Barca Are Over-Reliant On Messi, Karim Benzema Is Mr. Champions League Junior - What We Learned From Match-Day 1 Of The Champions League…

By Umid Dey.

Malaga are doing just fine without Cazorla….

When Santi Cazorla joined Malaga from Villarreal last summer, the Yellow Submarines got hit hard. So hard that they failed to win a single game in the group stages of last season’s Champions League.

This summer, same was expected with Malaga when their talisman was sold to Arsenal. All of those expectations, however, don’t look like will get fulfilled as Malaga have made a terrific start – both in La Liga and the Champions League.

With the sale of Santi Cazorla, the task to perform well and fill in his boots fell on the young shoulders of Isco – and the 20 year-old has, so far, done an excellent job for his team.

Malaga's New Messiah

The youngster put in a stunning performance by scoring twice in Malaga’s 3-0 win over Zenit on Tuesday – a Zenit team which had the likes of Hulk, Bruno Alves, Shirokov, Lombaerts et al in it.

Albeit it’s too early in the season, if the way Malaga have played so far this season is anything to go by, then we might as well say that Malaga are doing just fine without Santi Cazorla.

Barca are over-reliant on Messi….

When Arsenal were being mocked as an one-man-team last season, there was this another team in Catalonia who could have been labeled the same: Barcelona.

The Catalan Club, at times last season, had to solely rely on Messi to win them games – and he indeed won them some games single-handedly, but that wasn’t enough to secure the Champions League or La Liga title.

The same happened last night as well – the Argentine talisman had to score twice in the last ten minutes to win Barca the game after them being 2-1 down at Camp Nou against Unai Emery’s Spartak Moscow.

Barca's One Man: Messi

Whether Messi can save Barca like this every time is yet to be seen, but the chances of that aren’t 100% as Messi is, after all, a Human and can have bad games – and Barca will need to find a solution when that happens, or else they might lose it again like last season.

Juventus are Italy’s only hope in the Champions League….

Ah, the Old Lady is back to where it belongs: the Champions League.

After 3 years of absence in Europe’s elite competition, Juve finally kicked off their Champions League campaign against defending champions, Chelsea. Things weren’t looking bright for Juve when Oscar scored twice to give Chelsea a 2-0 lead.

Then a saviour appeared in Arturo Vidal.

Juve's Saviour

The Chilean scored a brilliant goal just before half-time to give Juve a chance to get back into the game. Vidal looked like he was playing through an injury barrier – such dedicated players are needed in a team if they are to challenge for silverware.

And then Quagliarella scored in the 80^th minute to tie the scores at 2-2.

It was a great comeback from Juve, especially considering that they were up against a very strong Chelsea side and were playing in the Champions League after a long time. They also showcased their great mental strength – they went unbeaten last season and have not lost a game, so far, this season as well.

Things, however, don’t look bright for the other Italian Club in the Champions League, Milan. They drew against Anderlecht 0-0 at San Siro and it was uninspiring.

Frustrated Pazzini

Milanisti might argue that Juve also drew, so Milan drawing isn’t a big deal. However, Juve drew against a strong Chelsea team at Stamford Bridge and also put in a great performance. Milan, on the other hand, drew in their own backyard against Anderlecht and the manner in which they played wasn’t inspiring.

Milan lost 2 of their best players in Thiago Silva and Ibrahimovic to PSG – Juve, in contrast, have strengthened by signing great players like Asamoah and Isla. Showing no disrespect to Milan, Juve look like the only Italian team capable of going far in the Champions League.

Milan fans will be hoping that Milan pull off a miracle like Chelsea did last season …. but it looks unlikely.

Champions League is Karim Benzema’s competition….

Didn’t score for Club or Country since May 2012. Had a torrid Euro 2012 with France. Had a woeful start with Real Madrid this season.  Yes, that’s Karim Benzema.

Prior to the City game, Karim Benzema was going through a drought – he hadn’t scored a goal for more than 800+ minutes.

Real Madrid were trailing 2-1, with just 5 minutes to go, after Kolarov gave City the lead once again by scoring from a free-kick. Every City fan were convinced that their team would come out of the Bernabeu with all 3 points.

But it wasn’t to be because Benzema had something else in mind.

Benzema received the ball on the edge of the box, turned Nastasic – who was having a storming game – in the wrong direction with his first touch and shot the ball straight into the right bottom-corner. Hart couldn’t save this one and Benzema had finally broken his goal drought.

'I own the Champions League!'

And what better an occasion to end the drought?

Benzema has scored 26 goals in 43 Champions League appearances. It was his performances in the Champions League for Lyon that drew a lot of attention. When it comes to Champions League, it is almost guaranteed that Benzema will deliver an awe-inspiring performance.

Real Madrid lost Mr. Champions League, Raul, in 2010 – but they have found another one in Benzema; Mr. Champions League Junior.

How not to take penalties….

Bayern Munich, Schalke, Dortmund & Manchester United – what is common between these four teams? All of them were awarded with a penalty each and all of their takers failed to score from it.

There was once a time when penalties made heroes out of the takers – they would almost always score from them. Lately, it is the goalkeepers who are getting the better of the penalty-takers and making them look like fools instead of heroes.

This is how you take a penalty....not

If you ever want to learn on how to not take penalties, then you should watch the way Nani, Hummels, Mandzukic & Huntelaar took their spot-kicks this midweek.

Varane, Nastasic, Isco & Veratti are the stars of the future….

When City’s and Real’s starting XI came out, everyone was surprised – two talented 19 year-old center backs were in it; one for Real and the other for City.

Almost everyone expected Ramos to start for Real and Lescott for City. Instead, a 19 year old Varane filled in the boots of Ramos & another 19 year old Nastasic took Lescott’s place.

And both of them had a tremendous game.

You may ask how did Real concede 2 and City concede 3 if they both had great games. Here’s why: Kompany had a terrible game; arguably his worst game ever since becoming an undisputed starter at City (was heavily at fault for Cristiano’s winning goal) and all of Real Madrid’s goals were scored from outside the box – blatantly revealing the inability of City’s deep-midfielder to close down the space.

The Future Of City's Defense

Apart from Benzema’s goal, where the Frenchmen schooled Nastasic, the teenager had a brilliant game and showed the World why he is one of the most hyped defenders out there.

And Varane; none of the goals Real conceded were his fault – one came directly from a set-piece and the other from a counter-attack goal where he had to close down Yaya Toure (Pepe should have tracked Dzeko). He was astute with his defending and brilliantly organised the defense when City were building an attack. His composure is way beyond his years.

The Future Of Real Madrid's Defense

Now onto Veratti.

A lot is expected of him, a lot of Italians see him as the next Pirlo; but I can assure you that he won’t be the next Pirlo – he will be the new Veratti.

Against Kiev, he showed that his incredible performance against Toulouse was no one-match wonder. Against Toulouse, he did everything you could ask from a midfielder: defend, set the tempo by spraying passes & play some amazing long-balls.

The Marco Verratti

And he did the same against Kiev.

It is absolutely astonishing how a 20 year old has so many skills; he can read the game so well that he is always in the right defensive position at the right time, he can pass it, has good ball-control, has great vision and is really brave.

I have already written about Isco earlier in this article, so I will keep it till there for him. If these 4 keep progressing the way they are now, then that day isn’t far when these 4 would be in the list of Ballon d’Or candidates.

Follow Umid On Twitter!

C for Champions, D for Death – A quick look at CL Group D

By Fahim Alam.

Following Chelsea’s shock triumph over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, where Chelsea’s dogged performance helped to hold out a 1-1 score line before the penalties, with Peter Cech’s heroics and Robben’s penalty miss finally presenting Roman Abrahimovich with his long cherished ‘holy grail’ – the Champions League Trophy.

This year, the Champions League is back and it never fails to bring out the excitement among the ardent football fans. Following the draw, the highlight of which was ‘Group D’ – which inherited the ‘Group of Death’ title, where the Champions of England, Germany, Spain and Holland will face off each-other, looks to be the most exciting group of the draw.

Ajax

The Dutch powerhouse have had a disappointing summer, losing some of their most influential players in their former captain Vertonghen, midfield enforcer Vurnon Anita, wing-back Van Der Wiel and veteran midfielder Theo Janssen among others. 

They have also reinforced with a number of players, the pick of which would be Dutch winger Ryan Babel and seasoned Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen. Therefore the weight of this Ajax team will be on the young shoulders of free-scoring striker, and current Ajax captain, Siem de Jong and midfield maestro Christian Eriksen. 

New signing Niklas Moisander will face the daunting task of defending against the likes of Aguero, Ronaldo, Lewandowski. However, the star of Ajax is their excellent team of talented coaches under the tutelage of their charismatic manager Frank de Boer, upon whom falls the duty to devise a plan to unlock the resilient defense of Real, City and Dortmund. 

With the loss of important players, and addition of untested and inexperienced players, they are not expected to progress further than the group stage by many. However, Champions League is always full of surprises, so never say never.

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR:  Siem De Jong

Manchester City

Following their dramatic last-game title win, thanks to an astounding injury time goal from Aguero, Manchester City enters the Champions League this season in a bullish mood. Backed by the limitless wealth of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed, the Blues participated in their maiden Champions League voyage last season, only to hit the iceberg early on in the group stage. 

Real Madrid, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund bring 14 European Cups between them, with City being the newbies in this group. However, they have a very good shot at progressing from this group this time around. Having an expensively assembled squad with the likes of Yaya Toure, Aguero, Dzeko, Balotelli, Tevez among others, under the leadership of uncompromising captain Kompany, Mancini certainly has a squad capable of competing with the European elites.

Unsurprisingly, they have splashed cash again to reinforce their midfield, which seemed to lack the presence of a deep-lying playmaker last season - and they still lack one -  with Yaya Toure playing as an all-action box-to-box midfielder & Barry doing the dirty work in front of the defense. With De Jong leaving the club, Rodwell was signed in a £12m deal from Everton; while García was signed for £15.8m from Benfica,

Despite that, the team may face still a difficult midfield battle and it remains to be seen how their defense deals with the likes of Ronaldo, Reus and de Jong. Nevertheless, this new squad will face their sternest European challenge competing against the former European Champions, but with a team that has been playing together for more than a year, they certainly have a chance of progressing further than the group stage this season.

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR: Aguero

Borussia Dortmund

The high-flying young Germans won the Bundesliga title last season, overcoming the challenge of the German giants Bayern Munich, with a young, talented and exciting team, playing some eye-catching attacking football. 

A former winner of the Champions league title during the 1996-97, the young team showed great promise and has blossomed under their young coach Jürgen Klopp. 

Despite not splashing out big in the transfer market, unlike the Bavarians, Dortmund are known for plucking out rough diamonds out of wilderness and shaping then into some of the finest. 

One of their finest and most influential players of last season, Shinji Kagawa has moved on to ply his trade with Manchester United. But this time Dortmund has reinforced with the signing of exciting German youngster Marco Reus for a reported 17.5 million euros along with forward Julian Schieber, and 0midfielders Oliver Kirch and Leonardo Bittencourt have been added to their ranks. 

Moreover, they have resisted interests from all over Europe for their star striker Lewandowski. In German internationals Mario Goetze and Mat Hummels, Dortmund boasts some of the finest German talents. However, as exciting and talented the team may look, experience has always been vital in Champions League and they will be highly tested against the champions of some of the biggest leagues in Europe.

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR:  MARIO GOETZE

Real Madrid

32^nd La Liga title, 100 points, 121 goals – Real Madrid had a record breaking season last season, finally winning the La Liga title after a wait of four years, and in quite a spectacular fashion. 

However, Champions League has still been their own weakness and once again they have fallen victim to the heroics of Bayern Munich shot-stopper Manuel Neuer in the Champions League final. 

This year, they are back, chasing the elusive La Decima. After a summer long drama, they finally got their man and signed Luka Modric from Tottenham and, in the final minutes of transfer season, also secured a loan deal for Michael Essien from Chelsea. 

There have also been outgoings from Real, with squad players Altintop, Lass and fan-favorite Granero all exiting the Bernabeu. However, they have had a stuttering start to the campaign with a draw and a defeat in their first two matches. 

In order to win the Champions League, they must get back to their best and hope the attacking trident of Ronaldo, Benzema and Higuain are all fit and firing, flanked by assist machines Ozil and Di Maria. 

Real Madrid have always been dominant in their group stages, progressing as group champions in most seasons. This time around, they will have a bigger challenge and they will need to stay focused and consistent, and hope that luck is on their side too. Can Real Madrid finally banish their Champions League hoodoo and finally win the La Decima?

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR:  Luka Modric.

Follow Fahim on Twitter!

Neymar's Europe Trip...

By Faisal Uddin.

Neymar; another talent from Brazil. And, of course, as a Brazilian you will expect him to be more hyped (player like ‘Phenomenal Ronaldo, ‘Beast Carlos’, ‘Elastico Ronaldinho’ can be thanked for this).

For a long time, we are hearing a possible move of Neymar to Europe. Now, let’s see how he will fit, and which Europe league…

At first I will rule out any move of Neymar to Italy and Germany – Clubs in countries just don’t have the money to buy him (Bayern do, but they have already spent a lot of money this summer and it is unlikely that they will spend around 65mE on another player). Even if they do, there is a very slight chance that Neymar would go there, especially with Clubs like Real and Barca’s interest in him.

Now, onto the Premier League.

Only 2 Clubs in this league have the money to sign Neymar; Chelsea and Manchester City (though, both unlikely to sign him as City have spent a lot over the past few years and Chelsea spent a lot this year – and FFP comes into play in a year’s time). If he joins one of these Clubs, however, I believe that he will initially struggle and will take time to settle to the physicality of the Premier League.

Many may argue that players like David Silva, Mata and Cazorla didn’t take any time to settle to the game in England, so Neymar can too. Well, here we need to consider the position they are playing in. The former two are midfielders, and Neymar is an attacker – someone who makes a lot of box runs to score goals.

The battle in midfield is to win the ball, but the tackles in the box area are really the hard ones which the defenders execute as the last attempt to stop the attacker. This kind of last attempt tackle is usually done with full force, whereas the tackles in midfield aren’t as hard as this.

This is not to say that Neymar won’t succeed in the Premier League – in fact, he will. But it will take him some time to settle to the League and do what he does best – make runs inside the box from the left and score.

The best move for Neymar, at this point of time, would be in Spain. Why? Not because of Real Madrid and Barcelona, but this league is somehow similar to Brazilian League; less physical, lots of passing, quick build-up, few direct/aerial balls.

Now the question is which Club: Real Madrid or Barcelona?

Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s name comes automatically at first because of their past history to get star players. However, if reports are to be believed, a move to Real Madrid seems unlikely now after Santos refused to sell him to the Galacticos after Perez’s hastiness.

Anyways, if Santos do change their mind and sell Neymar to Real Madrid, I believe that he will have to adjust his playing style a lot in order to gel into Real’s quick-attacking style of play.

Neymar keeps the possession of the ball for a long time; this habit of his sometimes interrupts the flow of game. Mourinho just won’t tolerate this, we all saw how Cristiano changed under Mourinho – ‘The Only one’ won’t let the flow of game to be disturbed just for the sake of some dribbling, even if they are jaw dropping.

And, of course, Neymar will have to forget about his love for the smell of ‘Grass’, Mourinho has allergy with grass – the way Cristiano and Di Maria have reduced their diving habits under Mourinho is a testament to that.

There is another problem. Neymar has a habit of going down to almost wing position to collect the ball and then run fast towards goal. Can you people guess who does that at Real Madrid? Yes, you are right; it’s Cristiano Ronaldo - the Complete Package.

So, it’s very, very unlikely that Neymar will actually move to Real Madrid till Mourinho is in charge. And even if he does, he will have to make a huge change in his style of play and even then he will have to play second fiddle to Cristiano.

Barcelona

As of now, a move to Barca seems like the most likely thing to happen with some reports even claiming that a deal has already been accepted between the two Clubs and Neymar would move to the Catalan Club in the summer of 2013.

If he does moves to Barca, here is what I think would be the result.

Barcelona have a slower game play. Their key thing is keeping possession. They do back pass and circulate the ball among them just to keep the ball; sometimes, in this sense, Neymar’s habit of keeping ball won’t disturb the flow of their game too much.

As a Brazilian, he is good in tiki-taka style and if you have seen him play for Santos, you would know that he is a very good passer of the ball.

First problem he will face is smaller circle to play than he is used to in Santos. As I mentioned before, he has a habit of going down and collect the ball and make sole run towards the goal. This habit of him won’t be accepted in Barcelona, simply because Barca are more efficient with Xavi and Iniesta collecting the ball and spraying it around or making a defense-splitting through-ball.

Some people may argue Messi too does this kind of run, but so far from my observation Messi doesn’t go that down as Neymar, and he does some passing during his run. And also, Messi is Messi – the biggest fish in Barca, Neymar has a long way to go to reach his level.

Second problem will be the little Magician, Messi. Neymar can’t play as main attacker in Barcelona as long Messi is on pitch – just ask Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Virtually I feel there is no main attacker in Barcelona except Messi, all others seems to be playing in a supportive role in order to get the best out of their best man.

Future Team-Mates?

Messi’s unbelievable skills and records gave him this privilege. So, Neymar will also have to be in supportive role, which of course will limit his freedom and reduce those dazzling dribbling in the D-box area.

In recent history, we saw many great strikers failed to play the supportive role (especially in Barca) – when their freedom reduced. As I have mentioned above, Ibrahimovic failed to do so and David Villa took a lot of time to adjust to that role.

So only time will tell how Neymar will play the supporting role. It’s a big question, so big that it can determine his future in Barcelona if he moves.

Follow Faisal on Twitter!

Remember The Name: Emmanuel Boateng

By Patrick Owusu.

From Batama to California.

Emmanuel Boateng is a young talented and tactically disciplined footballer. Emmanuel resided at Bantama, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region during his days in Ghana. He started his football career at Ebony FC, which is a colts team in Kumasi. Emmanuel Boateng’s story starts thousands of miles away on the dusty fields in Ghana, but where it may end is what makes his tale so fascinating.

Boateng went to the United States in 2009 as part of the Right to Dream Academy, which helps athletes in Ghana explore opportunities [both in education and sports] all around the globe.

The brilliant midfielder’s first stop in the States was Cate School, a small, private boarding school in the foothills of Santa Barbara, California. Boateng’s high school career hit a high point during his junior year with the 2011-12 Gatorade National Boys Soccer High School Player of the Year award .“It has been great,” Boateng told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “To be part of something that the school can look back on and be proud of is special.”

The 18-year-old is the first athlete from Cate (which Boateng became the first American) to win the Gatorade award in the school’s 102-year history, to earn MVP honors in the 30-year history of the Milk Cup when he led the South Coast Strikers to fourth place in the 2011 Premier Section at the tournament in Northern Ireland. Boateng is only the underclassman to the Gatorade Player of the Year award in its 27-year history. Boateng joins Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Giovanni Dos Santos as the youngest athletes to have won the Milk Cup MVP honors.

The Ghanaian has brought other honors unto the school as well including a pair of California High School Division VII titles during his three years on campus, but his junior year will be his final in high school as he decided earlier this year to enroll at UC Santa Barbara in 2012, having maintained a 3.75 GPA at high school.

“It was a tough choice,” Boateng said. “I wrestled with it a lot, but at the end of the day I thought it was the best choice for me.” For Boateng, the choice was not simply about returning to Cate for his senior season or enrolling early at UCSB, there were other professional clubs also in the mix.

Manchester City has been closely monitoring the star for the past few years after inviting him on trial in 2010 and was poised to sign him this summer .“I considered it,” Boateng said about joining the English Premier League Champions. “Thinking about leaving [to join City] in mid-July . . . but I think I made the right choice right now to wait and get the collegiate experience."

 Boateng’s role model is Steve Gerard of Liverpool. Boateng enjoys playing central midfield and is also a utility player. He is eligible to play for either Ghana or USA national team. He is one player that I really admire and won’t be surprised to see him rise to be the best in Africa and subsequently in the world in future.

Follow Patrick Owusu Ansah on Twitter.

Barclays Premier League 2012-13 Preview

by Shubham Mazumdar. 

After the incredible battle at the top of the 2011-12 EPL table between Manchester United and Manchester City, followed by Aguero’s last gasp winner for Manchester City on the final day of last season somehow made sure that when it comes to competition, Premier League keeps you at the edge of your seats.

With the 2012/13 season already here, I look at each team’s prospects for the campaign ahead.

Arsenal

While their captain Robin van Persie left for one of their biggest rivals, the Arsenal fans can still cherish the fact that Wenger was able to grab Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla. But here is also an obvious question-mark about how quickly they can adjust to the Premier League. 

Arsenal's biggest concern last season was their shabby defence, which is basically because of the disastrous injury list that almost derailed their season, but seems like the lesson learned from last season can work out for them and make the Gunners a sturdier looking unit this time, conceding no goals in the 3 games they have played so far – the only team in the Premier League to yet to concede. Steve Bould, new Arsenal assistant manager, effect.

Arsenal's Saviour?

If the new trio is able to gel in time, and if a certain Jack Wilshere can return back from injury, Arsenal can give the top contenders a run for their money - and, who knows, even win a title as they have the Spanish talisman Santi Cazorla in their team.

Aston Villa

After a poor season under Alex McLeish, Paul Lambert now gets his chance to turn the club’s fortunes around. Bent's absence through injury for much of the second half of last season almost cost Villa their place in the Premier League. With a fit Darren Bent in the side, the side will look more confident than ever. 

 "There's real optimism about the season ahead," Darren Bent said after reporting back for pre-season. "We felt it in our first session when [the manager] came in and told us how he wanted to play. It was great because he said he wanted us to play with real freedom. He wants us to be an attacking outfit… he wants us to have a right good go at every single team. That's how it should be."

A lot will be expected from Charles N’Zogbia and Stephen Ireland, as well as the impact of new boy Ron Vlaar, signed from Feyernoord. Looks like a top half finish won't be a tough ask this time.

Chelsea

The champions of Europe and winners of the FA Cup look much stronger this season after the addition of the likes of Eden Hazrd, Marko Marin & Oscar. Fernando Torres seems to be on the rise again, and might even prove his critics wrong if he manages to bring out the old Nino back. 

Chelsea's Stars

Defense can be a problem for them – their display against a much more composed side Athletico Madrid in the Euro Super Cup was a testament to that. Terry will be missing a month or two because of the ban imposed by FA for the Anton Ferdinand fiasco and that would hurt Chelsea even more as their a little thin in the defense area.

Will Roberto di Matteo keep his job, come season end? That would be interesting to see. A top three finish seems probable – but not winning a title with this team would be a huge disappointment for Chelsea fans. 

Everton

Despite the exits of Tim Cahill and Jack Rodwell, Nikica Jelavic  and Marouane Fellaini will still be the key players for the club, and players like Tim Howard, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines will be crucial for the tough season up ahead.

Premier League's Finest

Ross Barkley will surely benefit after the departure of Rodwell, who first burst onto the scene at the beginning of last season with a series of good match displays.

Although Everton were let down badly by their away form last season where they managed to win just five games on their travels all season, they look like a top eight team again - and a lot depends on their best player, Marouane Fellaini - arguably the best box-to-box midfielder in the Premier League after Yaya Toure.

Liverpool

The appointment of Brendan Rodgers seems like a good move, and with new additions like Joe Allen, Borini and Nuri Sahin to the squad, they should be a match for anyone.

Inspite of being hampered by injuries, Kop hero and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard still is the key man.  Suarez is also a key payer, but his poor finishing of late is costing Liverpool points. Raheem Sterling is promising, and someone to watch out for.

Nuri Sahin is also there to provide Liverpool with creativity from deep. He might have looked lost in his first game, but once he settles into the pace of the league; he will do wonders for Liverpool. Also, the injury of Lucas has once again given Liverpool a huge blow – Lucas was the perfect partner for Nuri Sahin.

Squad depth can be a problem for the Reds; top four is out of the question! Maybe?

Manchester City

Title Defenders will be looking for another successful season up ahead. The richest club in the Premier League, they are possibly the best club in England now, so the old accusations of players only being lured by City’s wealth and bulging pay packets would no longer hold true as the appeal of playing for the champions would now outweigh the financial gains. 

If Mancini is able to keep egos in check, the Citizens can be unparalleled throughout the season. The form and confidence of Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli will be a big influence. 

Midfield Dynamo

With the addition of Javi Garcia and Rodwell, the team looks better in their defensive aspect, and it won't be shocking if they are successful in retaining the title eventually. However, they still lack a deep-lying playmaker who would give creativity from deep – a deep-lying playmaker isn’t a necessity to win the Premier League, but a player like that is needed in the Champions League.

Manchester United

In this, the 20th season of the Premier League, it is worth noting that only on three occasions have United finished outside of the top two and never lower than third, compelling evidence of their enduring class and title threat. 

With the addition of big players like Robin Van Persie and Bundesliga Player of the Season Shinji Kagawa, they are still the biggest threat to City's title defending campaign.

Already United's Best Player

Vidic's return is a lift, but there are questions over just about everyone else in defence. Rio and Evra are ageing, and Evans and De Gea need to mature. Butner isn't an answer for the left back position as well.

Towards the end of last season, Rooney reveled in the No.10 role, playing just off Hernandez in a position that allowed him to exert more influence and dictate the flow of games.

 He is likely to play a similar role this season, particularly in Europe, after he returns from injury.  Eleven men take the field, but, more so than ever, Ferguson is United’s most important player this season. Title contenders for sure!

Tottenham Hotspur

The Whites were ignored a champions league spot last season, after Chelsea’s heroics in the competition, despite finishing 4^th in the table. For many fans of other clubs, the removal of Harry Redknapp as Tottenham’s manager was almost a suicidal decision, but when André Villas-Boas was presented to the media on 11 July he talked of the need to "complete" the squad.

Early summer signings of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen were brilliant piece of business done by the Portuguese, thus adding depth in defence and midfield, even if they do have worryingly few options up front. Defoe and Adebayor will be key players, along with high flying Gareth Bale.

Dembele - Spurs' New Key Man

Luka Modric will be thoroughly missed, Scott Parker is a long-term injury casualty – and this is where Sandro; a guy with a lot of talent and huge potential, gets his chance to prove his worth.

After being spoilt in the last few seasons, the fans would love a trophy, be it the Europa League, The FA Cup or the League Cup. 5 of the last seven season have seen them finish in the top five of the Premiership, including finishing fourth twice in the last 3 seasons. Same will be expected this time around, especially after signing quality players like Hugo Lloris, Dempsey and Dembele on deadline day.

QPR

 Hughes brought in defender Nedum Onuoha as well as forwards Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora during the January transfer window and all of those players contributed to the club's success at the end of the season. With players like Esteban Granero, Park Ji Sung, Fabio, and Robert Green, the squad looks roaring to be the surprise package this season.

Newcastle United

Having lost four key players since his appointment in January 2011 – Joey Barton, Andy Carroll, Jose Enrique and Kevin Nolan – Pardew did a magnificent job, with the help of chief scout Graham Carr, to rebuild the side. Cheik Tioté will be the man to watch out for this season. However, with Chelsea and Spurs strengthening, it will be very hard for Newcastle to repeat their heroics of last season. Newcastle United will enjoy a top-half finish this season. 

Stoke City

They won’t change. They will keep playing those long-balls, they will keep playing rough and they will keep angering their opposition teams. Playing Stoke has never been easy for other team. This year, it will be harder to beat them as they are looking to add creativity (sort of), signing of Charlie Adam is a signal to that, to their tough style of play. It is already hard to handle the physical play of Stoke, add a little bit of creativity to that and they become a stronger team. Top 10 finish is on the cards.

Swansea

Laudrup was considered not just among the best of his generation, but among the best of all time. A great passer of the ball himself, he will be looking to keep the main focus on the team's passing. When team's play the possession game, it all starts with the center midfielders. Britton may be feeling a bit lonely when the season starts due to Joe Allen and Gylfi Sigurdsson's departures, but Swansea had a great transfer window where they bought a lot of players, with Michu (4 goals in 3 games already; all of them playing as a midfielder) and Pablo Hernandez being the big name ones. Swansea are going to the surprise package of this season and ruling them out of European spots contention would be a mistake. 

West Ham 

They have strengthened greatly over the transfer window by signing players like Matt Jarvis, Yossi Benayoun and Andy Carroll. Yossi will give them the creative edge they needed since….well…Yossi left in 2007. Andy Carroll gives them that huge presence in the box and in Jarvis, Andy gets a great partner as Matt Jarvis is a very good crosser of the ball. There’s no way that West Ham are getting relegated this season.

Fulham have considerably weakened themselves by selling 2 of their best players; Dembele and Dempsey. They have, however, signed Berbatov and if the Bulgarian gets back to his best under Martin Jol – the man under whom he played of his best Football – and if Bryan Ruiz does what he is capable of, then Fulham will comfortably finish mid-table. However, there are no ifs and buts in life, so it will be very hard for Fulham in the Premier League this season.

Wigan are the trolls of the Premier League. Always seem like they will relegated, but then in the end, they will somehow escape relegation by winning against team who they, on paper, don’t even have a chance to get a result out. Roberto Martinez is a good manager and will once again save Wigan from getting relegated.

Southampton have won a lot of admirers in the 3 games they have played, but they are yet get a point in the Premier League. They played both United and City and almost beat them. They were leading in both games, but then due to loss of concentration in defending, they lost out eventually. With a bit more luck, and more concentration while defending a lead, they can surely avoid relegation.

West Brom, Sunderland, Reading and Norwich will all be fighting to avoid relegation – this is going to be a very long and hard season for these teams.  

Follow Shubham on Twitter!