TOTTENHAM HOTSPURLast Season: 8th
5 Key Players: Defoe, Modric, Keane, Lennon, King
Style of Play: Wide play, quickness, quick build-ups. Not the best defensively, mind you…
Key Additions: Crouch (Portsmouth), Walker (Sheff. Utd), Naughton (Sheff. Utd.), Bassong (Newcastle)
Key Losses: Zokora (Seville), Bent (Sunderland)
When We Play Them: August (a), January (h)
Rafa’s Record: 5 wins, 1 loss, 4 draws
In 3-5 Sentences…: Tottenham are one of those teams that always underperforms in comparison to their pre-season expectations, and I expect this year to be much more of the same. Many people are tipping them to finish 5th or 6th, but I just don’t see it happening, despite the loads of talent that they clearly have. Defensively, they just don’t quite have what it takes to win often enough in the top division, and that isn’t just at the back, but in the middle, where Jenas and Modric have eyes only for going forward. That said, Tottenham did well over the summer to bring in some defenders in Naughton, Walker, and Bassong (all young and RELATIVELY unproven). They also did well to bring in Peter Crouch, and they boast perhaps the most impressive looking collection of strikers in the Premiership…. other than Manchester City, of course.
Prediction: 7th.
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WEST HAM UNITEDLast Season: 9th
5 Key Players: Cole, Parker, Green, Upson, Noble
Style of Play: Passing, passing, passing, and not the negative kind. They love to push forward and link up together. The Hammers have a great team spirit, as well.
Key Additions: Jimenez (Inter on loan), Ilunga/Kovac (both players have permanent deals now instead of loans), Daprela (Grasshoppers)
Key Losses: Di Michele (loan ended), Sears (Crystal Palace), Bowyer (Birmingham City)
When We Play Them: September (a), April (h)
Rafa’s Record: 6wins, 1 loss, 1 draw
In 3-5 Sentences…: West Ham went from boring mid-table mediocity into exciting mid-table mediocrity under the guidance of Gianfranco Zola last season, but nobody at West Ham will mind because now their football is actually worth watching. With the likes of Parker and Noble in the midfield, and Cole and Ashton (who plays three matches a season) up front, you know you have tecnhical class and quality game intelligence on the pitch. Like their manager, West Ham have a lot of fight and do so with happiness and flair, something the league is benefitting from. With no major losses and only a few additions, I can see West Ham finishing exactly where they did last season, and that is in about 9th place.
Prediction: 9th.
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WIGAN ATHLETICLast Season: 11th
5 Key Players: Figueroa, Scotland, Kirkland, Bramble, N’Zogbia
Style of Play: Defensive organization, but with Martinez as the new manager, expect more forward-thinking play from Wigan. Not sure how that will look yet.
Key Additions: Scotland (Swansea), Gomez (Espanyol), McCarthy (Hamilton), Sinclair (Chelsea on loan)
Key Losses: Cattermole (Sunderland), Valencia (Manchester United), Zaki (loan ended), Sibierski (released)
When We Play Them: December (h), March (a)
Rafa’s Record: 6wins, 2 draws
In 3-5 Sentences…: Wigan are going to be a surprise package this year, becuase they have an untested Premiership manager with a squad that has undergone a major transformation… for better or for worse. They have lost nearly every player in the above picture, yet have brought in some quality players. Losing the likes of Heskey and Palacios last winter hurt, but the loss of Valencia in my mind is the real hammer blow. With an attack-minded manager in Roberto Martinez, though, I think we’ll see a completely different looking Wigan Athletic, and maybe that will fill in the ghost-town JJB Stadium. Either way, I expect Wigan to either get relegated or to BARELY miss the deadly drop. Given how poor the bottom of the Prem will be this season, I think they’ll probably just barely avoid disaster.
Prediction: 17th.
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WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS, or “WOLVES”Last Season: 1st in the Championship (automatically promoted)
5 Key Players: Doyle, Ebanks-Blake, Kightly, Henry, Milijas
Style of Play: Wolves are a free-flowing attacking side with bundles of enthusiasm going forward, albeit lacking in defensive quality. They will be more like Reading and less like West Brom in that way, though, so expect better from them.
Key Additions: Halford (Sunderland), Milijas (Red Star Belgrade), Doyle (Reading), Zubar (Marseille), Hahnemann (Reading), Surman (Southampton), Mancienne (Chelsea on loan)
Key Losses: none
When We Play Them: December (h), January (a)
Rafa’s Record: n/a
In 3-5 Sentences…: Wolverhampton won the Championship in style last season, holding off challangers Birmingham City, Reading, Sheffield United and Burnley with relative ease. Their secret was depth in attack, with an endless supply of players who were capable of going foward and grabbing goals. Like Reading before them, Wolves were more offensive minded than defensive, but they were not just limited to that. Youth is also on their side, with young players like Doyle, Kightly, Ebanks-Blake (two-time golden boot winner in the Championship), Keogh, Mancienne, Hennessey, and Milijas as the core of their excellent play. They will struggle to stay up, just like any promoted team, but of the new teams I think Wolves are probably the best equipped to make the grade, even with McCarthy’s dodgy Premiership stint with Sunderland from 2005-2006 in mind!
Prediction: 13th.
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PREDICTION TABLE: (see other volumes of Prem Preview, as well!)
1- Manchester United (BASTARDS)
2- Liverpool
3- Chelsea
4- Manchester City
5- Arsenal
6- Everton
7- Tottenham
8- Aston Villa
9- West Ham
10- Fulham
11- Sunderland
12- Stoke City
13- Wolverhampton
14- Birmingham City
15- Bolton
16- Blackburn
17- Wigan Athletic
18- Burnley
19- Hull City
20- Portsmouth
