Sport magazine 318 - Premier League Preview

Kick-off

The new Premier League season, team by team

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Arsenal Last season 4th, 73 points

Keep an eye on...

Olivier Giroud

Cover image: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images This page: Masashi Hara/Getty Images, Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images

The stat

40 Premier League points amassed so far by Arsenal in 2013 – level with Manchester United but more than anyone else. They clearly play better with a deadline.

If they were an animal...

Peacock Possesses all the frills necessary to attract new beaux, but ultimately spends too much of its time strutting around being ineffectual.

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The big issue What constitutes success?

Is it trophies, or challenging for the title? Since May 2005, when Arsenal last experienced that winning feeling with the FA Cup, Arsenal fans have been caught in two minds. On one hand, they want something to put in a trophy cabinet that has been empty for eight long seasons. It’s not quite the great drought of 1953-70, when Arsenal went 17 years without a trophy – but then a season ticket to watch those Arsenal sides probably wasn’t costing fans the princely sum it is now. Those same supporters were also blissfully ignorant of the beautiful, winning football to come in the Invincibles season of 2003-04.

On the other hand, the fans would desperately like to see their team challenging for the league title. The 2007-08 season was the last time Arsenal came close to winning the Premier League, spending two-thirds of the season at the top of the table before Eduardo’s leg was horrifically snapped, William Gallas went into a very public sulk and they finished third. Should Arsenal accept that they’re now a team fighting for Champions League qualification and place more focus on cup wins? Or should they continue to fight the good fight against the fatcats towering above them? The indecision, with or without Luis Suarez, will almost certainly go on.

The Frenchman netted 17 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign – a haul not quite matching the prolific reputation he brought with him from Montpellier, but seven in five games during preseason suggest his selfproclaimed ‘magical’ left foot could yet come into its own. The Gunners have lacked a clinical front man since the departure of Robin van Persie – but if Giroud’s form continues, they might have finally found their man.

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Aston Villa (h) Saturday August 24 Fulham (a) Sunday September 1 Tottenham (h)

Prediction

4th

03

Aston Villa Last season 15th, 41 points

Keep an eye on...

Ron Vlaar

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Arsenal (a) Wednesday August 21 Chelsea (a) Saturday August 24 Liverpool (h)

Prediction

10th Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue Are the kids really alright?

Five wins and two draws from their last 10 games propelled the Lambert Babes of Aston Villa to safety last season. A campaign plagued by defensive nightmares and catastrophic mistakes had been turned on its head as a squad full of talented but inexperienced footballers found their feet, under the greatest of pressure, in the nick of time.

So goes the theory, anyway – and this is the season when that gets put to the test. In the aftermath of the great escape, manager Paul Lambert has remained true to his policy of investing in youth – of seven new faces to arrive this summer, the Bulgarian midfielder Aleksandar Tonev is the oldest at an almost geriatric 23. Danish international Jores Okore (21) looks set to partner captain Ron Vlaar at the back, while Antonio Luna (22) should usurp Joe Bennett at left back.

The adored former skipper Stiliyan Petrov has retired, but competition for midfield places will be ramped up by the arrival of Leandro Bacuna (21) from Groningen, and the return from long-term injury of the hugely talented Gary Gardner.

Still, who are we kidding? The biggest news to come out of Villa Park over the summer was the new contract signed by Christian Benteke – the biggest and best kid of the lot.

The stat

1 At the time of writing, number of players in the Villa squad over the age of 30. And that’s 37-year-old Shay Given, whose fat salary they can’t wait to get rid of.

If they were an animal...

Dolphin Exuberant and fast learner that responds well to an appreciative crowd. Communication sometimes puzzling, however, and regularly all at sea.

Glyn Kirk/Getty Images, Thomas Starke/Bongarts/Getty Images

04

Brought in for £3.2m last summer, Vlaar was the rock upon whom Paul Lambert wished to build his defence – but calf trouble ruled him out between November and January, and the Villa rearguard fell apart without him. Restored to the team and given the captain’s armband, the Dutch international ranks alongside popular goalkeeper Brad Guzan and Christian Benteke as the players his manager cannot do without. Even if he is, at 28, far too old.

Cardiff City Last season 1st (Championship), 87 points

Keep an eye on...

Kim Bo-Kyung

The stat

8

Michael Steele/Getty Images, Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

No Cardiff player scored more than eight league goals last year: Aron Gunnarsson, Peter Whittingham and the now-departed Heidar Helguson.

If they were an animal...

Chameleon Have thrived following a change in colour.

Not generally thought very attractive to look at, but may just prove sticky enough to hang around for a little while at least.

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The big issue Will defensive solidity be enough?

Balls to that. The question really intriguing neutrals is does Craig Bellamy still possess the roadrunner pace that he weirdly kept into his thirties, despite a long history of knee injuries? However, it isn’t the rapidity of their feisty star that Cardiff supporters are concerned about. It’s more that, despite winning the Championship by a comfortable eight points, their team lacked a pure goalscorer (see stat on left).

Boss Malky Mackay has solved this problem by breaking the club’s transfer record to spend £8m on 21-year-old Steven Caulker: a defender. Oh. He has also spent over £7m on target man Andreas Cornelius, but while the 6ft 4ins Dane netted 19 goals for Copenhagen last season, he’s just 20 years old and has played fewer than 50 club games – it’s asking a lot for him to be prolific in his debut season.

Instead, a team that came up playing functional football will need to rely on supreme fitness and solidity, with captain Mark Hudson the defensive rock alongside smooth-passing Caulker.

The club’s prized asset is the gaffer, however, cut from the cloth of savvy Scottish motivators. With momentum, Mackay in charge and vocal home fans relishing top-flight football, Cardiff may have enough to make it to safety. Just about.

Cardiff may lack silks, as kids today express it, but South Korean attacking midfielder Kim began to showcase his skills at the end of last season.

The 23-year-old’s quick feet, deft first touch, ability to spot a pass and tidy finishing have had his manager purring during the club’s pre-season. “You can see the talent there,” said Mackay after he scored the winner in a friendly against Chievo.

Queston is: can he do it at the highest level?

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 West Ham (a) Sunday August 25 Manchester City (h) Saturday August 31 Everton (h)

Prediction

16th

05

Chelsea Last season 3rd, 75 points

Keep an eye on...

Oscar

Opening fixtures Sunday August 18 Hull (h) Wednesday August 21 Aston Villa (h) Monday August 26 Manchester United (a)

Prediction

2nd Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue Can Jose build with silk rather than steel?

Chelsea have an advantage over their title rivals from Manchester – and it comes in the slightly weathered yet still handsome package of Jose Mourinho. After all, David Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini have no experience of being at the sharp end of a Premier League title chase, while Mourinho has triumphed in such situations. It’s bread and butter to him.

However, what is also Mourinho’s bread and butter is building a team with a spine of technically adept but also physically impressive athletes. Think Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Sergio Ramos or even Cristiano Ronaldo – who is, for all his flair, an imposing unit. Yet the crown jewels in Chelsea’s current squad are footballers such as Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar – dazzlingly gifted, but somewhat lightweight. It isn’t all like that, of course: Romelu Lukaku brings power and pace, while new recruit Andre Schurrle is renowned for his workrate as much as his attacking prowess.

This will need to be a different style of team to Mourinho’s first Chelsea side – but he’s a crafty, adaptable strategist, usually able to extract the best from his players. He may not quite be able to gel this squad in time to win the title this season, but Premier League winers 2014-15? Sounds likely.

The stat

8 Current players who survive from the first Mourinho era: Ryan Bertrand, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Michael Essien, Hilario, Frank Lampard, Jon Obi Mikel and John Terry.

If they were an animal...

Great white shark A fearsome predator, if generally more respected than loved.

Russian billionaires with dreams of global domination tend to own at least one.

Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images, Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

06

We’ve all found ourselves jaw ajar at the Brazilian attacker’s gifts (Exhibit A: that goal against Juventus last season, though we have plenty more evidence, m’lud). No great surprise that he was also a tad inconsistent in his first 12 months in England, but with experience and Jose Mourinho’s arm around his slender shoulders, he could be unstoppable this year. Also tends to track back reasonably diligently. Eden Hazard, on the other hand...

Crystal Palace Last season 5th (Championship), 72 points

Keep an eye on...

Julian Speroni

The stat

0 Number of times Crystal Palace have safely negotiated a Premier League season without being relegated, from four attempts. Fifth time lucky, eh lads?

If they were an animal...

Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Mayfly Mature over time, but enjoy only a very brief moment in the sun – during which they often fall prey to larger beasts. Still capable of causing irritation.

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The big issue Do they have the goals in them to stay up?

Imagine being picked for the X Factor finals, only to be told you had to try to win without the looks or voice that got you there. That’s the predicament – in the loosest possible sense, at least – facing Ian Holloway, having lost star man Wilfried Zaha to Manchester United and goal machine Glenn Murray to injury for Palace’s latest crack at the Premier League.

The pressure is on Dwight Gayle (above), then, whose summer signing for an initial £4.5m has smashed Palace’s previous transfer record by almost £2m. Considering the 23-year-old striker started the last two seasons at Bishop’s Stortford and Dagenham & Redbridge respectively, it’s a big burden to carry. He finished last term with six goals in 20 league games for Peterborough, but there’s no hiding the fact that Palace – even if they do bring in Marouane Chamakh – still need more up top.

Jerome Thomas, Jose Campana, Elliot Grandin and Stephen Dobbie have been brought in to add quality to the midfield, while the defence looks likely to rely mainly on the men who got them up. Sunderland and Stoke, two sides with definite potential to struggle, are second and third on the Eagles’ fixture list – goals, and at least one win, are a must.

If Palace are to start a second straight season in the Premier League for the first time in their history, the first man to win their player-ofthe-year accolade three years on the bounce (2008–2010) could well be in the running again.

Speroni’s lightning reactions make him a shot-stopper of some quality – two stunning moments of brilliance helped the Eagles through the playoffs – but he can expect a busy 38 games ahead.

Opening fixtures Sunday August 18 Tottenham (h) Saturday August 24 Stoke (a) Saturday August 31 Sunderland (h)

Prediction

20th

07

Everton Last season 6th, 63 points

Keep an eye on...

Arouna Kone

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Norwich (a) Saturday August 24 West Brom (h) Saturday August 31 Cardiff (a)

Prediction

7th Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue How much will Moyes be missed?

Amicable break-ups are a dangerous thing: all seems fine, the mood is one of optimism, but then a new partner comes along and you realise that you’re still in love with your ex.

Such is the worry at Goodison this season, where for the first time in more than a decade, Everton begin a Premier League campaign without David Moyes at the helm.

That is not to doubt the warmth with which new companion Roberto Martinez has been welcomed on Merseyside. The Spaniard arrives on the back of his own cordial split from Wigan, promising a full-on assault on the top four. He will certainly bring a greater attacking mindset than the more practically minded Moyes – but Martinez needs to balance his own expansive intent with the defensive fortitude that has been at the heart of Everton’s success in recent years.

A spine of Tim Howard, Phil Jagielka and Darron Gibson will help on that score, with Steven Pienaar and Kevin Mirallas offering the wide threat that Martinez used to such effect at his previous home. The Barcelona youngster Gerard Deulofeu will bring a welcome touch of je ne sais quoi – which might prove extra-important if Moyes returns to the family home to collect his favourite ornaments: Messrs Baines and Fellaini.

The stat

-109 Wigan’s combined goal difference in the previous four seasons under Roberto Martinez. How will the Spaniard’s more open brand of football affect Everton’s usual defensive solidity?

If they were an animal...

Sheepdog Hardworking, reliable and often fearsome in the face of larger adversaries. Intelligent handling an absolute must, however.

Paul Thomas/Getty Images, Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

08

Everton fans will be well aware of the goalscoring prowess of their new striker, having seen him score against them for Wigan both home and away last season. The Ivorian scored 11 Premier League goals in all last term – equalling the total of the Toffees’ leading marksman, Marouane Fellaini – and will add pace and trickery to a forward line that was threatening to rely too heavily on the physical presence of the injuryprone Victor Anichebe.

Fulham Last season 12th, 43 points

Keep an eye on...

Bryan Ruiz

The stat

Paul Gilham/Getty Images, Boris Streubel/Bongarts/Getty Images

30% Languid fop Dimitar Berbatov netted 30 per cent (or 15 of 50) of Fulham’s Premier League goals last season. No one else managed more than five. What’s that you say... dependent much?

If they were an animal...

Water vole Small, river-dwelling creature. Generally well-liked and cute to look at, but not very scary to encounter.

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The big issue Can Jol coax more from ageing bones?

What do John Arne Riise, Brede Hangeland, Steve Sidwell, Dimitar Berbatov, Giorgios Karagounis, Damien Duff, Aaron Hughes, Sascha Riether and Mark Schwarzer all have in common? Each of that nine started more than half of Fulham’s league games last season – and each ended the season over the age of 30. Of course, that isn’t a total disaster: the superb right back Riether is in his prime at 30, while 40-year-old Schwarzer has moved on. But the fact remains that the core of Fulham’s squad are closing in on their autumn years.

Manager Martin Jol knows this, and has quietly begun refreshing his squad. Maarten Stekelenburg is also aged 30, but that’s a baby in goalkeeper years – and signing a Dutch international (who played in the last World Cup final) looks great business at an estimated £3m. Loanee Adel Taarabt offers raw talent to go with his youth, but it’s doubtful as to whether another mercurial-but-lazy attacker is what Fulham really need. What they do require is new owner Shahid Khan to twirl his mighty moustache and cough up for a new central midfielder or two before the start of the season. Jol has the nous and class of player to keep clear of a relegation battle, but this remains a squad that requires new blood.

It’s wakey-wakey time, Bryan. Don’t worry: that portly figure standing over you isn’t Tony Soprano, but his Dutch lookalike Martin Jol – and he’s simply working out how to get the best from a versatile attacker of flair and vision but one who has, at times, flattered to decieve with Fulham. For a player with his ability, seven goals over two seasons isn’t enough. It’s time for the Costa Rican to kick on, and Jol plays football that suits his style.

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Sunderland (a) Saturday August 24 Arsenal (h) Saturday August 31 Newcastle (a)

Prediction

14th

09

Hull City Last season 2nd (Championship), 79 points

Keep an eye on...

Sone Aluko

Opening fixtures Sunday August 18 Chelsea (a) Saturday August 24 Norwich (h) Saturday August 31 Manchester City (a)

Prediction

19th Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue

The stat

Do the Tigers have enough bite?

22

For a team that scored only 61 goals in 46 Championship fixtures last season, Hull City pulled off a minor miracle in securing a return to the Premier League after only three seasons away. They couldn’t have limped over the line any more painfully, however, failing to score in three of their last four league games – against relegated Wolves, relegated Bristol City and nearly relegated Barnsley.

As such, Steve Bruce will have been left in no doubt as to where he needed reinforcements ahead of a tilt at the big boys. The manager will hope an on-loan Danny Graham brings his Swansea form of two years ago, rather than the lumbering impotence on display in an unhappy spell at Sunderland last season. A reported £3m has also been spent on the Ivory Coast international Yannick Sagbo, who struck the winner in Hull’s 1-0 pre-season victory over Dynamo Dresden.

Captain Robert Koren, the fit-again Sone Aluko and player of the season Ahmed Elmohamady all offer a threat in behind, but this is not a team brimming with goals. No shock that Bruce has moved to add proven Premier League quality to his defence, then, with Curtis Davies (£2.3m) and Maynor Figueroa (free) arriving from Birmingham and Wigan respectively.

Goals scored by new forward Yannick Sagbo in 90 league appearances for his previous club Evian.

The Tigers will be hoping for a slightly better strike rate in the Premier League.

If they were an animal...

Mud snake Heavy-bodied black and orange beast commonly found lying low. Slippery enough, but lacks venom and likely to be in the shit.

Gareth Copley/Getty Images, Tony Marshall/Getty Images

10

Hull might have secured promotion a lot more easily had the former Aberdeen and Rangers attacker not missed the second half of last season with an Achilles problem. Aluko knows where the goal is, having scored eight in 23 league appearances before injury curtailed his campaign, but he also brings pace, intelligent movement and a proper bag of tricks to this side.

The man most likely to provide the magic Hull need to survive.

Liverpool Last season 7th, 61 points

Keep an eye on...

Philippe Coutinho

The stat

Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty Images, Julian Finney/Getty Images

793 Combined Premier League appearances racked up by the now departed Jamie Carragher and Pepe Reina. That amounts to four very big boots to fill right there.

If they were an animal...

Woolly mammoth Once bestrode the continent, but failed to adapt successfully to significant changes in the climate and haven’t been on the scene for some time.

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The big issue Where are Liverpool’s teeth without Suarez?

Liverpool’s slow and painful death as a club with titlewinning pretensions has seemed almost complete this summer, with wantaway striker Luis Suarez angling to take his unique brand of villainous brilliance away from the glare of the English media to... Arsenal. Wherever the Uruguayan ends up (at the time of writing, ‘court’ looked the only certain destination), his desire to quit Anfield in search of Champions League football merely serves to underline the size of the task Brendan Rodgers has in bringing good times back to the club.

That’s not to say the manager isn’t trying. Even before Suarez started kicking and biting, Spanish striker Iago Aspas arrived for £7m from Celta Vigo, with the 20-year-old Luis Alberto joining him after an impressive spell with Barcelona B. Both have scored in what could only be described as a gentle pre-season – but with Philippe Coutinho following on from where he left off last season, and Daniel Sturridge fit to face Stoke this weekend, Rodgers does have attacking options.

Now all he needs is a better centre half than Kolo Toure to partner Daniel Agger in central defence, an error-free start for new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, and for captain Steven Gerrard to have a season free of injury. Not much to ask, eh?

It’s dangerous to get too excited about a handful of impressive displays at the end of a season, but the young Brazilian was superb in Liverpool’s strong finish. An inventive passer and intelligent runner, he boasts a mix of pace and guile that will strike fear into the hearts of defenders across the nation. Expect him to be used more centrally this term, as Brendan Rodgers seeks to ease the creative burden on Steven Gerrard’s ageing shoulders.

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Stoke (h) Saturday August 24 Aston Villa (a) Sunday September 1 Manchester United (h)

Prediction

6th

11

Manchester City Last season 2nd, 78 points

Keep an eye on...

12

Fired in 31 goals for Sevilla last season and has shone in pre-season for his new club. An athletic 6ft 1in, the 27-year-old striker can finish with both bonce and boot – and he should flourish granted the service he’ll receive from compatriots David Silva and Jesus Navas out wide. A different type of player to pocket genius Aguero, but it wouldn’t hurt if ‘the Beast of Vallecas’ gave him a wake-up call after an underwhelming 2012-13.

Opening fixtures Monday August 19 Newcastle (h) Sunday August 25 Cardiff (a) Saturday August 31 Hull (h)

Prediction

1st Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue

The stat

Can the City big guns reload this season?

£246m

Man City fans will loathe hearing it, but their club could have taken a leaf from Sir Fergie’s big book of management ahead of last season. Ferguson always touted ambition as crucial: no matter what’s been won before, look into each player’s eyes at the start of a season and make sure they still have a hunger for silverware. Judging by how City’s superstars played for much of last season, they rocked up with heavy-lidded eyes hidden behind sunglasses. Key players in all positions – Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Joe Hart, even captain Vincent Kompany – failed to replicate their 2011-12 form.

New boss Manuel Pellegrini has a reputation as a skilled man-manager, so he’s a good bet to unify a squad that had allegedly turned on Roberto Mancini. The absence of Carlos Tevez’s ego should help, but City have also spent smartly.

Spain international Jesus Navas offers quality width, Brazil’s Fernandinho can free up Yaya to power forward, while Stevan Jovetic competes with Silva for the lightweight magician role.

Pellegrini’s lack of Premier League experience is likely a disadvantage, but both Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti won the title in their debut season. If ‘The Engineer’ can get the best from City’s premium parts, he will do likewise.

Current total spent on strikers since Sheikh Mansour bought City in September 2008.

This includes Robinho (£33m), Sergio Aguero (£38m), Edin Dzeko (£27m), Roque Santa Cruz (£18m) and more.

If they were an animal...

Lion Would-be kings of the jungle, but spent much of last season asleep.

New additions to the pride make them even deadlier in attack.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images

Alvaro Negredo

Manchester United Last season 1st, 89 points

Keep an eye on...

Shinji Kagawa

The stat

Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images, John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

73 The percentage of games Manchester United won when Robin van Persie started last season, compared to 50 per cent when he didn’t.

If they were an animal...

Man Used to life at the top of the food chain, but could become victims of their own success as they struggle to compete with scarce resources in the modern world.

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The big issue Can David Moyes keep the fire burning?

Success breeds success, but with Sir Alex out to stud, it’s down to new man David Moyes to ensure that his efforts to put his own stamp on the most successful team in England don’t damage the continuity of those winning ways.

Ferguson began the process of phasing out the old guard, but with doubts remaining over the calibre of the latest United youth – Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck and Phil Jones aren’t quite the Class of ’92 – the continued presence of veterans like Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs could prove vital.

Restocking United’s threadbare midfield cupboard is a priority, with Marouane Fellaini a possible arrival after Barcelona stood firm against two offers for Cesc Fabregas. New boy Wilfried Zaha should add creativity and goals from out wide – something that will also help take the pressure of Robin van Persie up front, particularly if Wayne Rooney departs in the most drawn-out saga since The Lord of the Rings.

The club has a reputation for rescuing wins from impossible situations, and their recent title wins have been defined by a relative lack of star names. Without Ferguson pulling the strings, will that same ramshackle mix of fading experience and relatively raw youth be able to reach the same heights?

A sharp hat-trick against Norwich aside, the Japanese midfielder didn’t sparkle in his first season. Understated and classy, with real economy of touch, the £12m man struggled with injuries and made just 17 league starts, mostly away from his preferred central role. When fit, he can dictate play and chip in with goals – he scored 21 league goals in two seasons at Borussia Dortmund, which could be vital if Wayne Rooney is indeed on the way out.

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Swansea (a) Monday August 26 Chelsea (h) Sunday September 1 Liverpool (a)

Prediction

3rd

13

Newcastle United Last season 16th, 41 points

Keep an eye on...

Cheick Tiote

Opening fixtures Monday August 19 Manchester City (a) Saturday August 24 West Ham (h) Saturday August 31 Fulham (h)

Prediction

11th Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue

The stat

What will prevail: the football or the circus?

32

Much as we all laughed at the mumbled, jumbled interview of nonsense Joe Kinnear gave talkSPORT early in the summer, it couldn’t and shouldn’t hide the fact that his appointment as director of football at Newcastle is one of the most appallingly judged decisions the game has seen in a very long time.

Not only does Kinnear’s arrival undermine the position of manager Alan Pardew – himself not overly popular with the St James’ Park faithful – but it also does likewise to Graham Carr, the highly respected chief scout responsible for bringing many of the current squad’s most talented players to the club.

Things are sure to come to a head sooner rather than later, and that can only be damaging to matters on the field – where Pardew is faced with the challenge of improving on a deeply disappointing 16th last season. The arrival of Loic Remy on loan from QPR will bolster an attack still led by apologetic gambler Papiss Cisse, but in a quiet summer the club’s best work has been convincing the talismanic Fabricio Coloccini to stay. With Tim Krul, Yohan ‘Kebab’ (reportedly a target for Manchester United), Hatem Ben Arfa and Cisse completing a spine of genuine quality, it is unthinkable that the Magpies will be as bad again. But then, on the Toon, anything can happen.

Players used by Newcastle last season – more than any other team in the Premier League. Only three (Papiss Cisse, Davide Santon and Jonas Gutierrez) featured in more than 30 games.

If they were an animal...

Bull terrier Powerful and actually rather loveable – but often undone by an idiot owner sporting bald head and can of warm lager.

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images, , Stu Forster/Getty Images

14

One of the reasons why Newcastle finished in a lofty fifth two seasons ago, but also one of the factors behind them faring so poorly last time out. After a mighty debut season in the northeast, the Ivorian struggled for both form and fitness last term, featuring in less than two-thirds of the club’s Premier League fixtures.

Fully fit this time around, and with no Africa Cup of Nations to distract him, Tiote could be on for a renaissance.

Norwich City Last season 11th, 44 points

Keep an eye on...

Wes Hoolahan

The stat

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images, Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images

10 Went on a 10-game unbeaten league run last season, beating Arsenal and Manchester United along the way. They followed that by winning one of their next 16. Streaky.

If they were an animal...

Salmon Have leapt higher than expected, despite swimming against the tide. Everyone’s second favourite dish.

Delia can’t resist it.

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The big issue Can all-new attack fill the goals gap?

Evolution rather than revolution is the norm at football clubs these days. Subtle addititions are more common than wholesale playing staff makeovers, especially at well-run clubs like Norwich. However, manager Chris Hughton has clearly decided to stamp his own mark on this team and has revamped Norwich’s forward line. Gone is main man Grant Holt (top scorer last season, but only with eight goals) and in come striker Gary Hooper from Celtic, Holland international forward Ricky van Wolfswinkel (above), and Leroy Fer – a creative Dutch midfielder with an eye for goal.

Together they cost the best part of £20m (van Wolfswinkel the priciest at a rumoured £8.5m) – but while that makes for exciting times at Carrow Road, there is cause for concern. For every Luis Suarez who translates prolific Eredivisie form into Premier League goals, there’s a Mateja Kezman. Who doesn’t.

And, with respect to Hooper and the SPL, banging in goals against Kilmarnock is a little trickier than it is against Chelsea.

Blooding several new attackers will be a challenge for Hughton, but – providing the impressive John Ruddy stays fit – he at least has a safe pair of hands at the back. Should have enough winkle to keep the relegation wolf from the door.

Curiously underrated

by Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni, but not by the Carrow Road faithful. The diminutive 31-year-old midfielder has been pulling the strings in the Canaries’ engine room for a while.

It’s his technique and passing ability that catch the eye, married to an impressive workrate.

With new personnel around him, Hoolahan will be crucial in providing a supply line from midfield to attack.

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Everton (h) Saturday August 24 Hull (a) Saturday August 31 Southampton (h)

Prediction

15th

15

Southampton Last season 14th, 41 points

Keep an eye on...

Victor Wanyama

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 West Brom (a) Saturday August 24 Sunderland (h) Saturday August 31 Norwich (a)

Prediction

12th Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue Can they bring it every week?

No team was as maddeningly inconsistent last season as Southampton – supporters must look back and wonder how the same team that saw off Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea at St Mary’s also managed to lose at home to QPR, Sunderland and Wigan. For all their quality, they somehow contrived to finish beneath Norwich, Fulham and Stoke.

It’s a conundrum that manager Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to solve this season, as Saints bid to consolidate their place back at English football’s top table. The £8.5m arrival of centre half Dejan Lovren from Lyon should help counter the defensive lapses that saw the team drop 29 points from winning positions last term, while Victor Wanyama (see left) should provide greater security in front of the back four.

It’s as you were further forward, where Pochettino will once more call upon the brute strength (and dead-eye finishing) of Rickie Lambert, the bustling energy of Jay Rodriguez and the guile of Gaston Ramirez to break down opposing defences.

The best news of all, however, could be the five-year contract signed by left back Luke Shaw last month. If he is to be the next Gareth Bale, then he will become so at St Mary’s. For now.

The stat

15 Premier League goals scored by Rickie Lambert last season, making him the topscoring Englishman in the league (alongside Frank Lampard). He is 66/1 to win the Golden Boot this time around.

If they were an animal...

Polar bear Out of hibernation to find life tougher at the top of their world.

Attractive and often dangerous, but still in a fight for survival.

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Saints are hardly short on quality in midfield, but that didn’t stop Mauricio Pochettino breaking the club’s transfer record to secure the services of the powerful Kenyan this summer. Wanyama only turned 22 in June, but he arrives from Celtic for a meaty £12.5m and with a lofty reputation as a box-to-box midfielder with more than an eye for goal. His partnership with the classy Morgan Schneiderlin in the centre of the park could well be one to watch.

Stoke City Last season 13th, 42 points

Keep an eye on...

Asmir Begovic

The stat

£88m

Scott Halleran/Getty Images, Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Since 2006-07, Stoke’s net transfer spend is an estimated £88m – the same as Manchester United’s over the same period.

No wonder the coffers are now a bit bare.

If they were an animal...

Gorilla Gruff, hairy, muscular backside (Stoke the Gorilla, that is – not Mark Hughes), but might prove a poor swimmer if the tide of relegation draws near.

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The big issue Is Mark Hughes the answer?

It’s trendy to mock Mark Hughes. Dubbed a “strange man”

by Mohamed Al-Fayed post-Fulham, he seemed hapless during his QPR stint and seems to have a bizarre obsession with signing Roque Santa Cruz. Yet Hughes seems unfairly maligned. Yes, QPR was a disaster, but his record with Blackburn, Fulham and the Wales national team is largely positive (Manchester City is trickier to judge).

At Stoke, however, he faces a near impossible task: taking over from a successful manager and being asked to tweak their brand of football, yet not being given the funds he needs to revamp a squad that desperately requires new blood.

But how badly? Well, put it this way: the favourite to be Stoke’s top scorer this season is the 32-year-old Peter Crouch, who got seven goals in 34 league games in 2012-13. Hughes can rely on Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross at the back, but his signings haven’t set the Potteries alight. Dutch full back Erik Pieters comes in for £3m, while 21-year-old Spanish defender Marc Muniesa is snaffled from Barcelona’s reserves on a free. Let’s hope Hughes gets to invest a little more before the transfer window closes, or the Britannia could be a bleak place for more than just the visitors this season.

When Stoke snapped up young English keeper Jack Butland, it seemed a tacit admission that prize asset Begovic was on his way out. However unless the 26-year-old Bosnian cad has pulled a fast one on Stoke by the time you read this, he looks set to stay.

Relief sweeps the Britannia. Begovic kept 12 clean sheets in the league last season and is a commanding aerial presence. A crucial part of Stoke’s generally miserly defence.

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Liverpool (a) Saturday August 24 Crystal Palace (h) Saturday August 31 West Ham (a)

Prediction

18th

17

Sunderland Last season 17th, 39 points

Keep an eye on...

Cabral

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Fulham (h) Saturday August 24 Southampton (a) Saturday August 31 Crystal Palace (a)

Prediction

17th Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue Will Paolo’s passion be a force for good?

It’s the question everyone’s asking, and easily one of the more compelling threads ahead of the new Premier League season. Just how mad is Paolo Di Canio, and can he remain sane enough to drive Sunderland significantly higher than last season’s dreadful 17th-placed finish?

In truth, no one knows – but we’re going to have a lot of fun finding out, and Di Canio has certainly shown an appetite for the fight in a relatively busy summer of transer activity for the Black Cats. The weighty burden on the shoulders of top goalscorer Steven Fletcher should be eased by the arrival of former Hull forward Jozy Altidore, who has spent the past two seasons tearing up the Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar.

However Di Canio hasn’t left it at that. Emanuele Giaccherini, a £6.5m signing from Juventus, will bring much-needed creativity in behind Fletcher, while the defensive midfielder Cabral and centre half Modibo Diakite will add further steel to a squad that so desperately lost its way under Martin O’Neill.

Successfully integrate the new recruits, while getting the best of out of Lee Cattermole, Adam Johnson and Stephane Sessegnon, and Di Canio will have the makings of a tidy outfit.

Fail, and it may not be long before the wheels come off.

The stat

24 Combined number of Premier League appearances made by goalkeepers Keiren Westwood and Vito Mannone.

The concern is that Simon Mignolet will be much missed.

If they were an animal...

Giant panda No questioning their size or popularity, but spend too much time watching them and you end up wondering why you bothered.

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Or Adilson Tavares Varela, to give him his full name. The Cape Verde-born midfielder has been one of the driving forces behind FC Basel’s recent dominance in the Swiss league and, still only 24, arrives on a free transfer that could prove phenomenal value.

A converted centre half, he will likely operate in a deep midfield role for his new club – but he can play, as he showed with a neat finish in a pre-season win over Tottenham in Hong Kong.

Swansea City Last season 9th, 46 points

Keep an eye on...

Wilfried Bony

The stat

58 Total, combined goals scored last season by Michu (22 in 43 games) and Wilfried Bony (36 in 36 for Vitesse Arnhem). Could be an arousing pairing.

If they were an animal...

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Butterfly Grubbed around as a lowly caterpillar for most of its life, before latterly emerging as a dazzling butterfly.

Elegant to watch, but there has been some flapping this summer.

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The big issue Will new challenges drown the Swans?

Swansea’s miracle progress up the leagues has been done without a sugar daddy chairman or hocking the club’s future to invest. Even now, the club is in the Premier League’s bottom five in terms of salary outlay. However, this is a season of change. Rumours abound that dapper manager Michael Laudrup fell out with chairman Huw Jenkins this summer over the amount invested in the playing staff. It seems Laudrup has got his way, the Swansea squad being beefed up with Wilfried Bony, Jonjo Shelvey and young Spanish defender Jordi Amat, signed for a combined £18m+.

Meanwhile last season’s stars, such as Michu and skipper Ashley Williams, look set to stay. So all is rosy in Swansea’s garden. Yet the team have a tough beginning to the season (Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool are three of their first four league opponents) and, if there is still conflict behind the scenes, a stumbling start won’t help. Plus there’s the introduction of European football, which often disrupts a team’s league progress. A season of fresh challenges, then, but Swansea seem to glide serenely past most new obstacles.

If the new recruits settle in reasonably quickly, another top-10 finish – and yet more eye-catching football – looks likely.

Swansea lacked a topdrawer striker last year, Michu often filling the role (fairly successfully).

For this season, the club have more than doubled their previous transfer record to bring in Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Bony for £12m. Scored a brace on his debut in Swansea’s Europa League qualifier against Malmo, including a trademark springboard header. The 24-year-old is a classy finisher, fast, athletic, with a few tricks. A potential star.

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Manchester United (h) Sunday August 25 Tottenham (a) Saturday August 31 West Brom (a)

Prediction

9th

19

Tottenham Hotspur Last season 5th, 72 points

Keep an eye on...

Roberto Soldado

Opening fixtures Sunday August 18 Crystal Palace (a) Sunday August 25 Swansea (h) Sunday September 1 Arsenal (a)

Prediction

5th Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue How smart is old iron balls Levy being?

We know that chairman Daniel Levy drives a hard bargain.

What many can’t agree on is whether this benefits or works against Tottenham. He certainly extracts the maximum fee for a player, but often at the cost of having time to adequately replace them. At time of press, it appears as though Gareth Bale is Real Madrid-bound at some point, with Levy doing an expert job in ramping the price up. However, this gives boss Andre Villas-Boas scant time to plan for the upcoming season, unsure of the state of play with his stand-out player.

Not that we’d call Spurs a one-man team. Hugo Lloris is a dynamic young sweeper-keeper, Mousa Dembele has showed his adaptable midfield class, while Sandro and Younes Kaboul will be like the proverbial ‘new signings’ back from injury. An actual new signing – the £17m box-to-box Brazilian Paulinho – should be an upgrade on the ageing legs of Scott Parker, while Lewis Holtby will be better for a pre-season with the team.

It’s a strong squad, then, but Bale has reached the level of irreplaceable. Spurs have the manager, set-up and even most of the players to kick on, but if Bale is either long gone or a discontented presence, the gaping hole he leaves could thwart Tottenham’s top-four ambitions once more.

The stat

2 Beginning a second consecutive season with a club for the very first time in his short coaching career, Andre Villas-Boas must relish not having to spend pre-season meeting a whole new squad.

If they were an animal...

Leopard A sleek, athletic beast – but there are bigger cats out there. Has to contend with wealthy poachers coming after it every damn summer.

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With Emmanuel Adebayor in what we’ll call ‘full-contract mode’ for most of last season, Spurs regularly lacked a focal point for their attacks. The man to provide that is £26m record signing Roberto Soldado. The Spain striker is an ideal outlet for Andre Villas-Boas’ side: quick, mobile, alert and a lethal finisher (he has scored more than one in two for former club Valencia and the national team). Hits a smashing volley, too.

West Brom Last season 8th, 49 points

Keep an eye on...

Youssouf Mulumbu

The stat

Steve Bardens/Getty Images, Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

123 Career Premier League goals scored by new signing Nicolas Anelka, putting him joint 12th (with Jermain Defoe and Dwight Yorke) on the all-time list.

If they were an animal...

Mountain goat Belies humble outward appearance to handle tricky heights with surprising style, surviving on relatively meagre rations in a world of plenty.

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The big issue How do they do any better?

In the three seasons since their latest return to the Premier League, West Brom have finished 11th, 10th and eighth.

That represents a spectacular effort from a club with one of the lowest budgets in the division, but with chairman Jeremy Peace continuing to preach financial common sense over wayward ambition, the challenge now facing manager Steve Clarke is how to find any more progress from a squad of no little quality but questionable depth.

The return of last season’s loan star Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea is a blow, but the tireless Shane Long – one of the most underrated strikers in the league – will continue to give defences plenty to think about. The recruitment of Nicolas Anelka – now 34, but with the class to compensate for his ageing limbs – should prove a shrewd move, while the axis of Youssouf Mulumbu and Claudio Yacob at the heart of the midfield gives the Baggies the kind of steely core teams need to thrive in this physically demanding league. Injuries to any of these key players (chuck Ben Foster and Jonas Olsson in there as well), however, and Clarke could find himself looking over his shoulder. With two winnable home ties in the club’s opening three fixtures, a good start is absolutely crucial.

There won’t be many Premier League players with five Us in their name, but the Congolese midfielder brings much more than that to the Baggies’ midfield.

Strong, athletic and composed in possession, he is perhaps the closest thing West Brom will ever have to Patrick Vieira (the Arsenal version).

At 26, he should now be nearing his peak – which means the contract extension he signed this summer is great news for a club he joined in 2009.

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Southampton (h) Saturday August 24 Everton (a) Saturday August 31 Swansea (h)

Prediction

13th

21

West Ham Last season 10th, 46 points

Keep an eye on...

Mohamed Diame

Opening fixtures Saturday August 17 Cardiff (h) Saturday August 24 Newcastle (a) Saturday August 31 Stoke (h)

Prediction

8th Join now at thesun.co.uk

The big issue

The stat

Can the Hammers rely on sweet Carroll-line?

100

Co-owner David Sullivan says signing another striker alongside Andy Carroll is his top transfer priority, given that the Hammers’ approach with their £15m record buy tends to be something of a one-dimensional, direct line.

Without their 24-year-old battering ram last season, West Ham looked toothless. With him, it was a refinement of the Bolton and Stoke variation of strong-arming the opposition into submission to the stage that they would not even bother to challenge Carroll, relying instead on winning the second ball.

At least Sam Allardyce is pragmatic. Forget the Academy of Football rubbish – the last time West Ham played like that was under Gianfranco Zola, which didn’t end well.

The question, then, is whether they can keep Carroll fit. He is currently recovering from a foot injury and will likely miss the start of the campaign. That in itself is no disaster. The Cockney Boys were untroubled by relegation last season because the teams around them were markedly worse/engulfed in behind-the-scenes farce and because the fixtures computer did them a solid turn, allowing Big Sam’s team to take 11 points from their first six games. Mr Nicey Fixtureson has done it again: Tottenham away, on October 5, is their first real test.

Top-flight substitute appearances by Joe Cole. The five others to rise from the bench 100+ times are Louis Saha (101), Ryan Giggs (104), Jermain Defoe (116), Kanu (118) and Shola Ameobi (126).

If they were an animal...

Giraffe Survives as strength up front allows it to reach heights others cannot. Engages in combat with long neck used as a weapon.

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Few players at the Boleyn are capable of those bottled lightning moments for which you put up with cold, turgid November nights watching your team.

Diame tended to reserve it for the big boys last season: jinking through the Arsenal defence to arch one into the top corner and whipping a daisy-cutter from the edge of the area in the 2-2 with Manchester United. The athletic tank’s absence was felt keenly when he spent six weeks out with a hamstring injury.

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Goals footage is near live with goals available shortly after being scored except for footage from matches on Saturday from 2.45pm, this is due to UEFA restrictions. Footage from these matches will be available from approximately 5.30pm Saturday. Sun+ Goals is available in the UK only.