Friday, August 11, 2023

Premier League Week 1 Preview: The Race Begins

Transfer drama is peaking with Harry Kane and Moises Caicedo deals hanging in the balance. Most supporters have had their fill of the summer silly season, however, as clubs once again take to the pitch to begin a new Premier League season.

The season begins Friday when defending champion Manchester City makes the short trip to Burnley to face the newly promoted Clarets. Burnley is managed by former Manchester City player Vincent Kompany who has modeled his managerial philosophy after that of Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola. Burnley dominated the Championship division last season, but Kompany may need to tweak his possession-based approach against more difficult Premier League opposition. The step up in class will be immediately apparent to Kompany and Burnley as they draw the Treble winning Citizens in their debut match.

Manchester City have had a relatively quiet transfer window, early on picking up Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea and closing the deal this week on their top target, RB Leipzig center back and Kovacic’s Croatian teammate Josko Gvardiol. To date, Manchester City has not moved to bring in big names to replace the attacking quality of the departed Ilkay Gundogan and Riyadh Mahrez. Larger minutes could thus be in store for Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden. Silva had been itchy for a move but may now be reconsidering in light of a potentially larger role in Manchester.


The Citizens’ nearest challenger last season has been more aggressive in bolstering their squad this summer. Arsenal has added high profile transfers Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber in its attempt to close the gap to Manchester City. Unfortunately, Arsenal enters its first match with Nottingham Forest without center forward Gabriel Jesus who is out after knee surgery. Arteta tried Kai Havertz as the answer at center forward in the Gunners’ final preseason tune-up and the natural midfielder looked just as uncomfortable up top as he had at Chelsea. Leandro Trossard, Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun present other options for Arteta though Balogun is rumored to be headed for the door.


Nottingham Forest had a much quieter summer than the chaos of last summer when the club set an English record by bringing in 21 new players. This summer’s biggest question is who will be between the sticks for the Tricky Trees. Kaylor Navas has returned to PSG after a highly successful loan stint last season which helped to keep Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. The club has now signed Arsenal’s United States international Matt Turner. The Trees, however, are also reportedly close to a deal for Manchester United’s Dean Hendersen which could be really bad news for Mr. Turner.


Manchester United, which faces Wolverhampton at Old Trafford on Monday, has acquired Andre Onana from Inter Milan to be its regular keeper in replacement of long-time club servant David De Gea. Onana’s “sweeper-keeper” approach fits better with Manager Eric ten Hag’s preferred playing style as the Dutch manager continues to mold the Red Devils to his liking.

The Red Devils’ midfield has been refreshed with the addition of English international and former Chelsea star Mason Mount. Unfortunately, newly purchased striker Rasmus Hojlund apparently arrived as damaged goods from Atalanta and will miss extended time with a stress fracture in his back.


Wolves, meanwhile, are a mess as the season opens. Manager Julian Lopetegui resigned just days before the opener over his disgust with the club’s transfer policy which has made no substantial additions while Raul Jimenez, Rueben Neves and Joao Moutinho have all left for potentially greener pastures. Former Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil is replacing Lopetegui and will be asked to perform a similar escape act to what he accomplished with the Cherries last season. The club also signed former Chelsea academy player Tino Livramento from Southampton this week. The 20-year-old will provide depth at right back behind 32-year-old Kieran Tripper across the expanded number of fixtures the Magpies will face this season. The versatile Livramento can also be deployed further up the field while he develops as Trippier’s ultimate successor. Newcastle will also hope for a meaningful contribution from another young player in Anthony Gordon. The winger failed to impress after his transfer from Everton last season, but teased Magpie followers with an outstanding U21 Euro performance for title winning England this summer.


O’Neil’s replacement at Bournemouth, former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola, makes his debut at the Cherries’ Vitality Stadium against West Ham. The match presents an interesting contrast of styles between Iraola’ risk-taking, wide-open style versus the conservative preferences of West Ham Manager David Moyes. The Hammers parted with striker Gianluca Scamacca this week, raising more questions about a sluggish West Ham attack. At least, there is now incoming activity for the East London club as deals for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire and Southampton set piece maestro James Ward-Prowse have been reportedly agreed in the last 48 hours. Maguire’s deal though is reportedly contingent on a settlement from the Red Devils to partially compensate their former captain for the cut in wages he will take with his new employers.


Newcastle, which finished just behind third place Manchester United in last season’s standings, will host Aston Villa in one of the weekend’s better matches. Newcastle has made key adds in the form of midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan and winger Harvey Barnes from Leicester.


Aston Villa took steps to improve this window after surprisingly qualifying for the Europa Conference League with a seventh-place finish last season. The Villans have added center back Pau Torres from Villareal, midfielder Youri Tielemans from relegated Leicester and Moussa Diaby, an attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen. Unfortunately, the club lost midfielder Emi Buendia to a knee injury in training this week. The unsettling loss of a key player now has the Villans scrambling for a late window addition to fill the vacuum created by Buendia’s injury which is estimated to keep him out at least six months.


Chelsea is also reeling from a knee injury sustained by forward Christoper Nkunku as the club prepares to host Liverpool on Sunday. Nkunku’s preseason form exhibited attacking ability not seen at Chelsea in recent years. The injury sustained in a Chicago preseason friendly against Borussia Dortmund, however, will keep him off the pitch until at least January. Chelsea’s attack, so dormant last year, will now need a major contribution from former Villareal striker Nicolas Jackson and potentially the unpredictable Mikhailo Mudryk. Chelsea fans are not holding their breath that Raheem Sterling, who performed miserably following his transfer from Manchester City last season, will rise to his lofty salary grade. Chelsea has parted way with 13 players this summer and enters the season with currently glaring weakness in key forward and midfield positions. Chelsea and Liverpool are battling off the pitch over Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo. The Blues have been in a summer long pursuit of the defensive midfielder who earned raves in his debut season for Brighton. After weeks of haggling with the Seagulls, Chelsea was stunned Friday when Liverpool swooped in to reach agreement with Brighton for the Ecuadoran international. The drama did not stop there, however, as Caicedo immediately insisted his preference was Chelsea and it appeared the Blues might make one final bid to put paid to the saga. Both clubs have serious need of Caicedo’s services.


The Reds, of course, remain stacked in their forward positions led by Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Edwin Nunez, and Diogo Jota. Newly acquired midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also bring the promise of a much more dynamic midfield than Liverpool has fielded in recent years. Defensively, however, the Reds are exposed after the unexpected departures to the sands of Saudi Arabia by midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. In pursuing Caicedo, Liverpool will either have addressed their pressing need or, worst case, forced Chelsea to overpay once again.


The other major transfer story involves Harry Kane. News broke on Thursday that Tottenham Hotspur had reached a fee agreement with Bayern Munich for the sale of club legend Kane. As Kane was preparing to travel to Germany for his medical on Friday, however, word leaked that Spurs were trying to modify terms of the agreement. Sunday’s trip to Brentford is thus not at the top of Tottenham Hotspur supporter minds. The Bees, of course, have their own striker problem with Ivan Toney suspended for gambling violations until after the holidays.


Even without stars such as Mac Allister and Caicedo, Brighton should be poised for a successful home opener when the Seagulls host newly promoted Luton Town. The Hatters would seem well overmatched against Manager Robeto Di Zerbe’s flying Seagulls. Eighteen year-old attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte could be the next Argentine phenom to step up for Brighton following the departure of fellow countryman Mac Allister to Liverpool.


Brighton has outpaced historical rival Crystal Palace in recent years and the outlook for the Eagles is uncertain as the curtain rises on the new season. Crystal Palace has said goodbye to long time talisman Wilfried Zaha who has left for Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig. Rising star Michael Olise is sidelined by injury for the Eagles opener. Dynamic midfielder Eberechi Eze is reportedly being pursued by Tottenham Hotspur. Defenders Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen are also the subject of transfer rumors. There’s buzz about Matheus Franka, the newly acquired attacking midfielder from Flamengo but the Brazilian is currently sidelined by injury. Oh well, there is always the remarkably non-productive Jordan Ayew to anchor the Eagles’ sputtering attack.


On the bright side, Crystal Palace faces newly promoted Sheffield United on Saturday. The financially strapped Blades have responded to promotion by selling off their two best players, Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge, and seem ill prepared to compete at the top level this season.


Everton, which will host Fulham at Goodison Park Sunday, could be one of the clubs who could be battling with Sheffield United in the relegation race. The Toffees have done little to improve a side which barely survived the past two seasons. Fulham outperformed expectations last season but are trying to fend off Saudi interest in striker Aleksandar Mitrovic who contributed 14 goals last season. The Cottagers signed Raul Jimenz as cover for a possible Mitrovic departure, but the Mexican striker failed to score a goal last season for Wolverhampton and has sadly been a shadow of his former self since a 2020 head injury.


Questions still abound for many Premier League clubs as roster needs will continue to be addressed through the closing of the Premier League transfer signing window on September 1. Unsettling for the English clubs is that the threat of a Saudi Arabian club poaching a key star will continue until the later closing of the Saudi window on September 20. 

 

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Monday, August 7, 2023

Will It Be a Short Stay for Newly Promoted Clubs ?

Last season saw all three promoted clubs avoid relegation back to the Championship and remain in the Premier League. Fulham broke into the top half of the table while Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest finished 15th and 16th respectively. Tumbling from the top tier were Leicester, Leeds and Southampton. Replacing those three relegated clubs in the Premier League are Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town. The former two clubs are no strangers to the Premier League with Burnley returning after just a one-year hiatus and Sheffield United having competed at the highest level in England just two years ago.

Luton Town is a whole different story. The Hatters were eliminated from the top tier one season before the Premier League’s inaugural season. It’s been an eventful three decades since then for the club. Amid financial difficulties, Luton Town would descend through the tiers of football until playing themselves out of the English National League altogether before starting the long crawl back. Financial difficulties contributed to the fall with the Hatters being assessed point deductions for insolvency and financial improprieties.

On the eve of returning to the topflight, the club is now scrambling to make necessary improvements to its Kenilworth Road stadium in accordance with Premier League standards. The home opener against Burnley has already been rescheduled as the club scrambles to complete those renovations. There is also the question of whether the Luton Town roster, and that of the other two promoted sides, is up to Premier League standards. The Hatters and fellow newbie Sheffield United have spent the least of any current Premier League clubs in this summer’s transfer window.

Luton Town were unlikely aspirants for the topflight when the ill-fated Nathan Jones left the club for Southampton last November with the Hatters sitting in 9th place in the Championship table. New manager Rob Edwards, however, elevated the club’s performance with a particular focus on defense. Luton Town would concede the second fewest goals in the league as the Hatters would rise to third and qualify for the promotion playoffs. Playoff wins over Sunderland and Coventry led to the Hatter’s upcoming Premier League debut. The teams it will face this season will have much greater firepower than Sunderland and Coventry, however. At the point of its own attack, Luton Town will again look to Carlton Morris, who tallied 20 times in the Championship last season.

Sheffield United earned automatic promotion with a second-place finish. Unfortunately, the Blades just sold their best player to French side Marseilles. The sale of attacking midfielder Iliman Ndiaye, who scored 14 times and was tied for most assists in the Championship last season, was a financial decision for a club which incurred a transfer embargo last window for unpaid bills. Needless to say, a like replacement for Ndiaye will not be purchased. The Blades’ best remaining player is midfielder Sander Berge, but he may also be headed out the door. Burnley has registered interest in the Norwegian international as the Sheffield United fire sale continues.

Burnley is the promoted side with the greatest expectations and intent. The club has already invested in ten new signings in this window to bolster its survival prospects. Winners of the Championship title last season, the Clarets head back to the Premier League a much different side than they were two years ago under current Everton Manager Sean Dyche and his long ball philosophy. Leading them back to the Premier League is former Manchester City playing legend Vincent Kompany. The young manager employs a more expansive and possession-based style reflective of his time playing under Manager Pep Guardiola. After beginning his managerial career in his native Belgium, Kompany’s return to England last season was a spectacular success as Burnley retooled and dominated the division, losing only three times enroute to first place and automatic Premier League promotion.

Unfortunately, the club’s top scorer last season in Nathan Tella has returned to parent club Southampton with the Saints showing no willingness to negotiate. Former Southampton forward Nathan Redmond has been signed and his Premier League experience could prove valuable. Other attackers with Premier League experience include Jay Rodriguez and Wout Weghorst, the latter having played on loan at Manchester United last season. Burnley, however, will hope for another new signing, 22-year-old Zeki Amdouni, to take a major step up from Basel FC. The young forward scored 12 goals last season in the Swiss Super League. Perhaps more impressively, the Swiss international was the leading scorer in the Europa League with seven goals during last season’s competition. 

Important to note is that Burnley conceded the fewest goals in the Championship last season and that defensive solidity will be needed against the higher quality Premier League attacks. Backstopping the defense will be new goalkeeper James Trafford who failed to concede a goal during England’s recent run to the U21 European Championship. Burnley may have the best shot at survival but will quickly realize how difficult that struggle will be when the Clarets open the Premier League season next Friday against title defending Treble winner Manchester City.

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Thursday, August 3, 2023

Will The Seagulls Fly Again?

Any concerns about last season’s departure of Manager Graham Potter to Chelsea were quickly dispensed with as Brighton thrived under Roberto De Zerbi while Potter was flaming out in London. Perhaps the greatest win for Brighton in the current transfer window is holding on to the former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk manager. De Zerbi established himself as a top tier Premier League manager by guiding the Seagulls to Brighton’s first European qualification with a sixth place Premier League finish that puts the club in the Europa League this coming season. Brighton also advanced to the semifinals of the FA Cup before falling in penalties to Manchester United. The job done by De Zerbi at Brighton last season prompted Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola to call the Italian “one of the most influential Premier League managers in the last 20 years.” De Zerbi’s style of play employs a possession-based approach, not unlike Guardiola’s own philosophy, whereby his club provokes pressing by their opponent. One mistake by the opposition and the Seagulls are flying to unoccupied areas of the pitch. Brighton is then clinical in the final third with intricate passes creating premium shot opportunities.

Recreating last year’s success will be more difficult, however. The Seagulls must adjust to the additional rigors of the added European schedule while adjusting to the loss of key players. Player turnover is not unusual for a Brighton club which often uncovers young creative players, many from South America, who then move on, at a tidy profit to the Seagulls, after establishing themselves on the south coast. The funds from their sale then serve to fund the purchases of more future stars. Alexis Mac Allister is one star who has left the flock. The Argentinian made his mark last season in the Premier League while also capturing a World Cup with his country. The midfielder, who scored 10 goals for the Seagulls in the league last season, is now a Liverpool player.

Replenishing the Brighton attack, however, will be a new addition in Brazilian center forward Jao Pedro. The 21-year-old scored 11 goals in the Championship division of English football for Watford last season and is a versatile player with good ball skills who can also play as an attacking midfielder. Box to box midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud is another player added to De Zerbi’s tool kit this summer. A somewhat different profile at 27 years old, Dahoud has not yet achieved the potential predicted for him as a young prospect in the Bundesliga. Brighton will hope De Zerbi’s tutelage can take Dahoud to a different level after some recent struggles at Borussia Dortmund.

Defense could be a worry for Brighton, in part traceable to the strange relationship between Chelsea and the Seagulls. Chelsea not only grabbed Potter last season but also signed fullback Marc Cucarella from the Seagulls. Now Chelsea is in full bore pursuit of Brighton defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo. The 21-year-old Ecuadoran comes off a breakthrough season for the Seagulls and has not been shy in sharing his desire to join the London club. Caicedo expressed those sentiments when accepting an award at a Brighton supporter function just this past week. Brighton is holding out, however, for a stiff transfer fee which would deliver more than a $100 million profit to the club. Caicedo’s departure would create a void in the Brighton defense which has also been weakened by the loss of center back Levi Colwill. Colwill was loaned by Chelsea to the Seagulls last season and Brighton wanted to make the appointment permanent. Chelsea, however, would have none of it and Colwill recently signed a long-term contract to stay with the Blues after assurances that he is key to new manager Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. Brighton has moved to replace Colwill by acquiring Brazilian center back Igor Julio from Fiorentina in Serie A. Chelsea is now reportedly close to signing Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez who lost his starting place in De Zerbi’s lineup to Jason Steele last season.

Returning defenders for Brighton include captain and longtime supporter favorite Lewis Dunk, a center back who has been with the club since 2010. Meanwhile, Caicedo’s Ecuadoran teammate, Pervis Estupian, has established himself as one of the best left backs in the Premier League. Assuming Brighton remains solid in defense, either with Caicedo or a suitable replacement, the Seagulls should continue their ascent. De Zerbi’s attack should be formidable with Pedro and Dahoud joining a solid returning core for Brighton which includes Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma and youngsters Julio Enciso and Evan Ferguson. Paraguayan midfielder Enciso established himself as a midfield force in the second half of last season at just 19 years old. Enciso’s goal against Manchester City, which secured Brighton’s Europa League qualification, was adjudged by many as the Premier League goal of the season. Irish international Ferguson flashed as an 18-year-old last season for Brighton, striking for 6 goals in 19 appearances.

Look for the Seagulls to get off to a flying start when they are home to Premier League newcomer Luton Town in their August 12th season opener. 

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