Hello everyone. Before your betting preview, Betfair have been nice enough to offer our visitors a free £50 bet before the transfer window shuts on August 31st. Be sure to claim your free £50:
1. Open your account (With promotional code: Bet753)
2. Deposit and stake up to £50
3. If you lose your 1st placed bet, you get that stake back within 24 hours (up to £50)
Also be sure to follow todays game Arsenal v Everton - Live Commentary on our twitter page for live updates.
The football is back. The Premier League kick off is just a couple of days away. It’s been a long summer. Thankfully next year, we’ll have the World Cup to bridge the gap between seasons. Before all of that, however, one question must be answered.
How will defending Premier League champions Manchester United cope without Ronaldo?
Over the past three seasons, his contribution to United’s championship winning campaigns was 17 goals, 31 goals and 18 goals. Pretty amazing stats for a winger. To replace him and keep their hands on the trophy, Alex Ferguson has invested in Antonio Valencia. There is no way on earth that he will contribute even half those numbers in goals. In turn, this will add extra pressure on Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov to provide the regular firepower, the latter could hardly be described as prolific. Michael Owen will pitch in with a few too, but it is unclear how often Ferguson will use the striker. It is widely accepted that Owen will begin more games on the bench than on the field. Despite losing Tevez, the rest of the United squad is largely the same, and this too is worrying. Last season, Ferguson called Chelsea an aging squad. The same can be said for some of United’s squad this year. Van der Saar, Scholes, Gary Neville and Giggs are all in the twilight of their careers. On the plus side, they have a number of highly regarded youngsters coming through.
They will be difficult to beat and will be a strong force throughout the season. However, without Ronaldo, their staying and finishing power will be called into question.
Therefore, it is not surprising to see United’s odds on winning the league drift over the past few weeks. They were worthy favourites as defending champions and the country’s standard bearers. However, now Chelsea are now the favoured choice of punters.
Indeed, most firms cannot separate Chelsea and United’s chances of winning the league, though a slight majority seem to give the edge to the London club. It is generally 2/1 each of two.
Nevertheless, Chelsea aren’t without their problems. Admittedly they have a super squad with two top quality players competing for every position.
Perhaps Chelsea’s biggest obstacle will be the African Nations Cup. Micheal Essien, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel will all be absent for a time come the New Year. That’ll really hurt Chelsea at a critical time in the campaign. Chelsea gave a good account of themselves in the Community Shield last weekend and Ancelotti will be hoping his tactics and formations don’t take too long to sink in with his new players. They will be hoping for a strong challenge this year but there is always the feeling that something is missing or not quite right at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool are the bookmakers’ third choice for Premier League glory this year, and a lot of experts are tipping The Reds to end their championship drought.
Losing Xabi Alonso is a massive blow. He was ultra-consistent for The Reds over the past few years, linking defence with attack and spraying balls wide, not to mention chipping in with a few vital goals along the way. Benitez got good money for him and must be thanking his lucky stars that Mascherano isn’t heading to Spain too. A Liverpool team without both Alonso and Mascherano will not win the league. As it stands, Liverpool have a fighting chance of making 2009/10 be their year. The squad will have learned a lot from last year’s run-in but can you trust them not to drop silly points at home against the likes of Hull, Stoke and Fulham?
The pain of being within four points of champions United after beating them twice in the league says that Liverpool will be a more lethal product this term.
An injury-free campaign from Torres is vital. His partnership with Gerrard was devastating last season and their goals propelled Liverpool along all season. Expect something similar this year.
Glen Johnson is an interesting addition to the squad. He will provide width down the right and has pace and skill to get a few crosses into the opposition penalty box as well as being a solid defender. On the left, Liverpool should have Aurelio performing a similar job. However, he will miss the first month at least with a knee injury. However, Benitez has the capable Emiliano Insua to fill in. Recently, the Racing Post highlighted an interesting statistic about this young Argentinian. He featured in 10 of Liverpool’s Premier League games last season (nine wins and one draw). The aggregate score in those 10 matches was 25-4.
Yossi Benayoun could also have a major say in Liverpool’s title chances this year. The Israel international was phenomenal in the latter half of last season and if he can continue that form this term, then he will be a vital linchpin for Benitez’s squad. He has a footballing brain, natural skill, pace, and can score important goals. Between himself, Babel, Kuyt and Riera, The Reds have a formidable support team for Torres and Gerrard.
It seems that on the eve of the new season every year, Arsenal get written off as being finished and a club in transition building for the future. Every summer, one or two big stars leave the Emirates and this summer has been no different; Adebayor and Toure. Adebayor bagged just 10 league goals last year and Toure did not feature regularly in Wenger’s first-choice 11. Wenger was right to accept over £40million for them. The fact that no-one has been brought in yet to replace them indicates Wenger is happy with his lot. We could be seeing a lot more of Eduardo this year, and Arshavin will definitely take his game up a few notches after an impressive beginning at the club. Fabregas will continue to improve, as will Walcott.
The Gunners’ squad is definitely good enough for a top four finish, no question. But can they apply themselves a bit more to finish higher? That depends on how much the youngsters have improved and strengthened over the summer.
Arsenal are available at a high of 10/1 to win this year’s Premier League – unbelievable value for a squad as capable as any of the other top four clubs on their day. If the squad can avoid serious injuries and maintain the consistency they showed towards the end of the 2008/09 season, then Arsenal will be fighting the finish with United, Chelsea and Liverpool come next May. Certain bookmakers are offering about 7/2 for Arsenal to finish third. Realistically, this is the best finishing position that the Gunners can hope for.
Finally, what about Manchester City? The signings they have made will make City stronger, more consistent and difficult to beat. The club will improve on their 10th place finish last season but it is far-fetched to believe they will finish in the top four, let alone lift the title. Depending on how quickly their new recruits will gel, City are facing a finish of about sixth or seventh. Aston Villa and Everton are still major forces for the fifth and sixth placings and will be very difficult to dislodge.
Overall, Manchester United will find it difficult to replace Ronaldo’s zest and goals while Chelsea will rue the loss of four key players during the African Nations Cup. Liverpool will be close to repeating last season’s haul of 86 but will miss Alonso’s influence. Arsenal are up against it and need to over perform and for other clubs to make mistakes. Manchester City have no chance.
It will be a very closely run title race, perhaps one of the most exciting and tightest of recent years. Performances against the other big four clubs will be vital to each club gaining points and making up ground while taking points of their rivals. Liverpool won this battle last season, and while we may not see a repeat performace this season, they should be able to gain enough points against their rivals to make it count, especially at Anfield. They are still value at 4/1 to win the Premier League and represent the best opportunity to collect at the end of the season.
ADVICE:
Liverpool to win Premier League 4/1 generally available
Arsenal to finish third 7/2 generally available
Please gamble responsibly. Only gamble with money that you can afford to lose ie not your food kitty or rent/mortgage.
Loading ...