Football 2010-2011

[Jonno]

Here we go then, for I beleve the 9th season it's time for the annual footie thread. With the World Cup consigned to history it's time to look forward to the imminently approaching season. In fact, Liverpool are in Europa League qualifying this very week, I believe?

Talking of the 'Pool, I'm keen to know what Dave has to say about the appointments of Roy Hodgson and Joe Cole, who I assumed would be swayed by not only staying in London but the added attraction of Champions League footie to boot..

[Awesome Wells]

Yes, Liverpool's campaign limps into life on Thursday against Rabotnicki Skopje of... er... Macedonia. I can't say I'm massively excited about the prospect of this or any other game in the UEFA Cup (sorry, Europa League). It was hard enough to get excited about it last season when we fell out of the Champions League, this season, starting in the middle of summer... It reminds of when we'd actually won the Champions League, but due to our dreadful league position had to start against TNS of Wales in the first round. Ah, halcyon days...

However, on the league front, I'm cautiously optimistic. Ironically, considering the fact we're broke, Joe Cole came to us for the money - and perhaps, for the first team football to boot. I like him (he's one of the few Chelsea players I actually liked; I grew to like Lampard as well, but unlike his namesake or John Terry, Joe Cole I always had time for) and if - MASSIVE "if" - Torres stays, the idea of him and an on-form Steven Gerrard is a nice thought.

Two problems there, though - Torres may well be off permanently and so might Gerrard's form. Add a third - the squad is still pretty thin; better in some areas than last year, but in others, worse... no left backs at all! - and I probably ought to be worried about finishing in the top half of the table. However, I like Roy Hodgson. He's a good man and (I believe) a good manager, and I have faith in him to work to the best of his abilities with the players he has. How long he lasts will, I think, depend on the ownership issue.

Hopefully, the Americans will sell up - my dream is of a fan-owned club like Barca or Real Madrid, but it's unlikely to come to fruition - but if (when?) they do, I hope the new bosses retain Roy. My faith may prove to be misguided, but I think he's the right man for the job at the moment, anyway.

So, I think Liverpool will finish in the top six; hopefully the top four, but I think that will depend on well Tottenham and Manchester City do. Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United will be in the top three, as per usual, while the rest will be scrapping for that lucrative fourth place once again. Spurs will, I think, struggle to match last season (sorry Jonno!) while Villa and Everton don't look sufficiently stronger to better their performances, either.

I suspect Man City will be the fourth placed team, simply because of the filthy lucre they've spent (even though it's, once again, been on solid, rather than flair, players). I hope Liverpool can topple them, but while I'm optimistic, I'm not that optimistic!

My tips for 2010/11:

Champions: ARSENAL

Champions League places: CHELSEA, MAN UNITED, MAN CITY

Europa League: LIVERPOOL, TOTTENHAM

FA Cup: TOTTENHAM

League Cup: MAN UNITED

Relegated: BLACKPOOL, BOLTON, WOLVES

Champions League: AN ENGLISH TEAM

Europa League: AN ENGLISH TEAM

So, there we are.

[duncan]

Another depressing League One campaign ahead of Charlton. A Measley 8000 season tickets sold and the club is deep in financial doo-doo. We have let all our best players go and are showing a real lack of ambition!

[Jonno]

My tips for 2010/11:

Champions: CHELSEA

Champions League places:, MAN UNITED, ARSENAL, MAN CITY

Europa League: LIVERPOOL, TOTTENHAM

FA Cup: TOTTENHAM

League Cup: ASTON VILLA

Relegated : BLACKPOOL, WEST BROM, WIGAN


Fascinated to see you picking Arsenal, Dave? They must be unsettled with the Fabregas saga and I just don't see the strength in depth there. I do agree with you that I don't see us repeating our Top 4 placing any time soon ( a bit like Everton a few years ago) plus of course our league campagin is bound to be affected by our CL campaign, though I'm not going to dare to predict how long that will be. Knowing us, we probably will lose in the qualifier!

[Paul Clement]

Ok, firstly my predictions, and then a write up of my thoughts on the teams.

1. Chelsea
2. Man Utd
3. Man City
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham
6. Liverpool
7. Everton
8. Aston Villa
9. Birmingham
10. Fulham
11. West Ham
12. Stoke
13. Newcastle
14. Sunderland
15. Blackburn
16. Bolton
17. Wigan
18. Wolves
19. West Brom
20. Blackpool

Champions League: Barcelona
Europa League: Liverpool
FA Cup: Arsenal
League Cup: Everton

[Paul Clement]

Chelsea:

The Champions go into the new season following another quiet summer in the transfer market, and with a trimmed down squad. Ancelotti has allowed Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and Belletti to leave the club, whilst bringing in Yossi Benayoun as the sole replacement. The three departing players had a great deal of experience, and Joe Cole especially, was a player that many of the Chelsea fans wanted to see the club keep.

The Chelsea defence is starting to look a little slow, and John Terry is starting to look like a player that is on a downward spiral, lunging in to tackles a little too quickly and finding himself out of position too often. Carvalho, according to press reports, is looking to leave the club and reunite with Mourinho at Real Madrid, and if he were to go, the central defence would be lacking in resource. Alex looks unlikely to be fit for the start of the season, so Michael Mancienne may get an opportunity to stake a place in the team following a couple of seasons on loan with Wolves. The left back slot is solidly covered by Ashley Cole, who, despite a poor World Cup, is still one of, if not the best left back in the world, while at right back, Ivanovic seems to have claimed he position following Bosingwa’s injury hit last season. Ivanovic looks the best prospect for the position as he has the ability to go forward almost as effectively as Bosingwa, but is far superior to his rival in the defensive stakes.

The midfield line up will very much depend on the formation that Ancelotti favours in the coming season. Should he play a diamond formation, it is likely that Lampard will play at the point while Essien if fit, or Mikel if he isn’t, will play in the holding role. Malouda has pretty much nailed the left sided role, while Zhirkov or Anelka would be used on the right. This is a little more of a problematic position as Zhirkov hasn’t impressed in his few chances so far, whilst Anelka looks a shadow of the player he is when employed outside of his customary strikers role. If Ancelotti plays a five man midfield, it is possible that Benayoun will have a more active role in the team alongside Lampard and Essien or Mikel. Deco, a fringe player under Ancelotti so far, looks set to leave the club, with a return to Brazil seeming to be his preferred destination.

Up front, it will once again be Drogba that Chelsea look to for goals to propel them towards another title. Anelka will probably play alongside him if they play two up from under the diamond system, with Kalou being the third choice. If 4-5-1 is the formation of choice, Drogba will be the main man up front.

Although the side hasn’t improved significantly, and Joe Cole will be missed, I still expect Chelsea to retain their crown. The club do need to sign a couple of players, but have looked very quiet on the transfer front again. They need a new central defender if Carvalho goes, and another central midfielder and right sided midfielder would be the main areas where improvements could be beneficial.

[Paul Clement]

Man Utd

Man Utd are another club who have been relatively quiet on the transfer front, with only two new arrivals coming in over the summer. Both Smalling and Hernandez are players for the future, although I would be surprised if both of them don’t get a little game time this season.

The goalkeeper for the season is likely to be the ageing Edwin Van Der Sar, and following Ben Foster’s departure, Tomasz Kusczak will be the backup keeper. The defence looks set to be the same as last season, with Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic and either Neville or Rafael making up the back four. Brown, O’Shea and Evans will be solid replacements when called upon. There is a solidity about the back four that has meant that it’s hard to get goals against them, and they will hope to have a bit better luck when it comes to injuries this season, following the nightmare they had defensively last season.

The midfield will again consist of Fletcher, Giggs, Park, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Valencia and the emerging talent, Darren Gibson. There is a lack of creativity in the midfield, but the team has a core of Championship winners, who know exactly what is needed of them to win a title. It is time Nani showed more consistency in his play, and if he can do so, he may be the player who provides the creative spark that the strikers will need to feed on.

Up front, Rooney will again be the player to get the goals for United. Following his poor World Cup, Rooney will be keen to get off to a flyer in the Premiership and that should be a big worry for Premiership defences. Berbatov has been given a vote of confidence by the manager, and will need to repay some of that trust this season, following a poor showing last time out. If he can regain his fitness, Owen may be potent force for United this season, and the club certainly needs someone to replace Rooney should he have any injuries.

Like Chelsea, the United team hasn’t improved greatly, but at the same time, they haven’t weakened in the same way their big rivals have. The lack of spending in the transfer market for a second season does seem to imply that there may be more to the financial difficulties United are facing than Ferguson will admit to, but I still expect them to be pushing for the title all the way to the wire

[Awesome Wells]

Fascinated to see you picking Arsenal, Dave? They must be unsettled with the Fabregas saga and I just don't see the strength in depth there.

I don't either. I just can't find it in my heart to tip United or Chelsea.

[Paul Clement]

More tomorrow.

[Paul Clement]

Man City:

The spending spree has continued into the new season, with Man City having brought in four new players for a total believed to be in excess of 65 million and the signings don’t look to be over yet, with Striker Balotelli likely to be on his way from Inter. Roberto Mancini has an array of talent at his disposal for the coming season, and one of his early problems will be deciding who makes it into the new 25 man squad system that has been introduced for the coming campaign.

With Joe Hart returning to the club following his excellent season on loan at Birmingham, Shay Given will have some real competition for a first team place in goal. If Given does get the nod, it will mean that their back up keeper is one that is widely tipped to become the England no. 1. In front of the keeper, the defence has been bolstered by the signings of Jerome Boateng and Aleksandar Kolarov. Kolarov is a left back, and is expected to replace Wayne Bridge. With both of these two players available at left back, it is likely that Boateng, who can play at full back, will most likely feature in a more central defensive role, with Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott pushing to partner him. With Nedum Onuoha, Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta available, the back line will have a great deal of options to choose from. Last season, the club were defensively prone to lapses, and this is what probably costs them a top four finish. This term, Mancini has strengthened this one area significantly, and it should reap the club rewards.

The other two new arrivals are midfielders. Left Winger, David Silva has arrived from Valenica, whilst Kolo Toure’s younger brother Yaya Toure has arrived from Barcelona. Yaya is a holding midfielder, and will push Nigel De Jong and Vincent Kompany into more back up players. With Adam Johnson emerging as a genuine option on the right wing, the club will be able to play with a great deal of width, leaving Shaun Wright-Phillips possibly looking for a new club. Another player who may be looking to move on will be Craig Bellamy. The striker spent most of last season operating out on the left of midfield, and was an excellent player for the club; however, with the new arrivals, as well as the strength the club already has up front, Bellamy may struggle to get into the 25 man squad. The player most likely to play alongside Yaya is Gareth Barry, which will mean that Michael Johnson and Stephen Ireland, both players admired by other clubs, may get little in the way of playing time this coming season.

The strikeforce looks likely to be improved by the signing of Balotelli, and with Tevez, Adebayor and Santa Cruz already in place, the side will have plenty of option available to them up front. The real strength that City have in this position is the variety of attacking styles they have available. Tevez is a quality creator and finisher of chances, while Adebayor has strength and a good eye for goal. Santa Cruz, should he remain fit, will offer them a target man option, with the Paraguayan being a great player when the ball is in the air.

Despite all these changes and improvement, and despite the vast amounts of money being spent, I don’t think City are ready to win the title yet. They are still a couple of players short, and more importantly, the players will need time to start playing as a team. The increase in squad strength could pay dividends for them in January, when the squad list for the campaign can be altered. If they suffer any injuries, they will have some very fresh replacements to put into the squad for the business end of the season. For those that don’t make the cut, I see January as the time that a few smaller Premiership clubs could get a bargain as City start to ship out a few players that don’t have a future with them anymore.

[Paul Clement]

Arsenal:

It’s been a close season full of transfer rumours around Cesc Fabregas for Arsenal. It looks likely that they will hold on to their talismanic captain, for this season at least, but the remainder of the transfer window has been quite quiet for the North London club with two players coming in and five players leaving.

The one area that Arsenal needed to improve on was their defensive unit, and so far, there has been little to suggest that it’s going to happen. Gallas, Senderos, Silvestre and Campbell have left or are leaving the club while the sole replacement is Laurent Koscielny. While Gallas was argued to be a disruptive influence in the dressing room, his ability made him an able centre back, and with his departure, Koscielny will need to step straight into the breach alongside Vermaelen. Sagna and Clichy will operate in the full back roles, while Alex Song and Johan Djourou will need to be ready to step in at centre back should they have any injuries. The defence, rather than being strengthened, looks to have become weaker. In goal, the much needed reliable keeper has failed to materialise. Arsenal temporarily flirted with the idea of bringing In Mark Schwarzer from Fulham, so it looks like it will be Almunia with Fabianski as the backup keeper.

The midfield will once again be built around Fabregas, with Rosicky, Abou Diaby, Denilson, Walcott, Nasri and Arshavin looking to take the place around him. The side still lacks the strong holding player that it needs, and should Fabregas get injured, the team would look a little one dimensional. They will continue to play attractive flowing football, but the team lacks the fighting spirit that is needed when facing a tough opponent. They need a couple more players, but Wenger seems intent on trying to win a title with a team of youngsters playing football in the style he wants, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon.

Arsenal will be hoping for an injury free season for Van Persie. Last season, the club sorely missed his presence in front of goal, and if he can remain fit, he could provide the goals that push them on to their annual Champions League place. Eduardo has been sold, following the arrival of Marouane Chamakh, and with Bendtner, there is a little competition for places in the final third.

The team looks far too weak to get into the top four, but somehow, Wenger manages to get them there each season, and I expect the coming campaign to be the same. Their title aspirations are well beyond their means, however, and Wenger needs to look at bringing in a lot more experience players if they ever want to challenge for the title in a meaningful way again.

[Paul Clement]

Tottenham:

Following the excitement of Spurs qualifying for the Champions League, it was expected by many fans that the Spurs squad would be improved by a few quality signings. So far, things have been very quiet on the signings front. Joe Cole was a target who slipped through the net, and more recently, they have had a bid turned down for Scott Parker.

Gomes will remain the main keeper, while the club are trying to sign Pletikosa to provide cover along with Carlo Cudicini, with Redknapp believing that more cover is needed as they try to compete on more fronts. The centre of defence is looking a little threadbare due to the ongoing injury problems of Woodgate and King’s inability to play consecutive matches. Dawson will most likely be partnered by Bassong when King is unavailable. The right back position is appearing firmly taken by Corluka, while the left back position will go to Assou-Ekotto or, should a different player be used in midfield, by Gareth Bale. The defence could use a little more depth as the rigours of playing in the Champions League could be too much for the fragile defence.

The midfield will be based around Modric, Lennon, Palacios and one other, with Kranjcar, Huddlestone and Jenas fighting it out for the other position. It will be interesting to see whether Taraabt or Dos Santos get a chance to stake a place in the side this season, especially Dos Santos who had an excellent World Cup with Mexico. The club still needs to have a quality left sided player or a left back if Bale is to be utilised at left midfield.

The two strikers will come from Keane, Crouch, Defoe and Pavlyuchenko, and all four of them could do a job for the club. It will be interesting to see whether Defoe and Crouch are rested for Premiership games when there is a Champions League game coming up. There are goals in the team, but Redknapp is already aware that it will be difficult to keep all four of them happy.

The team hasn’t improved from last season, and with the Champions League matches coming up, hopefully quite a few of them, it is starting to look like the club will struggle to emulate their exploits of last season. A few new signings who can take them on to the next level are required, but so far nothing has happened. While Man City have strengthened, Spurs have stood still and because of this, I don’t see them getting a top four position again in the coming season.

[Larry]

after last seasons near relegation David Sullivan has said finishing 17th is unexceptable I'm pleased we got in Avram Grant and have been reasonably happy with the players he's brought in. Not expecting anything great to happen and a mid table finish is probably the best we can hope for.

[Larry]

Fascinated to see you picking Arsenal, Dave? They must be unsettled with the Fabregas saga and I just don't see the strength in depth there.

that's what a lot of people thought last year, of the big 4 I think a lot of people felt that it would be Arsenal, who would be most under threat of losing a champions league spot. Yet they in truth finished 3rd quite comfortably and I can see another similar finish this year despite Wenger's lack of activity in the transfer market.

[Paul Clement]

Yet they in truth finished 3rd quite comfortably and I can see another similar finish this year despite Wenger's lack of activity in the transfer market.

Hardly quite comfortably. They could have been caught for third place by Spurs on the last game of the season.

[Larry]

The team hasn’t improved from last season, and with the Champions League matches coming up, hopefully quite a few of them, it is starting to look like the club will struggle to emulate their exploits of last season.

Spurs.did a fantastic job in finishing 4th last season but I think the reality is as good as Spurs were had Liverpool, not had such an unusualy bad sesaon I very much doubt Spurs would of finished 4th. I certainly can't see them repeating it again and with the emegrence of Manchester City, even a 5th place finish might be asking a lot.

[Paul Clement]

Liverpool:

A season that started with high expectations finished with Liverpool failing to qualify for the Champions League. This ultimately cost Benitez his job, and Roy Hodgson was the man selected to try to bring success back to the club.

The only real addition to the defensive side of the club has been the acquisition of Danny Wilson from Rangers. So, with Reina expected to continue in goal, the question will be how Wilson fits into the line-up in front of him. With Skrtel, Agger and Carragher already at the club, the signing of another centre back does seem like a little bit of overkill, but Wilson is young with years to improve on his game, so this could well be a signing for the future rather than just in the short term. Glen Johnson will be expected to continue in the right back role, while the club have offered Aurelio a new contract, two months after he was released by the club, as the team lacked a player for the left hand side of defence. The defence that Liverpool has is generally a solid one, but it does lack pace, especially through the middle.

Last season, the midfield looked to be the weak link in Liverpool’s open play. Whenever Gerrard was unavailable, the side lacked creativity and a cutting edge, because the team lacked a player who was able to play an incisive forward ball. Lucas and Mascherano are excellent players in the typical role, ball winning and laying it off to a more gifted player, but neither had the skill to pick out a killer pass. With the arrival of Joe Cole, the club once again have a player that is good with the ball at his feet, can take a player on and is able to look up and play a quality ball forward to the strikers. With Gerrard having agreed to stay at the club, the midfield looks far stronger. One of the questions that will be on the lips of many a Liverpool fan will be what will happen to Mascherano. The indications are that he wants to leave the club to link up with former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez at Inter. If he was to go, it would seem likely that Lucas would take on his role, but he is a far less effective player. A player who needs a good season for Liverpool will be Aquillani. Brought in to replace Xabi Alonso last season, the Italian has spent much of his time at the club injured or recovering from injury and so far, the club haven’t seen anything like the best of him. If he wants to stay at the club, he will have to produce a great deal more than he did last season.

Milan Jovanovic has been brought in on a free transfer from Standard Liege, and as a player who can play up front, as well as on the left, will be looking to provide cover when Torres is absent from the side. Apart from him, the side lacks a great deal of options in the attacking front should anything happen to their main man. Torres was beset with injuries last term, and his future at the club remains in doubt with a number of clubs being linked with him. Considering Liverpool’s financial issues, a big offer would be something that the club would find difficult to turn down, but if they want to return to the Champions League, then Torres is the one way above all that they can ill afford to do without.

The club will improve on last season’s showing, but I don’t see them reclaiming a Champions League spot this season, in the main due to Man City’s improving squad. They will be moving back in the right direction through.

[Paul Clement]

Spurs.did a fantastic job in finishing 4th last season but I think the reality is as good as Spurs were had Liverpool, not had such an unusualy bad sesaon I very much doubt Spurs would of finished 4th. I certainly can't see them repeating it again and with the emegrence of Manchester City, even a 5th place finish might be asking a lot.

Perhaps, but of the teams I've put in the top six, Liverpool still have the wekest squad. Not perhaps the weakest XI, but squadwise they are generally quite poor. Reina, Gerrard, Cole and Torres have to be fit for Liverpool to succeed as the players who would come in if they aren't would struggle to get into the first team of a middle of the table side.

[Paul Clement]

Everton:

If they hadn’t had such a poor start to the season, Everton could have been pushing for the Champions League place last season. Despite that poor start to the season, they still managed to comfortably finish the season in the top half of the table. With what should be a better start to this season, I expect to see Everton pushing the top clubs for the last Champions League spot.

The arrival of Jan Mucha gives the club a new back up keeper, but Everton’s starting line up should be similar to that of last season. Tim Howard is the undisputed number 1, while Baines, Jagielka, Neville, Yobo , Distin and Heitinga will be fighting for starting places with the usual crop of talented youngsters such as Coleman coming in and showing their potential.

The midfield will hopefully be bolstered by a fully fit Mikel Arteta this season, and with Cahill and Pienaar in the team with him, the side will create and score goals from the middle of the park. Fellaini is returning from injury, and this will be a big boost for the club as his unpredictability can be a great asset to them. I would expect to see more games for Rodwell this season, and the player looks to have a great future ahead of him, most probably beyond Everton at one of the bigger clubs in the Premiership, this could be the season where he wins the rave reviews that signals his Goodison exit, but Everton will benefit from it greatly on the way.

Saha will be the main threat up front, although the ability of Yakubu, Anichebe and Vaughan gives David Moyes will give the club a lot of differing attacking options. New signing Jermaine Beckford will be keen to show what he can do, and his pace will worry defences, it’s just a case of whether he can make the step up to a harder league.

Everton will be tight and counter attacking. In Moyes, they have one of the best managers in the Premiership, and he manages on very limited transfer funds. Unfortunately, this lack of spending will stop them moving up a level, but they are still able to produce a good run, and get themselves into Europe next season.

[Paul Clement]

So, what do we all think of the new homegrown rule? The clubs have to pick a 25 man squad, 8 of whom will have to be homegrown, which means that they will have to of been registered with an English or Welsh club for three years between the ages of 16 and 21. Beyond this, the clubs can expand on the 25 players in the squad should they require it, but only by players under 21 years of age.

The move has been brought about to ensure the future of English football, by forcing clubs to have to consider English youngsters on a more regular basis. But will this really work? Looking at some of the clubs at the top end of the Premiership last season;

Arsenal: Despite their nationality, Traore, Song and Fabregas all are classed as Homegrown under the new rules.

Man Utd: This is a club that won't have to worrry. Neville, Evans, Brown, O'Shea, Smalling, Ferdinand, Giggs Carrick, Owen and Scholes all qualify as homegown.

Chelsea: A biot more of a problem here, with Lampard, Terry, Cole and Sturridge all ok but very few of their imports coming in to it.

[Lissa]

Chelsea have already found a loophole - sign a player under 18, let him stay at his current club for 3 years then bring him over aged 21 and he counts as "home grown" because he's been registered with them for 3 seasons. He doesn't even have to have set foot in England to count as home grown.

[Captain Tancredi]

A bit like the salary cap in rugby league, it increases the potential for a few injuries to key players to become a real crisis for the bigger clubs in particular. That said, it should also even things out a bit more, particularly for clubs like Everton who have a strong tradition of bringing on their own youngsters.

We're perhaps already seeing the beginning of another knock-on effect at Tranmere, because we've taken the Faroese keeper Gunnar Nielsen on a six-month loan from Man City. I suspect that part of the intention is that if City are out of Europe by Christmas they'll let him stay for the rest of the season, but we have our moles in both Liverpool and City camps which could help us a lot.

[Larry]

So, what do we all think of the new homegrown rule?
t.

well I'm all in favour of it and we shouldn't have any problems as I believe we have about 12 home grown players and nearly all of them are English 6 of the original 23 man squad that went to South Africa, all came through the youth system at Upton Park. We have a ritch tradition of producing these quality players and in an ideal world I'd like to see the entire West Ham, starting 11 consit of players born or brought up in and around the East End.

[Paul Clement]

Aston Villa:

Although there hasn’t been transfer activity at Villa Park this summer, it has to be remembered that last season, all three signings Martin O’Neill made were in the last few days before the transfer window closed, so there may be signings still to come. So far, the story of the summer for Villa fans has been the debate and speculation over the future of James Milner. He’s still at the club at present, but it seems likely that he will be on his way out the door as soon as Man City offer enough money for him.

The defence is going to be the one that was, on the whole, fairly solid last season. Friedel will be in goal, while Cuellar, Warnock, Dunne and Collins will be the first choice back line. Curtis Davies will be hoping to push Collins out if he can recapture the form of two seasons ago following an injury hit last season.

Villa to a gamble of bringing an injured Stewart Downing to the club last season, and it took half a season before he was able to play. This season, he will be a big part of the team’s success, as he allows either Young or more usually Milner (if he were to remain at the club) to play in a more central role. Petrov will most likely hold down the other central midfield spot, with Reo-Coker, Sidwell and Delph offering options from the bench. The midfield is quite strong, but the latter three players aren’t up to the same standard when they are called upon.

Up front, Agbonlahor will be partnered by either Heskey or Carew. Heskey, despite his detractors, does offer a lot to a team, and the number of top class strikers who have played at their best whilst alongside him proves that point. Carew however, can offer a similar type of play, with the difference being that he is also a prolific goal scorer. This season, the club may also use highly rated youngster Nathan Delfouneso on a more regular basis.

Although they pushed for the Champions League spot last season for a great part of the season, like in so many previous seasons, Villa fell away at the last. I see the club going the same way again unless the squad is strengthened. The first team is excellent, but when tiredness hits them in March and April, their quick passing and free flowing football starts to come unstuck.

[Paul Clement]

Birmingham:

Following on from a season where the club exceeded expectations significantly, the club have been busy in the summer transfer market, bringing in three players, two of whom should have a big impact on the club.

Joe Hart had an excellent season on loan with Birmingham, but following his return to Man City, Birmingham were quick to get a replacement that is of the same quality in Ben Foster. The 6 million they paid to Man Utd for his services looks like it will be money well spent. The defence, solid last season, hasn’t been altered, with Roger Johnson, Carr, Ridgewell, Parnaby, Dann and David Murphy all fighting for positions in the starting XI. Although many of these players are not household names, they have proven that they can play and defend solidly at this level.

The midfield will also be similar to last season’s line up. Larsson offers the team a little bit of skill, while Bowyer and Ferguson are solid experienced professionals who are good on the ball. The team create chances, although not too many of them, but it is its ability to chase after the opposition that is their greatest strength.

Up front, the pedestrian striking options have been boosted by the arrival of the giant from Serbia, Nikola Zigic. Zigic has a fairly good goal return in his career, and at 6’ 7’’, he offers them a real target man. McFadden, Jerome and O’Connor will look to partner Zigic up front, and it may be that McFadden will play off the front, in a midfield role while Jerome’s pace is utilise for knock ons from the new big man.

Birmingham will find it hard to improve on last season, in the main due to the gulf in class between the top 7 and the rest of the division, but I see them coming in at the top half of the table when the season ends.