With the richest and possibly least affluent club due to face-off tonight, we have nearly completed the first round of the EPL for 2011/12. It’s hard to learn anything from these result, but i’ll make some bold predictions right here.
Wolves have enough to remain in the Premier League this year, as do Bolton and Stoke. But for me, it is Newcastle that will struggle and will find themselves self-destructing once and for all. I predict that Newcastle will be relegated to the Championship this term.
Manchester United got off to a good start, but whilst they had a ton of possession, for me it was unconvincing. It took a deflected Ashley Young goal to earn them all three points in a game where they only recorded one shot on target (Rooney’s goal). Young’s shot wasn’t going in until deflected in by the West Brom player.
But with Chelsea also failing to get all three points I get the feeling that whilst the new boss settles in , they will be inconsistent this term. My bold prediction number two is that Chelsea will finish outside the top four this season.
Liverpool and Manchester City will be back in the top four places, wtih Manchester City pushing United all the way to the title. Expect Tottenham to fight their way back in to the European places too.
Teams you might not expect to have a top half finish that will, are Fulham and West Brom. Martin Jol and Roy Hodgson’s sides will both have better than expected seasons.
Hodgson when himself at Fulham proved he has the tactical brain to get an unfanciesd side in to the top half. Lining up with just one up-front at home against United yesterday, Hodgson’s team will play each game on its merits and won’t just roll-out the same brand of football each week.
Out of the promoted sides, without even seeing Swansea play, I don’t think they have enough to survive despite Brendan Rogers’ know-how. Teams like Swansea are always written off, and some prove the pundits wrong, but despite being tactically aware and hard working, The Swans just don’t have the quality in their squad to survive.
Norwich under Paul Lambert will make it through the season to remain a top flight side come the summer. And to the delight of many a football fan in England, the unloved Neil Warnock will be relegated from whence he came along with his QPR side with millions in the bank, but pence on the field. Wigan Athletic may yet throw either the Swans, Newcastle or QPR a lifeline, but I expect Martinez to get he best out of his unfancied sqaud once more to secure Premiership status again.
photo credit: DanBrady
