EPL

Premier League Wishlist: Part 1

Chris McGlynn EPL, Soccer , , , , , , , , ,

I’m back! Did you miss me? Did you even notice I was gone? Well just pretend you did and get ready for the Aftermath to resume its normal production of content.

This time of year, millions of kids across the globe are finalizing their Christmas wish lists. With the holiday and subsequently January quickly approaching, The Aftermath is creating a wish list for every Premier League team as the January transfer window gets set to open on New Year’s Day. To see Part 2, click here.

Arsenal CelebrationArsenal: Midfield Maestro
The Gunners were my preseason pick to win the title and they are still right in the thick of the title chase. To make that final push, they need to find a second set up man in the midfield. Mesut Ozil has been incredible this year, setting up 15 goals, the best mark in the league by a significant margin. After that, there is a major drop off to Santi Carzola, who only has three assists on the year. Finding a second reliable set up man for when Ozil needs a rest should be the top of their to do list in January.

Gabriel_Agbonlahor_Aston_VillaAston Villa: Tall Forward
Through the first half of the season, Villa find themselves in the Premier League basement, 10 points away from clearing the relegation zone. Villa might decide to pack it in and get ready for the drop or they might make a push to climb out of the cellar. Assuming they will go for the latter, Aston Villa needs to find a new striker. They have plenty of players that can swing the ball into the middle and give them chances to score but now they need someone who can finish those headers. Rudy Gestede fits that role perfectly but with only three goals in 17 appearances, it looks like they need to find someone who is more reliable.

Matt RitchieBournemouth: First-Team Keeper
The Cherries have had a strong start to the season given that it is their first year in England’s top division. They have a number of areas where they could improve but the most glaring one comes at the back end. Bournemouth have used two keepers so far this season in Artur Boruc and Adam Federici. Federici has been far from relaible, allowing 12 goals in just 5 games. Bournemouth need to find a true first team keeper and push Boruc into a rotation role if they want to stay in the Premier League.

Falcao and WillianChelsea: Clinical Finisher
Raise your hand if you predicted that through 17 games, Chelsea would only be three points clear of relegation. Put your hands down. The Blues are off to their worst start in the last decade and just fired Jose Mourinho. This is a time of change at the club and it should continue with the addition of a new forward. Diego Costa is the leading scorer at Stamford Bridge with just three goals to his name. Falcao once again failed to take hold, Pedro has not had much of an impact yet and Loic Remy has been relegated to a substitute role. Adding a top notch goal scorer, who can create his own chances and work the keeper from outside the box has to be high on Chelsea’s want list.

Yohan_CabayeCrystal Palace: Young Defender
Crystal Palace has already shown they can find good deals in the transfer market after signing Yohan Cabaye for a good price. Cabaye has performed very well and leads the team in scoring. The only thing separating Palace from Champions League football right now is goal difference. If I am Alan Pardew, I want to find a young defender that can learn this year, serving more in a rotation role and develop into a major contributor by the next. The average age of Palace’s back line, is 29 years old. Infusing some youth might not be a bad idea.

Gareth_BarryEverton: Defensive-Minded Midfielder
It is hard to tell where exactly Everton need help. They have played well offensively. Defensively, they have been solid, yet they sit middle of the table. Looking at this team, Everton would do well signing a defensive midfielder. It would give Roberto Martinez another option alongside Gareth Barry and Tom Cleverley. The defensive has room for improvement as well and with plenty of attacking option already in place, bringing in a defensive-minded player should be the next move.

Jamie VardyLeicester City: Not to lose anyone
This sounds kind of lame but with so many rumors linking Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez away from the club, that will be the key to Leicester succeeding. There are some concerns at the back end but with offers bound to come pouring in once the calendar hits January, hanging on to the two star attackers will be the best thing Leicester can wish for.

Raheem SterlingLiverpool: Wide Midfielder
Getting rid of Brendan Rodgers hasn’t helped anything so far. Liverpool needs more than a new manager to fix their shortcomings. Starting that repair process will be centered on finding a wide midfielder. It might seem like a slap in the face but having an attacking winger like Raheem Sterling would likely be a huge boost for the Reds right now, who have struggled to consistently create offense all year. Out of their 17 matches this year, Liverpool have been held to one goal or fewer 12 times.

Sergio AgueroManchester City: Reserve Striker
It is hard to say that City needs a whole lot of improvement heading into the second half but they are six points back of the table leaders by six points. City has been great at scoring this season, but they have hurt whenever Sergio Aguero cannot go. Wilfred Bony has been solid but not consistent enough. Adding another goal scorer to take some spot starts and keep Aguero healthy down the stretch could be the difference for City in their title chase.

Wayne_RooneyManchester United: Forward
The defense for United has been impeccable. They have allowed only 14 goals in 17 games, tied for the second best average in the Premier League. However, the scoring from the Red Devils looks average this season. Juan Mata and Anthony Martial lead the team with four goals apiece. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney is starting to show his age. Adding another player who can man the attacking spot alone up top is imperative for United.

Champs in trouble

Chris McGlynn EPL, Soccer ,

What on Earth has happened to Chelsea? The 2015 Premier League champions have not looked like they will be defending their title much less even qualifying for European football. For a team that was so heavily favored to repeat as league champions, the results that Chelsea has amassed are mind boggling. Forget challenging for a title. Chelsea is only four points clear of relegation.

Jose Mourinho (2)
Mourinho has struggled to repeat last year’s stellar performance at Stamford Bridge.

The issue begins at the top with manager Jose Mourinho. He is very abrasive by nature and tends to make a lot of enemies. Right now Chelsea has a target this size of London on its back and it continues to grow with each week that Mourinho spends criticizing opposing managers, referees and players alike.

Mourinho might not like it, but the best thing to do is to take a step back and lessen the pressure on his team. Chelsea needs to get back on track in the worst way, but as long Mourinho continues to antagonize the rest of the league, they will all continue to gun for them.

That kind of conduct is starting to cost the team as well. Mourinho was suspended today for his most recent outburst against West Ham. Playing a game without your manager makes it increasingly difficult to win.

Chelsea need to find a way to win as well. They have failed to emerge victorious in their last four matches, which included three loses. The Blues were bounced from the League Cup, failed to secure points in two league matches and could not beat a Ukrainian side in European play.

That kind of slide is nothing short of historic for Chelsea. Since the Premier League was created back in 1992, Chelsea has never has as poor a start as the one they are enduring now.

Eden Hazard
Hazard has appeared in 16 matches so far for Chelsea this year and failed to score a goal.

Part of that directly ties back to Mourinho. He has been very successful at alienating his best player in Eden Hazard. Hazard might have gotten a little complacent after receiving the Player of the Year award last year in the Premier League, but the talent is still there.

Now, there are rumors circulating that Hazard is as good as gone in the January transfer window because he just cannot stand it stay. Hazard has gone as far as to say that he will push through a move to Real Madrid in January. It is clear that the Belgian international wants nothing to do with his abrasive boss.

Hazard is far from the only one unsettled by Mourinho’s tactics. The Daily Mail reported that one player in the Chelsea locker room said he would rather lose than win for Mourinho. If that is the response that you are getting from players, then a change must be made.

That change should not be assumed to sack Mourinho. With matches against Stoke, Norwich and Bournemouth on the coming slate for three out of Chelsea next four, the team could get back on track. However, if Chelsea fails to push back into the conversation for at least a top four finish by then, Mourinho must go.

Jose Mourinho
Mourinho is running out of opportunities to turn Chelsea around.

Giving him this little window to make up for his mistakes is crucial for the team going forward. It seems that most players have lost faith in their manager but getting back on track could revive this team heading into the January transfer window. Some of those whom Chelsea decides cannot work with Mourinho can be moved and Mourinho will have the opportunity to bring in some players of his choosing for the first time at Stamford Bridge.

This season is not lost for Chelsea. Making a title challenge is overly ambitious, being 14 points down right now but pushing back into at least a Europa League position is more than manageable. Chelsea fans won’t be satisfied with settling for fourth or fifth but that might be the best the Blues can do after such a disastrous beginning.

Mourinho needs to learn now from what this first quarter of the season has taught him. He cannot do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to. He must play by the rules and realize that there is more to being a manager than just the tactics. Motivating a team to give its best effort is part of the process and it seems like Mourinho is not used to having to do that. That does not mean he should be excused from making it happen.

Chelsea is most certainly in trouble. Mourinho has the ability to save his job and their season or forfeit both in the next month.

The Lesser of Two Evils

Chris McGlynn EPL, FIFA, Football, MLS, NFL, Soccer , ,

Don’t you just hate when people lie to you? Or when people just don’t understand when they have done something wrong? Or when it seems like everything someone does has an ulterior motive that seems to somehow benefit them?

Any of those descriptions could apply to Sepp Blatter or Roger Goodell. Both men run probably the two most powerful sporting organizations in the world. Honestly, two of the most powerful organizations of any kind. According to bloomberg.com, the NFL generates an estimated $9.5 billion per season with a market value of roughly $46 billion between the 32 teams. FIFA generated about $5.7 billion in 2014, according its end-of-year financial report. $4.8 billion came from the World Cup in Brazil, and only about $2.2 billion in expenses. Clearly, both of these organizations are very lucrative.

Then you realize that both of them are registered as non-profit organizations. Yup, that’s right. No taxes for either the NFL or FIFA league offices. Well, the NFL actually recently changed its stance on that. It decided to give up its tax-free ways so it could now hide Goodell’s salary. Go figure they want to be as opaque as possible.

That is definitely frustrating, as a tax-paying citizen, to hear. If that proves to be too much anger for you, stop reading this now, because it gets a whole lot worse.

Debating who is worse of these two clowns is sort of like debating which is worse, Comcast or Time Warner Cable. They both are awful, money-sucking entities with an inability to apply reason to situations that need to be fixed, but somehow, one has to be worse than the other right?

Roger_Goodell
Goodell has been commissioner of the NFL since 2009.

So, we’ve talked about the organizations completely dodging taxes, which is beyond ridiculous. The amount these two men make though is even more absurd. Goodell makes way more than any of his top players make in a given year. His salary was $45 million in 2012 and it took a drop to $34 million in 2013. However, he does not have to worry about his pay for a while. The New York Daily News reports that Goodell received a package that will pay him roughly $300 million over a seven year span starting in 2012. That average of close to $43 million a year is about double what the league’s top players make every year and they risk their bodies for our entertainment. Goodell sits in a cushy chair and just suspends whoever he likes (more on that later).

Sepp_Blatter
Blatter has been the president of FIFA since 1998.

Blatter is not quite as bad as Goodell in terms of his greed for his salary. Different sources conflict on how much Blatter makes. One thinks Blatter makes roughly $1 million annually. Another pegs it somewhere between $5 and $18 million. FIFA does not have to release it’s executives salaries each year. However, the likelihood is that Blatter makes more than just his salary, it just isn’t listed.

FIFA also has a track record for ripping off host countries. Blatter and his organization are exempt from all taxes, local, state and national, when operating in the country for the World Cup. In fact, Brazil estimated $248.7 million in lost revenue following the World Cup just for letting FIFA evade taxes. More often than not, FIFA causes countries to shell out an inordinate amount of money and then actually walk away worse off financially than when FIFA arrived. The funny thing is, that isn’t even close to the worst part about FIFA.

Over the past year or so, FIFA has been rocked by allegations of bribery and corruption. 2015 saw the story break regarding a scheme that FIFA officials organized to generate more than $150 million in kickbacks for themselves. Now Blatter was not one of the officials named in this situation but this is not the first time FIFA has been accused of corruption or accepting bribes. Dating back to 2010, FIFA executives have served bans for violations of ethics codes. With all of this going on in FIFA it is hard to believe that Blatter has not been a part of some of the activity, taking his fair share of bribes.

Sepp BlatterWhile he wasn’t named then, things finally seem to have caught up to Blatter. The Swiss Attorney General’s office announced it was launching an investigation “on suspicion of criminal mismanagement…and – alternatively – misappropriation.” The report also mentions that Blatter’s office was searched and data was seized.

Goodell has never been accused of criminal activity, which would definitely go in the win column for him. However, he has grossly mishandled several legal cases with serious repercussions.

For starters, there was Goodell handing Ray Rice only a two-game suspension after he had weeks to review the situation and give an appropriate punishment. Rice punched his then fiancee in the face, knocking her out, then dragged her onto an elevator. The NFL received word of this and then rather than rationally seek outside counsel for a case they were not equipped to handle, brought Rice and his fiancee into the same room together to rehash the situation. That is a principle violation of how to handle assault cases mainly because the accuser is in the same room as the assaulter. More often than not, the accuser will stand down out of fear that if he or she tells the truth, the assaulter will hurt them again.

So there was that. Then there was Goodell mishandling Ray McDonald’s, Adrian Peterson’s and Greg Hardy’s cases as well.

Roger GoodellNeedless to say, Goodell had a rough 2014 offseason. But then his popularity rating dropped even lower when he picked a fight with Tom Brady and slandered his name despite having no hard evidence. Many people agreed with Goodell’s thinking that Brady was innocent but Goodell once again displayed his dictator-like powers, handing down a four-game suspension (keep in mind he suspended Rice for only two for punching his wife) to Brady on the account that Brady might have been generally aware that someone had tampered with the footballs in the AFC Championship game. Even now after a federal judge ruled the suspension unfair, the NFL continues to drag out the fight, looking to appeal the ruling on the appeal (which is also just stupid that it is allowed).

Right now, these two men are at an all-time low in terms of popularity. However, Goodell might have the slight edge. No NFL sponsors have publicly demanded for Goodell to step down from his post, (although, they probably should have). Meanwhile, Coca-cola just released a statement that Blatter must step down amidst the corruption scandal. It is a long time coming but Coke finally pulled the trigger. No word has come yet from Blatter on what he will do now that this is out in the open.

So while Goodell is an inconsiderate, greedy, sexist and overall incompetent man, he managed to make the NFL lucrative with having to break dozens of laws and fund himself with illegal hidden payments. Blatter has corruption written all over his organization during his tenure, from accepting bribes for World Cup allocations to illegal contracts.

Thankfully, it seems like Blatter is on his way soon between he “resignation” that should hopefully take place in December and a major sponsor turning up the heat. Now if only Nike could finally tell Goodell that he really just needs to take a hike, the world be a much better place.

Oh and just for sheer entertainment value because he fully deserves it: 

Projecting the EPL Best XI

Chris McGlynn EPL, Soccer

We are a long way off from May but it’s never too early to start thinking about how players will perform over the course of a season. It is full of twists and turns, injuries and transfers, but for now, this is my best guess as to who will be the best eleven players during the Premier League season.

Hugo_LlorisGoalkeeper: Hugo Lloris
Tottenham will be in contention for much of this year if Lloris stays. He looked sharp in the opener and didn’t allow United to score. His own team scored on him but that is hardly something to count against Lloris. Overall, Lloris is in a good situation to have a stellar year that might only get better if acquired by Man U. That all hinges on David De Gea’s transfer of course but either way, I think Lloris will prove himself as the top keeper in the Premier League this season.

Nathaniel_ClyneFull Back: Nathaniel Clyne
Coming off an incredible season that pushed Southampton to the brink of finishing in the top five, Clyne actually moved up a spot in the standings by landing with Liverpool. Viewed as an immediate upgrade, Clyne should receive plenty of playing time and with his durability, he will be a valuable piece for Liverpool. Look for Clyne to have another great year in a different shade of red.

Jan VertonghenCenter Back: Jan Vertonghen
Another member of Tottenham join Lloris on this list and it will be the man tasked with the job of organizing the defense in front of Lloris. Vertonghen had a strong year a season ago but helping improve Tottenham’s well below average defense from a season ago would certainly gain him notice. Expect Tottenham to post a few more clean sheets this season, due in large part to Vertonghen’s play.

Winston ReidCenter Back: Winston Reid
Reid is already off to a fast start, having been named to the EPL Team of the Week for his performance against Arsenal. That is one clean sheet he can already notch in his belt. This defense needs to limit the number of shots goalkeeper Adrian faces this season after he faced 171 last year. If Reid can do that, then West Ham will certainly be a tough team to beat.

Cesar AzpilicuetaFull Back: Cesar Azpilicueta
Chelsea won the league last season because they had the most talent. Azpilicueta was one of the talented players that made Chelsea such a formidable side. The rough start in a draw with Swansea will be forgotten about in a few weeks once Chelsea is playing Champions League quality football. Azpilicueta will be a catalyst for helping them reach that level.

Midfielder: Eden Hazard
Eden HazardAfter winning the Premier League Player of the Year award last season, I think it is pretty hard to ignore Hazard here. His creative play and dribbling ability were a large part of Chelsea’s success. He set up 9 goals a season ago and scored 14 more. If Hazard comes close to those numbers again, Hazard is a lock for this team.

Nemanja MaticMidfielder: Nemanja Matic
Continuing the run of Blues is Matic. He was the engine behind the Chelsea midfield, working from the back often to start an attacking movement. His skill on the ball though is a valuable asset not often seen in defensive minded midfielders. He won’t generate too many goals but he will ensure that Chelsea don’t give up too many either.


Midfielder: Yohan Cabaye
Yohan_CabayeCabaye makes his return to the Premier League following a one-year stay on the bench of Paris Saint-Germain. Returning under his former Newcastle boss Alan Pardew now at Crystal Palace will be the comfort Cabaye needs. He, like Reid is off to a hot start after being named to the Team of the Week. Cabaye can do a lot for Palace’s offense and will be the reason they finish in the top half.

Alexis SanchezMidfielder: Alexis Sanchez
One year ago, Sanchez tallied 16 goals and 8 assists. Those number were even more impressive than those of Eden Hazard. Sanchez is a top player in the world and on an Arsenal team deep with midfield talent it is sometimes hard to see that. Don’t be fooled though, as Sanchez will be the catalyst for much of the Gunners’ offense this season.

Forward: Harry Kane
Harry_KaneSome players just arrive with a bang and Kane certainly did that. Anything he does this year will probably be a letdown after dazzling Spurs’ fans with 21 goals just a season ago. However, Kane has the skills to score close to 20 goals again and should be part of a more well-rounded Tottenham attack this season. He will still be the focal point though.

Wayne RooneyForward: Wayne Rooney
Looking at United’s roster, it is hard to find a truly proven goal scorer not named Rooney. That makes me think that Rooney is in for a big year. He will likely have to carry the Manchester United offense for most of the season. I don’t know how much success that will bring for United on the whole but Rooney will once again look like a superstar.

Premier League Predictions

Chris McGlynn EPL, Soccer ,

Here we go. It’s finally time for a sport other than baseball to be back on TV. Sure there is MLS, but as much as I love it, it cannot touch English soccer. So without further ado, here are your 2015 English Premier League predictions.

Champions: Arsenal
Everyone is sticking with Chelsea but I don’t have as much faith there. The Blues need a little bit of reliable depth up top. Diego Costa only appeared in 26 games last season. Loic Remy and Ramadel Falcao are super talented but they have injury issues of their own. Falcao also looked fairly underwhelming last season with English giants Manchester United. I don’t buy Chelsea staying healthy enough all season to seal the deal.

Instead, I am picking Arsenal to hoist the League trophy for the first time since 2003. Arsene Wenger’s side has it all. A talented top 11, great midfield depth and a world class goalkeeper. Arsenal’s midfield could consist of Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Francis Coquelin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain while still having Santi Carzola, Jack Wilshire (if healthy) and Mathieu Flamini on the bench. Those are seven quality starters right there in the midfield. They will be servicing some top notch strikers in Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck. Welbeck looked shaky last season but Sanchez and Giroud were among the top 10 forwards in the league. This team is going to have an endless supply of offense.

On defense, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal, Kieran Gibbs and Laurent Koscielny anchored the group with youngsters Callum Chambers, Hector Bellerin (although Bellerin looks slated to start ahead of Gibbs this season) spelling them occasionally. Not to mention veteran Mathieu Debuchy is still there to provide some reliable depth. Arsenal truly bolstered their attack though after signing Petr Cech from Chelsea. He only faced 18 shots last season but he only allowed 2 goals across his 7 appearances. Consistent goalkeeping was something Chelsea desperately needed and David Ospina provides an excellent alternative when Cech needs an off day. In my mind, this is the most complete team and they have the depth necessary to survive the rigors of a long season.

Champions League: Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur
That is not a typo. Manchester United is not being listed here. That’s due to a handful of things. One being the improvement from Tottenham this offseason. Toby Alderwiereld comes to White Hart Lane in hopes of repairing this Tottenham defense. Paired with Belgian teammate Jan Vertonghen, the two will be the spine of the defense in front of Hugo Lloris. With Eric Dier and Danny Rose handling the wings, Tottenham should improve on their 53 goals allowed just a season ago. Up top still feature the rising star Harry Kane and the midfield is chock full of options. Tottenham will get a shot at the top teams in Europe next year.

I already mentioned that I didn’t have total faith in Chelsea’s attack but I still recognize that they are a top team. They will finish second behind Arsenal in a close title chase. Eden Hazard will look to build off a very successful season last year as he plays alongside Cesc Fabregas, Willian, and Nemanja Matic. This team is anchored by Thibaut Courtois with a solid defense in front of him. However, the question marks of Ramirez and Juan Cuadrado paired with the lack of reliable depth behind Costa should be a little worrying. Any injuries could send this team spiraling. Well by Chelsea standards. Overall though, it will be a return to the top European competition once again.

It almost seems like City has been forgotten heading into this season. They finished second just a season ago and had the league’s best goal difference. However, departures from James Milner and Eden Dzeko probably did not instill confidence. Still Man City has the league’s top goal scorer in Sergio Aguero returning and the additions of Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph. That certainly gives the midfield some new energy and creativity it might have lacked previously. On defense, Vincent Kompany needs to rediscover himself and shake these nagging injuries but Joe Hart is still between the posts which means that City will always have a chance to win. Wilfred Bony will also be a nice addition, offering even more scoring to an already potent City attack.

Europa League: Manchester United
I was very tempted to drop them even lower but I will leave them at five. This has all the makings of a down year for United. Di Maria already left. Goalkeeper David De Gea could be next and that would leave a huge void in the Manchester starting 11. Rooney is coming off a year marred with injury and United are lacking goal scoring options past him. However, it is still Manchester United and the additions of Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay and Bastian Schweinsteiger will bolster the midfield. Those two plus Juan Mata and Ashley Young make the midfield a strength. The real concern is the potentially leaving De Gea, the lack of depth behind Rooney and the constant rotation on defense. If things start to go South for United, they might continue to do so.

Europa League Qualifying: Southampton, Liverpool
If I had decided to drop United down, it would have been in favor of the upstart Southampton. Sure they lost Schneiderlin, Clyne and Alderwiereld but this team allowed the second fewest goals just a season ago and those players already have replacements in Cedric Soares and Steven Caulker. They will also be getting Jay Rodriguez back on offense. Graziano Pelle looks like he might take the next step as well as he already opened his scoring account this season in Europa League play. Southampton need more goals in the worse way. Fraser Forster should still hold down the fort in goal after having a phenomenal season a year ago. He allowed just 21 goals in 30 games and recorded 13 clean sheets. Those are the types of things that will carry Southampton through the long slog that is a Premier League season.

For Liverpool, every year is supposed to be their year. However, I just don’t see it in this team. Adding Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner are huge additions but losing Raheem Sterling hurts this midfield a lot. The defense looks fairly strong but had a poor showing last season in front of Mignolet. There will certainly be some addition by subtraction with Mario Ballotelli headed for the door in attack. This team still lost leading goal scorer and captain Stephen Gerard which makes me wonder just how good Liverpool’s offense will be heading into this season. The highest remaining scorer on the team is Jordan Henderson with only six league goals. That will certainly spell some trouble for the Reds but this group is still more talented than most of the league. They will do just enough to keep themselves in the European picture.

Relegation: Sunderland, Leicester City, Watford
That does in fact mean that two of the clubs that just got promoted will be staying in the Premier League. Sunderland is completely deficient of attacking options after Connor Wickham left for Crystal Palace. Jordi Gomez and Adam Johnson will be missing time with injury and legal trouble respectively. There are still a handful of really talented players on this team with Stephen Fletcher and newly added Yann M’Vila at the forefront. Unfortunately, if Sunderland cannot find a way to score, and they couldn’t last year with Connor Wickham on the team, then won’t be able to earn the points needed to avoid relegation.

Leicester City look decent last season, finishing in fourteenth place. They scored a decent amount with Leonardo Ulloa leading the attack. However, defense was a constant issue. Leicester allowed the fourth most goals last season in Premier League play. The addition of Yohan Benalouane should provide some improvement to this defensive unit but not enough to salvage their season and avoid relegation.

Then there is Watford. They have so guys who lit up the Championship last year in Tory Deeney and Matej Vydra, but it was the Championship. When they have to play against a team every week who is most likely more talented than them at all three levels of the pitch, I think Watford will struggle. The midfield gets a boost from Tottenham transfer Etienne Capoue but otherwise this midfield looks fairly week. With Joel Ekstrand expected to miss extended time recovering from an ACL injury Watford is going to be heavily outgunned most of the season.

Thoughts on those in between
Everton once again misses out on Europe this season but they take another step in the right direction, moving up to eighth. Stoke City should remain in the top ten as should Crystal Palace. West Brom will be a decent side this year but not consistent enough to make a push towards the top of the table. Aston Villa and West Ham will be battling against relegation all season but should survive. Norwich City will surprise some people and clear relegation by a bit more than most would expect this year. Bournemouth is no joke either with Matt Ritchie leading the way. Newcastle have improved enough to not be a top relegation candidate but not enough to push into the top half. Swansea will benefit from the addition of Gylfi Sigurdsson but they will only go as far as he can take them. It should be a great Premier League season, once again dominated by the same top seven.

Here are the predicted final standings for the 2015-2016.

1. Arsenal
2. Chelsea
3. Manchester City
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Manchester United
6. Southampton
7. Liverpool
8. Everton
9. Crystal Palace
10. Stoke City
11. Swansea City
12. West Bromwich Albion
13. Newcastle United
14. West Ham United
15. Norwich City
16. Aston Villa
17. Bournemouth
18. Sunderland
19. Leicester City
20. Watford