The traditional curtain raiser of English football will be played at Wembley Stadium today between rivals Manchester United and Manchester City. The FA Community Shield is contested a week before the start of the season by the League Champions and FA Cup winners. This is only the second time in the last 15 years that both competing teams have not come from the superpowers of recent times, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
The firmament of English football is changing and Manchester City lead the way. Fuelled by the petrol dollars of the Abu Dhabi United, English football’s perennial underachievers are looking to position themselves at the pinnacle of the domestic game. They are heading in the right direction. Last season witnessed the club qualify for their debut season in the Champions League as well as win their first trophy in 35 years with the FA Cup.
Compared to the excesses of the past two years, City’s summer spending has been subdued. However, they have still managed to splurge £50 million on Sergio Agüero, Gaël Clichy and Stefan Savic. The current squad should definitely be considered credible challengers for the title. But, issues remain. Chiefly, Carlos Tevez. The club’s best player has made no secret of his desire to leave for greener pastures. However, with clubs unwilling to fork out £40 million for his signature and pay his excessive wages, it will be interesting to see how the saga plays out.
And then there is the manager. Despite last season’s success, Mancini was severely criticised for some for his cautious tactics. The Italian will have to realise the full potential of his formidable strike-force if the team from Eastland’s are to land the biggest prizes. After a couple of relatively quiet summers, Sir Alex Ferguson has once again unfurled his cheque book and signed Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea from Atletico Madrid, winger Ashley Young from Aston Villa and defender Phil Jones from Blackburn for a combined fee in excess of £60 million.
However, it is debatable whether these signings will help United achieve their aims for the coming season. It might be too much to expect David De Gea to reproduce the majestic performances again and again. Moreover, the fact that United have not signed a creative midfielder is quite simply baffling. Replacing Paul Scholes ought to have been given greater priority than signing Ashley Young, a player who in his last season and a half with Aston Villa has stagnated considerably.
At Liverpool, a revival seems to be underway. The club’s principal owner, John W Henry, has sanctioned £100 million pounds worth of spending since former legend Kenny Dalglish returned as manager. However, as with Manchester United, the quality of the new recruits is questionable. Andy Carrol had a decent Premiership campaign with Newcastle last year, but £35 million for a striker who still has a lot to prove seems like a lot of money.
Liverpool also blew away the field with the captures of Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing, purchased for £16 million and £23 million respectively. Downing may provide and if Henderson lives up to his potential he will provide the attacking spark in midfield. If not, then his signing will prove an expensive folly. Charlie Adam has also finally arrived from Blackpool, and promises to provide the team with the passing range they have been lacking since the departure of Xabi Alonso.
However, it is the outstanding Luis Suarez who may come to determine the success of Liverpool’s season. If he can produce the form that saw him being named man of the tournament at this summer’s Copa America, then the team from Anfield should, at the very least, be considered challengers for a Champions League berth. Chelsea’s summer has been all about the appointment of coach Andres Villas-Boas. The 33-year old Portuguese has been referred to by one British newspaper as the ‘Rookie with the Record’ after his fantastic quadruple winning achievements with FC Porto last year.
But, despite all the hype surrounding Europe’s hottest managerial property, the pressure on him will be immense. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is not known for his patience and Villas Boas will have to hit the ground running. Getting the best out of the misfiring Fernando Torres will be crucial to the success of the team. Torres in top form is one of the best strikers in the world. Pre-season performances suggest that the old-guard are willing to play for the new boss, with both Lampard and Drogba in sparkling form, and that can only be good news for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
The season ahead will be fascinating to watch from a Blues perspective. It is difficult to say how things will go with Arsenal with so much still up in the air. The entire summer has been occupied with questions about the future of star players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. The departure of both players will represent a significant blow for manager Arsene Wenger. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the club. Like North London neighbors Arsenal, Tottenham’s success may hinge on keeping their best players rather than bringing new ones in.
The problem Spurs face is that they can’t seem to get rid of the players they want to and are battling to keep their top stars like Luka Modric. The remainder of the transfer window will go a long way in determining how their season goes. Elsewhere, there is a real hint of nostalgia about the Premiership line-up with the promotions of Queens Park Rangers, Norwich and Swansea. In the inaugural Premiership season both QPR and Norwich finished in the top five, while Swansea will be fondly remembered for their heroic exploits in the 1981-82 season.
Unlike in recent seasons, the promoted clubs have largely shunned the practice of signing journeymen players with Premiership experience and looked to buy the best of the Championship. It will be interesting to see how they get along especially Norwich, who retain the bulk of the squad that only two years ago was playing in the third tier of English football. What about predictions. It’s a tough one to call this year with a number of teams in with a realistic chance of challenging for the title.
But if Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini can shed some of his caution and get the best out his genuinely world class squad then the Premiership trophy may well be heading to the blue half of Manchester.
