Few other professional sports have an offseason as short as the English Premier League, and yet, every August, I nonetheless find myself thinking “Thank God. It is about bloody time.” And time it is. This weekend, we see the return of Premier League soccer, and if the league is overhyped (it is), and if the mountains of money at play might be nauseating (sometimes, they can be), it’s nonetheless hard to deny that the English Premier League is one of the most competitive, exciting leagues on the planet. So, what can we expect from this year’s season?
Chelsea: Mourinho’s Gambles
On paper, Chelsea still have the best team. Last year’s Player of the Year Eden Hazard is only just beginning to step into his prime at 24, and betting against the brilliantly talented young Belgian midfielder would be ill-advised. With Cesc Fabregas and Oscar also occupying Chelsea’s midfield, they have one of the most goal-getting lineups in the middle of the park. And things look good up front as well.
Diego Costa was the EPL’s most clinical goal-scorer last season, netting from nearly 35% of his shots. In addition, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has added Radamel Falcao to his attacking options. Falcao is coming off what must be called an awful season at Manchester United, having scored only four goals all year, and finding himself on the bench in the process. The addition of Falcao—despite his ludicrously high wages—might be called a ‘calculated risk’ on the part of Mourinho. If Falcao can rediscover his pre-Premier League form, the Colombian striker could prove a steal.
And, in fact, “calculated risk” sums up what seems to be Mourinho’s approach to this season. Although Chelsea’s midfield is phenomenal, and although Costa is doubtless among the league’s best strikers, Chelsea’s squad looks a bit thin. Costa is known to be injury prone, and should he find himself on the sidelines with another serious hamstring injury, it will be up to Falcao and Loic Remy—who looked delightfully atrocious against Arsenal in the Community Shield—to shoulder the burden in attack. If Falcao reproduces his terrible form of last season, Chelsea could find themselves in a somewhat unfamiliar position: short on goals.
And what’s worse, they’re short at the back, too. John Terry, Gary Cahill, and Bratislav Ivanovic are tried and tested options at center back, but beyond that, Chelsea look somewhat suspect. Lining up against Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain—who, some might say, is even Arsenal’s second choice at right winger behind Theo Walcott—left back Cesar Azpilicueta looked completely overmatched in the Community Shield. Behind him in the depth chart is Kurt Zouma, who is only twenty and has played hardly even a handful of matches for the first team. Who else at the back? Why Nathan Ake, who is likewise but twenty years old, and lacking in experience and physical stature. If Chelsea don’t sign another experienced defender, and potentially even another striker, before the transfer window closes, Mourinho is but a few injuries away from an Arsenal-esque crisis. And a betting woman wouldn’t bank on Diego Costa’s hamstring.
Manchester United: Devilish Again?
The so-called “Red Devils” were rather toothless last season, especially compared to their prior exploits under Sir Alex Ferguson. This offseason, however, manager Louis van Gaal has thrown down the gauntlet—or at least the checkbook. Having spent more than $300 million on enough players to, practically, field an entire new squad, Manchester United look to be revamped in the coming year. They’ve shed themselves of Angel Di Maria and Robin van Persie, and added Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian, Sergio Romero and Bastian Schweinsteiger, among others. Will the new boys be able to pull it off and challenge for the title again this year?
Schweinsteiger is the flashiest of van Gaal’s new signings, but he’s got substance, too. Both creative in attack and strong in defence, ‘Schweini’ will bolster the midfield at Old Trafford—and he’ll have help. Morgan Schneiderlin was one of last season’s hero for Southampton, who managed to repeat their winning ways despite having lost a spate of players to other clubs prior to the 2014-2015 season (although, this year, without the likes of Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne, they may be hard-pressed to repeat those heroics). United’s midfield will have more bite, and that will help stymie the flow of goals into their net that undid them time and again last year. But they may find themselves missing Di Maria’s creativity up front, and despite their new lineup, are likely to be once again the lesser team in Manchester.
Manchester City: Sterling from Back to Front
Manchester City have depth in defense that should make Mourinho green with envy—and make him more than a little bit concerned. With Vincent Kompany, Gael Clichy, Martin Demichelis, Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, and Aleksander Kolarov all on the books, City will always have experienced, world-class footballers with a bevy if international caps to their names on the bench, say nothing of on the field. And that’s not even where the headlines have been revolving at the Etihad.
Raheem Sterling’s move from Liverpool was protracted and irksome for fans of his old club, and while some might find fault with the young winger for his lack of loyalty, few can argue that his addition does not make City a much stronger squad. Sergio Aguero remains, for my money, the best striker in the Premier League, but he’s been somewhat overburdened. Jesus Navas is a very good footballer, but he never quite managed to form the sort of partnership with Aguero that would have seen both players truly flourish. If Sterling can strike just such an accord with Aguero, then combined with their glut of oil-bought phenoms in midfield—Samir Nasri, David Silva, Yaya Toure—Manchester City will be a tough squad to deal with.
The Last Word
Unless Mourinho adds more options both up front and at the back, Chelsea may find themselves too thin to defend their EPL crown this season. Manchester United have added bite to their midfield, but their sale of Di Maria was ill-advised, and without a sound defense either—and especially should David De Gea depart for Madrid—they will likely find themselves only slightly better than they were last season. With a proven defensive partnership in Lauren Koscielney and Per Mertesacker, the emergence of Francis Coquelin as a commanding defensive midfield presence, and with the addition of goalkeeper Petr Cech, Arsenal are more sound in defense than they’ve been in years. On the back of a solid defense, and goals from Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, and the poised-for-a-breakout Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, look for the Gunners to mount their most serious title challenge in the past decade.
But that still might not be enough. Manchester City may not have as much talent in their best starting XI as Chelsea do, but they have the depth to see them through to the end of the season. Arsenal—for the first time in ages—are perhaps also deep enough to go the distance, but despite having the best squad they’ve fielded in years, Arsene Wenger’s men may not be able to catch the oil-fed, star-studded squad at the Etihad.
Predicted Top Four in 2016:
1.) Manchester City
2.) Arsenal
3.) Chelsea
4.) Manchester United