Liverpool just short of top four quality

The appointment of Brendan Rodgers is a bold yet positive one from Liverpool; however replacing 'King Kenny', despite an average Premier League campaign won't be easy for the former Swansea manager. His approach to the game earned Rodgers countless plaudits and Liverpool fans will be excited at the prospect of him replicating his 'Swansealona' style in front of the Kop.



Rodgers has brought in two of his former players in Fabio Borini and Joe Allen. Both players fit perfectly into the Rodgers mold; however questions over whether Borini has the goals in him to fire Liverpool to the top four and whether Allen's £15million transfer fee is too much are being asked. The returning Joe Cole is like a new transfer, and under Rodgers he could find the form that made him an England regular. Whether or not he'll fit into Rodgers preferred 4-3-3 formation is another thing, with Cole's favourite position in the hole of the striker.

Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger are a solid centre back partnership, and Swansea under Rodgers didn't concede many goals at the Liberty Stadium meaning that Liverpool should be solid defensively. Lucas Leiva's return from an injury a huge boost to the club, as they heavily missed the Brazilian following his season ending injury in November.

Key player - Luis Suarez. Putting the controversy aside, Suarez is at times unplayable. Technically superb and his ball retention in close space is incredible (the assist for Dirk Kuyt vs Manchester United two seasons ago a perfect example of this). Liverpool's poor goal return was a reason why they were never really top four contenders, so Suarez will have to get closer to 20 goals this Premier League campaign if they are to be successful.

Prediction - 7th. Rodgers is a long term appointment and I do believe he'll get Liverpool back into the top four; however I don't think it'll be this season. They're miles behind both Manchester clubs, whilst they don't have the consistency to compete with the London trio of Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs. Cup success however isn't out of the question.

View from a fan - Jack Watson @JackWatsonLFC

What would be a perfect season?
Ideally a long fight for fourth place and securing a Champions League; however will probably finish fifth.

What would be a nightmare season?
An awful season would be being knocked out of the cups with a whimper and a mid-table finish.

Do you have the right man in charge?
Yes, quite confident in Rodgers and what he's aiming to do. He has the right philosophy but it will take time to implement.

Which Premier League player would you sign given the chance?
Tough one to be honest. We're close to signing Joe Allen, so I'll go with him. A tidy midfielder who'll fit into the system. (Question asked before Allen was confirmed as a Liverpool player)

Will this be Jamie Carragher's last season?
I think it might be. I love what he's done at the club but he really shouldn't be anywhere near the first team now.

Would you prefer to regain the Carling Cup or break into the top four?
I'd prefer the top four finish. The money and attraction for players it brings is unrivaled. That's where we need to be.

Middle of the pack for Jol and Fulham

Inconsistency was the real problem for Fulham last year, one week they were superb, whilst the next they were awful. With strength in depth in the attacking midfield department, when their flair players came to the party season, not many sides could contain the free flowing Fulham, especially at Craven Cottage. Despite alternating between a 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 formation last year, their real goal scoring threat came via the midfielder Clint Dempsey, who scored an impressive 17 Premier League goals.

Dempsey was Fulham's top scorer with 23 goals in all competitions.

Fulham will have a new look forward line about them this season, having lost three centre forwards in the space of six months, with Pavel Pogrebnyak's decision to join newly promoted Reading a real kick in the teeth for the Cottagers; however two freebie additions in Mladen Petric and Hugo Rodallega are more then capable replacements.

Both Dickson Etuhu and the inspirational Danny Murphy joined relegated Blackburn Rovers over the summer and despite the latter coming to the end of his career, it came as a surprise to see the former captain leave, given the fact he featured in 35 of the 38 league games last season. Mahamadou Diarra was a free transfer in the January transfer window last season, and the former Real Madrid man will have to go some way to fill the void left by Murphy.

Key player - Moussa Dembele. Since his arrival from AZ two summers ago, Dembele, when fit has been one of the first names of the Fulham team sheet. Whether playing off the striker or in the centre of midfield the Belgian international oozes quality and his form has attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United and Spurs. If Dempsey is too leave, then it'll be his biggest season in a Fulham shirt given the fact more onus will be placed on him to produce goals from midfield.



Prediction - 10th. Fulham will one again be in and around the middle of the table. Under Jol they'll always be entertaining and a Europa League push isn't outside their capabilities, even if Dempsey does complete his move to Liverpool.

View from a fan - Matt Baldwin @MattRhys63

What would be a perfect season?
Qualifying for Europe via any means necessary, though ideally via winning a cup. As well as remaining undefeated against QPR and Reading, although that's just a personal thing.

What would be a nightmare season?
Getting relegated, which is a distinct possibility if some of our best players are lost either in the Summer or January. A nightmare for all Fulham fans would also be QPR finishing above us.

Do you have the right manager?
Yes, Martin proved last season he knows what he wants and what he doesn't, which is why we shifted Zamora out in January. He didn't suit the formation, so Jol brought in players that did I.e Ruiz initially as well as Pogrebnyak for five months. He also managed to maintain discipline through out the team with very few suspensions which is key for a small squad.

What Premier League player would you sign given the choice?
Realistically I would go for a defensive midfielder to replace Danny Murphy. Of the players out there, though I don't really rate him, I would take Charlie Adam.

Do Petric and Rodallega have the goals in them to replace Zamora, Johnson and Pogrebnyak?
Yes, Petric has been banging them in during pre-season (only pre-season I know, but at least he knows where the net is), I can see him playing on the left side of our attack in a 4-2-3-1, which is where Dempsey played and got all his goals. I'm concerned that he's only here for a season but hopefully he can tutor some of the younger players in our squad. Rodallega will fit in well sitting as the main striker up top. He had a bad season last year, but I think this year he'll come good.

How key is it to keep ahold of Clint Dempsey?
I don't think it is all that important. If we sell him for £15million for example, we can use that to invest in our youth system, which is one of the best in the country, (Trotta, Kacaniklic and Frei are all examples and there are plenty more coming) as we are not a team that'll go and buy £20million players so we need to look to the future. I would much rather sell Dempsey now and get good money, then let him go next season for free.

Europa League push at best for the Toffee's

It is no coincidence that Everton's best form of the previous season coincided with a brilliant January transfer window for the club. Nikica Jelavic proved to be a real bargain addition scoring nine goals in his first 13 matches; however the returning Steven Pienaar's form during his six month loan spell at the club was the real catalyst behind their end of season form. The South African international has since gone on to make his loan move permanent, ensuring his stay away from the club was a very brief one.

After being heavily linked with the then vacant managerial position at Spurs, David Moyes will be hoping his loyalty is rewarded in the form of money to spend and reassurances that his best players won't be sold. He has added shrewdly so far in the form of Pienaar and Steven Naismith, who will look to continue his centre forward partnership with Jelavic from their Rangers days.

In the last three Premier League seasons Everton have started incredibly slowly, relying on their turn of the year form to fire them up the league. Of their first 20 games the club lost half of them, meaning they were consistently in the lower regions of the table; however their last 18 matches saw the Toffee's only lose twice. During that run the club beat the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs whilst coming from two goals down to rescue an unlikely point at Old Trafford.

Prior to the arrival of Jelavic the club really lacked firepower, and I worry where the goals will come from if the Croatian gets an injury next season. Aside from that the only other position I feel Everton lack strength in depth is the wide midfield areas. The controversial Royston Drenthe wasn't kept on, whilst the young Seamus Coleman and Magaye Gueye are talented however aren't ready to be consistent starters in a Moyes side.

Key player - Steven Pienaar. If there were a team for the best performing players in the second half of last season then Pienaar would be a shoe-in for the squad. It's fair to say Moyes brings out the best in Pienaar as the former Spurs man flourished in his free role last season, with his man of the match performance vs Chelsea in particular highlighting how technically brilliant he is. Given Tim Cahill's departure, there will be an added pressure on Pienaar to score more goals from midfield this campaign.



Prediction - 8th. If the likes of Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini are still at the club come September then I do feel they can really compete with the best; however it wouldn't be a Summer transfer window for Moyes if he didn't have to part way with a Goodison Park favourite. A decent start is a necessity this time around, as they won't always be so good after Christmas. I expect them to sit comfortably in the top ten though.

View from a fan - @keith1878

What would be an ideal season?
European qualification via the league whilst finishing about Liverpool coupled with some good cup form and even some silverware.

What would be a nightmare season?
Having to sell Baines or Fellaini to keep the bank happy, financial meltdown whilst not having our good post-season form.

Do you have the right manager?
Yes. He's had a lot to deal with during his 10 years, but normally gets the right players on the pitch and fighting for everything.

Which Premier League player would you sign given the chance?
Mikel Arteta or Wayne Rooney. Other than ex players it depends where the annual injury crisis is, I like Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero, they're both brilliant!

Should you cash in on Rodwell or keep him?
Need to keep him unless a big offer comes in, which is unlikely considering his injury record. This season is really make or break for him.

What players should we look out for this season?
Ross Barkley should get more chances this year following a season in the reserves. He was thrown in the deep end following the Arteta sale. Shane Duffy too, as well as Francisco Jr has had a decent pre season, few dodgy tackles but some decent skills, he could get a chance.

Chelsea to finish outside the top four, again!

The appointment of Roberto Di Matteo came as no real shock given the Italian's incredible end to the 2011-12 season, winning the F.A Cup as well as defying the odds to win the Champions League for the first time in the clubs history. It's fair to say Chelsea have gone down the young attacking flair route in their transfer purchases this summer, with the additions of Edin Hazard, Oscar and Marko Marin the three stand out buys.

Their previous season was very much a tale of two halves and two managers. Under Andre Vilas-Boas the club struggled in the league and were on the verge of FA Cup and Champions League exit's until his sacking following a 1-0 defeat away to West Brom. The Portuguese's departure saw Chelsea appoint, their then assistant manager, Di Matteo on a deal till the end of the season; however after completing the most unlikely of double's, the former Chelsea player was offered a two year contract.

Despite the loss of the mercurial Didier Drogba and the versatile Salomon Kalou, Chelsea will be incredibly strong as an attacking threat. Towards the end of the season, culminating in winning the Golden Shoe at the European Championship for his country, their £50million man Fernando Torres was starting to re-discover the form that made him the best striker in the world. Much will really on the form of the Spaniard as their only other forward options fall very much into the young and untested category, with Di Matteo unlikely to use Daniel Sturridge through the middle.

Chelsea need goals from their main man next season.

Key Player - Ramires. With all the attacking flair in the squad, getting the right balance in the midfield is integral if Chelsea are going to be successful next season. The Brazilian improved dramatically under Di Matteo and was superb in the Nou Camp as the club secured their place in the Champions League final. Ramires will probably play as one of two holding midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 (with the other likely to be John Obi Mikel or Frank Lampard as the Englishmen moves further down the field given his age).

Prediction - 5th. I worry for Chelsea defensively next season as their brilliant old guard, in the form of John Terry and Ashley Cole, age just that one year more. At times they were woeful at the back and conceded far too many goals, and with their main additions more offensively minded, they are likely to be set up more attacking then we saw in the Nou Camp and the Allianz Arena. With many young, yet highly talented additions the club will be a huge threat, I just don't think they're ready to challenge for the title this season, as this year will be about jelling and building for the future.

View from a fan - Fraser Stradling @Fraserstradling

What would be an ideal season?
The dream season would be to win back the Premier League whilst retaining the Champions League. Realistically though i'd be very happy with the Premier League title and am optimistic that might happen if Torres carries on his European Championship scoring form and Hazard settles in along with the other new signings.

What would be a nightmare season?
The nightmare year would be to not qualify for the Champions League as well as finishing the season trophy less.

Do you have the right manager?
After the dramatic turn around at the end of last season, I am more than willing to give him a trial run.  hope he is but it's always difficult to be the 'right' Chelsea manager with all the expectation. I have faith though, he's captured excellent youngsters and has shown he can get the best from the team when it matters the most.

Which Premier League player would you sign given the chance?
Kyle Walker. The boy has potential and Chelsea have looked a bit shakey and leaked too many goals in pre season. I think he'd be a good replacement for Branislav Ivanovic who I don't think will be happy to keep playing as a right back for much more then another season.

Is this the season we see the real Fernando Torres?
Again I'm optimistic. If we add a winger I think he stands a better chance and have more confidence. We've added players with pace in this window and hopefully that'll help him find his feet.

Would you prefer to win back the Premier League or regain the Champions League?
To make history and retain the Champions League! It's better to be the best in Europe rather then the best in England.

Mid table for a new look Villa

It wasn't a massive surprise to see Villa part company with Alex McLeish following a terrible end to the season which saw them only realistically secure their Premier League survival in their penultimate game with a 1-1 draw with Spurs. Another Scot was brought into replace ‘Big Eck’ in the form of Paul Lambert following an incredible three years with Norwich City. Lambert took no time to dive into the Eredivisie with the additions of Karim El Ahmadi and more importantly the Dutch centre half Ron Vlaar.

Villa started the previous campaign well, going seven games unbeaten and come the middle of the season they occupied the middle of the Premier League; however once Darren Bent’s season was finished prematurely due to injury away at Wigan in and around the same time the impressive Robbie Keane’s loan deal expired, Villa struggled to score goals and only won one of the last 16 matches. All season the club only won seven games, with only bottom club Wolves only winner fewer, leaving most Villa fans praying for the end of the season and the departure of their unpopular manager.

It’s a really big season for the likes of Barry Bannan and Marc Albrighton whom have to put their inconsistency behind them and fulfil their obvious potential if Villa are to have a good season. Having lost Ashley Young and Stewart Downing last season, Bannan and Albrighton have the credentials to ensure big money isn’t needed in an attempt to replace the creativity Villa lacked last season. If these two youngsters aren’t ready then Steven Ireland will have to re-discover his Manchester City form.

Key player – Darren Bent It’s fair to say Villa missed their £24million striker when the England international’s ankle injury finished his season at the end of February. In the 38 Premier League games played for the Villa since his arrival in the January transfer window of 2011, the former Spurs man has 18 goals, and the burden will lay heavily on him to be in and around the 20 goals, which he has consistently done at this level.

Villa will need Bent's goals if they are to have a successful season

Verdict – 11^th Paul Lambert’s first season in charge won’t see them challenge for Europe, but it really is about rebuilding at the club, and their young manager is the right man. Expect an improvement in the style of football at Villa Park and maybe a good cup run.

View from a fan – @Studav19

What would be an ideal season?
After last season I’d be very happy with a decent cup run as well as challenging for Europe

What would be a nightmare season?
A nightmare would definitely be finishing lower than last season and being relegated to the Championship.

Have you got the right manager?
I believe Lambert is the right man for the job. Given the backing he really can wake the sleeping giant that is Villa over the next 2-3 years.

Which other Premier League player would you like to sign?
There’s too many! But realistically a good one would be Adam Johnson

How key is a fit Darren Bent to achieving your clubs goals this season?
If his head and heart is in it he’ll be a huge bonus to us this season but he needs the support.

Are there any young players we should look out for this season?
I’m a huge fan of Nathan Baker, he’s a very good young centre half. Also Nathan Delfouneso may find his form under Lambert. 

Arsenal for third

Following the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas last Summer transfer window, the news that club captain Robin Van Persie wasn’t going to extend his current contract came as no real surprise to most Gunners. However this season Arsene Wenger has dived into the market impressively, and more importantly early, with the additions of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, before pulling off arguably the biggest transfer coup of the summer with the arrival of the classy Santi Cazorla from troubled Malaga.

Can Cazorla guide Arsenal to the top of the league?

Twice Arsenal turned their season around impressively (Losing four of their opening seven as well as a poor run in January) and only a minor hiccup towards the end of the season meant they needed victory on the final day of the season to secure the all important third spot, which they duly did away to West Brom. Wenger's current squad seems to have more mental strength about it, after previously bottling it in either a title race or in a cup final, and instead of being caught, found themselves successfully hunting down their target last season as they ended the season well to overhaul Spurs.

Their starting XI is as good as any in the Barclays Premier League, however following injuries to first choice full-backs Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs last season, their full back alternatives are incredibly weak. The same goes for the centre half position as in reality neither Per Mertesacker nor Johan Djourou are good enough.

Should the worst / predictable happen and Van Persie leaves the Emirates then the burden shall fall heavily on their £13million addition in Giroud. He and his former club Montpellier stunned Ligue 1 last season; however the Premier League is of a much stronger standard, so Gunners fans will be hoping he has more of the Thierry Henry about him then the Park Chu-Young. 

Key player(s) – Arsenal have always been brilliant going forward, but for me keeping their centre half duo of Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen fit is a real must. Together they form a brilliant partnership, with the latter’s goal threat a brilliant bonus.

Verdict – 3^rd Whether they’ll have the strength in depth to challenge for the title is another thing; however I do expect them to finish ahead of their London rivals in claiming another Champions League spot.

View from a fan – Culann Davies   @CulannWDavies

What would be an ideal season?
Ending the long trophy drought whilst finishing third in the league again

What would be an awful season?
Finishing outside the top four as well as trophy less

Have you got the right manager?
Definitely. What Arsene's done on such a smaller budget in comparison to the rest of the league is unbelievable. Finally he’s allowed some money this summer and it's told with brilliant additions.

Which other Premier League player would you like to sign?

Probably Vincent Kompany. Koscielny is class whilst Vermaelen has struggled for form and fitness since his debut season.

Is Robin Van Persie replaceable?

He is, but we need more than one player to do so!

Who should we keep an eye out for this season?

Laurent Koscielny. He was our second best player last season but largely unnoticed outside Arsenal, worth keeping an eye on.

It’s time to play the German way!

I swear we’ve been here before? England eliminated at the first knock out stage of a major Championship and via penalties? If we are to change this from becoming (I appreciate it already is) a regular occurrence then we need to change the way we run our game, starting from the very bottom.

Germany changed their mentality following their Euro 2000 nightmare, and invested heavily in producing a high quality batch of technically good young players, fit to not just challenge at one major tournament, but every! It’s been 12 years since then, and their current squad has just two, yes two, players whom are 30 or older (Miroslav Klose and Tim Wiese, both of whom aren’t regulars.) They have such strength in depth the likes of Mario Gotze and Toni Kroos simply haven’t had a look in at the tournament so far. Of the German Under 21 side that thrashed England 4-0 in the European Championship final, six of them are in the current German squad, in comparison to England, whom have taken just two from that squad (James Milner and Theo Walcott)

The current German coach is Joachim Low, and I’ll lump a lot of money that no ‘one will know who he managed before the German national side, or even how well done. I didn’t, I had to look it up. And as it happens he never did exceptional anywhere he did, with clubs ranging from Adanaspor to Karlsruher. He joined the German national side as part of the coaching set up in 2004 and since then has had incredible success with his country. Don’t get me wrong Low has proven to be tactically good; however does his CV compare to the likes of Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello? It doesn’t come close. But for some obscure reason, the English FA would rather throw £6million a year at a foreign manager, than put it into grass roots football. Eriksson and Capello are very good managers and both have moderate levels of success with England; however they were always going to be a short-term fix. The English FA needs to understand that having a great manager isn't the biggest piece of the puzzle.

The FA has changed something for the better over the recent months, as from next season, such young footballers won’t have to make the quick jump to 11 a side football, which has so often been criticised. Jose Mourinho recently commented that England will never win anything whilst boys play 11-a-side, going on to say “In England you are trained to win, in Spain you are coached to play”. He has a point, for every English Scott Parker there is a Spanish Andres Iniesta.

Maybe I’m being harsh on Parker, he’s a solid defensive midfielder; however there was numerous occasions against Italy were his passing ability and poor technique was on show. Many will say Parker’s game isn’t about passing, but when you play as one of two centre midfielders, you’ve got to a better passer of the ball then he is. All four of the Italian centre midfielders would have got in alongside Steven Gerrard. It’s not just Parker though, our England squad only has a maximum of four world class players (Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole, Joe Hart and Gerrard), which when you consider the likes of Fernando Torres, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Kroos all struggled to get into their retrospective sides at the tournament, our lack of brilliant players hindered us.

I’m going to leave the article on a good note however; our Under 21 side of 2009 did make the Under21 finals and we do have numerous young players coming through and in the likes of Jack Wilshere, Tom Cleverely and Martin Kelly there is undoubted potential. Will we get anywhere at the 2014 World Cup, no! So why not use that as a platform for Euro 2016, lets field a young side to gain experience at a major tournament and really have a go at a tournament we’ve a, all be it minor, chance in.