English Premier League 2006-07

It is time for a football preview! Ok, so the American version doesn’t come for another 2 weeks or so, but this is the European version. As I vowed after the World Cup, my columns will continue to cover soccer. This is the first article covering the English Premier League. It is time for a football preview! Ok, so the American version doesn’t come for another 2 weeks or so, but this is the European version. As I vowed after the World Cup, my columns will continue to cover soccer. This is the first article covering the English Premier League, equivalent to the NFL or MLB.

Now, it really is not equivalent, because there are similar leagues in Italy and Spain, but England’s league has the most stars, the most publicity and with an added perk, they speak our language. The top teams in each league across Europe compete in the UEFA Champions League, completely separate, but I will keep you at least updated on that. Before I get to the actual team previews, let me try and explain about how the sport is run.

These “teams” are not referred to as so in Europe. It is a club sport, so the organization is a club, somewhat like baseball in America. However the 11 men that run out onto the field are called a side. A club sport basically goes back to before there were leagues and league commissioners. There is no salary cap, etc. If you love the way the NFL is laid out and run, you probably disagree with the way soccer is run.

There are 20 teams in the EPL each year, not always the same. The last 3 teams from the previous year are sent down to the 2nd level, in the EPL’s case, the League Championship. This is much like AAA in baseball, except whole franchises get sent down instead of players. There are not affiliations. In England there are 4 levels below the Premiership. To fill those open spots, the 3 best clubs from the second best league get to move up and try their hand in the Premiership. That works the same in all leagues, so theoretically, a club in the lowest division can work its way up to the Premiership. I will tell the promotions and demotions later. Also, the Top 4 teams in the Premiership each year are entered in a competition called the UEFA Champions League, a competition in which the top Premiership teams compete in a tournament against teams from all over Europe. The 5th and 6th place teams are typically entered in the UEFA Cup, a similar competition for the second tier of teams.

One last detail is the way players move from club to club. Much like baseball, there is no salary cap and thus, several teams are the headliners when it comes to acquiring big money players. Players move through what is called the transfer system. There is no trading players in Europe, for the most part. Players move for money. But it is not that simple. If a player is under contract with a club, another club that wants to acquire him must pay an amount to speak with the player. If the player does agree to come, then the clubs must agree to an amount of money and contract conditions upon which the player can switch clubs. Some can be free, some can be a loan transfer, and some are just for tons of money. And when I say loan, that is not money being loaned, that is the player. Example below.

Example: Hernan Crespo is a recently departed Chelsea striker. He was signed away from Inter Milan in 2003 for 16.8 million Euros. For the 2004-2005 season, he was loaned to AC Milan. The loan means that he still belonged to Chelsea, where he played the 2005-2006 season. Just this morning, he secured a loan deal that is effectively a free transfer back to Inter Milan, where he enjoyed much success. He will not have to return to Chelsea because the loan deal takes him past the expiration of his contract. Now, it may seem rather complicated, but it is just different.

It is not really imperative that you know all of that, but it definitely helps. Now, here are the club profiles and predictions for this season in the Premiership. I will give details of the clubs as to their reputation and history in addition to their players and outlook on the year. I encourage you to pick one to root for, it might make it a little more interesting. To help, I thought I would point out Bill Simmons column on ESPN.com, as he went through the same process I did to pick a team. I picked Chelsea. He did not. Here is the link.

Ok, finally down to the good part, the profiles and predictions. I will do the profiles in reverse order of my predictions.

So, with 20th in the EPL this season, and headed to the Championship division…

20. Watford- Formerly owned by Elton John, this team earned promotion by the skin of their teeth. Not headlined by any real players, this team pulled a shocker over Leeds United to earn their promotion by one point. Sorry, but do not expect a whole lot from Watford. Anthony McNamee and Darius Henderson are the players to watch on Watford.
19. Portsmouth- After earning promotion for the 03/04 season, Portsmouth has gone downhill. Barely earning a stay this past year, this team known from being blue collar is likely to fall out of the Premiership. They could possibly bolster their defense before the season starts, as they are working on a deal with former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell, however offense has been their problem in recent years. Last year, their leading scorer was Lomana Tresor LuaLua with a whopping 7 goals.
18. Aston Villa- This club is in ownership and coaching limbo-land. They are trying to find a buyer for the club and thus, are not really focusing on bolstering the team after finishing 16th last year. Former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has just taken the post, rather late to start with a team. I really cannot see this club having enough strength to keep itself in the Premiership this year. They need to find an owner and move on from there.

Now to the teams I believe will stay in the Premiership:

17. Sheffield United- This club made a rapid improvement in the Championship division, jumping up to finish second and earn a place in the Premiership, although many are doubting they can keep it. They have acquired veteran keeper Ian Bennett, which should help them, but their other big acquisition, defenseman Claude Davis, will miss a month with a knee injury. Robert Hulse should help their striker unit tremendously.
16. Manchester City- The overshadowed team in their own city, Man City is good enough to stay in the Premiership, but they are not even close to being a contender. While they boast USA captain Claudio Reyna and Andy Cole, the Clippers of soccer just do not quite have what it takes to be a contender, you know, a star player.
15. Middlesborough- Although this team lost their young star, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, they can count on another young striker, Aiyegbeni Yakubu to handle their scoring, as he was their leader last season with 13 goals. Veteran Aussie Mark Viduka should play a bigger role with out Jimmy Floyd. They have made multiple attempts at improving their backline, including making an unsuccessful offer to American Oguchi Onyewu. They still have their eye on Chelsea’s Robert Huth.
14. Wigan Athletic- After surprising everyone with a 10th place finish in their first season of this promotion, Wigan is looking to improve on that. To do so, they attempted to upgrade their defense with Emerson Boyce, coming over from Crystal Palace. Wigan veteran Lee McCulloch will have to shoulder more of the scoring following the departure of Jason Roberts to Blackburn.
13. Reading FC- My sleeper/underdog pick, and thus, second favorite team, won their promotion in convincing fashion, headlined by young stars coming of age, as well as a couple wily veterans. The scoring is this team’s strength, boasting two 18 goal scorers last year in veteran Dave Kitson and youngster Kevin Doyle. It has a new acquisition that could help out named Seol Ki-Hyeon, a Korean noted for his superb crosses. Watch for American Bobby Convey. Defense is a weaker point, but they hope Nick Shorey and some possible transfers could help them out.
12. Charlton- Sitting in their normal position of mediocrity, Charlton will look to new acquisition Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to help a one man offense named Darren Bent. They are looking to move up, spending more that they are accustomed to in order to acquire Djimi Traore and Amdy Faye, not kidding those are the names.
11. Everton- Warning, if you are not careful, you will confuse Charlton, Everton, Fulham and Bolton, because they all have the same story. They are good enough to stay in the Premiership, but will not be winning any trophies anytime soon. This team has a myriad of decent scorers, including Aussie international Tim Cahill, who could provide a major boost. Watch for American Tim Howard in goal.
10. Fulham FC- This is a team of interest simply because their star is an American, striker Brian McBride. He holds the key to success for them. Last year, they lost many close games, just not pulling through.
9. Bolton- Finished 8th last year, just behind the Premiership elite. However, this offseason they have lost defender Radhi Jaidi to Birmingham and it is uncertain as to whether or not Mexican striker Jared Borgetti wants to be on the team. He tried to move to Saudi Arabia, but the deal fell through.
8. Blackburn- Finishing sixth last year earned them a bid in this year’s UEFA Cup, but they suffered the loss of leading scorer Craig Bellamy to Liverpool. They will attempt to compensate with a bigger role for Shefki Kugi and the signing of Benedict McCarthy. Their stars are Morten Gamst Pederson and Brett Emerton.
7. Newcastle- If there is one identical twin from the EPL to an American sports team, it is Newcastle to the Oakland Raiders. Not only is their main color black, but they play dirty. They play hard, but cards are abundant, to say the least. Newcastle punishes the opponent. They acquired offensive help this offseason in the form of midfielder Damien Duff from Chelsea, but this club’s season could hinge on the recovery of star striker Michael Owen’s knee. We should be getting into names you vaguely remember from the World Cup.
6. Tottenham Hotspur- This is the forgotten team of London, but they have made rapid improvement in the past 3 seasons. Last year, they barely missed out on the Champions League spots, finishing in 5th. They feature the excellent goalkeeping of Paul Robinson and great scoring of Robbie Keane, an Ireland international who did not have the opportunity to play in the World Cup.
5. West Ham- While most people are not predicting them this high, West Ham showed great promise at the end of last season. The scoring combo of Marlon Harewood and Bobby Zamora is going to surprise people. They also improved their defense with acquisitions on the back line, headlined by Ghanaian international John Pantsil. While I see improvement, I just do not think they can knock out any of the big four.

THE BIG FOUR

One of these teams is what you want to pick for your favorite, because the others do not make news or TV. I have listed teams that may correlate in their values from America.

4. Manchester United- Meet the Yankees of England. They are the team, and now they are owned by American Malcolm Glazer. I would have them higher, except there are problems between stars Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. There is also question about how healthy Michael Carrick is after suffering an ankle injury. Ji-Sung Park has been disappointing while with Man U, and he may have to step it up to keep this team afloat after the departure of leading scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Root for Man U if you like: New York Yankees, USC, Dallas Cowboys, LA Lakers

3. Liverpool- My comparison for this team would be the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only reason you would ever go to Liverpool is to see this club. Their scoring should be fine despite the loss of Cisse to a French team. It will give more opportunities to the 6 foot 7 inch goofy looking guy named Peter Crouch who the fans absolutely love. They also acquired Craig Bellamy. The leader is the classy Steven Gerrard, who I would compare to America’s Tom Brady. He is that type of guy.

Root for Liverpool is you like: Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Cardinals, Sacramento Kings, Duke basketball

2. Chelsea- Here is my team. Despite all the money they throw around, they are my favorite due to the strength of the fan base, the visibility and the hunger for a long deserved, not yet found UEFA Champions League title. It would be a monumental disappointment if they finished lower than second. First is expected with the money they spent, but as long as we get in the top two, it’s ok. The main acquisitions were the 2nd striker on the planet, Andriy Shevchenko, and a very good but aging midfielder from Germany, Michael Ballack. Personally, I disagree with bringing in Ballack, he is not what he used to be, but he is getting a huge payday. We have the best keeper in the world, Petr Cech. I cannot name all the stars, but the poster boys are Englishmen John Terry (Jason Varitek of soccer), Frank Lampard and Joe Cole. Two role players are the guys that drew me in. The exciting play of Arjen Robben made me look at Chelsea, and therefore I started to see how much I like this team. I also enjoyed watching striker Didier Drogba play in the World Cup.

Root for Chelsea if you like: Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Miami Heat, UNC Basketball

1. Arsenal- Arsenal is my pick because I think they will be very motivated after they barely made the Top 4 in the Premiership last season, taking the road of overconfidence early in the year. They showed just how good they were by riding Thierry Henry’s 27 goals to the Champions League Final. I think it will be hard for Chelsea to three-peat in this rivalry (Chelsea and Arsenal are cross-town rivals, across London, and this is way more important and intense than anything in America). Arsenal has a request from defenseman Ashley Cole to leave for Chelsea, but it really won’t hurt them, as I feel they really do not need him with Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure minding the backline. Watch for the emergence of Theo Walcott, a young stud that could have a breakout year at striker, alongside the best striker in the world, and best player in England, Thierry Henry.

Root for Arsenal if you like: LA Dodgers, Phoenix Suns, Indianapolis Colts, UConn basketball

August 19th is the kickoff for some teams, with others starting on the 20th. I will alert you of events in the EPL with at least one column every two weeks. That is not all of the EPL, your education will continue with mine throughout the season. And if you feel like you have just been introduced to a new planet, don’t worry, that is normal, make sure you drive on the left side of the road. Remember the Faith. Hokie Hi. Zc