Getting Underway - Major Threat's Preview

Finally the greatest league in the world is getting underway this weekend. And we would have had all 10 games kicking-off if not for some thugs/hooligans/idiots/muppets/youngsters trying to kickstart some kind of martial law coming into effect in England. Hopefully the situation has come to a abrupt halt and we could finally see 22 grown man chase around the ball.

Enough of that rubbish, let's talk some football, and especially the club that everyone in England must beat, the champions, Manchester United.

The Magical 19th

After the tickertapes and trophy celebration's for winning an unprecedented 19th title were swept away by the summer pre-season US tour, the manager has made sure that the hunt for more success begins.

Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea have arrived to bolster one of the strongest, if not THE strongest, squad in Europe. Make no mistake, the manager means business when United beat rivals to tempt the English quality away from Premier league rivals.


Although Cleverley looked fantastic against City, one game don't make a player, and the furore of hype surrounding him at the moment isn't going to do him much good. Our midfield was the main reason for the torture against Barcelona in the UCL final (and the ill-timed absensce of Fletcher) , and with or without the possible signing of Sneijder, our midfield has to have more energy in it.

The overall age of the squad has been reduced dramatically for the new season, and this  bodes well for the present, and the future. The great mixture of youth and experience should make United a force to be reckoned again this season.

The signing of De Gea is where, in my opinion, the title could be won or (God forbid) lost. The goalkeeping conundrum has plagued us ever since the departure of Peter Schmeichel and before the arrival of the great Dutchman, VDS, as he is affectionately known amongst United circles.

A steady and solid goalkeeper is a must-have for every winning team. Just ask Arsenal. Also it nicely sets us up for the next talking point, our rivals to the throne. I expect City to be our major threat for domestic supremacy, eventhough we can't write off the others, especially Chelsea.

Don't be fooled by the bravado talk of silencing the neighbors after the weekends dramatic Community Shield victory over City, every United fan knows that the Blue moon is rising indeed. And their main reason is their strength defensively. Not only they can bore you to death with a stale approach to matches, but they do have a great goalkeeper in the making in Hart. Minus the Wembley blip, Kompany is a archetypal no-nonsense defender, in the mould of our own great United captain.

Charity from the richest club in the world

They do have enough ability to thrash the lower teams and eke out draws against the far superior technical sides like us, Arsenal, Spurs, etc. That does make for a major threat. But, I do think that Mancini wouldn't have learned from Wembley's "glorified friendly" defeat, and he will continue to start negatively in certain matches that they should be winning, and instead settling for draws. This will hinder their title aspirations.

As for Chelsea, well, what can you say about a team that changes it's manager every few years. This merry-go-round has hindered them in the past, and will so again, I think. Don't get me wrong, they do have enough quality and the mentality to win the league, unlike City, but the new manager needs more time to get his ideas across a team full of egos, pride and definitely way to many strikers for any one club. Unless, he's as lucky as Ancelotti was in his first season with a single linesman decision.

Liverpool have bought good attacking players, but like Roy Keane was quoted the other day, "to improve your team and to win the Premier League are two different things."  But a good foundation to build on, although try telling that to any Liverpool fan.



Don't provoke me, Cesc



 Arsene's reluctance to end the transfer sagas of his two stars is going to leave him with a huge hole and not much time to plug it. That will leave Arsenal exactly where they were for the last six years, trophyless, the manager using waterbottles as footballs and a growing sense of unrest amongst the Gunners faithful.

 Being Sir Alex's main rival for years, I do feel for him, but unfortunately, everyone has to clean up their own mess.

The rest, well, just like everyone else in the league, they have to prove worthy of playing in the league, although this season's relegation battle will be more tighter and compelling than the championship race.


So, the talk is over, now let's watch those 22 men chase the ball for about 9 months before we start all over again. Just sit back and enjoy.