Sports Desk

by Aodhan Elder

Football is Back
There is no doubting that Manchester City are the team to watch in the Premier League this season. With their lavish spending they can assemble a jaw-dropping array of talent. The problems arise when estimating the impact that such arrivals will have on the team’s performance. Looking at the examples of Chelsea and Blackburn, you can deduce that buying success is possible, but it’s important to note that as sudden as their respective ascents may have seemed, they were built on solid foundations — foundations more steady than those at Eastlands.

Prior to claiming the Premier League of 1994/95, Blackburn had finished fourth and then second, taking an average haul of 1.88 points from every game they played. Ahead of the Pensioners’ success, they recorded the same position in the league and accrued 1.92 points per game. Over the last two seasons, City have taken just 1.38 points from their games. An improvement on that return will move them upwards, but not into the top four, possibly not even the top six. Forging a team takes time and added to the mix is the more intangible entity of how Mark Hughes manages the talents and egos at his disposal. There were hints of unhappiness behind the scenes last term and without doubting the managerial capabilities of Hughes, he may not yet enjoy the reputation that affords him immediate respect from arriving foreign stars.

With expectations likely to exceed end product, for this season at the very least, City are excellent lay material. There are short price favourites in the “betting without the big four’ market, which presuming the big four occupy those spots, is a race for fifth.

City will have to overcome an incredibly consistent Everton side who were denied the services of Yakubu for most of last season and Aston Villa — a good side who can buy to remedy the lack of squad depth that hindered them so badly in the second half of the season. Under Gianfranco Zola, West Ham made strides towards being a good side, and with a couple of interesting signings coming to Upton Park, they could be another barrier to City success. Equally the 15/8 available for City to finish in the top four lacks value and a good lay for not a great deal of exposure.

Across Europe
Much of what applies to Manchester City will apply to Real Madrid in La Liga. Learning the lessons of the previous incarnation, the “New Galacticos” feature a number of highly rated defenders that should augment the efforts of a stunning attacking unit. But again, moulding it all into a solid team that can challenge the all-conquering Barcelona is a monumental task. Manuel Pellegrini worked miracles at Villarreal and should get Real closer than last year, but the Catalans should reign in Spain once more.

Wolfsburg claiming their first Bundesliga may have ultimately been the story of the German season, but prior to Christmas, the breathtaking rise of the upstarts from Hoffenheim was the only show in town. From a sleepy village of slightly more than 3,000 people, the team swashbuckled their way to the top of the league at the winter break and looked like genuine title challengers. The break did them no favours and they claimed just 20 points from a possible 51 — including relegation form of no wins in 12 which saw them drop out of even the European places. They may have paid the price for being overly ambitious and the bubble looks to have burst. They look a value bet for relegation. Louis Van Gaal’s arrival at Bayern Munich looks like the type of move that will see them regain the title they see as their God-given right.

Inter will retain Serie A in Italy. Bordeaux will struggle to defend the French Ligue One title they wrestled from the grip of Lyon, so the door could open for Marseille who have been making steady progress which should continue under the shrewd Didier Deschamps. Van Gaal going to Bayern means Ronald Koeman takes over at defending Dutch champions, AZ Alkmaar. He may not yet be on the same level as Van Gaal, but he should be able to defend the title, particularly as Martin Jol may find the task of returning Ajax to the top beyond his abilities.