The 2012/2013 Barclays Premier League season could
potentially have the most thrilling title race we have witnessed in years. Last
season Manchester United won the league at a canter with Manchester City the
only team putting in any sort of fight, this year however if the opening six
games are anything to go by it could be a six horse race. With Man City, Man
Utd and Chelsea all experiencing mediocre starts at best and the less favoured
teams Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs experiencing reasonably solid starts to the
season it indicates that any one of these teams could mount a serious challenge
for the title. The question is which one of these teams has the credentials to
go all the way:
Arsenal;
If we were to take away the opening day 3-1 defeat to Aston
Villa and put it down to a freak match Arsenal have been nothing short of
flawless, they have shown the flair and class of Arsenal teams of old. Arsene Wenger
(63) has been criticised in the past for his work in the transfer market, or
lack of it but the signing of German playmaker Mesut Ozil (24) from Real Madrid
for 43 million pounds was a true stroke of genius. Ozil has already weighed in
with 5 assists this season and with both Ramsey (23) and Giroud (25) both in
rich goal scoring form it could be an extremely successful campaign for the
Gunners and Arsene Wenger. My
Prediction: 2nd
Liverpool;
Liverpool have made a good start to the season, they had a
minor blip at home to Southampton but bounced back straight away to Sunderland.
The signing of Victor Moses (23) and Sakho (23) look to have improved the side
and the form of Sturridge (25) and the returning Luis Suarez (26) is a great
boost to the team. This season could be a breakthrough year and without the
distraction of European football I fancy Liverpool to sneak into the 4th
position they so dearly crave. My Prediction: 4th
Spurs;
It has been a reasonably good start to the season for Spurs
despite the departure of shining star Gareth Bale (24) to Real Madrid. Spurs
have brought in many new players for in and around 100 million pounds which I
ultimately feel will be their downfall. Signing too many new players can be a
disadvantage as the team struggles to gel together, the games against Arsenal
and Chelsea indicate that Spurs are unable to get big victories when they need
them most and without the saving grace of Bale I think they will struggle and
miss out on the Champions League places. My Prediction: 6th
Chelsea;
Surprisingly Chelsea have made a poor start to the season
despite the return of their messiah Jose Mourinho (50). Mourinho’s return was
expected to signal another golden era for the blues but thus far this has not
come to fruition, Chelsea have been below par losing to Everton and not playing
to the standard that is expected of them. Chelsea are severely lacking a goal
scoring striker with Torres(29), Ba(28) and Eto’o(32) not up to the standard
required, making the decision to loan out Lukaku(20) all the more baffling. I
do not expect things to turn around and I am predicting that Chelsea will lose
out on the top 4 narrowly. My Prediction: 5th
Man City;
Manuel Pelligrini (60) has not had a perfect start to his
Premier League career losing out to Aston Villa and drawing with Stoke, the 4-1
win against Man Utd however was magnificent, the performance of the team was
truly exceptional. If Man City can sustain that level of performance for a run
of games, or anywhere near it they will undoubtedly win the league. The
strength in depth of the squad is the best in the league and with star players
such as Vincent Kompany (27), Yaya Toure (30) and Sergio Aguero (25) I think
they are destined to be lifting the trophy come May. My Prediction: 1st
Man Utd;
David Moyes (50) and Manchester United have had an appalling
start to the season, the worst start since 89/90. This is as a result of the
mishaps in the transfer window and Moyes not having made his stamp on the
squad. Marouane Fellaini (25) was the only recruit of note and he was vastly
overpriced for the limited roles he can posses in the team. The 4-1 thrashing
by fierce rivals Man City and the home defeat to West Brom have to be cause for
concern but ultimately I cannot see Man Utd sustaining this bad run of form for
too long. Players such as Robin Van Persie (30) and Wayne Rooney (27) have too
much quality for their team to struggle for the entire season. I expect results
to change relatively soon and for Man Utd to put in a strong challenge to
retain their title. My Prediction: 3rd
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