As of right now: Man City and Arsenal should be favorites. Only way Man U can keep up if Nani elevates his game. The truth is that Man U looked very average without Ronaldo on the wing.
Why the hell should Man City be favorites? They were actually disappointing and lucky to leave Ewood with 3 points, let alone by a 2 goal margin. Please do not comment on teams you haven't even seen play.
Funny seeing some of the revisionist thinking after just 1 game Everyone needs to give it at least 7/8 games before we can effectively see who out of the $ky 4 are going to be serious challengers for the title, and whether any other club can mount an effective challenge for a CL spot come the end of the season.
Exactly... They got lucky yet they came away with a 2 point margin victory. They showed flashes of what they capable of doing. They'll be a fierce team once they start firing on all cylinders...
I'll tell you who will win the premiership this season... Wigan Athletic! did u see them win vs. Aston Villa 2-0! Wigan all the way for me.... oh damn... they lost last night to Wolves... nevermind! Seriously though, some of these posts are making me LMAO! It was the first game of the season FFS! Although I think that, at this point, we can safely conclude that Everton most likely won't take the championship this season. Let's remember what happened on the opening day of last season... Man United 1-1 Newcastle @ Old Trafford! So did that mean that Newcastle were going to challenge Man U? Ha! We all know how that story ended.... I do agree though... Manchester City will be a force to be reckoned with.... in the coming years.... but I don't think they will win it this year. It's a process... first, they have to try and become a side that can qualify for the euro cup through their league standing... then they can become the 'best of the rest (outside the big 4)'... next, they need to break into the big four... then they can mount a titled challenge campaign. At the moment, they're just signing and paying whoever wants to come. They need to acquire the depth and build into a cohesive unit in order to mount a serious title-winning campaign... they've got an impressive array of talent - their attack is probably better than anybodies at the moment... Robinho, Tevez, Adebayour, Santa Cruz !!!! I don't think it's too ridiculous to see city taking 5th this season, especially given the plight of Everton / Villa lately but I doubt they'll be challenging for the championship, or champions league for that matter this season. Next season though, once the team has blended a bit better - I think they'll have more of a chance.
I am a Manchster United fan, but I think the dark horses this season will be Spurs. Liverpool will implode because a] they have no money, b] Benitez seems to flap all the time, as if football is a science, without emotion, c] unless they keep Gerrard and Torres fully fit, they will not have any balance and d] they will miss Alonso more than they thought. Chelsea wil have a good season, but I wonder if the Ancellotti 'diamond' tactic will last in the PL. Arsenal are as beautiful as ever, but a freezing night away at Burnley, or Hull might stunt their fluid play. Everton and Villa will both fall short. So one winner, even without Ronaldo. I hear the dressing room was split about him anyway.
I predict that this thread will be invaded full of clowns who give laughable predictions based on knee-jerk reactions after one unconvincing performance.
I think they could be a dark horse.... for relegation that is! ... That's if current form is anything to go by.... Villa have been on a downward spiral ever since losing to Chelsea last Feb
eh ... just lost to Rapid Vienna... it's going to be a very long year for Villa fans methinks... Man City on the other hand... I think that not qualifying for Europe might be a blessing in disguise for them. The games will come think + fast for the other teams in continental competition but City will focus solely on the premiership games - City should qualify for Europe next season at the very least.
Yep the Villa are dumped out of the European League for sure. Everton FC was impressive in this match tho. Is Manchester City playing in this championship this year too cuz I didn't see the score for them?
The championship? .... No, Newcastle are though... I think you mean Europe... no Manchester City did not qualify for the Euro cup
The Portuguese league has been hogging all the draws so far. Seven out of eight matches played during the first weekend finished all-square. Braga, the only team to win left it until the 87th minute to score, preventing the full set. Don't mind if they keep them and we continue to get winners one way or the other as long as there's a few upsets thrown into the mix. Edit: I'm not American, nor do I hate 'ties'. Just realised I was becoming dangerously close to sounding like a non-football loving one with that last sentence. It's been quite fun so far, even if games have been a little tricky to predict between closely matched sides where you'd usually sit on the fence and go for a draw.