2014/2015 EPL Countdown

With the start of the new season is less than 5 days away, The Writer tells the readers about his predictions and the players who will shine. This is original opinions, needless to say...

ARSENAL

Where Will They Finish?

Around 3^rd to 5^th place as long as they still don’t buy a top class striker.

Key Player

It has to be Aaron Ramsey. Improve his performance dramatically last season and the improved amount of goals he scored makes him a world-class to be.

New Signing to Watch

Everyone talks about Alexis Sanchez. But look out for Mathieu Debuchy. He plays like Sagna (Bacary), runs like Sagna, a Frenchman like Sagna, and Arsenal will not miss Sagna anymore.

ASTON VILLA

Where Will They Finish?

Around 17^th to 19^th place unless some rich owner buy the club and invest.

Key Player

It has to be Darren Bent. Bent needs to score many goals as Villa’s strength is surely not at their defense.

New Signing to Watch

Joe Cole joins Villa to have one last hurrah at football and Villa fans are hopeful and desperate to see his Brazilian skills of old.

BURNLEY

Where Will They Finish?

Around 14^th to 16^th place as they will need their inspirational manager, Sean Dyche to motivate them all season.

Key Player

Danny Ings have finally succeeded in replacing Burnley’ former prolific goalscorer, Charlie Austin who has gone to QPR. He is selfish in a good way, just like Daniel Sturridge.

New Signing to Watch

Sean Dyche doesn’t like to sign a nobody just for the sake of filling up his squad. So expect Michael Kightly to excel on the wing for Burnley.

CHELSEA

Where Will They Finish?

Around 1^st to 3^rd place as they look like the best assembled team in the league.

Key Player

With Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole already left, Chelsea lacks senior heads and John Terry has to be more influential than ever this season.

New Signing to Watch

Chelsea should win the EPL title last season if not because of their lack of goals. Expect Diego Costa to be among the top highest goal scorers this campaign.

CRYSTAL PALACE

Where Will They Finish?

Around 12^th to 14^th place and no more relegation battle as Tony Pullis never get relegated in his career.

Key Player

Yannick Bolasie was excellent last season and it made The Writer wonder of how Manchester United decided to sign Wilfried Zaha instead of him.

New Signing to Watch

No one really. All signings so far are not a first eleven type of players, so Pullis have to act faster and smarter to bring fresh bloods.

EVERTON

Where Will They Finish?

Around 6^th to 8^th place as Roberto Martinez will maintain their last season stability.

Key Player

This season is the moment when Ross Barkley should really step up. He is no longer the youth player to watch at Everton as he should be the main man.

New Signing to Watch

Romelu Lukaku is not new at Goodison Park but a permanent transfer to Everton this season will give him more stable platform to score more goals.

HULL CITY

Where Will They Finish?

Around 9^th to 11^th place as they will have to juggle between league and Europa league’s commitment.

Key Player

Tom Huddlestone needs to boss the midfield just like last season and his thunderous shots are assets.

New Signing to Watch

Tom Ince rejected Inter Milan to join Hull City as he wants to be the key player instead of having to seat on the substitute bench.

LEICESTER CITY

Where Will They Finish?

Around 18^th to 20^th place as they will have the most difficult task to avoid relegation.

Key Player

England one-cap wonder, David Nugent is still a specialist goal getter. Leicester will supply him with all the services to win matches throughout the season.

New Signing to Watch

Leonardo Ulloa is a unique name and hopefully is unique enough to score a lot of goals compared to other average name strikers who have average goalscoring records.

LIVERPOOL

Where Will They Finish?

Around 3^rd to 5^th place as they will feel the loss of Luis Suarez too hard to bear. 

Key Player

Goals are vital for Liverpool’s resurgence to 2^nd place last season and Daniel Sturridge will improve his last season goal tally of 21 and beat Suarez’s record of 31.

New Signing to Watch

The Writer has explained on several Liverpool new signings before but not Javier Manquillo. He gave a confident performance against Borrusia Dortmund last Sunday and has surprised everyone since. He is a very very speedy player and is not afraid to bomb forward just like Daniel Alves of Barcelona.

MANCHESTER CITY

Where Will They Finish?

Around 1^st to 2^nd place as the winner of last season will maintain their superiority against most leagues’ opponents. 

Key Player

It has to be Vincent Kompany. There are many City players that can replace Yaya Toure in case he is out injured, but no one can replace Kompany as City’s defense will leak goals and City will have higher chance of losing if Kompany is unavailable.

New Signing to Watch

A 32 million euro signing is quite a normal thins these days, only if people know his ability and the man himself, but Eliquim Mangala is an unknown quantity for most English Premier League fans.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Where Will They Finish?

Around 3^rd to 4^th place as Louis van Gaal will bring back the winning ways to Old Trafford but they lack world-class players compared to Chelsea and Manchester City. 

Key Player

Wayne Rooney will be the new captain of both Manchester United and England if he is lucky enough and thus need to score more goals as Robin van Persie becoming a more frequent visitor to the doctor’s room these days.

New Signing to Watch

Ander Herrera is a lesser known new name compared to Luke Shaw but he is the next batch of Spanish midfielders to replace the legacy of Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Where Will They Finish?

Around 7^th to 9^th place as they will maintain the push of a Europa league placing.

Key Player

It should be Hatem Ben Arfa but for whatever reasons, he is on his way out of the club. Fabricio Collocini is the next best player who needs to marshal the defense tighter after the loss of Mathieu Debuchy to Arsenal.

New Signing to Watch

The appointment of new signing, Siem de Jong to the vice captaincy role is an indicator of how special he is, on and off the pitch.

QUEENS PARK RANGERS

Where Will They Finish?

Around 10^th to 13^th place as Harry ‘The Houdini’ Redknapp will wave his magic once more to stabilize QPR from last two season’s disaster.

Key Player

Joey Barton is an improved human being and despite his bad behavior, he is a leader of men. He made QPR a better unit last season after almost being kicked-out of the club.

New Signing to Watch

Who is more popular to watch than Rio Ferdinand? He will be a better Ferdinand to play for QPR than his younger brother, Anton.

SOUTHAMPTON

Where Will They Finish?

Around 14^th to 17^th place as they will be badly affected from the huge sales of first team players this transfer window.

Key Player

Who else is left? Erm, Jose Fonte is the only good player who is not linked to any clubs and therefore will be most surely to lead Southampton to fight relegation.

New Signing to Watch

Graziano Pelle is living the dream to play in the most popular league in the world after his sudden emergence into the football map by netting numerous amounts of goals for Feyenord in the Dutch league last season.

STOKE CITY

Where Will They Finish?

Around 10^th to 12^th place as Mark Hughes will keep Stoke safe once more this season. 

Key Player

Ryan Shawcross is a warrior and is the sole reason alongside his partner Robert Huth that makes Stoke famous for their great defense. Should be going with England to the World Cup in Brazil last June.

New Signing to Watch

Stoke excites their fans by capturing former young superstar, Bojan Krkic from Barcelona. The Writer likes Bojan and hope he will make EPL his home for a long time.

SUNDERLAND

Where Will They Finish?

Around 15^th to 17^th place as they will struggle again in the relegation battle.

Key Player

Best players for Sunderland last season were actually on loan from other clubs. The next best thing there should be Lee Cattermole. Their former captain.

New Signing to Watch

With Phil Bardsley already left the club, it is up to the new signing, Billy Jones to continue what Bardsley did all these years on the right flank. And he has to like scoring, just like Bardsley.

SWANSEA CITY

Where Will They Finish?

Around 11^th to 14^th place as Garry Monk being promoted as the new manager of the club he played for last season. 

Key Player

Willfried Bony. Full stop. Unless he moves somewhere else, Swansea has to replace his goalscoring prowess.

New Signing to Watch

Gylfi Sigurdsson roles back the years after he rejoins Swansea this season. The Writer clearly remembered his great impact at Swansea two seasons back before he joined Spurs.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Where Will They Finish?

Around 5^th to 7^th as new manager, Mauricio Pochettino will have to take this new season as a trial before mounting more serious challenge next season.

Key Player

Goals are the different between success and failure in this league, no matter how creative your midfielders are. Emmanuel Adebayor is the one to rely on, luckily.

New Signing to Watch

It is a rapid rise for Ben Davies after he manages to get a transfer to Spurs this summer, considering he is only replacing Swansea’s injured first choice left back last season.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Where Will They Finish?

Around 18^th to 20^th as they lack top class players and also manager that can really excel in this league. 

Key Player

Ben Foster is only player capable to save West Brom from relegation with his goal saving performances.

New Signing to Watch

West Brom manages to at least cheer up their fans by signing former England centre back, Joleon Lescott. If Lescott can perform for his new team, he will back in the white shirt of England.

WEST HAM

Where Will They Finish?

Around 18^th to 20^th place as the abuse from their own fans for boring style of play will pressurize the players to succeed. 

Key Player

The unlucky and often-injured Andy Carroll should be West Ham main man because he suits their tactics perfectly but club’s captain, Kevin Nolan has to pump up his teammates’ spirit to avoid any move back to the lower division.

New Signing to Watch

West Ham fans are still skeptical about the manager’s preferred style of play but they are all eager to see new signing, Mauro Zarate to provide the fancy footworks, skills, and last but not least, GOALS!


The Writer's Summary on Final Place's Predictions

1st & 2nd Place    Chelsea & ManCity (either one)
3rd Place               Liverpool & ManUtd (either one)
4th Place               Arsenal
5th Place               Liverpool & ManUtd (either one)
6th - 17th Place    Other Teams
18th Place             West Ham
19th Place             West Brom
20th Place             Leicester City 

‘Pendatang Asing’

The English Community Shield match between Arsenal and Manchester City saw only three English players started in the list of the first elevens for both teams. All three were from Arsenal, unfortunately. The love of clubs towards foreign players is an unwanted disease. The Writer here is not talking about the English Premier League (EPL) only, but also on majority leagues in the world. However it is easier to put the focus more on the EPL as it is the most followed league in the world and most of readers will be more familiar with the names that The Writer is going to mention after this. The title above is a translated Malay term which refers to foreigners as The Writer wants the readers to feel uneasy about the bad impact that excessive foreign invasion can bring to any nations, be it from football perspective or other matters. 

England’s World Cup performance in Brazil recently indicated the problems which are affected from having a large majority of foreign players in the English Premier League. The failure can also largely be blamed on the wrong tactics by the England manager, Roy Hodgson, but who can really blame him? His choices of world-class English players are very limited and he had to shoulder the expected failure tags even before the World Cup started. Hodgson didn’t have any choice of world-class centre back after the retirement of John Terry. That’s because most EPL clubs buy big names from overseas to play in that position. Young players don’t get enough chance to impress.

EPL clubs also don’t invest heavily for their academy. They are more interested in paying for ready-made English young talents from the lower leagues and then put them in their reserve. The outcome is the same. Those young English players will never have the chance too. Only real wonderkids such as Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley, and Luke Shaw get the chance to shine because of their obvious and rare talents. Others young hopeful players’ talents are wasted and it is a sad situation.

The same goes to the Malaysian football. The influx of foreign footballers into the Malaysian Super League (MSL) is having a bad impact on the choices available to the new Malaysian national team coach, Dollah Salleh. The most particular position which is giving Dollah a great headache is the striker. Most MSL clubs recruit foreign players in the striker’s position because this is the position that will differentiate between the good and the poor teams in the MSL. The margin in this league is too small and teams which have strikers who is the most prolific and can win matches with their goals are usually at the top of the league at the end of the day. Having too many foreign strikers blocks the chance of Malaysian strikers to shine and this will result in the national team to have very little choices of reliable strikers. Having little reliable strikers affect Malaysia’s chance to succeed in Asian football competitions, let alone the World Cup!

Looking back at English football’s current situation, The Writer is suddenly aware of the existence of the only English club that has all English players in the team. That club is Hartlepool United in the English Second Division. This is a positive sign for English football, albeit it is only one club from the several hundreds in total. This situation can also be seen from Spain where a club named Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish La Liga, who only has Spanish players in their team from the first day of their establishment. Athletic Bilbao only buys Spanish players and no foreigners are allowed to be part of the playing squad. Wow, that’s special! 

English Community Shield: Post Match Analysis

So, The Writer got it all wrong. Arsenal proved The Writer was wrong. Turn out, Arsenal won the English Community Shield comfortably against Manchester City. Both teams used mixture of first team players and their youth. And nobody can accused either teams to be weaker or stronger. Arsenal shown that they had the better chemistry. 3-0 scoreline was a surprise one because the goals scored were true class. Goals from Santi Cazorla and particularly from Olivier Giroud were out of this world. Giroud is a great player but Arsene Wenger must buy another great striker to supplement Arsenal's attack when Giroud is injured or not available. Manchester City on the other hand was subdued in their performance. They lacked desire and looked very complacent. And Bacary Sagna was not selected for the match. He must be salivating to see his former clubs won another trophy and join them in the celebrations if he was still an Arsenal player.

English Community Shield: Professor vs Engineer

Pre-Match Analysis

Sunday's showdown will see last season winner of the FA cup, Arsenal meets Manchester City, the winner of the English Premier League. Although it is only a charity match which will bring no point to either team, this match serves as a statement of intent for the winning team. Neither team will want to lose this game and most importantly neither team want their stars to get injured in this game, just only a week before the real battle of English Premier League kicks-off. Over the years, there will always be transfers of players from Arsenal to ManCity. Some call those players as greedy but whatever it is, ManCity manage to prove that they are becoming a bigger temptation for players to join them over Arsenal by winning several important trophies. The likes of Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Nasri, Clichy, and the latest of all, Bacary Sagna have decided to join the blue side of Manchester in search of trophies and a fresher air of new challenges.

Arsenal's Player to Watch

The Writer is excited to see how Alexis Sanchez makes his first mark in the English game. He is a great football player, in the mould of Luis Suarez but with less temperament and no 'BITING'. His stay at Barcelona hindered his career development as he often was overshadowed by Lionel Messi. The recent World Cup saw him able to show his true colour by performing well in most matches for an average but hardworking Chilean team. Expect him to score in the Sunday's match at least by one goal.

ManCity's Player to Watch

The Writer is even more excited to see new ManCity's signings, Bacary Sagna to meet his former employer. Sagna epitomizes everything great for Arsenal footbal club for the past 7 years. It will be very weird to see Sagna in a blue jersey apart from the French national team jersey. He has been a permanent fixture on the right side of Arsenal and has supplied numerous amount of assists from the back. His loss is a huge loss for Arsenal. But Sagna may well start Sunday's game from the bench as ManCity will prefer the ever reliable Zabaleta over Sagna. Such was the strength in depth of ManCity where they have two great players for each position.

Prediction?

ManCity to win this game comfortably. They are more stable and almost all their players of last season title winning team are fit and raring to go. Meanwhile Arsenal has many first team players out injured and not yet reach full fitness. However this will be an open game which means no clean sheet will be achieved by either goalkeeper. Expect at least one goal each by Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero. It is also interesting to see whether Frank Lampard will be selected for this match. Just wait and enjoy the game!  

P/S: The Professor is a nickname for Arsene Wenger and The Engineer is a nickname for Manuel Pellegrini