The long wait is finally over. The biggest, toughest and the most entertaining league in the world is back. Excitement is at its peak as the Barclays Premier League kicks off today.The distribution of talent among the teams is tremendous and no league can better the level of competition it has to offer. The big four is ever expanding and the number of teams challenging for the title is more than ever before. From a personal point of view, last season was extremely disappointing to say the least. With Sir Alex Ferguson leaving after 26 years in charge,we knew it was going to be tough retaining the title.The stability and sureness that was associated with Fergie at the helm was no longer there. Add to that, many backroom staff departing after similar long association with the Red Devils.But no one could have envisioned the troubles and the eventual 7th place finish.Not even did we not manage to challenge for the title, we were out of the Champions league and Europa league places.Our worst finish in the premier league era and no European competition for the first time since the 1989-90 season. Its the start of another season and start of another era at United. All the red faithful will be hopeful it will be a more memorable one than the David Moyes one.And in Louis Van Gaal, theres a presence; a figure who commands respect. Having managed the likes of Barcelona, Bayern, Ajax and the Dutch national team, hes vastly experienced in dealing with big name players and constant pressure, something his predecessor didnt have a taste of before.It was not Moyes fault and i would just like to say that unfortunately it just didnt pan out for the chosen one. But if theres one thing that sets United apart from the rest, its the ability to fight back from the dead,to rise above expectations and be winners along the way. Theres no doubt that LvG has an aura similar to Sir Alex, but there needs to be much more than that if we have to lift the the title come the end of the season. Its truly the start of another era, not just because of the change in manager but because of the change of personnel in the squad. The defence is the most affected and the loss of Vidic, Evra and Ferdinand is no mean one. They might have been past their best but losing all three in one summer have taken away much of the experience we had in the department. Its an area which still needs to be addressed with Luke Shaw the only addition so far. The likes of Recce James and Tyler Blackett have been promoted from the youth team and both have impressed during the pre season matches.Evans, Jones, Rafael and Smalling makes up the defence.But still one feels a experienced defender coming in will provide assurance at the back, especially if injuries pile up. LvGs preferred 3-5-2 formation means many players will have to adapt to new positions to remain part of the squad. Ashley Young seems to have taken the challenge on pretty well and his performances so far has seen him propel to one of the key players in the wing back role. Valencia also seems suited to the position considering his pace and traits going forward as well as defending.Its going to be a make or break season for Shinji Kagawa for sure. Its his third season and as many managers in charge, he has not yet fiited in the team. Ad with LvG hinting at a possible defensive role for the Japanese, he needs to adapt more than anyone else. Zaha is a similar case, but question marks remain on his attitude and along with Nani and Anderson could yet find their way out before the transfer window shuts. Ander Herrera has walked in seamlessly in to the team and many has been impressed with his composure and reading of the game.Fletcher too looks refreshed and will be looking to put the health issues finally behind him and with Carrick injured long term the duo should be the preferred the defensive midfield partnership. Fellaini did his chances good with the goal against Valencia but he will have to put in more such performances consistently if he is to win over the OT faithful and LvG. Juan Mata will be the happiest to play in the system as he finally gets the no 10 position he so craves, in the hole behind the two strikers. RvP too had his issues with Moyes and having played under LvG for the Netherlands, these two players should thrive in their preferred roles. Add to it, the new skipper Wayne Rooney. Hope he takes on the role with maturity and finally puts the transfer issues behind him to bring out the best in himself.Chicharito and Welbeck provide a good backup to the attack . Then theres the wonderkid Adnan Januzaj. Others know him better and he will have to step up his game to be considered for greatness. Hope the No 11 jersey hes taken over from Ryan Giggs will serve as a motivation and not extra pressure. Chelsea and Man City looks to be the main title contenders along with United. Jose Mourinho has done the most shrewd business in the transfer market with the addition of Costa and Fabregas but it was the David Luiz business that was the best. One can only wonder how much he would have got for the Brazilian, if he was sold after the World Cup. Man Citys best business seems to be tying up their main stars like Silva, Kompany and Aguero to long term deals. With the FFP sanctions, they have been curtailed with regards to additions to the squad..Sagna and Lampard didnt cost anything while they did splash on Mangala and Fernando.Liverpool had the major loss of Saurez, and although they have brought in a number of players, it seems it will be more unsettling than doing good.Arsenal brought in star material by signing Alexis Sanchez. No doubting his quality, but much will depend on how Arsene uses him. Everton and Spurs did well last term fiishing above United. The toffees made a big statement by smashing the club transfer fee for Lukaku and It will be interesting to see how Roberto Martinez does in his second season with the extra pressure.Spurs have a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino and unlike last seasons frenzied transfer activity they have kept it sensible this time around. What makes the Barclays Premier League truly special is that there are no easy games. Any team can upset the big boys on their day.Southampton have been devastated with the amount of players to have left, but one can only hope that their famed academy brings out players to keep them in the fight, coz they really deserve it. Crystal Palace seems to have done suicide by getting rid of last seasons manager of the year Tony Pulis, who guided to them to comfortable safety from almost certain relegation. Mark Hughes has done some really good deals , especially Bojan Krkic and Mame Diof and i really hope the duo shines for Stoke City.The rest of the teams are no pushovers and hope we get a really down to the wire competition up and down the league. The weekends are back to being exciting. The thrills, the passion and excitement. Nothing beats it. BPL,Simply the best !!
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 08:54:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015