Our crystal ball spoke to us clearly and concisely when the excitement and anticipation of the 2009/10 season kicked-off. We made our predictions. We chose the chosen ones and it was off to the races.
As the best of the best galloped into the eyes of victory and defeat, we raved, we ranted, we posted and we polled about the beautiful game. And as the race to be crowned champion nears its end, we can’t help but wonder, who will cross the finish line first?
For so long Chelsea have been the favourites to scoop the Premier League title. If I remember correctly, we warned the Stamford Bridge outfit not to celebrate too soon. At Christmas, the Chelsea players and faithful believed they had it in the bag. There was an evident cockiness to them which has become synonymous with Chelsea. But a loss to Everton and a whipping by Manchester City in their own park soon made the Blues players and fans realize the fight to the finish will not be so easy. Did they under estimate their opponents? Did the John Terry scandal hurt them? What would they do without Drogba? Will the iron Chelski curtain find its strength again as they head towards the finish?
With Wayne Rooney turning on the style and making a case to be European Footballer of the Year, Manchester United are once again finding their strength and form at the right time. Determined to create history and make it four Premier League titles in a row, the Red Devils are as hungry as ever for silver ware. They’ve already bagged the Carling Cup, they have one eye on a Champions League quarter final spot and they are two points clear at the Premier League summit. Granted they haven’t been as exciting to watch as a team this term, but Rooney has given us every reason to be up for watching Manchester United play. Do you think they’d be flying if Ferdinand and Vidic were fit all season? Do you think Rooney deserves to be Player of the Year? Has Valencia been a success? Will Berbatov be the man United fans want him to be?
And what of Arsenal? After losses to Manchester United and Chelsea, everyone had written off their title chances for good. How could the Gunners win the league if they couldn’t beat the two best teams in the country? Somehow, some way, Arsenal have hung in there. Even though they lost to the big two, they picked up some good results in games we’ve easily seen them lose over the last few seasons. Beating the likes of Stoke and Hull has helped. Losing Ramsey to such a horrific injury has not. But unlike the Eduardo injury experience which saw Arsenal implode that season, it appears this time around the team are galvanized to win it for Ramsey. They seem to have a purpose we may not have seen in recent times. Can Arsenal finish strong without Fabregas? Would they be clear of United and Chelsea on points at this stage if Van Persie hadn’t been injured? Was Vermaelen the best buy of the season? How good could Arsenal actually be if they bought three more world class players?
The rest of the league are fighting for a fourth Champions League spot, a Europa League place or just plain old fashioned survival. How do your predictions match up to what you thought at the beginning of the season? Who do you see wining it all? Chelsea? Manchester United? Or Arsenal? Can Tottenham really steal a Champions League birth? Will Manchester City or Aston Villa ruin their coming out party? Will we see another famous old club like West Ham go down? Has Hull City’s luck finally run out? When Portsmouth go down, how much further will they sink over the next few years? Remember Leeds?
There is still much to play for. It’s sad that the season is almost ending but fear not fellow footie fans! The silver lining is that we are in a World Cup year so the wait for some quality football won’t feel like eternity. Could this be the year Wayne Rooney shines on the world stage? Is it his time to be crowned a world football superstar? The race to the finish line is almost over. The only question is, who will win?
Charlie Brown often gets off to a bad start around the holidays. But somehow, some way, it all comes together for him in the end with a little help from his friends and Santa Claus of course. Around this time of year, Santa can be your best friend. He can bring you gifts you never dreamed of and he can make things happen by just simply sliding up and down your chimney! If you could have one football wish this holiday season what would it be? What would you like to receive from Santa?
The wannabe top four teams of the Premier League are really making a case for themselves this season. Aston Villa beat the power house that is Chelsea 2-1, Tottenham piled on the misery for Portsmouth with a victory at Fratton Park and Manchester City continue to prove they are serious about challenging for the title even though they walked away with a draw against Wigan.
Fabregas turned on the sexy football against Blackburn this weekend and watching him play was like observing an artist create the perfect painting. It was as though a masterpiece unfolded before your very eyes and witnessing the process felt like something very special. Fabregas made 4 goals, scored a peach of a volley and hit the bar as well. He was simply fabulous. No wonder Barcelona want him so badly.
Liverpool are back in business and they can thank Fernando Torres for inspiring their recent good form. As predicated last week by many of us fans, it appears as though the Spanish superstar is really getting back to his biting best. Torres scored a superb hat-trick on Saturday as the scouse house thumped Hull City 6-1. It was a Torres tornado that ripped out the hearts of Hull fans. And if I were a Hull fan I’d be worried. Is Torres the best striker in the world right now? What would Liverpool do if he got injured? Panic I guess!
Week 2 in the Premier League saw Manchester United fight back to their winning ways, Rodallega get a light slap from Vidic…and Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal prove that London really does rule.
I’ve resisted. I’ve tried everything to curb my urge to talk predictions. Who are we kidding though? How can we avoid it? We all know it’s out there. Everyone’s already talking about who they think will win the league. It’s inevitable. Wouldn’t it be nice to know if we are fan prophets? Come on. You know you want to.
There are some crazy transfer stories out there right now. It’s been an interesting summer so far and there’s still time for a few more headlines to be written…
Liverpool jumped into the transfer hot tub and closed the deal for Glen Johnson. They had to fend-off the advances of Chelsea and Manchester City , but eventually they got their man for 17 million pounds. Johnson will now need to find ways to spend his whooping 80,000 squids a week. Be sure to save a little a month Glen. You never know what can happen!
The King’s Road has long been known for it’s flare and fashion. During the 1960’s, it was certainly the swinging place to be seen. Over the years, the King’s Road has been toned down and turned into a local high street for the posh folk of South West London. It has certainly become more refined and sophisticated and could be compared to the transformation of Chelsea this season. Enter World Cup winning coach. Enter new footballing philosophy. Enter sublime Portuguese superstar. What is the result? The evolution of Chelsea and a classy team worth watching this season.