Well a new English premier league season is upon us and I have spent the last week going through the schedule and making my predictions. The most important prediction is this. Liverpool FC will win its 19 top flight title. I know that may rub many fans raw, but that's just the way its going to be. Here is my entire table:
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| Team | Total Wins | Total Loses | Total Draws | Total Goals For | Total Goals Against | Sum of Goal Diff | Total Points |
| Liverpool | 26 | 3 | 9 | 96 | 49 | 47 | 87 |
| Manchester United | 24 | 3 | 11 | 101 | 57 | 44 | 83 |
| Chelsea | 23 | 4 | 11 | 85 | 45 | 40 | 80 |
| Manchester City | 22 | 5 | 11 | 84 | 50 | 34 | 77 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 6 | 10 | 79 | 44 | 35 | 76 |
| Arsenal | 18 | 13 | 7 | 70 | 57 | 13 | 61 |
| Everton | 15 | 8 | 15 | 62 | 52 | 10 | 60 |
| Aston Villa | 15 | 10 | 13 | 67 | 58 | 9 | 58 |
| Stoke City | 13 | 12 | 13 | 63 | 62 | 1 | 52 |
| Wigan Athletic | 12 | 17 | 9 | 54 | 64 | -10 | 45 |
| Newcastle United | 12 | 19 | 7 | 56 | 69 | -13 | 43 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 10 | 17 | 10 | 45 | 65 | -20 | 40 |
| Fulham | 9 | 19 | 10 | 46 | 60 | -14 | 37 |
| Swansea City | 9 | 19 | 10 | 53 | 69 | -16 | 37 |
| Sunderland | 8 | 18 | 12 | 49 | 70 | -21 | 36 |
| Norwich City | 9 | 20 | 9 | 38 | 66 | -28 | 36 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 8 | 21 | 9 | 49 | 75 | -26 | 33 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 8 | 21 | 9 | 51 | 79 | -28 | 33 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 8 | 22 | 8 | 42 | 68 | -26 | 32 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 6 | 25 | 7 | 39 | 70 | -31 | 25 |
| Grand Total | 277 | 282 | 200 | 1229 | 1229 | 0 | 1031 |
The Champs
Liverpool fans have been waiting 19 long years to see a table with their club on top. This is finally the year. Kenny Daglish has put together a team that is deep with veteran stability and young talent. The Scousers biggest Achilles heel over the last few seasons is consistency. Wins over Chelsea and Man U were often followed by losses to Bolton or Blackpool. King Kenny will change all that. He brings a level of excellence that has been missing since he left. His familiarity with the youth team has allowed him to make smart transfer moves that will impact the club both this season and for seasons to come. The midfield that he has assembled is stellar and deep. Pepe Reina is a top 3 Goalkeeper in the EPL. Kenny's greatest coup was getting Luis Suarez for 25 million. Expect him to score 20 plus goals in his first full EPL season. Kuyt will supply the balls to both he and Andy Carroll, who needs to step up this season. The biggest area of concern will be the defense. A mixture of old (Carragher) and young (Kelly) has a chance to be very good but may also make costly mistakes. The other key factor is that there is no European competitions to divert focus. Daglish will put all of his efforts into securing the Premier League title for his fans. So say hello to your 2011/2012 Barclay's Premier League Champions......Liverpool FC.
The Challengers
So the first question is "What about defending champs Manchester United?" Well I have 1 main reason why they will not win the title, or the Champions league, or the FA cup, (I'll give them the Carling cup). The reason for their demise...Goaltending. New acquisition, Spaniard David De Gea is not ready for the harsh realities of Premier league football. His errors can be covered up when his side scores 3-5 goals a game against the also-rans of the league, but when he gets put into high pressure games against offense clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man City, he will fail. If his troubles continue don't be surprised to see Sir Alex bring in a Premier league vet in the winter transfer window. The clubs strength is its front line. They will score goals, but can they keep out enough? Not quite.
Chelsea will once again be challengers, but sooner or later the revolving door of Managers will have a negative effect on the club. 50 million pound signing Fernando Torres has been a bust so far. 1 goal in 21 appearances is not a good return. The overall club is still very strong. However they lack that special something they need to push towards a title. Their owner has proven that he cares very little about the English title, and his entire focus is on the Champions league. Hopefully for Ex-Porto and Europa League winner Andre Villa-Boas he can capture that Champions League title, or he will probably be out of a job next summer.
Big Spenders Manchester City continue to make waves. However they will likely suffer the same fate as Tottenham did last year. A first trip into the Champions league can easily divert focus from league games. That lack of focus will result in dropping critical points. Look for their matches prior to their group games, especially against Everton and Aston Villa at home to drop points. This team will be a real threat next season, but they need to learn how to balance the ups and downs of a European Competition with the grind of the Premier League..
Relegated
My nominee for for 1 and done is Queens Park Rangers. Even though they flew through the Championship last season, I think they will find things tough in the EPL. However, recent signings may be enough to mess up my prediction and keep QPR up. West Bromwich Albion escaped the drop last year, but the pressure to stay up will likely be more than they can handle this season. Say Bye Bye to West Brom. And my surprise drop is Bolton. The club has been a mid to bottom of the table side for the last 5 years. Their nice run in the Premier league will finally come to an end this season.
Surprises
The biggest surprise would have to be the demise of Arsenal. Losing Fabregas and Nasri among others, and their injury problems will cause Arsenal to have a difficult year by their standards. Don't lose hope Gunners fans. They will be back and better for it because the club is in a much better financial situation than 95% of the other top clubs in Europe.
Norwich and Swansea will both survive to play another year in the Prem. Norwich will fight, claw, kick and bite for every point. They will prove to be a tough team to blow out. A few breaks here and there and they can stay up.
Swansea plays a very "Barcelona-esk" type of football. It is a possession style game aimed at breaking down defences through short passing and well timed through passes. This style will allow the Swans to pick up key points against the bottom half of the league. Goaltender Michel Vorm will turn some heads this year and don't be surprised if a few of the top clubs come calling at the Winter transfer window (Sir Alex ?).
So overall it should be a fantastic EPL season... especially for you Scousers out there!!
Come back and check out my weekly predictions and recaps. Thanks
