As the Barclays English Premiership kicks off this weekend, there are lots of expectations from the top clubs as well as the newly promoted sides. Indeed every club has its expectations and has set targets. Let’s visit the clubs who may play a vital role and perhaps win the league or get relegated.

CONTENDERS

MANCHESTER CITY: Where else can we start but with the English Champions. City have been silent in the transfer market. Well, not so silent because they bought Jack Rodwell but sold Greg Cunningham, Ahmed Benal and Vladimir Weiss. But who do you think Mancini’s side will need to add to their talented and star studded squad that has names like Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli, Samir Nasri, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Gael Clichy, Micah Richards and motivated captain Vincent Kompany.

City have already made an early statement by beating Chelsea 3 – 2 in the Charity Cup last weekend. And though Mancini and Kompany have said they are not favourites to win the title this season, most people think otherwise. After all they said the same thing last season!

City may not have been active buying players and that may be more worrisome for opponents because it means City have a star studded team that had already blended at the tail end of last season.

Verdict: City are definitely going to push everyone down to the wire. But they may come up just a little short like the almost did last season.

MANCHESTER UNITED: The wounded side of Manchester has been in mourning after losing last season’s title in the last 2minutes of the entire campaign. The team had been criticized by its fans as being the worst set of players they had paraded in more than a decade.

To put this right, Sir Alex Ferguson has been all but silent in the transfer window bringing in Shinji Kagawa, Nick Powell, Sean Goss, Angelo Henriguez and Robin Van Persie – all totalling about £45 million. United have sold Park ji Sung while others like Tomasz Kuszczak and Paul Pogba have left on free transfers.

United have also seen the return of several of its key players like Nemanja Vidic, Anderson, Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverly. The team looks good indeed.

United will be looking to exert its authority on the EPL once again as they have always done in the past and they seem in pole position to do this. A team with Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Nani, Valencia, Javier Hernandez, Danny Wellbeck, Dimitar Berbatov, Shinji Kagawa, Darren Fletcher, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Anderson, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Rafael Dos Santos can only win the league except something cynical happens like it did last season when they played Everton losing 2 goals advantages twice.

Verdict: United are the team to beat really, and will fight like a wounded lion after having their worst season last term. They look best to win the league.

CHELSEA: The pride of London? Well, they certainly were last season and with the way things are with other London clubs, they still are. The European champions seem bolstered by their Champions League triumph last term and have gone on a spending spree!!!!!!!!!!!

Indeed the Blues have spent about £63 million bringing Marko Marin, Eden Hazard and brother Thorgan Hazard and Júnior Oscar Dos Santos. But they have also lost talisman and their European Champions League star Didier Drogba as well as Salomon Kalou on free transfers.

Another very strong contender as usual. The club is settled and with new 2yrs in charge boss Roberto Di Matteo and you can only expect a formidable side.

Just like the Manchester clubs, they need no time to blend after all it is pretty much the same squad they had last term with John Terry, Frank Lampard, Mikel Obi, Fernando Torres, Ramires, Ashley Cole, Ivanovic, and Juan Mata. Infact, it seems Drogba will be the only key absentee.

Verdict: Definitely going to push the Manchester Clubs all the way. They have all it takes to win also. It may come down to the final games and if it does, then, I guess Chelsea win pull through with their never say die attitude.

ARSENAL: Hmmm! What can I say? The club just sold its top striker Robin Van Persie for “peanuts” to arch rivals Manchester United automatically handing the edge over to United. I don’t think a club with real ambitions of winning the league will do such a thing. Hey, mind you Alex Song is also on his way out to Barcelona if tabloids are to be followed.

But give Arsene Wenger credit. Arsenal have spent £44 million (about the same as United) on Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla. Arsenal have also sold more players than it has bought! Economic crunch? Well, for me, there seems something wrong somewhere. To win the EPL you need a strong first 11 and a very good bench. At the moment Arsenal seem to be lacking both.

This team may look good but it is an injury prone side that needs lots of blending and I don’t see them blending this season or next.

Verdict: A team for the future definitely not this season! But miracles do happen. Call it the 13th wonder of the world if they win.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS: Tottenham looked good last season but seem unsettled towards the end with rumours linking the then manager Harry Redknapp with the English job.

Spurs are not looking as dangerous this term though. With new manager Andre Villas-Boas looking to get hold of his first long run in the premiership, he seems to be focusing on a long term building project similar to what he did at Chelsea. It may consume again but I don’t think so.

Spurs have been active in the transfer market buying Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Jan Vertonghen for £18 million. The club will be hoping to sell Modric to Real Madrid, get more funds and re-enter the transfer market again. The club has also sold key players like Steven Pienaar and Niko Kranjcar.

Verdict: Another team for the future if Villas Boas remains. I hope he does too.



NEWCOMERS

READING: Winners of the Championship last season and gained automatic promotion and they did not do it by luck. They pushed all the way by Southampton and West Ham.

Unlike their fellow new comers, they have not been so extravagant in spending. Infact, they have spent just £5 million in transfers of Garath McCleary, Danny Guthrie, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Pierce Sweeney, Nicky Shorey, Adrian Mariappa and Chris Gunter.

Reading may not have the financial power to be big time active in the transfer market but hey, they have an average squad which scored 69 goals and conceded 41 in return.

Verdict: Perhaps may be better off back in the Championship.

WEST HAM UNITED: First of all welcome back guys. This club does have money and was willing to get Andy Carroll off Liverpool with £35 million! And that speaks a lot about the ambition of the club which seems to be aiming not just to remain in the top tier league but to finish high up the table.

And who says they cannot? West Ham have brought in Stephen Henderson, Mohamed Diame, George McCartney, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Modibo Maíga, Raphael Spiegel, James Collins and Alou Diarra! Amazing 8 players this season while they have sold 8 players as well. West Ham scored 81 goals last season and finished just 3 points behind winners Reading.

West Ham coach Sam Allardyce is no new comer to the Premiership and his experience will also play its part in making sure West Ham finish well above troubled waters.

Verdict: A team capable of remaining in the premiership and capable of buying and spending big in the transfer market.

SOUTHAMPTON: The last time Southampton were in the premiership Wayne Rooney was 20 years old. Southampton have had a rough ride back to the premiership having been relegated in 2005 to the Championship and to League 1 in 2009.

The club is also looking good in the transfer market having spent about £12 million to buy Jay Rodriguez, Lee Holmes, Steve Davis, Nathaniel Clyne, Ross Flitney and Paulo Gazzaniga.

Under Nigel Adkins managenment, the club has made a come-back to the premiership finishing runners-up to Reading.

Verdict: Hate to say it but yes, as they came, so they went!


http://www.soccerroomtoday.com/opinion/expectations-for-the-english-league-20122013-season-ovede-otite/

Hmm. Gud analysis but let's wait n see