With the Premiership season only days away, it is the proper time to take a look at the clubs we will be facing over the course of the season and what changes they have made, as well as the success (or lack thereof) we have had against them during Rafa’s helm at the club. The first volume of this feature covered Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn, Bolton and Burnley, whilst the second volume of this feature covered Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Liverpool, and Manchester City. That leaves us with Manchester United, who as we all know are our “favorites” here at Liverpool…
———————————
MANCHESTER UNITED
Last Season: 1st
5 Key Players: Rooney, Van Der Sar, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra
Style of Play: Man U are well known for their ability to dictate the tempo of the game to their liking, which is often times an “up your throat” type of style, with players who are skillful, but more than anything powerful and confident. They are well organized, as well, and players always know where they need to be.
Key Additions: Owen (Newcastle), Valencia (Wigan), Obertan (Bordeaux)
Key Losses: Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Tevez (Man City), Campbell (Sunderland)
When We Play Them: October (h), March (a)
Rafa’s Record: 2 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw… but the last two have been wins!
In 3-5 Sentences…: The sale of Christiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid can only hurt United, no matter what they say, but they are still more than capable of winning their fourth consecutive championship, which would put them at 19, which would also be one more than Liverpool. The Red Devils have a sickening way of winning when they play awful, often times at the death and in a scrappy way. They also have an uncanny ability to fill in empty spots seemingly without any struggle, and the players who fill in always end up making it appear as if they’ve played there for their entire career. They also seem to get 100% from the media, which only strengthens them in times of crisis, because they don’t have to read about garbage when they feel awful about themselves or a situation that has come their way… just ask Rafa about this! Regardless of any bias or bitterness on my end, this United side is well-put-together, and though I think they’ll be weaker than before, so is everyone else at the top this season… and I believe that this might be their last hurrah, so they’ll be well up for it.
Prediction: 1st, and it makes me sick just thinking about it.
——————————-
PORTSMOUTHLast Season: 14th
5 Key Players: James, Distin, Kranjcar, Nugent, Hreidarsson
Style of Play: Play-on-the-deck, counter-attacking style where they are constantly bombarded and usually stick around due to the heroics of David James.
Key Additions: Finnan (Espanyol), Mokoena (Blackburn), Niemi (unattached), Piqiuonne (Lyon on loan)
Key Losses: Johnson (Liverpool), Crouch (Tottenham), Campbell (end of contract), Davis (Bolton), Traore (Monaco), Thomas (released), Pamarot (released), Lauren (released)
When We Play Them: December (a), March (h)
Rafa’s Record: 6 wins, 1 loss, 3 draws
In 3-5 Sentences…: This is a club that is completely crumbling before our very eyes, with no real hope to crawl out of it at the moment. They lost their two best players in Glen Johnson and Peter Crouch, sold Defoe to Tottenham in the winter, have gone through managers quicker than Paris Hilton has gone through boyfriends, and have no resolution at all about who owns the club or who is even going to play for it! If they finish out of the relegation zone, it will be an absolute miracle. Their fans will be behind them all the way, but a return to the Championship looks very likely. Pompey simply don’t have the quality to stay up, nor do they have the stability, and that is an awful combination.
Prediction: 20th.
——————————
STOKE CITY
Last Season: 12th
5 Key Players: Delap, Lawrence, Fuller, Shawcross, Beattie
Style of Play: Organized, Tenacious, Set-piece brilliance, Physical, Enthuasiastic, and Single-Minded (in a good way).
Key Additions: Whitehead (Sunderland)
Key Losses: Olofinjana (Hull City)
When We Play Them: August (h), January (a)
Rafa’s Record: 2 draws
In 3-5 Sentences…: Talk about a club that knows how to play to their strengths, and Stoke City instantly come to mind. As a very physical and athletic squad, not to mention tall, Stoke do not hide the fact that this is how they will play… physically and athletically. With a lethal weapon in Delap’s throw-ins, and the creativity and class of Fuller, as well as the experience and phsyicality of James Beattie, Stoke have become a side that nobody wants to face… they are essentially the new Bolton, but much more loveable due to having better supporters and being less dirty! Though they have not been particularly active in the market over the summer, they didn’t really need to make too many upgrades because they were very successful in 2008-2009, and I expect more of the same as far as their finish in the table.
Prediction: 12th.
———————————–
SUNDERLANDLast Season: 16th
5 Key Players: Malbranque, Richardson, Ferdinand, Jones, Bent
Style of Play: Quick, Athletic, Excellent on the Counter, but prone to mistakes defensively
Key Additions: Campbell (Manchester United), Bent (Tottenham), Manager Steve Bruce… who will make a MASSIVE difference.
Key Losses: Whitehead (Stoke)
When We Play Them: October (a), March (h)
Rafa’s Record: 6 wins! (and 0 goals conceded…)
In 3-5 Sentences…: Sunderland’s two signings of Darren Bent and Frazier Campbell will help the cause of a side who were fairly close to relegation last season, but the most significant change over the summer was brining in a manager with loads of experience and quality. Steve Bruce will tighten up the defense of a Sunderland side that was a bit leaky at times, not to mention not particularly organized. At Birmingham and Wigan, Bruce turned those sides into tough nuts to crack, and that is exactly what will happen at Sunderland, leading me to believe that they will have a much better season this time around. They will also have more goals in them this year, with Cisse being replaced by the more consistent Darren Bent.
Prediction: 11th.
———————————-
