As the new Premier League season slowly approaches, here at The Football Blog we are bringing you a four part preview, looking at the hopes and expectations of each of the twenty teams involved. We’re even venturing a prediction for each side’s final league position, so let us know where you think we’ve got it right and where we have got it horribly wrong. Part one of our preview examines the prospects of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool for the season ahead.
Arsenal
As suggested in our article last week, it could be another season of disappointment for a club desperate to replenish its trophy cabinet. Arsene Wenger is once again making positive noises about his side’s chances for the season ahead, but it’s difficult not to conclude that they are still a few players short of challenging for any silverware. As ever, the business that Wenger has done (the capture of Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny) has been good, there just hasn’t been enough of it.
Perhaps the most significant cloud hanging above the Emirates is the uncertainty surrounding Cesc Fabregas’s future. Wenger and the Arsenal board have dug their heels in, but surely they are not oblivious to the fact that the Spaniard has his heart set on a move to Barcelona. It remains to be seen how long they can hang on but they are in a Catch 22 situation: lose Fabregas and they lose a pivotal and match winning presence, keep him and they risk having the saga overshadow the season.
Whether Fabregas goes or not, there should be some more business done in North London before the transfer window shuts. Wenger surely must have a goalkeeper and a central defender in his sights, but will this be enough? For all the young promise, for all the attractive football, the Arsenal squad simply does not appear talented or deep enough to challenge for the title. Ultimately, they may have a fight on their hands just to secure a Champions League place.
The Football Blog Prediction: 4th
Aston Villa
It’s been a very quiet summer at Villa Park. There has been nothing in the way of new arrivals to date, whilst Martin O’Neill has failed to free up any funds by finding new clubs for the likes of Steve Sidwell, Nickey Shorey, Luke Young and Habib Beye. The Midlands side and Manchester City also appear to have reached an impasse over the transfer of James Milner, whose relationship with O’Neill has been seriously damaged by the saga. So are Aston Villa in danger of going backwards?
If you had offered Villa fans a Carling Cup final spot, FA Cup semi-final appearance and a sixth place finish at the start of last season, all but the most blindly optimistic of them would have taken it. They will have to go some to better that this season however, with no funds forthcoming from Randy Lerner other than those which can be raised through sales, with an obvious need for a striker who can score 20 goals a season for the club.
Of course it is not all doom and gloom. They have a solid and unchanged defence, as well as the ever lively attacking options of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young. Furthermore, Villa didn’t appear to suffer from the loss of Gareth Barry last summer as many had predicted, and neither are they likely to crumble in the event of James Milner’s departure. However, the lack of any other meaningful transfer activity suggests that they may struggle to push on from last season’s showing.
The Football Blog Prediction: 8th
Birmingham City
It wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that Birmingham punched above their weight last season. After being heavily tipped to make an immediate return to the Championship, they went on a 12 match unbeaten run in the middle stages of the season and ended up with a ninth place finish. Alex McLeish is now left with the difficult task of improving on that in this success in the new campaign. And that is assuming they don’t fall victim to the dreaded ‘second season syndrome’.
As you might expect given their performance last season, transfer activity at St. Andrew’s hasn’t been too frenetic over the summer. Ben Foster has big shoes to fill in replacing Joe Hart in goal, whilst Serbia international Nikola Zigic will be looking to succeed where the outgoing Christian Benitez failed and actually score some goals. McLeish has, however, suggested he wants to bring in some more new faces before the transfer window shuts.
Regardless of further additions, the Scot should again be able to rely on Scott Dann and Roger Johnson to provide a miserly central defensive partnership, and Lee Bowyer and Barry Ferguson to orchestrate events in midfield. You probably won’t find too many Birmingham fans who would turn their nose up at another ninth place finish, and it seems unlikely that they will go any better just yet. So a season of consolidation then, with little to believe they will be in the relegation mix come May.
The Football Blog Prediction: 14th
Blackburn Rovers
Another club where it has been all quiet on the transfer front (Sam Allardyce hasn’t signed one player in the transfer window), it is difficult to see how they will progress from last season’s tenth place finish without the kind of player investment they are hoping will come through new ownership. Regardless of funds however, there is an urgent need for a striker to help relieve the midfield of the goal scoring burden which they found themselves last season.
There are worse midfielders on which to rely however, with David Dunn in superb from last season, and Morten Gamst Pedersen returning to something close to his best. It’s impossible to escape the need for an addition up front though, with only Nikola Klasnic and Jason Roberts to currently choose from. The pair managed just seven goals between them last season. After a failed bid for James Beattie, Allardyce is apparently after the signature of Jo, which will hardly fill the Ewood Park faithful with optimism.
As you might expect from a Sam Allardyce team, there is a solid defensive foundation to fall back on. Paul Robinson will hope to carry over his outstanding form from last season, Ryan Nelsen and Christopher Samba should again form a mean central defensive partnership, whilst Phil Jones is emerging as one the country’s leading defensive talents. This should see them finish up comfortably in mid-table, although anything more would be a surprise.
The Football Blog Prediction: 12th
Blackpool
The title to Andrew McCarten’s article on The Football Blog last week should tell you all you need to know about expectations for Blackpool ahead of the their first season in the Premier League. Quite simply, they are expected to struggle to keep their head above water with many suggesting that the lowest Premiership points tally recorded by Derby could be lowered even further by the Seasiders. So is there any evidence to suggest they can beat the drop, for one season at least?
They should be able to call on an excellent team spirit and work ethic, forged in their unlikely run to the Championship play-off final last season, which highlighted their ability to defy the odds. They will also be hoping that key players such as Charlie Adam and Gary Taylor-Fletcher can quickly adapt to the demands of the Premier League, as well looking to the likes of Alex Baptiste and Stephen Crainey to provide some solidarity in a defence which you fear will be perpetually under siege.
However, with Billy Clarke likely out for the season through injury, no additions of note to the squad and recent transfer pursuits having fallen by the wayside, and four of their first five matches being played away from home owing to reconstruction at Bloomfield Road, it is difficult to see how Ian Holloway’s men will not find this season a struggle. A bottom of the table finish beckons, although they should have fun and throw up one or two surprises along the way.
The Football Blog Prediction: 20th
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