Will Liverpool bully Stoke, do Chelsea have enough squad depth, can Arsenal push on, and should Palace be positive?
1) Will Liverpool do some bullying of their own at Stoke?
The new Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, has spoken of still being hauntedby the memory of Liverpool’s shambolic 6-1 thrashing at the Britannia Stadium in the final game of last season. Little wonder. A match that was expected to be an anti-climactic end to Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool career became an exercise in torture for the departing captain and marked those who he left behind with deep scars that will only be healed should Liverpool get a positive result on Sunday. If Dr Steve Peters is available, Brendan Rodgers could do with block-booking him in the next couple of days. Liverpool can at least roll up at the Britannia Stadium with greater firepower than last season – Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi and Danny Ings have bulked up the squad’s attacking threat and Rodgers has spoken of his belief that his £32.5m striker, Benteke, looks “perfect”. Liverpool were too often bullied on the road last season. The Belgian’s presence should give Rodgers’ attack a meaner look and not allow opposition defenders an easy ride. Mark Hughes has added yet more guile to what is becoming a very attractive Stoke side and lost the steely midfield presence of Steven N’Zonzi. It could be that Liverpool’s best hope is to be the aggressor against a team that is not as physical as it once was. They could do with trying to land a couple of early blows and hope that Stoke don’t counter-punch with the devastating power that they did last May. GB
2) Chelsea look vulnerable to an early upset
Chelsea took no time at all to purr into gear last August but it would not be unreasonable to suggest this may be a good time to face the champions. A poor pre-season, in which the team was rotated liberally, should not be pored over unduly but defeat against Arsenal in the Community Shield certainly stung and there is a broader sense that José Mourinho’s side looks a little undercooked before a confident Swansea’s visit. If Diego Costa’s arrival a year ago contributed to a sense of freshness, this summer he has continued to struggle with the injury that hampered him in the second half of last season and you know Mourinho is worried when he admits, “it is not a good feeling for him, it is not a good feeling for me”. Loïc Rémy’s anonymous first half at Wembley did nothing to suggest he is a top-quality alternative at centre-forward and, while nobody could possibly wish Radamel Falcao ill, it seems a stretch to imagine him returning to his outstanding best. Shifting Eden Hazard to a ‘false nine’ role could be one answer if Costa is sidelined for a while, but the short of it is that Chelsea lack depth and there are fewer reliable goal threats than meets the eye. Mourinho said on Wednesday that the transfer window should be closed before the start of the season, but Falcao and Asmir Begovic do not appear to constitute adequate strengthening for the first-team and few would think for one moment that the manager will not be searching for top-level reinforcements in the next three weeks. Is this the ideal time for Garry Monk, for whom André Ayew on a free transfer looks an outstanding piece of business, to oversee an early shock?3) All eyes on the Leicester City manager … again
“Uninspiring.” That was Gary Lineker, an honorary vice-president at Leicester City, responding to Claudio Ranieri’s appointment as Nigel Pearson’s successor. Ranieri has never stayed in a job longer than two seasons since leaving Chelsea in 2004. He was sacked by Greece after a dire start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign reached a nadir with a 1-0 home defeat by the Faroe Islands. It is fair to say that, although his managerial record as a whole is not dreadful, the 63-year-old’s appearance back in the Premier League feels like an energetic run-of-the-mill Britpop band popping up at a minimalist techno festival catering for hipsters. For the neutral his enthusiastic, ramshackle approach is refreshing in what has become a sterile managerial landscape but for Leicester fans who were perhaps hoping for a tactically tight young manager it’s understandable if they are underwhelmed. This is a fixture that Ranieri should win if he wants to avoid a steady stream of questions about his ability to take Leicester forwards.4) Tottenham seek to prove Audi Cup gamble worthwhile
- Old Trafford is – or certainly was – the last place you would want to visit without ample preparation and Tottenham appear to have trodden dangerously this week in contesting an Audi Cup third place play-off against Milan in Munich on Wednesday night. Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen were among those spared from action and Mauricio Pochettino’s side won 2-0, but the manager’s unsuccessful attempt to move their flight home forwards spoke loudly enough that the situation was not ideal and it would be fair to question why what he described as a “rush” was addressed at such a late stage. Regardless, Tottenham face Manchester United just under 64 hours after downing tools in Germany and will be confronted with a side that has not played since 30 July. Louis van Gaal has had enough to occupy him in the meantime; he completed plenty of his transfer business early on but Ángel di María has joined Robin van Persie in departing and the manager has admitted that ongoing speculation around David de Gea’s future is helping nobody. De Gea’s last action was an error-strewn half against Paris Saint-Germain that Van Gaal criticised and he could even be replaced by Sergio Romero on Saturday. Whoever starts for United in the outfield positions will be expected to tear out of the blocks and test a team whose summer additions to date – Kevin Wimmer, Toby Alderweireld and Kieran Trippier – have all been aimed at bolstering the defence. It should not take long to discern whether Tottenham have fine-tuned themselves into a winning rhythm or have simply overdone it.
5) A goal-fest at Dean Court?
- Bournemouth have waited 116 yearsfor a game in the top flight. With a raucous atmosphere, a manager who wants to see attractive football played at pace and opponents whose own manager, Tim Sherwood, admitted were the worst team left in the Premier League last season, it hardly feels like this will be a game in which Eddie Howe plays it safe. In the loss of Christian Benteke, Fabian Delph and Ron Vlaar, Villa have waved goodbye to the spine of their team but Sherwood is intent on being more aggressive from front to back this season and wasted no time in bringing striker Jordan Ayew, midfielders Idrissa Gueye and Jordan Veretout and adventurous full-back Jordan Amavi in from France’s Ligue 1 in a footballing equivalent of a booze cruise. With little time to adapt it’s a gamblethat could at once make Villa attractive and brittle. Sherwood’s biggest challenge will be to get the balance between defence and attack right without losing too many points in early games. Howe, meanwhile, has tried to keep the core of his squad intact and has spoken of his desire to stick to the same principles that served his team so well in a hugely competitive Championship last season. It is rare that a newly-promoted team are favourites going into their first Premier League fixture. But that is how the bookies see it with Bournemouth. A team talked up for being attractive faces a team whose manager is hell-bent on making his team play on the front-foot. It won’t be last on Match of the Day.
6) Arsenal must maintain the feelgood factor
Twenty-four months have passed since Arsenal, playing at home on the opening day against a team wearing claret, capitulated 3-1 before leaving Emirates Stadium to a chorus of boos and insistent queries as to when Arsène Wenger might delve into his transfer fund. That afternoon was as good as it ever got for Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa but Wenger would be excused for marvelling at what a difference two years make if Arsenal swat West Ham aside on Sunday. The feelgood factor in N7 has not been this high for some time and the confidence instilled by Petr Cech’s presence between the posts, not to mention the Community Shield victory over his former club, is eroding the neurosis that has proved just as damaging to Arsenal as any more technical problems in recent years. That makes a positive start vital and Wenger’s most difficult choice will be between Theo Walcott, preferred against Chelsea, and Olivier Giroud, who has scored five goals in as many games against West Ham, to lead the line. Both can comfortably be decisive against mid-table opposition but wider questions about their quality remain. West Ham are one of those sides against which either should thrive; their fortunes under Slaven Bilic will be anybody’s guess although inconsistency can reasonably be expected in the season’s early stages and shuffling the pack for six Europa League qualifying skirmishes has not been perfect preparation. Arsenal can expect tougher battles ahead but it will be important not to throw any of the grizzlers a bone after so much positive work during 2015.
7) Everton to benefit from summer stasis
Watford have brought in just the 10 new faces for their first splash back in the big pond since 2006-07. It is no surprise. That’s what the Pozzo family do. A revolving door of managers and players is the norm. Meanwhile, at Goodison Park things couldn’t be more different. After the £28m outlay on Romelu Lukaku last summer, the purse strings have been tightened considerably. Just three players have arrived: Gerard Deulofeu – who is an injury doubt after pulling a hamstring – Tom Cleverley and youth prospect David Henen. Pessimistic Evertonians could be forgiven for expecting a tad more strengthening but trying to deter would-be suitors from getting their hands on John Stones and tying James McCarthy to a new deal this summer have perhaps been Roberto Martínez’s priorities. In this fixture at least, a summer stasis could be an asset. Watford’s reconstructed squad will likely take time to get to grips with life in the Premier League. Everton’s stable one should not. With Martínez’s side facing eight teams who finished above them in the first 10 games, they can’t afford an opening day slip-up.
8) Palace lead the charge from the middle
Even during their ill-fated 2013-14 season, Norwich rarely let anyone off lightly at Carrow Road and how Crystal Palace deal with one of the Premier League’s more fervent home atmospheres may offer a clue as to their potential to entrench themselves further into the top half. Palace’s summer recruitment – in particular the signing of Yohan Cabaye – has put them at the vanguard of the ‘moving to the next level’ pack whose spending this summer should, at the least, create a bottleneck of pressure at the fringe of the Europa League places. Alan Pardew’s side has a strong spine and possibly the best set of wide options in the division, a situation improved by the addition of Bakary Sako this week. The biggest questions may lie at centre-forward, where Connor Wickham is a £9m gambledespite the fact that excuses can be made for his time at Sunderland and Patrick Bamford will be asked to make a smooth transition from Championship player of the year to regular top-flight performer. And Pardew still has things to prove, too. Palace’s run from the relegation zone to 10th after his arrival in January was impressive and at times exhilarating but it is still hard to shake the feeling that nobody quite knows how good a manager he is. A full season of further progress may answer that question, and if Palace can negotiate Alex Neil’s impressive, compact side without mishap then the signs will be positive.
9) Newcastle look to win hearts and minds against Southampton
Perceptions of these two clubs could hardly have been more different last season. Newcastle’s austerity and awkwardness as an institution were as pronounced as the team’s spinelessness and lack of direction; Southampton, for their part, made light of a pre-season exodus, reinvested wisely and played some of the freshest, most exciting football seen in the Premier League all season. Newcastle would appear to have a fighting chance of attracting some goodwill under Steve McClaren, who has already taken steps to preach a more attractive approach and has a friendly demeanour at odds with the club’s stance towards the majority of the media, who would be glad to speak well of progressive, exciting football on Tyneside. On the pitch, at least, the intentions seem good: Chancel Mbemba is, at 20, an outstanding prospect and the same can be said of his former Anderlecht team-mate Aleksandar Mitrovic; Georginio Wijnaldum is, according to José Mourinho, a player capable of representing Chelsea. The three should add both freshness and quality and represent the kind of deal Ronald Koeman was pulling off 12 months ago. McClaren and Koeman last faced each other in January 2013, sitting in the Twente and Feyenoord dugouts respectively during a goalless draw. The pair both favour a slick, technical style of play, something Newcastle certainly did not produce when losing 2-1 and 4-0 to Southampton last season. If McClaren can show some early signs that he is bridging the gap that was evident back then, the St James’ Park faithful may be justified in having a little optimism.
10) Pellegrini needs Sterling to hit the ground running
Six consecutive wins were an admirable end to a 2014-15 season that, for a time, threatened to tail off disastrously for Manchester City but the overall sense of disappointment was palpable and Manuel Pellegrini is unlikely to have much wriggle room if things start slowly this time out. Tony Pulis’ West Brom side are not ideal opponents for an early morale boost – although a look at their transfer dealings so far raises concerns that they have not added the quality attracted by some of their likely mid-table competitors – and City will hope that Sergio Agüero, David Silva and Samir Nasri have recovered from illness sufficiently to match their high-energy style. Any issues around the former two, in particular, would heighten the responsibility on Raheem Sterling to make an instant impact and the £49m signing’s three goals in five pre-season games suggest that he has fitted well into Pellegrini’s schema. The manager’s own future may well be tied in with Sterling’s form; in May he said that “we need to find another Messi” and it is a brief that he will not be afforded too many attempts at meeting. Used correctly – at their best, City’s interchanges and speed of movement are perfectly cut out for him – Sterling could be the man to raise the team to another level and Pellegrini will hope that, with experience, the 20-year-old can reach new heights of consistency. Monday night, for one, will be an occasion for hard graft as well as matchwinning flair.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário