12/26/24
August 15, 2014
The Premier League Season Kicks Off Tomorrow: After a short post-WC break, the season in England's top flight begins tomorrow. The first manager to quit or get fired has already left the building, in the form of a man who seems almost unrecognizable minus the hat. Don't forget to join the SpoFi Fantasy Premier League mini-league (anyone know the SpoFi league code?). Post your season predictions inside.
Title: Arsenal
Top Four: Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United
Best Champions League Showing for an English Team: Chelsea
Relegated: Burnley, Southampton, West Brom
Top scorer: RvP
Most Assists: Mesut Ozil
Most clean sheets (team): Chelsea
posted by flannelenigma at 11:52 AM on August 15, 2014
Completely uninformed guesses:
Title: Manchester City
Top Four: Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal
Best Champions League Showing for an English Team:Liverpool
Relegated: Southhampton, Crystal Palace, Burnley
Top Scorer: Diego Costa
Most Assists: Cesc Fabregas
Most clean sheets (team): Chelsea
posted by grum@work at 12:36 PM on August 15, 2014
Title: Arsenal
Top Four: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Man U
Best Champions League Showing for an English Team: Manchester City
Relegated: Crystal Palace, Burnley, West Brom.
Top Scorer: Daniel Sturridge
Most Assists: Mesut Ozil
Most clean sheets (team): Chelsea
posted by Goyoucolts at 07:17 PM on August 15, 2014
Title: Man City
Top Four:City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton
Relegated: Crystal Palace*, Burnley, QPR
Top Scorer: Sturridge
Most Assists: Lallana **
Most clean sheets: Chelsea
* What the frak were they thinking firing a manager of the year two days before kickoff?!?!
** Those goals gotta come from somewhere
I'd love to hear the reasoning behind picking ManUtd in the top four, given they were seventh and haven't really strengthened the squad or cured their glaring deficiencies. Three at the back and you have Smalling, Jones and Evans, with a zero experience backup, your (shiny new) left back is injured for the first month plus, your defensive MF is out until Thanksgiving, I could keep going but LvG has done exactly what since arriving?
posted by billsaysthis at 09:58 PM on August 15, 2014
I don't think Man Utd will finish top 4, but if one were to make the case (other than new manager), it would be the Liverpool phenomenon from last year -- only needing to battle on one front (other than domestic cups).
posted by holden at 10:29 PM on August 15, 2014
I'd love to hear the reasoning behind picking ManUtd in the top four,
I already explained why...
Completely uninformed guesses:
posted by grum@work at 08:04 PM on August 16, 2014
OK, late to the party, but it's a marathon, not a sprint...
Title: Chelsea. Money talks, but defence triumphs.
Top Four: Chelsea, City, Arsenal, Man Utd. Liverpool are too flaky and could do with replacing their entire back line and maybe buy a proper DM.
Relegated: Stoke, Burnley, QPR. Stoke is wishful thinking on my part. It will probably be Leicester.
Top Scorer: Aguero.
Assists: Hazard. About time he turned up.
Clean Sheets: Chelsea, but Everton has a shot.
posted by owlhouse at 09:42 PM on August 17, 2014
I'd love to hear the reasoning behind picking ManUtd in the top four
I did the same, so I'll have a go at answering that: No More David Moyes.
By which I mean he took a Premier League winning team, augmented by new signings, into the tactical wasteland that was Man U's last season. LVG will take a bit of time with a new side, but he's no David Moyes, and has a fair idea of how to turn players into better performers than you'd expect. There is enough quality in the squad, although they could do with a new centre back pairing.
Further evidence, you say? Look at Everton last year. Roberto Martinez essentially took David Moyes' squad and made them a different team, using their talents properly in a range of different tactical approaches.
Moyes only has a Plan A, and it's not a good Plan A.
posted by owlhouse at 04:48 AM on August 18, 2014
My predictions:
Title: Arsenal
Top Four: Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool
Best Champions League Showing for an English Team: Chelsea
Relegated: Burnley, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace
Top scorer: Daniel Sturridge
Most Assists: David Silva
Most clean sheets (team): Chelsea