on the top four, but the teams listed seem a very safe bet to fill the crucial Champions League spots for next season.
Main Photo
