Bet Enthusiast Report – English Premier League
The new season of the English Premier League is being described by one media outlet with a vested interest in it’s appeal as the most competitive for many years. However, its about 1/8 that the winner will be one of Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea but how we get to that conclusion should provide plenty of intrigue and excitement over the next months.
The 2013-14 campaign is being hyped up on the back of the fact that the three main contenders have new managers, with the bookmaker’s indicating that it is Manuel Pellegrini at City who will have the most success. The Special One is back at Chelsea and David Moyes follows the retired Sir Alex Ferguson into the manager’s job at Old Trafford.
From a betting perspective only the bigger hitters will be interested in risking a hundred quid to win less than 13 but even such a short price may represent some betting value as no other side has the financial resources to finish higher than the three richest clubs. Even the race for fourth place may follow a familiar pattern as Arsenal look the best equipped to claim the last Champions League spot.
Manchester City are the favourites to win the Premier League but they will have to show significant improvement on their efforts of last season. The whole club seemed to have gone stale under Roberto Mancini and in looking for holistic improvements the club have appointed Pellegrini.
Apparently City are the richest club in the world and another 100 million pound has been spent on the project during the summer. The baggage associated with Mario Balotetlli and Carlos Tevez is no longer an issue and the players that have been recruited will add the pace and directness that was missing last season.
Regardless of events on and off the field this season Jose Mourinho will probably have more column inches devoted to him than any other character, player, manager or chairman. He always seemed likely to return to Chelsea but only he knows whether his preferred appointment on his return to English football would be that huge job in Manchester.
Mourinho is still looking to do business with United and has said he is determined to sign Wayne Rooney. The player was not in the United squad for the Community Shield match last Sunday but was fit enough to figure in England’s match against Scotland.
Moyes has the toughest job in following the most successful manager in the history of British football. Not only did Ferguson “knock Liverpool off their perch” but he was the only manager in living memory to seriously challenge the Celtic and Rangers duopoly in Scotland when manager of Aberdeen in the 1980’s.
The ex-Everton boss has already won a trophy but the Community Shield is fifth in the club’s list of priorities. More telling could be his gaffe in publically stating that in effect he thought Robin Van Persie was a better player than Rooney. He might believe that to be the case but it was unwise to express such an opinion to the press and his words have made Rooney more determined not to play for the club again.
United would become weaker relative to one of their main rivals for the title if Rooney moves to Chelsea. These moves tend to happen in English football so it might be better for United to accept it now which would give them more time to find a replacement. A deal right at the end of the transfer window would put more pressure on Moyes to sign a replacement.
Liverpool are facing a similar dilemma with regards Luis Suarez. The player seems to want to move away but Liverpool are reluctant for him to depart just before the transfer window closes as identifying an alternative would be more difficult at the end of August. They made a major blunder when rushed into signing Andy Carroll from Newcastle in similar circumstances.
Liverpool and Suarez seem to have reached an impasse whereby Brendan Rodgers doesn’t want to select him until he has apologise for his attitude in recent weeks and the player refuses to acknowledge that he has done or said anything that warrants contrition. Even so you can sympathise with Liverpool supporters who have continued to support the player who could still move to another English club despite bemoaning his treatment by the British media.
Transfer speculation is also dominating Tottenham’s preparation for the new season. The focus of the media attention is Gareth Bale whose future seems to be at Real Madrid at some stage. Again it would be better for the club to endorse the move soon so they have a significant amount of time to spend the 85 million pounds they will receive for Bale’s services.
Tottenham finished fifth last season and but for two sloppy draws at home they would have qualified for the Champions League, in which case Bale would be more likely to stay. However, they lost out to Arsenal in the race for the lucrative fourth position and their prospects this season will be based on how they spend the money from Bale’s move to Madrid.
Arsenal have never failed to qualify for the Champions League with Arsene Wenger as their manager. It’s a much quoted fact that they have not won a trophy since 2005 but they now appear to be stronger financially than at any time over the last eight years during which spell they had the major expense of moving to a new stadium
Wenger apparently has money to spend but as yet there have been no significant arrivals. Several young players are now on long term contracts and given an injury free season for Jack Wilshire qualifying for the Champions League is again a realistic target. However Arsenal will not win the league as the title is destined for one of the three major clubs that have recruited new managers ahead of the 2013-14 season.
Ian Hudson
Bet Enthusiast
http://go.betfan.com/1000/127
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