Ten things to happen in the Premier League

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With the new Premier League season beginning this afternoon, Assistant Editor Scott Wilson predicts ten things that will happen in the next nine months.

 

1. ARSENAL TO FINISH IN THE TOP TWO

 

AFTER years of flattering to deceive, this will be the season when Arsenal finally begin to realise some of their undoubted potential.

 

They might not win the title, although it is not out of the question, but Arsene Wenger’s side should split Manchester United and Chelsea in the race for honours.

 

Marouane Chamakh will improve Arsenal’s attack, while Laurent Koscielny’s partnership with Thomas Vermaelen will keep things tight at the other end. Jack Wilshere should also come of age in Arsenal’s first team.

 

2. MANCHESTER CITY TO FINISH OUTSIDE THE TOP FOUR

 

THEY might be buying players as if they were going out of fashion, but the selfstyled ‘Richest club in the world’ are still some way short of forming a worldclass team.

 

The defence remains unexceptional, while a surfeit of central players disguises the lack of a match-winning midfielder, save for summer arrival David Silva who could take time to settle.

 

Assuming Mario Balotelli starts once he completes his £30m move from Inter Milan, it could also be argued that City will have better strikers on loan elsewhere than in their first team.

 

3. EVERTON TO SECURE A EUROPA LEAGUE PLACE

 

DAVID Moyes’s side might well have finished in the top seven last season had an injury-wracked start to the campaign not left them in the bottom three in early September.

 

Starting with a clean slate this time around, Everton are capable of being the ‘Best of the Rest’ outside the Champions League places.

 

Mikel Arteta remains one of the most cultured midfielders in the Premier League, while Jack Rodwell could end the season as Young Player of the Year.

 

4. ASTON VILLA TO FINISH IN THE BOTTOM HALF

 

THE timing of Martin O’Neill’s departure has plunged Villa into chaos in the week leading up to the start of the season, and it could take a considerable period to extricate the club from the current mess.

 

Randy Lerner’s choice of manager will be crucial, but whoever comes in will be operating with one hand tied behind their back after missing the whole of preseason.

 

James Milner’s imminent move to Manchester City will deprive the squad of last season’s most impressive midfielder, while it is doubtful whether John Carew will be as effective two years in a row.

 

5. BLACKPOOL TO FINISH BOTTOM WITH LESS THAN 20 POINTS

 

THERE have been a number of less-fashionable clubs entering the top-flight in recent years, but none have been as ill-prepared at kickoff as Blackpool.

 

When one of your key summer signings is Marlon Harewood, a striker who struggled in the Championship on loan at Newcastle last season, you know you’re in trouble.

 

There’ll be a couple of unexpected home wins along the way, but Blackpool could threaten Derby’s record points low of 11.

 

6. ROBIN VAN PERSIE TO SCORE MORE THAN 20 GOALS

 

VAN PERSIE has never scored more than 20 Premier League goals in a season, but this could be the year when the Dutchman finally proves prolific.

 

If – and admittedly it’s a very big if – he stays fit, he possesses all the attributes to make a massive impact at the head of an Arsenal side that will be as attacking and inventive as ever.

 

Chelsea and Manchester United players dominate the bookmakers’ top scorer charts, but Van Persie could prove a worthwhile investment at upward of 12-1.

 

7. LIVERPOOL TO STILL BE IN THE SAME HANDS AT CHRISTMAS

 

THE ongoing ownership saga at Anfield is beginning to look grimly familiar to Newcastle supporters who remember the various takeover sagas that amounted to nothing in the North-East last summer.

 

Middle-Eastern businessmen emerging from nowhere to express an interest, only to mysteriously disappear once asked to provide proof of their funds.

 

George Gillette and Tom Hicks will not sell at a loss, and with nobody having even begun a process of due diligence yet, the status quo will remain for the foreseeable future.

 

8. WAYNE ROONEY TO SCORE LESS THAN 20 GOALS

 

HIS form at the World Cup finals was too bad to be true, so let’s put that to one side for a minute.

 

But even assuming Rooney improves with a Manchester United shirt on his back, competition from Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov and a fit-again Michael Owen will surely see the England international dislodged from the lone striker role that proved so productive last season.

 

Rooney has rarely been as effective as part of a front two, and after claiming 35 goals in all competitions last term, he could struggle to break the 20-goal barrier in the league this time around.

 

9. ROBERTO DI MATTEO TO BE THE FIRST MANAGER TO GO DURING THE SEASON

 

O’NEILL’S departure scuppered a number of antepost wagers, but West Brom boss Di Matteo could be a decent bet for the first topflight boss to go during the season.

 

West Brom have failed to invest significantly over the summer, but their fans appear to be growing tired of yo-yoing between the topflight and the Championship.

 

With no other obvious candidates for an early exit, the Italian could be vulnerable if the Baggies make a slow start. Given that their first four away games are at Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, that looks inevitable.

 

10. SIR ALEX FERGUSON TO QUIT FOOTBALL AT THE END OF THE SEASON

 

THIS one has been mooted for the majority of the last decade, but this could finally be the year when the longestserving manager in the game calls it quits.

 

Ferguson will turn 69 in December, and there have been enough subtle hints in some of his recent interviews to suggest he is finally growing tired of the relentless spotlight that accompanies management in the Premier League.

 

His decision could hinge on how Manchester United perform this season. If they finish the campaign with a Premier League title or Champions League to celebrate, Ferguson’s Old Trafford dynasty could be at an end.

 

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