Here we go again, the new Premiership season is already upon us. With few exceptions, the clubs have spent millions of pounds during the summer strengthening their squads but, despite that, I don't expect too many surprises, with a fairly predictable bottom five or six, a predictable a top four and the remaining teams battling it out in the middle.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are the "big four' now and I don't think anyone else will be in contention for the Premiership - and even then only United and Arsenal have a realistic chance.
United will be like a wounded animal this season, and for that reason I expect them to win the Premiership. Their pride's been hurt with the way Arsenal came and took the title away from them, but I don't think they'll let it slip this time.
Despite their failure - so far - to sign a world-class striker, United haven't done too badly in the transfer market this summer. I think they already have enough up front, with Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, to win the Premiership but they will certainly have to find somebody else if they want to win that elusive Champions' League - and I don't believe that Dwight Yorke is the answer. Villa's valuation of him at £16 mil lion just shows you where football has gone. The signings of Jaap Stam and Jesper Blomqvist should prove to be good business, though. Stam has had one of those baptisms where he's not quite sure what's happening but I think the realisation that the whole world was suddenly watching him, after costing United such a huge fee, affected him. He looks a good player, though. He's comfortable, he's quick, he's got everything, and he'll just be looking for a quiet but effective start to the season. Blomqvist's signing was clever because Alex Ferguson has now created even more competition for places in the midfield. Of course, the return of Roy Keane will be the biggest boost to United. They missed him desperately last season.
Like United, Arsenal have so far failed to sign a big-name striker, as a replacement for Ian Wright, but I'm not too sure that the Patrick Kluivert transfer is over and done with yet. He really wants to join Arsenal, Arsenal really want him, and I think the only stumbling block is his wages. But there are ways of getting around that.
They shouldn't have a problem up front so long as Nicolas Anelka and Dennis Bergkamp stay fit but if either picks up an injury I wouldn't imagine Arsene Wenger being happy with just Christopher Wreh and Luis Boa Morte as cover. He will buy a striker and when he does I'm sure he'll buy the proven article, possibly Kluivert.
A worry for Arsenal will be the fitness of their World Cup players, particularly the French and Dutch contingent. Quite often, having played football non-stop for 10 or 11 months, players become injuryprone - there's only so much the body can take - so it will be interesting to see how they fare. Nobody has bought bigger, or spent more, than Chelsea. And they've spent wisely too, particularly on Brian Laudrup, Albert Ferrer and Marcel Desailly. Desailly will give Chelsea something they haven't had for the last three or four years: a commanding player at the back. There remains a question mark over their ability to win games when they're not playing well, though, an ability that both Arsenal and Manchester United have. Chelsea lost 11 games away from home last season and you just cannot afford to do that.
There have been big changes at Liverpool, too, this summer, not least with the appointment of Ger ard Houllier as joint manager with Roy Evans, although I don't think there's any doubt that when push comes to shove and one of the two has to make a decision, it will be Houllier.
Houllier's most important task is to solve Liverpool's defensive problems. The signings of Steve Staunton and Vegard Heggem should make them a better team but until they bring in a dominating centre back like Desailly, who is exactly the kind of figure that Liverpool need, and one that they don't seem to have had for a long time, I cannot see them winning the league.
Of the rest Leeds, Aston Villa (both teams based on decent defences), Coventry (for whom Gordon Strachan is doing an excellent job), West Ham (who bought wisely during the summer) and Blackburn should have solid seasons, although the loss of Colin Hendry to Rangers is a big blow for Blackburn. Spurs, Everton and Newcastle should all do far better after such miserable seasons last time around. Spurs have so many players capable of winning games and, like Keane at United, Darren Anderton is virtually like a new signing for them. Everton are finally going out and spending money in the right areas, as are Newcastle. Stephane Guivarc'h is a better player than people give him credit for and he should form a good partnership with Alan Shearer. All eyes will be on Paul Gascoigne at Middlesbrough but I don't expect a great deal from him, simply because of the way he's still living his life off the pitch. I certainly can never see him playing for England again. Middlesbrough, though, should survive because their buying power will ensure that they have enough quality to avoid the drop.
It will be interesting to see how the likes of Leicester, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton do. All are clubs that haven't bought many players and it's been proven in the Premiership that if you don't strengthen your squad, you end up fighting relegation. Wimbledon, who didn't buy a single player this summer, will probably be lumped in to the relegation equation too and I can see problems for Charlton and Nottingham Forest. Charlton simply don't have enough depth - they have six or seven really good players but it's never enough - and Forest have a real striker problem.
(In an interview with Mary Hannigan)
