Manchester United chalked up their first win of the season thanks to teen sensation Nani. The Portuguese youngster drove a spectacular long-range effort past Paul Robinson and into the top corner of the Tottenham Hotspur net, aided by a slight deflection off Carlos Tevez. That goal - only United's second of the season - was enough to give the Champions a 1-0 victory over Spurs.
Mark Viduka was on target on his return to the Riverside Stadium as Middlesbrough and Newcastle United played out an eventful 2-2 draw. Charles N'Zogbia opened the scoring for the visitors in the 22nd minute but Mido's second goal in as many games saw Boro back on level terms six minutes later. Viduka must have thought he'd had a dream return to his former club as he scored his first goal for the Magpies 13 minutes from time. But just three minutes later Julio Arca fired home from the edge of the box.
Manchester City's 100 percent start to the season came to a halt at Emirates stadium as they conceded their first goal of the campaign. Kasper Schmeichel's heroics between the posts continued as he saved a penalty from Robin van Persie. But he couldn't keep out Cesc Fabregas' fierce shot ten minutes from time which gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory.
Bolton Wanderers also saw a change of fortunes as they earned their first points of the season. Goals from Gary Speed, Nicolas Anelka and substitute Daniel Braaten secured a 3-0 home victory over Reading.
City's slip-up saw Chelsea take top spot in the Barclays Premier League thanks to a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge. Fresh from scoring for his country midweek, Frank Lampard's fierce shot past England team-mate David James on the half-hour mark saw the Blues snatch all three points.
Sunderland's misfortunes continued as they fell to their second defeat of the campaign. Craig Gordon produced a series of superb saves but could not keep Liverpool at bay for the entire match. And goals from Mohamed Sissoko and Andriy Voronin gave the visitors a deserved 2-0 victory.
Birmingham City won the clash of the promoted sides at Pride Park with a 2-1 triumph over Derby County. Jerome scored both the goals for the blues.Another early goal gave Fulham the lead against Aston Villa. In the fifth minute Clint Dempsey clipped the ball home clinically into the top corner but Villa claimed a deserved equaliser when Ashley Young's cross was deflected into his own goal by Zat Knight on 50 minutes. Chris Baird was then sent off for a second yellow card before Shaun Maloney scored in injury-time to hand Villa a thrilling 2-1 victory.
Two late goals left honours even between West Ham United and Wigan Athletic at Upton Park. Wigan scored when Paul Scharner's well-placed overhead kick found the corner of the net in the 79th minute before Lee Bowyer finished from a tight angle two minutes later to leave it 1-1.
The weekend's other draw came at Goodison where James McFadden scored his first goal of the season to scramble a point for Everton. Roque Santa Cruz's third goal of the season gave Blackburn Rovers a first-half lead before McFadden swept home a Mikel Arteta cross with 12 minutes left to make it 1-1.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Game Week 2- Review
Champions Manchester United continued there torrid start to to the campaign with a loss at derby rivals Manchester City. United now lie 5th from the bottom with their next match against Spurs. For Mancheter City manager Sven Goran Errikson it was a dream start to his time at City having won all the three matches till now, they lie on top of the the Premiership table.
Chelsea and Livepool faced off each other at Anfield. Chelsea come out of the match with a point owed to a controversial penalty awarded to them from which Lampard scored to cancel out Liverpool new boy Fernando Torres goal in the first half.
Blackburn came with a draw against Arsenal due to a glaring Jens Lehhman mistake in goal,his second in as many weeks. Spurs got their seasonof to a start by winning against newly promoted Derby county with Darren Bent playing a key role in the victory. Reading defeated high flying Everton by 1-0 with hunt scoring the only goal in the match. Hammers also got a win under their belt after defeating Birmingham city 0-1. another newly promoted team Sunderland lost to Wigan 3-0. and Boro got a positive result out of their game against Fulham by winning it by 2-1. but the game was marred by a controversial goal line incident in which toe ball had completely crossed the line but the officials didn't give it as a goal.
Chelsea and Livepool faced off each other at Anfield. Chelsea come out of the match with a point owed to a controversial penalty awarded to them from which Lampard scored to cancel out Liverpool new boy Fernando Torres goal in the first half.
Blackburn came with a draw against Arsenal due to a glaring Jens Lehhman mistake in goal,his second in as many weeks. Spurs got their seasonof to a start by winning against newly promoted Derby county with Darren Bent playing a key role in the victory. Reading defeated high flying Everton by 1-0 with hunt scoring the only goal in the match. Hammers also got a win under their belt after defeating Birmingham city 0-1. another newly promoted team Sunderland lost to Wigan 3-0. and Boro got a positive result out of their game against Fulham by winning it by 2-1. but the game was marred by a controversial goal line incident in which toe ball had completely crossed the line but the officials didn't give it as a goal.
Results
Saturday 18th August 2007
Portsmouth 3-1 Bolton Wanderers
Fulham 1-2 Middlesbrough
Reading 1-0 Everton
Birmingham City 0-1 West Ham United
Wigan Athletic 3-0 Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Derby County
Newcastle United 0-0 Aston Villa
Sunday 19th August 2007
Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Arsenal
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Saturday 18th August 2007
Portsmouth 3-1 Bolton Wanderers
Fulham 1-2 Middlesbrough
Reading 1-0 Everton
Birmingham City 0-1 West Ham United
Wigan Athletic 3-0 Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Derby County
Newcastle United 0-0 Aston Villa
Sunday 19th August 2007
Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Arsenal
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Friday, August 17, 2007
Midweek matches
Manchester United had another disappointing outing as they could only score a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park over Portsmouth. The game marked the first match for Carlos Tevez in Red Devil's colors. The Champions had another set back as Ronaldo was sent off and is likely to miss 3 matches unless United appeal to the card. Chelsea had a tough away game against Reading but they won match 1-2.
Everton upset Spurs with a score 0f 3-1. Spurs ,considered the team that could break into the top 4 in the pre season, have not won a match in the season yet. Another team which is off to an awful start is Bolton Wanderers. They were beaten by Fulham 2-1 and also have not got a single point yet.Man City put in another spirited performance to beat newly promoted Derby 1-0. In a contest between 2 promoted teams Birmingham and Sunderland played out to a 2-2 draw. Last season struggler's Wigan won their match against Boro 1-0.
Results : -
Tuesday 14th August 2007
Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Everton
Wednesday 15th August 2007
Fulham 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
Portsmouth 1-1 Manchester United
Birmingham City 2-2 Sunderland
Manchester City 1-0 Derby County
Liverpool P-P West Ham United
Blackburn Rovers P-P Aston Villa
Reading 1-2 Chelsea
Wigan Athletic 1-0 Middlesbrough
Everton upset Spurs with a score 0f 3-1. Spurs ,considered the team that could break into the top 4 in the pre season, have not won a match in the season yet. Another team which is off to an awful start is Bolton Wanderers. They were beaten by Fulham 2-1 and also have not got a single point yet.Man City put in another spirited performance to beat newly promoted Derby 1-0. In a contest between 2 promoted teams Birmingham and Sunderland played out to a 2-2 draw. Last season struggler's Wigan won their match against Boro 1-0.
Results : -
Tuesday 14th August 2007
Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Everton
Wednesday 15th August 2007
Fulham 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
Portsmouth 1-1 Manchester United
Birmingham City 2-2 Sunderland
Manchester City 1-0 Derby County
Liverpool P-P West Ham United
Blackburn Rovers P-P Aston Villa
Reading 1-2 Chelsea
Wigan Athletic 1-0 Middlesbrough
Week 1 in review
The season got off to an excellent start. The season kicked off at the stadium of light with Sunderland facing spurs and the exciting match ended with the Saints new recruit Chopra getting the only goal just seconds before the final whistle. Saturday was the day of 2 teams who have very high expectations from their supporters. The teams were Man city and Newcastle United both who have new managers. Both played attractive football and got comfortable wins against respectable teams. For big Sam it was return to his old club Bolton after after stepping down at the end of last season. Newly promoted Derby County got a draw in the there first match against Portsmouth. Everton Scored a comfortable victory over Wigan
The defending champions Manchester United had a very disappointing start to their campaign as they could only manage a draw against a very resilient Reading at the Old Trafford. Another bad news for the defending champions was that Wayne Rooney had broken his ankle and will be out for almost 2 months.The other of the top 4 ie Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal but both Chelsea and Arsenal had to wait for there wins as they were taken to the limit by Birmingham and Fulham.
The Results :-
The defending champions Manchester United had a very disappointing start to their campaign as they could only manage a draw against a very resilient Reading at the Old Trafford. Another bad news for the defending champions was that Wayne Rooney had broken his ankle and will be out for almost 2 months.The other of the top 4 ie Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal but both Chelsea and Arsenal had to wait for there wins as they were taken to the limit by Birmingham and Fulham.
The Results :-
Saturday 11th August 2007
Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Derby County 2-2 Portsmouth
Middlesbrough 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Everton 2-1 Wigan Athletic
West Ham United 0-2 Manchester City
Bolton Wanderers 1-3 Newcastle United
Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool
Sunday 12th August 2007
Arsenal 2-1 Fulham
Chelsea 3-2 Birmingham City
Manchester United 0-0 Reading
Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Derby County 2-2 Portsmouth
Middlesbrough 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Everton 2-1 Wigan Athletic
West Ham United 0-2 Manchester City
Bolton Wanderers 1-3 Newcastle United
Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool
Sunday 12th August 2007
Arsenal 2-1 Fulham
Chelsea 3-2 Birmingham City
Manchester United 0-0 Reading
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Team to Team Comparision
Arsenal
ARSENAL's days as a serious title contender could be numbered - at least temporarily - after an off-season that has left the most ardent fan feeling uneasy. With the leaving of Henry to Barcalona the team will lag a bit in strike force.
Aston Villa
MANAGER Martin O'Neill will not tolerate another mid-table finish this season, and he will be aiming for direct UEFA Cup qualification as a minimum.
Birmingham City
BIRMINGHAM City is back in the Premier League after just a season in the Championship, but a return to the second tier is the most likely scenario this season unless they get off the blocks as soon as they can.
Blackburn Rovers
BLACKBURN will have no excuses if it struggles to score, with Benni McCarthy, Jason Roberts, Matt Derbyshire, Roque Santa Cruz and Maceo Rigters on the books.This could be a good season for the club.
Bolton Wanderers
SOME pundits believe Bolton Wanderers overachieved by finishing seventh last season, but new manager Sammy Lee is aiming for a top-four spot this season which is only a distant possibility.
Chelsea
Chelsea will define its season as successful only if it regains the title, but one suspects that Manchester United has a psychological edge.Chelsea will certainly give a strong fight and are one of the strong contenders for the title.
Derby County
DERBY County should be aiming for grim survival having gained promotion, through the play-offs, 12 months after finishing third-bottom in the Championship. But they will find the life in premiership a bit tough to handle.
Everton
EVERTON'S unbroken run in the top division - it was last relegated in 1954 - is not under threat. Indeed, most fans fancy a Champions League spot with the team already in Europe this season.
Fulham
FULHAM escaped relegation last season by just one point, and it's going to be more of the same for the Cottagers in this campaign.The manager has been busy making new signings and strengthening the squad.
Liverpool
LIVERPOOL is the club most likely to dethrone Manchester United. And after a 17-year drought, the day cannot come soon enough for Reds fans.The club has been most active in the the transfer market with the new owners backing the manager to make new signings.They will be strong contenders for the title.
Manchester City
DESPITE the signing of Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager, City fans will most likely endure another season in the shadow of Manchester United even though the club has made some good signings and with a new manager would hope to finish in the top half of the table.
Manchester United
THERE'S no prize for predicting that Manchester United will finish there or thereabouts in the title race; nine titles since 1992-1993 says it all.
Middlesbrough
MIDDLESBROUGH finished 12th last season, and the fans should be ecstatic if it can repeat that performance this time round.
Newcastle United
A NEW owner, a new manager and several big signings ... if there's going to be a shock title winner this season, it will most likely be the Magpies. They are in search for a title since 1969.
Portsmouth
PORTSMOUTH is hoping for another fast start to the season as it seeks to improve on last term's efforts with an automatic UEFA Cup place for 2008-2009.
Reading
READING was one of the success stories of last season, finishing eighth, but the Royals are likely to drop back in the field this time.But with Steve Coppell as the manager they will do well
Sunderland
SUNDERLAND is renowned for fluctuating between the top two divisions, but there is a quiet confidence at the club that this season will be different. With Keane at ht helm there is a new confidence in the team that finished top of the Championship league last season.
Tottenham Hotspur
TOTTENHAM Hotspur's highest Premier League finish of fifth last season has some fans dreaming of Champions League football this time next year.they are likely to break into the top four.
West Ham United
THIS season should be one of consolidation for West Ham United, which missed relegation by the skin of its teeth in May.This season they will be more strong and with the manager and the owner trying to bring the club into europe with its strong performance.
Wigan Athletic
HAVING missed the drop last season by a single goal on the last day of the season, the Latics won't find the new campaign any less stressful.They are likely to struggle.
ARSENAL's days as a serious title contender could be numbered - at least temporarily - after an off-season that has left the most ardent fan feeling uneasy. With the leaving of Henry to Barcalona the team will lag a bit in strike force.
Aston Villa
MANAGER Martin O'Neill will not tolerate another mid-table finish this season, and he will be aiming for direct UEFA Cup qualification as a minimum.
Birmingham City
BIRMINGHAM City is back in the Premier League after just a season in the Championship, but a return to the second tier is the most likely scenario this season unless they get off the blocks as soon as they can.
Blackburn Rovers
BLACKBURN will have no excuses if it struggles to score, with Benni McCarthy, Jason Roberts, Matt Derbyshire, Roque Santa Cruz and Maceo Rigters on the books.This could be a good season for the club.
Bolton Wanderers
SOME pundits believe Bolton Wanderers overachieved by finishing seventh last season, but new manager Sammy Lee is aiming for a top-four spot this season which is only a distant possibility.
Chelsea
Chelsea will define its season as successful only if it regains the title, but one suspects that Manchester United has a psychological edge.Chelsea will certainly give a strong fight and are one of the strong contenders for the title.
Derby County
DERBY County should be aiming for grim survival having gained promotion, through the play-offs, 12 months after finishing third-bottom in the Championship. But they will find the life in premiership a bit tough to handle.
Everton
EVERTON'S unbroken run in the top division - it was last relegated in 1954 - is not under threat. Indeed, most fans fancy a Champions League spot with the team already in Europe this season.
Fulham
FULHAM escaped relegation last season by just one point, and it's going to be more of the same for the Cottagers in this campaign.The manager has been busy making new signings and strengthening the squad.
Liverpool
LIVERPOOL is the club most likely to dethrone Manchester United. And after a 17-year drought, the day cannot come soon enough for Reds fans.The club has been most active in the the transfer market with the new owners backing the manager to make new signings.They will be strong contenders for the title.
Manchester City
DESPITE the signing of Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager, City fans will most likely endure another season in the shadow of Manchester United even though the club has made some good signings and with a new manager would hope to finish in the top half of the table.
Manchester United
THERE'S no prize for predicting that Manchester United will finish there or thereabouts in the title race; nine titles since 1992-1993 says it all.
Middlesbrough
MIDDLESBROUGH finished 12th last season, and the fans should be ecstatic if it can repeat that performance this time round.
Newcastle United
A NEW owner, a new manager and several big signings ... if there's going to be a shock title winner this season, it will most likely be the Magpies. They are in search for a title since 1969.
Portsmouth
PORTSMOUTH is hoping for another fast start to the season as it seeks to improve on last term's efforts with an automatic UEFA Cup place for 2008-2009.
Reading
READING was one of the success stories of last season, finishing eighth, but the Royals are likely to drop back in the field this time.But with Steve Coppell as the manager they will do well
Sunderland
SUNDERLAND is renowned for fluctuating between the top two divisions, but there is a quiet confidence at the club that this season will be different. With Keane at ht helm there is a new confidence in the team that finished top of the Championship league last season.
Tottenham Hotspur
TOTTENHAM Hotspur's highest Premier League finish of fifth last season has some fans dreaming of Champions League football this time next year.they are likely to break into the top four.
West Ham United
THIS season should be one of consolidation for West Ham United, which missed relegation by the skin of its teeth in May.This season they will be more strong and with the manager and the owner trying to bring the club into europe with its strong performance.
Wigan Athletic
HAVING missed the drop last season by a single goal on the last day of the season, the Latics won't find the new campaign any less stressful.They are likely to struggle.
The Season 2007/2008 Begins
Finally the curtains are about to be raised on a brand new season of the English Premier League (or the Barclay's Premier League),one of the most exciting football leagues in the world.
last season Manchester United won the trophy from Chelsae by producing a stunning display of football through out the season.and now they are ready to defend and win it once more.
Most of the the clubs have spent big and have made some new signings and some new and exciting players have come into the league. As all have predicted this season is going to be a very close one as most of the teams are strong and want to impress. none of them wants to be relegated as that would mean a heavy loss of finance.The newly promoted temas-Derby,Sunderland and Birmingham City will definitely want to make an impression.
When the season starts on the 11th of august and as the first game between Sunderland vs Tottenham HotSpurs kicks off it will mark the beginning of a new and exciting 8 months of the Beautiful Game-Football.
Let the Games Begin
Season 2007-2008 in Focus
After American Malcolm Glazer's Manchester United wrested the Premier League title away from Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich last season, Liverpool's Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. have opened their wallets to bring the trophy down the road to Anfield this season. Gillett, who owns the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, and fellow American partner Hicks bought control of Liverpool last season. They have given manager Rafa Benitez the funds to make 16 new player signings since the Reds finished third last term and lost to AC Milan in the Champions League final.
Benitez has brought in Spanish star Fernando Torres, Dutch international Ryan Babel and Ukraine's Andriy Voronin to join a strike force that already features Dutch star Dirk Kuyt and England's Peter Crouch.Liverpool, which won the Champions League in 2005, is now more determined than ever to win the English league for the first time since 1990 - before the Premier League began.
"The squad has improved, the manager has been backed with good money and he's spent it well and now it's time for the players to deliver," captain Steven Gerrard said. "The Premier League, that's the one. That's our main priority."
Glazer, who also owns the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be out to stop Liverpool and has given Manchester United's veteran Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson millions to spend to strengthen an already impressive squad lineup.United has finally acquired Calgary-raised England midfielder Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich as well as Portuguese forward Nani and Brazilian Anderson. Argentina striker Carlos Tevez is on his way from West Ham, providing United can cut through red tape.
"The top four have all done a bit of buying and added to their squad," Ferguson said. "Chelsea have a big, strong squad, so you don't expect much change there and both Arsenal and Liverpool were over 20 points behind us last season. They won't want to be 20 points behind us again."
Chelsea, with the biggest spending power of all since Abramovich bought the club three years ago, has been comparatively modest in the transfer market compared with previous years. But the Blues have still brought in Claudio Pizarro from Bayern Munich, Florent Malouda from Lyon and Tal Ben Haim from Bolton.
"Our rivals have strengthened but so have we," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. "I don't think it's going to be who spends the most money who wins the league. That has never been the case. It's always been who has the fighting spirit, togetherness and which of the big players had the better season.
"Cristiano Ronaldo had a good season last year and was the main reason United won the league. This year we need two or three important players in attack to come up with the goods and that's what we'll be trying to do."
Arsenal, which is reportedly the target of a possible takeover by American businessman Stan Kroenke, has settled for Brazilian-born Croatian striker Eduardo da Silva after reluctantly selling Thierry Henry to Barcelona.
If the transfer dealings are a guide, Liverpool and Manchester United appear to have the most ambition of the traditional four big contenders, suggesting their rival American owners will be fighting it out for the title next May.
But they are not the only big spenders.
The clubs in the world's richest soccer league now have even more cash to spend thanks to a huge hike in TV revenue, attracting more overseas investment. There could even be a strong and long overdue challenge from Manchester City, which is now owned by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and managed by former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Eriksson previously led teams to league and cup double triumphs in Sweden, Portugal and Italy. Because he failed to take England past the quarter-finals at two World Cups and a European Championship, however, City fans don't have a huge amount of faith in the Swede. He could be under pressure quickly if the team falls behind early in the title race.
Tottenham has come close to breaking into the top four the past two seasons and would love to do so this year at the expense of bitter north London rival Arsenal, which has finished fourth twice in a row.Tottenham's Martin Jol is well respected as a pragmatic coach who values talented players. He has added England's Darren Bent to a strike force that includes Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Jermaine Defoe, and signed rising German star Kevin-Prince Boateng from Hertha Berlin.
Everton finished sixth last season without showing any sign of reaching the elite. Fans of Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa, controlled by Cleveland Browns' owner Randy Lerner, will demand that the team captures at least a UEFA Cup spot by finishing in the top six or seven.
Newcastle is probably the most enigmatic club.With more than 50,000 boisterous fans at every home game, it's hard to explain why the Magpies haven't won the league title since 1927 or any trophy since the European Fairs Cup (now UEFA Cup) in 1969. Sam Allardyce, the tough-talking former Bolton coach, is the new manager and has made many changes to the squad in the hope of a top-six finish.Last season, Newcastle placed 13th of the 20 clubs with England striker Michael Owen sidelined for most of the season. Owen should be back on a regular basis this season.
West Ham, which avoided relegation on the final day of the season, has also been busy in the transfer market. Icelandic owner Lennart Magnusson won't be satisfied with another relegation struggle.Of the three promoted clubs, Roy Keane's Sunderland looks to have the best chance of making an impact. The former Manchester United captain led the Wearsiders to promotion to the top flight in his first season as a manager. He'll now come up against Ferguson, his former boss at United.
Birmingham City's Steve Bruce will be chasing little more than 17th place, which means survival, while Derby County, promoted through the playoffs, is almost certain to struggle.Reading will do well to repeat last season's eighth-place finish, while Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Blackburn likely will stay in the middle of the pack.Bolton, without Allardyce's firm control, could slide down towards relegation trouble and fight for safety with Fulham, Wigan, Birmingham and Derby.
Benitez has brought in Spanish star Fernando Torres, Dutch international Ryan Babel and Ukraine's Andriy Voronin to join a strike force that already features Dutch star Dirk Kuyt and England's Peter Crouch.Liverpool, which won the Champions League in 2005, is now more determined than ever to win the English league for the first time since 1990 - before the Premier League began.
"The squad has improved, the manager has been backed with good money and he's spent it well and now it's time for the players to deliver," captain Steven Gerrard said. "The Premier League, that's the one. That's our main priority."
Glazer, who also owns the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be out to stop Liverpool and has given Manchester United's veteran Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson millions to spend to strengthen an already impressive squad lineup.United has finally acquired Calgary-raised England midfielder Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich as well as Portuguese forward Nani and Brazilian Anderson. Argentina striker Carlos Tevez is on his way from West Ham, providing United can cut through red tape.
"The top four have all done a bit of buying and added to their squad," Ferguson said. "Chelsea have a big, strong squad, so you don't expect much change there and both Arsenal and Liverpool were over 20 points behind us last season. They won't want to be 20 points behind us again."
Chelsea, with the biggest spending power of all since Abramovich bought the club three years ago, has been comparatively modest in the transfer market compared with previous years. But the Blues have still brought in Claudio Pizarro from Bayern Munich, Florent Malouda from Lyon and Tal Ben Haim from Bolton.
"Our rivals have strengthened but so have we," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. "I don't think it's going to be who spends the most money who wins the league. That has never been the case. It's always been who has the fighting spirit, togetherness and which of the big players had the better season.
"Cristiano Ronaldo had a good season last year and was the main reason United won the league. This year we need two or three important players in attack to come up with the goods and that's what we'll be trying to do."
Arsenal, which is reportedly the target of a possible takeover by American businessman Stan Kroenke, has settled for Brazilian-born Croatian striker Eduardo da Silva after reluctantly selling Thierry Henry to Barcelona.
If the transfer dealings are a guide, Liverpool and Manchester United appear to have the most ambition of the traditional four big contenders, suggesting their rival American owners will be fighting it out for the title next May.
But they are not the only big spenders.
The clubs in the world's richest soccer league now have even more cash to spend thanks to a huge hike in TV revenue, attracting more overseas investment. There could even be a strong and long overdue challenge from Manchester City, which is now owned by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and managed by former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Eriksson previously led teams to league and cup double triumphs in Sweden, Portugal and Italy. Because he failed to take England past the quarter-finals at two World Cups and a European Championship, however, City fans don't have a huge amount of faith in the Swede. He could be under pressure quickly if the team falls behind early in the title race.
Tottenham has come close to breaking into the top four the past two seasons and would love to do so this year at the expense of bitter north London rival Arsenal, which has finished fourth twice in a row.Tottenham's Martin Jol is well respected as a pragmatic coach who values talented players. He has added England's Darren Bent to a strike force that includes Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Jermaine Defoe, and signed rising German star Kevin-Prince Boateng from Hertha Berlin.
Everton finished sixth last season without showing any sign of reaching the elite. Fans of Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa, controlled by Cleveland Browns' owner Randy Lerner, will demand that the team captures at least a UEFA Cup spot by finishing in the top six or seven.
Newcastle is probably the most enigmatic club.With more than 50,000 boisterous fans at every home game, it's hard to explain why the Magpies haven't won the league title since 1927 or any trophy since the European Fairs Cup (now UEFA Cup) in 1969. Sam Allardyce, the tough-talking former Bolton coach, is the new manager and has made many changes to the squad in the hope of a top-six finish.Last season, Newcastle placed 13th of the 20 clubs with England striker Michael Owen sidelined for most of the season. Owen should be back on a regular basis this season.
West Ham, which avoided relegation on the final day of the season, has also been busy in the transfer market. Icelandic owner Lennart Magnusson won't be satisfied with another relegation struggle.Of the three promoted clubs, Roy Keane's Sunderland looks to have the best chance of making an impact. The former Manchester United captain led the Wearsiders to promotion to the top flight in his first season as a manager. He'll now come up against Ferguson, his former boss at United.
Birmingham City's Steve Bruce will be chasing little more than 17th place, which means survival, while Derby County, promoted through the playoffs, is almost certain to struggle.Reading will do well to repeat last season's eighth-place finish, while Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Blackburn likely will stay in the middle of the pack.Bolton, without Allardyce's firm control, could slide down towards relegation trouble and fight for safety with Fulham, Wigan, Birmingham and Derby.
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