Its so good to have football back…Are there no football/soccer fans here?..anyway i have big hopes for Arsenal this year…Hleb is looking like a good signing and Van Persi is going to run things this term…
Chelsea are going to be solid as usual…Essien will be a good signing…Shaun Wright Philips should have gone to Arsenal…
Liverpool are gona be up there as well…i really wanted them to sign Aimar but alas…
Man Utd…its gona be a nothing season for them…Van Nistelrooy is past it as most of their players are…although Rooney will have a good season…
3 horse race 4 me…what do guppies reckon?
Re: Premiership is back
It’s that time of year again, and yes Soccer is back. Now let’s look back two months ago, we can recall the dramatic CL Final between Liverpool and AC Milan. Liverpool fans will never forget that night, from Liverpool’s three goals in six minutes to Jerzy Dudek’s miraculous penalty saves; it was a night for all fans of the EPL.
Well what can we expect this season? For the first time in a long time neither Arsenal nor Manchester United going into the season are the defending champions. Thanks to one of London’s new resident Roman Abramovich. Again the title race consist of three teams, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea, some might include Liverpool but I still question whether their Spanish armada can keep up in the EPL. At this point in time Chelsea remains the firm favorite to retain the league, nothing suggests that Chelsea are a weaker team and adding some much needed depth to an already star studded squad makes them that much harder to beat. The addition of Asier Del Horno, Shaun Wright-Phillips and the return of an inform Hernan Crespo can only make Chelsea much better then last season. The highly regarded Michael Essien also seems destined to be wearing blue this season. Of course with so many players there will be conflicts, star players like William Gallas, Robert Huth, and Wayne Bridge will most likely be on the bench. In midfield Chelsea have 4 wingers that deserve to start that means the likes of Joe Cole and Damien Duff will be on the bench. If Essien comes there is no way he will sit, that means that either Makelele will sit or Mourinho will have to play a 5 man midfield with one striker up front. Either way Mourinho will have a difficult time in keeping all his players happy. With Chelsea strengthening up what has the other two teams done to keep up? The answer is not much at least not right now as there is still about a month left until the transfer window closes.
Arsenal suffers the biggest lost with their captain going to Juventus and what did Wenger do? He added a young quality player from Die Bundesliga in Aliaksandr Hleb and missed out on the Brazilian beast Julio Baptista. Whether Wenger saw Baptista as a striker or as the Viera replacement will probably not be known. Arsenal fans will hope that their youth will step up; last season saw the emergence of some great young talents in Arsenal’s ranks in Fransesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Robin Van Persie and Phillip Senderos. Wenger will be hoping that they can help fill the void left by Patrick Viera. Right now though it looks like Arsenal are weaker then last season, they lost Viera, they haven’t gotten a new keeper yet but are close to signing the Uruguayan International Sebastien Viera and their defense doesn’t look too sharp as Sol Campbell looks to be done. Don’t count them out yet because I am sure Wenger has something up his sleeve.
Finally Manchester United, a team just recently bought by the American Tycoon Malcolm Glazer, with a debt of more then 300 million pounds you would think the club would be in major trouble. Maybe not as Glazer has promised a big transfer kitty, but where is the money many fans ask? So far SAF has spent 1 million pound on a Goalkeeping prospect Ben Foster, 2 million on Edwin Van Der Sar and 4 million on Korean sensation Park Ji Sung(Gotta watch that kid!!!) and they have sold Phil Neville to Everton for 3 million pounds thus they spent 4 million this year. Maybe Glazer is lying and there is no transfer kitty. However Manchester United is still a strong team, their starting XI can match almost anyone in the Soccer World, last year they scored a miserable 57 goals while only conceding 26 take this into consideration in 99 they scored around 80 while conceding 45, I guess the term defense wins championship doesn’t apply here. However expect Ruud Van Nistelrooy to be back this year and expect him to score 20+ goals. With a more mature Rooney and Ronaldo expect both to have breakout seasons. Maybe the new three R’s of world football are Rooney, Ronaldo and Ruud. Up front is not a problem but midfield certainly is for ManUtd, with an aging midfield core SAF is yet to make any significant signings, Scholes, Giggs, and Keane are yet to be replace. So the Ballack, Essien rumors come in, but that’s as far they get they are just rumors nothing more and most ManUtd fans like me were hoping that at least one of them comes true. However with the emergence of players from the youth system such as Italian sensation Giuseppe Rossi, England’s Kieran Richardson and David Jones, people wonder if SAF will go back to the youth like he did with the class of 92’. Expect ManUtd to make a serious title push this season even if they don’t bring in a world class CM.
Outside the top three, the rest of the EPL is getting stronger, There is Liverpool who has added some great depth and with a year of EPL experience under Rafael Benitez and his Spanish Armada expect them to push for the number 3 spot. Tottenham is my dark horse; this is a team that always seems to underachieve given their financial status. This year they look stronger then ever, they are solid in all positions, at the back they have Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Reto Ziegler, Paul Stalteri, in midfield they have some better depth then most teams, the likes of Michael Carrick, Edgar Davids, Wayne Routledge, Andy Reid and up front, Defoe, Keane, Mido, Kanoute. Newcastle also look to do better then last season where they finished 14th, but adding some great talent in Emre Belozoglu and Scott Parker will make Newcastle much better. There defense will also be much better because of Jean Alain Boumsong and Australian captain Craig Moore, all they are lacking is options upfront where they just lost Patrick Kluivert. Despite Everton’s 4th place last season it doesn’t look like they will even reach the stage round of the CL as they face a very good Villareal side that spanked Barcelona 3-0 last season, at the same time they haven’t been able to attract many good players, the only good player they got was Per Koldrup, I don’t expect them to have the season like they have but in the long run will be a much better team. Other teams like Middlesbrough, Bolton, and Birmingham City will probably round out the top 10 teams.
Some up and coming talents to watch out this season would be Wright-Phillips not Shaun but Bradley, this kid has shined in preseason games and expect him to be at a bigger club soon. Another interesting player is Portsmouth Collins Mbesuma, he could potentially replace Aiyebeni Yakubu who now plays for Middlesbrough and will help Portsmouth battle relegation. I think this season will see Scott Parker prove himself again like he did with Charlton and I think Belozoglu Emre will be solid. Of all the teenagers I think this will be the year that Cesc Fabregas prove his worth, with the departure of Viera he will have a more important role in the squad.
Notable mentions: Stephen Kelly(Tottenham), Quincy Owusu Abeyie(Arsenal), Jermaine Pennant(Birmingham), Darren Ambrose(Charlton), Asier Del Horno(Chelsea), Per Kroldrup(Everton), Collins John(Fulham), Park Ji Sung(ManUtd), Charles N’Zogbia(Newcastle), Diomansy Kamara(West Brom) Al Habsi(Bolton).
Somehow I think the Hammers will manage to stay up, I don’t know why but they seem to develop some nice talent, Lampard, Defoe, Ferdinand, Joe Cole. Of course Sunderland, and Wigan are my guess to go down and I will say Portsmouth as well.
All in all it will be an interesting season, the EPL is a lot stronger then before, and I highly doubt we will see a season where Chelsea only loses one game as all teams will be gunning for them. As for European competitions, Chelsea looks fit to take on the best of Europe the rest have a chance to pull a Liverpool so you never know. So I’ll be sitting here waiting for next Saturday(Aug. 13th) when the Official opening of the EPL 05/06 season opens.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
I dont see Arsenal challenging for title this term but they will surely end in top three. For me it will mostly between ManU and Chelsea with Chelsea is definately a better team. Crespoe should do wonders for them this summer on back of his prolific form with Milan last season. and with WC next year he will be pushing all the way for a world cup place.
Season started today and ManU started with a win against Everton ( I have no idea how they ended up at fourth place with a goal difference of 0 
).
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
NBN--> Of course there are football fans here. Like always we will conitnue are discussions regarging top three european leagues here in this thread. :-)
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
saby, why can't we have a separate discussion thread for three different leagues?
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
^ Because of low traffic yaar. I wish we could but all three threads will most likely to be 30-50 replies long all season. At least this one will get to 100 somehow. What say you?
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
Dutch strikers are always the beauty of European football. (Just after Van Basten)
Still EPL has no response to Nistelrooy as it never had to Bergkamp and JF Hasselbeink when they were at their best. German Bundesliga is dominated by Makay (Who left La Liga after being its most valuable striker for many seasons). Kluivert also played his role with Barca. On the other hand "Pierre van Hoejidonk" is perhaps the only true master of free kicks in Europe, though he never played with big guns.
Manchester will depend on Nistelrooy, and he gave them a start by scoring the opener against a tough-side (Everton). ManU is still a big competetor for the EPL, at least, but it all depends on the availability of RVN. Last season he was injuired and ManU slipped.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
Did anyone see the goal scored by Crespo for Chelsea on sunday? 
world class!!! Crespo is back for sure.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
"Did anyone see the goal scored by Crespo for Chelsea on sunday? world class!!! Crespo is back for sure."
Thats what makes a champion side...i feel so sorry for wigan but that what makes them an average side...they couldnt take their chances...and when it came to the crunch Chelsea did...world class is the word for that finish
Arsenal were disappointing but did what was neccessary...Van Persie is going to have a good season watch...
And Man U...solid start...the Korean guy looked good and Van Nistelrooy looks hungry...
Its so good to have footie back...No more boring Sundays:)
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
Oh yeah and since we are discussing La Liga...did anyone see Ronaldinhos free kick against Betis?...sublime
Man Utd v Aston Villa
Man Utd v Aston Villa
Saturday, August 20, 12:45 (UK)
Old Trafford
Sir Alex Ferguson is certainly the most successful manager in the history of premiership. Under his supervision Manchester United have won more titles than any other club and have always managed to recover from their poor form in one season by topping the Premiership in the following season. Here are 3 such incidents:
- It happened when United lost the title to Leeds in 1992
- It happened again when Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis were sold in the summer of 1995
- Yet, once more in 2002 when they surrendered the championship on home soil to Arsenal
However, this season, the competitors have also shown their determination for the title. Chelsea managed to win the Premiership last season with 18 points above Manchester United, and Mourinho has already spent about $90m on new players. This has turned Chelsea as the favorites this season. ManU’s successive victories over Debrecen and Everton might not have turned themselves into title favorites, but a victory over Aston Villa can certainly boast teams’ confidence as well as indicating Ferguson’s determination for the title.
Not since November 1983, when Peter Withe scored twice in a 2-1 win, have Villa tasted victory at the Theatre of Dreams and United have won 14 of the 16 meetings between the sides since the Midlands giants last beat them - in a League Cup tie in 1999.
O’Shea might find it difficult to claim his place as Gabriel Heinze has proved his fitness.
Ronaldo and Giggs missed last game through injuries, and they might find it hard to oust Park Ji-Sung impressed with his performance.
Thomas Sorensen, who also represented Denmark in their friendly against England is very keen to face Rooney once again.
Italian Supercup: Figo’s Inter face Del Piero’s Juventus
Inter v Juventus
Saturday, August 20, 2000GMT
Two of the World’s best players, Figo and Del Piero will play against each other in Italian supercup.
Inter
A new-look Inter Milan, is boosted by the arrival of Luis Figo, Argentine defender Walter Samuel and his compatriot, left-winger Santiago Solari from Real Madrid.
The traditional curtain-raiser to the season, which pits the ‘scudetto’ winners against the Cup holders, will be a first real chance for Inter fans to see the impact Figo and other new arrivals have had on their team.
Inter finished third in Serie A last season and in a bid to end their 16 year wait for a league title they have made a series of impressive moves in the transfer market.
Brazilian Julio Cesar has taken over from Francesco Toldo as first choice in goal while Chilean David Pizarro, signed from Udinese, could bring some additional creativity to the midfield.
The Supercup is Inter’s second competitive match of the season following their 2-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League qualifying round, first-leg.
That match saw the first choice strike pairing of Brazilian Adriano and Nigerian Obafemi Martins looking sharp with both the forwards on target.
Juventus
Juve represent the ultimate challenge for a team aiming to make the leap from also-rans to title contenders, even if Fabio Capello’s side on Saturday will be weakened by injury.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is out for three months with a shoulder injury. Antonio Chimenti or Christian Abbiati, who has joined the Turin side on loan from AC Milan, will deputise.
Capello is also likely to be without French defender Lilian Thuram, who picked up a thigh injury on international duty on Wednesday, handing a start to Croatian Robert Kovac who has arrived from Bayern Munich.
Most disappointing for the Juve fans will be the probable absence of Thuram’s compatriot Patrick Vieira, who is also suffering from a thigh injury.
Vieira is Juve’s biggest signing of the close season and has made a very impressive start in pre-season games, scoring in the 2-1 defeat to AC Milan in last week’s Berlusconi Trophy.
Pavel Nedved, injured in that game, should be fit enough to face Inter while Capello has a full range of strikers to choose from with David Trezeguet, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alessandro Del Piero all in contention for a starting place.
The Serie A season kicks off on August 27 and 28 with Juventus at home to Chievo and Inter hosting promoted Treviso.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
Can't wait for Arsenal v Chelsea. The way Chelsea played against Wigan in their last game, i say they are up for a beating.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
^ That is definitely going to be a tough clash. Arsenal's big mouths are shouting and warning Chelsea in advance. Even some Arsenal players have confirmed their win before the kick-off.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
Chelsea were no where near their best against wigan but dont write them off against Arsenal after just one match. After all they beat them in community sheild a fortnight ago. and since then they have only become stronger.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
Chelsea beat arsenal in a league amtch after 19 meetings but it was a cagey boring match. Both teams havent looked sharpened up as yet and it was a fulkey goal by Drogba that took Chelsea home.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
Chelsea won their game. I am dying to see what they can do to stop Nistelrooy. He is just the BEST in Europe when it is just about scoring.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
Essien came in the 2nd half with Shaun Wright Philips and they both served as an instant spark for Chelsea. They both played pretty well IMO. It's especially tough for Essien since he only joined the team a couple of days ago, but I'm sure he'll have a very positive impact on Chelsea this season.
As for the game, I think a draw was much more deserving. Both teams had their chances, but Chelsea's defense proved to be very solid. Arsenal just couldn't get anything going in the 2nd half, and the Chelsea defense was making them feel very uncomfortable. Ljunberg's early exit also hurt Arsenal's chances. He almost scored in the 1st half, and I'm sure he would have created several scoring opportunities in the 2nd half if he wasn't injured and taken out of the game.
Re: Premiership - La Liga - Serie A 05-06
i think AC Milan will take the Serie A title this year. the rossoneri seem stronger than ever. awesome strike force (with the acquisitions of Gilardino and Vieri and Inzaghis comeback from injury) a complete midfield and near legendary defence. juve will be the obvious other team to realistically challenge but internazionale too will definately be in with a shout. figo samuel and solari will bring experience, class and much needed solidity to the nerazzuri.
La Liga should be Barcas. Van Bommels purchase will bolster their midfield. not that they needed it! i think theyre a centre back short of a great squad. madrids summer purchases will definately add to the squad, but i feel in areas they didnt need strengethning. should have bought another centre back. the extortion of Michael Owen is disgusting. baptista and robinho are no where near the players Owen is. Mickey should b 2nd in madrids pecking order. shud b 1st, if u look at goals to games ratio. in my eyes, hes welcome back at Anfield anytime. hope Rafa n Rick Parry sign him soon!
i think Valencia could pose danger to the top 2. they just need the tactics and a bit of luck. they have an awesome squad.