To some at UT there is only one true football. While most have been caught up in MLB and NFL games, the league which many soccer fans agree to be the best in the game has finally begun. The English Premier League has started after much anticipation, and UT students have been scrambling to find live coverage of games on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This year, attention has been focused on the transfer window and The Minaret is here with your club’s signings and what to expect from them this 2013-14 season.
Trouble At Old Trafford?: The defending champions would like to believe they are as poised as ever to win their 21st league title, but one can’t help but ask questions. Will new manager David Moyes be able to successfully carry the torch from Sir Alex Ferguson? Will Rooney coexist with management? Will recently acquired Marouane Fellaini fail to live up to his hefty price tag of $43 million? Will age finally catch up to United veterans Vidic, Evra, Giggs and Ferdinand? Regardless if the answers to these plaguing questions end up in favor of Man U or not, they are expected to put on a strong showing this season, particularly due to pressing play by Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverly, Nani and Japanese sensation Shinji Kagawa. But Manchester United’s greatest strength lies in their ability to get the ball to the feet of goal machines Robin Van Persie, Rooney and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.
City Steps Up: Man City finished 2nd and 11 points behind United, causing supporters to cry for spending by management to improve. Once the transfer window opened, City took to the market and bought four key players to improve a relatively slow offense. New manager Manuel Pellegrini helped the midfield by buying gifted playmaker Fernandinho and pinpoint passer Stevan Jovetic. By selling Carlos Tévez to Juventus, City saved $42 million, allowing them to capture the lurking poacher Álvaro Negredo and Spanish phenom Jesús Navas. They will work well with offensive weapons Nasri, Džeko, Agüero and David Silva but City’s strength will still rely on a backfield, which looks the best in the league lined with stars such as Nastastić, Lescott, Zabaleta, Clichy and captain Vincent Kompany, along with keeper Joe Hart who filed the most clean sheets (shutouts) last season with 18.
Gunners Take Aim At Title: Arsenal’s manager, Arsene Wenger, didn’t spend a single penny until the last day of the window when he purchased Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for $67 million. Ozil is a gifted playmaker who creates chances out of nothing, making him a perfect fit for an Arsenal squad that lacked a facilitator last season. Arsenal already has various attacking pieces ranging from arguably the fastest player in the sport, Theo Walcott, to the 6-foot-4′ Olivier Giroud who is one of the strongest strikers in the league, and Ozil is just the glue to bring these pieces together. However, it will take time for Arsenal to get rolling thanks to injuries to Diaby, Rosicky, Arteta, Oxclade-Chamberlain and most notably Lukas Podolski who is expected to be missed until December. Mertesacker and the backfield will hold down Anfield in the meantime so expect a title-worthy challenge by Arsenal once players begin to recover.
Mourinho’s Dream Team: With Alex Ferguson no longer managing, Chelsea’s José Mourinho has become the best manager in Premier League and has built what many fans claim to be the best squad in years. Chelsea kept the phenomenal goalkeeper Petr Čech. Assisting Čech in defending Stamford Bridge is a front line comprised of Ivanović, Ashley Cole, David Luiz, Cahill and team captain John Terry. The most exciting part of Chelsea’s ensemble is their midfield, which improved when they won the bidding war against Tottenham and Liverpool for attacking midfielder Willian. William joins fellow Brazilians Oscar and Ramires in the midfield and alongside the Brazilian trifecta are Chelsea veterans Frank Lampard and Michael Essien, as well as rising stars Juan Mata and Eden Hazard. Chelsea also addressed their striking struggles in a big way with the signings of André Schürrle and Samuel Eto’o to score alongside Demba Ba and Fernando Torres.
Bale set at 136 Million: This summer has been focused on one name: Gareth Bale. Tottenham milked the Welsh star for the most expensive transfer price in history at $136 million, which is ridiculous in perspective (for Bale’s price, Real Madrid could instead travel to away games in seven F-16 fighter jets). The Spurs also bought another seven players for a total of $103 million. Among them are midfielders Erik “Coco” Lamela and Paulinho, who resemble teammates Aaron Lennon and Sandro, respectively. Tottenham Hotspur also bought Spanish striker Roberto Soldado, who will score alongside Adebayor and Jermaine Defoe. However, it’s worth noting that Tottenham could have instead bought Fellaini, Navas, Negredo, Sturridge and French defender Sakho, using the Bale money. Without team workhorses Clint Dempsey, Gallas or Sean Parker, expect possession to be a problem and for keeper Hugo Lloris to be busy all year long.
Liverpool Looking For “Red”emption: Liverpool was humiliated last year and finished seventh on the table behind the aforementioned five squads and hated rival Everton. But this year, everything looks good so far thanks to the dependable center back Sakho along with Glen Johnson and keeper Mignolet, who has earned three clean sheets in four games. In a midfield led by veteran Steven Gerrard, the aptly named Victor Moses has been parting seas of defenders to support Daniel Sturridge who has found the back of the net four times thus far. It is time for a Liverpool side that wishes to forget a disastrous last year caused by one man: Luis Suarez. But if Suarez can leave his past of racism, admitted diving and biting behind, then Liverpool has a realistic shot at the title.
The league is the most competitive it has ever been with every squad having a shot at hoisting the trophy. You might find yourself staying home on Friday nights to wake up for the games the next morning, so while your roommate recovers, make sure to cheer as loudly as possible when your club scores.
Marcus Mitchell can be reached at mitchell.marcus31@yahoo.com.
Great job Marcus. I enjoyed your article.