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EPL 2014-15 Previews/Predictions

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HuddersfieldToffee

HuddersfieldToffee

Player Valuation: £10m
Didn't know where to do this, but I'm ill and alone in the house for a few days, so I thought I would do a Premier League Preview for each team over the next couple of days - with predicted line-ups, predictions and potential challenges. Just give those who haven't really kept up with the pre-season of every club in the Premier League, not just Everton (I know, preposterous), although I'll include the Toffees. Starting with 1...

1. Manchester City; 27-5-6 Record - 102/37 GD
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Top Goalscorer: Yaya Toure (20)

Screenshot 2014-08-07 18.38.54.webp

Manchester City are a team who're stuck between the flash image of the free-scoring side that featured in the Premier League, scoring 102 goals and the side who limped out of the Champions League, not adding up the head-to-head at the Allianz a sign of the inexperience at this level that Pelligrini, and many of the squad who had so perilously under-performed in the continents highest club competitions.

Additions this year bring with it the later stages of this competition and grinding out victories in the later stages of the Champions League. Fernando, signed from Porto for £12m, adds a calmness to an oft-overexposed and overstimulated midfield. Bacary Sagna, a free from Arsenal, adds to the North London consulate in the Lancashire City and adds experience and competition at right back, but offers very little tactically different from his teammates Clichy, who has been trailed at Right Back this season (he is in fact Right footed but changed his foot to suit his position at Arsenal). Further forward, Lampard, who is on loan until January, will remain both a bench option and a 'big-game player' - providing energy and direct running from midfield in direct contrast to Fernando and Javi Garcia. Caballero is a good keeper who will provide decent cover for the at times lacklustre Joe Hart.

Throughout last year, striking options were reduced with injuries to Jovetic, Negredo and Aguero, which makes the fact Pelligrini managed to both score that many goals, incredibly impressive. His first choice system largely was a 4-4-2, with one narrow winger, usually Nasri, and one wide player who could cut inside, which was invariably Jesus Navas - although Milner could be used. With his forward players out and creative forces, such as David Silva coming back into the side after January, Pelligrini played a 4-4-1-1 system with David Silva drifting from wing to wing as a Central Winger. Notable examples of this system were Man United (A), and Liverpool (A). This system featured Silva trying to overload the wings in a similar style to Mancini's City side.

City's downfall this season will be the fact that their mind may wander towards the Champions League, especially with the 25-man squad limit, which may affect their league form, with poor performances leading up to Champions League games being a plaguing influence last year. Also the defensive third could be a problem if cover for Vincent Kompany isn't found, which could take the form of Mangala or Nastasic stepping up.

Player to Watch: David Silva
Young Player to Watch: Stevan Jovetic or Matija Nastasic
Predicted Finish: 2nd


 

Titus Bramble said:
*closes curtains* *sits in corner hugging knees* *rocks backwards and forwards*
Click to expand...
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2. Liverpool; 26-6-6 Record - 101/50 GD
Manager: Brenden "Salamander" Rodgers
Top Goalscorer: Luis Suarez (31)

Screenshot 2014-08-08 11.02.55.webp

Liverpool were so overwhelmingly close to the title last year that they even organised their victory parade. Arrangements were made to send the trophy to Anfield. They scored a whole lot of goals, and seemed to be carried into quick starts towards the end of the season by the crowd on the other side of the park. Then it slipped from their hands. This season, however, they have Champions League Football for the first time since 2009 and they have to replace 31 goals and 12 assists to replace. They've gone about their business in the same vein as Tottenham, i.e to replace a one man team with many different facets of attacking and defensive play. Not to plug the simple 31 goals with a 31 goal a season striker, but to replace every different weakness in the side.

Their additions to the side are often gambles by Rodgers, bar Lovren - who even at £20m provides Champions League experience and was an exceptional defensive force last season. Elsewhere, Lallana helps provide a final ball to take some of the pressure off Gerrard and Coutinho. He is also a direct runner can push back a defence. Similarly, Rickie Lambert can push the defence up as a different option, although he does ability to drop deep and link up and is very much a modern target man. Markovic, signed for a hefty fee from Benfica, is a direct runner and will often by used as a supersub. Emre Can has a counter attacking threat and is versatile, having covered at left-back, centre-back and centre-midfield. Other signings, such as Lawrence Vigouroux, Kevin Stewart and Javier Manquillo will probably feature less with more established figures ahead of them - but will be part of the long term strategy that Rodgers is employing, with Suso and Dani Pacheco potentially featuring this year.

Last year, Rodgers showed his adaptability and his players versatility employing a 3-5-2, 4-1-4-1, 4-4-2, and 4-3-1-2 throughout the year. Most of this, however, was to exploit the virtues of having a striking partnership like S***ez and Sturridge - a luxury he does not have this year. So instead, look forward to him reverting back to his 4-3-3, with a Coutinho, Allen/Gerrard, and Can midfield, or a 4-2-3-1 with more attacking players in the final third, but an emphasis on the high block and press - a feature throughout the tenure of Rodgers. His sides played like Bielsa sides at certain times during the year, with quick combinations and vertical football.

In terms of tactical experimentation, Rodgers may well return to his first season, where games against Everton (A), and Chelsea (A) saw a 3-5-1-1 system with Sterling behind Suarez - both stretching the play with lateral movement. Subbing in Sturridge for Suarez, this could be an option either later in a game to exploit space behind teams while protecting the centre of the pitch, or in games where dominance of the ball is secondary on Rodgers priorities to dominance of the wings, as shown by the Pass Map of RSs possession against Chelsea in that game.

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Liverpool's downfall this year is the sheer fact they may have many extra games to play, with at least 6 extra CL group stage games, and pressure from the fans to do better in the FA Cup and League Cup. Also, they aren't the surprise package anymore - which will mean a different challenge against middle and lower sides. In explicit terms also, Liverpool must do better against the sides around them. Liverpool didn't have, with the exception of Hull (A) and Palace (A) - both vertical teams who can defend deep with better success than Liverpool - any major unforced slip ups in pressure free games. Their record against teams around them was patchy, with two defeats to Chelsea, one defeat to Manchester City, one defeat to Arsenal, hidden by dominant victories against Tottenham home and away. They must improve this to be contenders.

Player to Watch: Daniel Sturridge
Young Player to Watch: Lazar Markovic or Jordan Ibe
Predicted Finish: 5th
 
3. Chelsea; 25-7-6 Record - 71/27 GD
Manager: Jose Mourihno
Top Goalscorer: Eden Hazard (14)

Screenshot 2014-08-08 13.05.17.webp

Chelsea, after one year of Jose Mourihno, are about 7 points better off. They concede very few, and beat Manchester City away (the only side to do so), beat Liverpool twice, and reached a Champions League semi-final. They were a difficult team to play against and a difficult team to score against - but they often lacked a striker. They scored 30 less goals than Liverpool and 31 less than Manchester City. The Chelsea of old, who would beat teams 8-0 or 7-0 seems to be gone.

Mou has addressed this through the Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, who's aerial prowess is excellent and who's general strike rate is excellent, can provide goals and provides exciting movement up front for the band of three, usually Oscar, Hazard and Willian but perhaps Schurrle in the coming season. Of the other three major signings, Fabregas offers the most threat. Often both Arsenal and Barcelona's most direct player - the 'Fabregas' role in those sides were less Spanish and more English in style. The Catalan offers Chelsea more direct, counter-attacking runs and clever passing play and offers a more modern interpretation of the Lampard role. He suits his partner in the double pivot, Matic, who is more of a distributor from deep and a clever tackler, nicknamed 'The Spider' in Portugal for his spindly legs and his ability to get into nooks and crannies on the field. It is a wonder whether Mourihno would have allowed him to leave had he have been in charge throughout the period he was away. Filipe Luis offers a greater running threat than Ashley Cole and offers the ability to bomb up and down the touchline with decent crossing ability. Didier Drogba returning offers a calm head to a young squad.

It is strange that a manager who is so conservative in play has produced so many attack minded managers, namely Villas-Boas and Rodgers. Against the bigger sides, Chelsea attempted to not control the ball, but control the space. They forced sides to play football in the defensive and middle third, with themselves controlling the final third. Also they used direct running against weaker midfields, like Manchester City's, who both pushed too high leaving space between their deepest midfielder and further forward defender, usually Kompany. Their attacking was often direct and required decent through balls from play. Against smaller sides, they used their four attackers with integrated movement between them, Matic covering and Ramires moving towards the front four. After a few poor defensive performances, Mourihno reverted to a 4-5-1 with Eto'o up front and Oscar and Hazard rotating. This allowed Obi to come into the middle to sure up the defence.

Chelsea could fail if the front four don't gel quick, or in an oxymoronic turn, Mourihno cannot get the best out of his defence. an ageing Terry and Cahill, who's had a World Cup and is sure to be a little jaded. Limited rotation options are a factor in the defence with Ivanovic the only senior replacement. Ake and Kalas are both more modern and are used to playing a higher line. This could mean Kalas, who has more experience at the top level, could see more game time at the expense of the ageing Terry.

Player to Watch: Nemanja Matic
Young Player to Watch: Tomas Kalas
Predicted Finish: 1st
 
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