Just one week remains until the Premier League starts again
and it’s fair to say that football fans have never been more impatient ahead of
the forthcoming campaign. With so many reasons to be excited, it’s
understandable.
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| David Moyes |
Firstly, there have been managerial changes at five clubs.
For the first time in 26 years, Sir Alex Ferguson will not be taking his usual
seat in the Manchester United dug-out as he takes out his new role as a director
after retiring. David Moyes will replace the most successful manager in the
history of football in what will be the toughest challenge the Scot has ever
faced in his managerial career. As a successor to the great Sir Alex, there is
a huge amount of expectation upon Moyes and he has to deliver. In 11 years at
Everton, with restricted financial backing, Moyes has impressed and is highly
regarded for how much he got out of his teams. Again, it appears that United are keen on
stability and the appointment of Moyes symbolises this approach. Whether
Manchester United will have the patience that they did with Sir Alex Ferguson or
not is an interesting matter and a lot of football fans are curious to see the
club’s reaction if Moyes doesn’t deliver instant success.
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| The Special One |
Jose Mourinho, also known as ‘The Special One’, returns for
a second spell in charge of Chelsea. Mourinho won the Premier League twice in two seasons in his first stint as manager before leaving for Inter Milan. Typical
of Mourinho, he didn’t stay at Inter very long and signed for Spanish giants
Real Madrid in 2010. Despite winning La Liga with a record points total and the
Copa Del Rey, he failed to deliver the ultimate prize for Madrid- the Champions
League. During last season, there was a lot of speculation about Mourinho’s future
and on several occasions, he admitted a return to England was his desire.
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| Manuel Pellegrini |
Manchester City will begin a new era with Malaga boss Manuel
Pellegrini at the helm. Roberto Mancini was sacked at the end of last season
after the team’s FA Cup final defeat to Wigan Athletic, who were later
relegated. Mancini guided City to their first ever Premier League title and
Champions League qualification as well as the FA Cup in 2011. Last season City massively
under performed. Failing to get through the group stages of the Champions
League for the second consecutive season, City were just not the force that had
won them the title back in May 2012.
With David Moyes taking charge at Old Trafford, a vacancy
became available at Everton. Wigan manager Roberto Martinez was appointed as Moyes' successor at Goodison Park and the Spaniard has consistently been praised
during his time at Wigan, regardless of their relegation to the Championship
last season and their many battles with the drop in previous years. Martinez has
a lot to prove this season with a much stronger squad at his disposal.
Stoke City will also have a fresh start after Tony Pulis was
sacked as their manager. The Welshman took Stoke to the Barclays Premier League
in 2008 and enjoyed a successful time, establishing the
Potters as a top flight team. Stoke comfortably survived their first four seasons and even went on a spectacular FA Cup run in 2011 reaching the final at Wembley only to lose 1-0 to Manchester City. As a reward for their achievements in the cup, Stoke were eligible for a place in the Europa League the following season. After a poor second half to last year’s campaign, the club decided to part company with Pulis. Mark Hughes was appointed as his replacement, and many are looking forward to see if the style of Stoke’s play will change as this is a notable aspect that many teams have heavily criticised in the past.
Potters as a top flight team. Stoke comfortably survived their first four seasons and even went on a spectacular FA Cup run in 2011 reaching the final at Wembley only to lose 1-0 to Manchester City. As a reward for their achievements in the cup, Stoke were eligible for a place in the Europa League the following season. After a poor second half to last year’s campaign, the club decided to part company with Pulis. Mark Hughes was appointed as his replacement, and many are looking forward to see if the style of Stoke’s play will change as this is a notable aspect that many teams have heavily criticised in the past.
In this year’s Premier League, there will be more coverage
than ever. BT Sport will provide serious competition for Sky Sports in terms of
footballing content and broadcasting live matches with former F1 presenter Jake
Humphrey as frontman. BT Sport will show Liverpool vs. Stoke on the first day
of the season and Sky Sports will broadcast David Moyes’ first game in charge
of Man United as the champions face Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium. This will be a 5pm kick off on the Saturday. BBC’s Match of the Day will show highlights of all the Premier
League games as usual and will also be available on iPlayer so there are no
excuses to miss the action.
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| Luis Suarez |
And of course, there’s the excitement of the transfer
window. Will Gareth Bale still be at Tottenham come the end of August and will
Liverpool’s ‘Mr Controversial’, Luis Suarez, have to face his beloved English
media for another season? We may be lucky enough to have Cristiano Ronaldo back
in England after the Real Madrid attacker denied reports that he has signed a
new deal with the club. Man United striker Wayne Rooney has been the centre of
speculation too with Chelsea expressing genuine interest in the England striker
whilst Barcelona have apparently made an offer for Brazilian international David
Luiz.
Furthermore, the Premier League will be utilising a Hawk-Eye
technology system where seven cameras will be positioned in each goal and 14
around the stadium to determine whether the ball has crossed the line or not.
The referee’s watch will vibrate if the ball does go over the line. This should
hopefully prevent the controversies seen in recent seasons but may take away
some of the drama created from human error.
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| Ian Holloway |
In addition to this, the Premier League will welcome three
new clubs from the Championship with Cardiff City joining the top flight as
champions after many years of battling for promotion. Hull City return to the
Premier League after three seasons away and manager Steve Bruce will be delighted
to be back in the big time. Joining those two teams are Play-Off winners Crystal
Palace. Undoubtedly, Ian Holloway, who has to be one of the most charismatic managers
in the game, will provide excellent entertainment for all supporters.
Altogether, this should be an incredible Premier League
season. After Manchester City’s dramatic title win in 2012, last season was
comparatively flat but this year’s campaign has the makings for one of the best
seasons ever. Chelsea are the bookmaker’s favourites to win the league followed
by Manchester City and Manchester United.
Make sure you’re ready for an exhilarating season of football.
Don’t miss a minute of it!
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