Apart from the usual suspects, Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle are in my opinion the three dark horses who are all set to make a surge into the top 6.
Tottenham have some of the best youngsters in the country. In Ledley King, Aaron Lennon, Andy Reid, Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Defoe, Paul Robinson, the Londoners have the cream of English talent playing for them. Martin Jol has made a very astute signing in the immensely talented Ivorian Didier Zokora. Is he the Spurs' own Vieira? Only time will tell. Michael Carrick has left for greener pastures at Old Trafford. In Dimitar Berbatov, Tottenham have a proven finisher in front of goal. Edgar David's will provide steel to the midfield. Tottenham have the perfect blend of youth and experience and Martin Jol's men should be definitely aiming for the stars of the Champion's League, which they cruelly missed out on the last day last season.
Psycho's City have been the perennial underachiever. For a team consisting of such gifted players, Manchester City has never played up to potential. Indifferent form has seen them plummeting from European contenders to the also-rans. But this season promises to be a lot better. Micah Richards, who has come through City's renowned youth system, has signed on till 2010, laying fears of a hijack by Chelsea to rest. The controversial yet talismanic Joey Barton has also pledged his future. David James though has signed for Pompey. With arrival of classy players like Ousmane Dabo, Dietmar Hamann and Paul Dickov City have become a more refined outfit. They have some of the biggest young stars in the country, along with Spurs. Nedum Onouha, Micah Richards, Matthew Mills, Stephen Ireland, Daniel Sturridge will all be looking to create an impact in the Premiership. Old heads like Dunne, Reyna and Cole will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility. Samaras, Vassell, Corradi and co are expected to pump in the goals for the Eastlanders. If they do play to their full potential, the blue side of Manchester will have plenty to cheer about this season.
Newcastle have improved a great deal under Glenn Roeder after last season's disaster under Souness and they should continue to keep improving this season. The retirement of Alan Shearer (The Premiership's all time record goal scorer) is a huge setback for the Magpies but with exceptionally talented players like Owen, Duff, Parker in the squad, they can surely get into Europe. They may be plagued by the dearth of quality strikers in the squad. With Michael Owen injured, Shoela Amoebi has to take more responsibility. Newcastle has also been associated with moves for Martins, Kuyt and Klose but nothing has materialized so far.
THE RELEGATION SCRAP:
The relegation battle is as always very intriguing. The top picks to go down this season are the same teams who have come up. Reading, Sheffield United and Watford will
have to play out of their skins to stay afloat this season. After their brilliant run last season, Wigan should not be complacent, for they might just slide down into
relegation problems. For anyone of the well-established teams to go down would be a huge debacle. But I don't expect any fairytales this season- the three promoted sides
to go straight down. Teams like Fulham and Everton might have to be very watchful of what is going on in the bottom half of the League.
THE HITMEN:
A lot of interest surrounds the race for the highest goal scorer in the Premiership. Here are my picks for top goal-scorer of the season:
Thierry Henry - Surely it has to be him. Nobody can even come a close second. After all, isn't he the player who sets standards for every other player playing in England?
We will not see the Henry-RVN competition this season though, with the Dutchman leaving for the Bernabeu.
Darren Bent - The Charlton lad should count himself very unlucky to miss out on a World Cup berth. I expect him to continue his fine goal scoring form for Charlton and Ian Dowie. He will be right up there in the list as he takes Charlton's penalties too. Dimitar Berbatov - I have high regard for this ex-Leverkusen player. He is very composed in front of goal. And given the compact midfield that Spurs do have, a goal-fest for Berbatov in his very first Premiership season at White Hart Lane is not improbable.
Georgios Samaras - City's Greek star has an assured spot in the first 11. And with the attacking brand of football that City likes to play, one may see him in the top 5. Wayne Rooney - Rooney is a more complete player and may not figure very high in the goal scoring charts. But one should expect 15+ goals from Rooney this season; and if he manages to do that, he will surely be among the top marksmen in the League. Andy Johnson--This man is diminutive in stature but can do big things. He was the highest scoring Englishman in the Premiership in 2004/2005 season with Crystal Palace. Now with Everton, his partnership with James Beattie will be interesting to see.
So get ready for another season of mouthwatering drama and excitement. Let the battle begin.
