Pre-season guide to the 2012-13 Premier League Season Part 1

With an incredible summer of quality sports events that has included Euro 2012 and the Olympics , it seems like only yesterday that Sergio Aguero’s late, late show at the Etihad brought Manchester City their first title in 44 years and the curtain was brought down on possibly the most exciting Premier League Season in its 20 year history. Can 2012-2013 possibly hope to top it? It should be as hyped up to the nines as usual but we are sure there will be enough genuinely enthralling stories and great games to keep us all entertained. Here, a few days ahead of Matchday 1, we have a look at the prospects of all the sides, looking out for those key performers that you will want to keep on your side when picking winning fantasy football selections. We also have a look at the key transfers and where some betting value may lie. In these 3 posts we look at the sides in the order they finished last season, substituting the promoted for the relegated sides.

Manchester City. Last season’s final day is now up with there with the finale of the 1989 and 1995 seasons as the truly great climaxes of a season in recent decades. It delivered the crown to a delirious City as they pipped United on goal difference. Roberto Mancini’s squad is phenomenally strong and they have correctly identified what was one of the very few weak areas by signing Jack Rodwell from Everton. They are favourites to retain the crown. Most pundits deem their midfield and striking options to be superior to United and the rest.

YaYa Toure and David Silva were exceptional last year while Vincent Kompany was the League’s best centre half and Joe Hart the best goal-keeper. They also have the mercurial Samir Nasri and the solid James Milner in the midfield while Gael Clichy, Gareth Barry, Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott can all be depended on to have good seasons, fitness permitting. If Mancini can retain the interest, form and motivation of his volatile strikers Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero, they are strong enough further back the pitch to make a bold bid for successive titles. This, however, is a big “if”. Even if things go a little pear shaped from time to time (likely- its City) they still should finish no worse than second because they are simply too strong to do worse than that. All of the above players will be frequent picks for fantasy teams with Silva particularly popular as assists are more important than ever now that MOM bonus awards are gone. No player achieved more PL assists than Silva last season.

Manchester United Fergie’s men were 8 points clears in April but losses to Wigan as well as title rivals City along with a remarkably lax 4-4 draw with Everton meant the lead was surrendered before the fateful events of May 13 transpired. With 89 points United were the highest performing runner-up yet seen in the PL. What can make the difference this season? United have several areas where they see themselves improving. The talismanic Nemanja Vidic returns after missing 90% of last season. At his best he is the PL’s best centre half and as team captain he is at least as vital to United as Kompany is for City. The main new signing, Shinji Kagawa from dual Bundesliga Champions Borussia Dortmund, is a fantastically creative playmaker who, provided he settles to English footbaall well, should be a constant source of assists and a fair few goals along with main strikers Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez. Expect a closer fight between these 2 for the right to be Rooney’s striking partner. Chicarito had nagging health issues last season and should put more pressure on Welbeck’s scoring form this time around.

A strong source of fantasy football points comes from United’s wing men Nani, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young. It can be hard to know who will be selected for games. The veterans Scholes and Giggs are still there to keep heads level while Darren Fletcher is due to return at some stage to bolster the midfield. Last year’s debutants David de Gea and Phil Jones should improve in their second season while Chris Smalling will eventually put pressure on Rio Ferdinand’s place. United will fight out the title again with City. Both well clear of third place come May. United are twice City’s price and are the value a there is less scope for “personnel issues” than at City.

Arsenal: Will history repeat itself? With Arsenal more than most, the answer is usually yes. If they were able to survive the tribulations of last season with their weakest squad in 20 years and still make an automatic Champions League spot, they can make history repeat itself this year and do it again to make it 17 successive top 4 finishes for Arsene Wenger. If they failed to persuade star men Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to stay last summer we reckon history will repeat itself here too with Robin Van Persie. If the 30 goal PFA and Football Writers Player of The Year remains at the Emirates and stays fit, Arsenal will begin to look like a serious team again. Santi Cazorla from Malaga looks like a shrewd midfield signing whom Mikel Arteta should help settle in, benefitting both player’s games. Much the same could be said of Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesecker , though the German centre half just looks too slow for PL football. Nuri Sahin is rumoured to be a transfer target from Madrid and would add considerable guile in midfield.

Whatever unfolds regarding RVP, Arsenal are beginning to look like a team again. They appear to have found a dependable goalie at last in Szczesny, Song improved immensely last year, Bacary Sagna is a good full back while Koscielny and Vermaelen is an effective centre back pairing. Whether RVP stays or goes is key. Without him they will need one of the top 5 to underperform (like Spurs last year) to make the top 4. With him fit and firing history will repeat itself and Arsenal will be in their own PL Groundhog Day of 3rd or 4th. No chance of title for a year or two yet.

Tottenham. Harry Redknapp and Spurs must rue the 4 key moments that led to their throwing away the automatic Champions League spot that was theirs to claim last season. These 4 events led to Harry’s sacking and ultimately for a second big London chance for Andre Villas Boas. First up was their January vist to Man City where Mario Balotelli should clearly have been sent off for assaulting Scott Parker yet was spared and ended up scoring the clinching penalty for a City win that began a process of unravelling for Spurs who were a strong third at the time. Next up fate decreed that Fabio Capello would resign his England post in protest at the perceived meddling of the FA in his player and captain selections. Immediately Harry Redknapp was the press darling and touted as the rightful choice. Immediately Spurs’ results began to suffer and Harry took his eye off the ball.

In this part of the season with the England job rumour mill at full tilt, Spurs met Arsenal and established a commanding 2-0 lead. Arsenal staged a brilliant comeback for a stunning 5-2 win that would represent a huge turnaround for the 2 clubs’ prospects of third or fourth place. Finally a long sequence of unlikely football results at Stamford Bridge, Camp Nou and eventually the Allianz Arena, Munich culminated in Chelsea winning the Champions League and claiming the fourth 2012-2013 berth at the direct expense of unlucky Spurs. Harry was sacked and the club probably will bear the scars for years to come.

What of this season? Hiring AVB as manager is a gamble. He didn’t handle the last dressing room that well although he is thorough, keen on detail and this Spurs squad may well show him greater respect than the likes of John Terry and Didier Drogba. Spurs’s star men for you to watch out for will again include Gareth Bale (one of the best points scorers last year) Rafael Van Der Vaart, Ledley King (when he plays) Jermaine Defoe, Scott Parker, Aaron Lennon and the 2012 PFA Young Player of The Year Kyle Walker. It is best to assume that the brilliant Croatian Luka Modric will be moving on to a bigger stage, most likely Real Madrid. He will be sorely missed and not just by Tottenham fans. The club still has the talent to finish as high as third but you just know that Chelsea will be stronger than last year and Arsenal, Newcastle and maybe Liverpool could put them under pressure. If AVB doesn’t settle in a lot more effectively this time around Spurs will miss out again but remain in the top 6. They could do with winning a Cup.

August 15, 2012 at 5:55 pm | Betting News, Premier League