Eleven things to look forward to this Premier League season

Daniel Storey

Two more empty days! Keep those mails coming to theeditor@football365.com…

Eleven things to look forward to this season
There are many things to look forward for new season but i just want some of these to come true:

1. Morata to have a great season. He is decent striker and with all the experts behind his life it will fun to watch them eating their words.

2. City to continue similar to last year – it was joy to watch them.

3. Liverpool with all their talent and bloody good manager to give a great fight to City.

4. Mourinho to continue complaining and then get fired and new manager starts playing united with their real potential

5. Hazard to have brilliant season, he is joy to watch.

6. Arsenal improving and finishing above spurs . Will teach Levy also a lesson that you can’t keep things same when everyone around you is trying to improve.

7. Rafa to motivate Newcastle to safety and hopefully somebody buys them from Mr Ashley

8. Somebody from newly promoted teams to have a season like Zaha had last year.

9. Bielsa to get Leeds promoted

10. Lots of goals and some blunders .

11. hopefully very few boring 0-0

Thanks.
Hitesh

 

Manchester United becoming ‘one of the rest’
After finally having recovered from the pre-season-inducing coma that was served up, I think it’s time for a reality check at United. TLDR: We’re broken and it’s going to end badly.

First: Mourinho is a whining git who I absolutely despise but he’s absolutely correct to feel like the club hierarchy are clueless. Opposition fans and the media tout the money that’s been spent at United but ignore how it’s been spent. Jose basically received no credit whatsoever for coming 2nd last season, because he was expected to compete with City.

Why? I’m not sure. Pep has not only spent significantly more from a better starting point, he’s also signed over 20 players since he joined, Jose has so far gotten in nine. Pep has been able to try out Bravo, establish it’s not working and bring in Ederson. Not to mention a full sweep of new full back to play with.

Jose has told Darmian, Rojo, Shaw, Mata, Blind, Rooney, probably Smalling and now Martial that they can leave, and presumably figured they would and the funds would be his to improve the squad. Instead we got a pack of crisps for Rooney, 50p for Blind and everyone else is still there and unhappy, getting paid massive wages. It’s not his job to get rid of these players.

Second: Mourinho is a whining git who I absolutely despise and he’s simply unable to create a team able to play positive football. There have been two exceptions in his career: peak Chelsea when the rest of the league was garbage (United competing against Essien, Makelele and Lampard with O’Shea and Giggs) and Real Madrid where the team was so good (Ronaldo in particular) that I could have managed them to 100 goals.

As noted in the mailbox, Jose is best at taking an ‘underdog’, making them organised and jammy. That’s not good enough for United fans. We’re spoiled and insufferable and demand better. This pre-season is literally the worst 3/4 hours of football I’ve ever seen from United. Worse than any other pre-season, even when we’d lose. It was embarrassing. And the worse things are going, the more negative Jose plays.

Third: There is no easy answer. City’s wealth will continue to distort the league, and have an enviable setup which should enable dominance for at least another 5 years. Liverpool should easily overtake United this season, have a plan and a manager that fits their goals. So United will finish behind both of its rivals.

Raiola is already hawking around Pogba and fair enough – he’ll move and probably become one of the top 5 players in the world. And with prices in the post-Neymar age, United have shown themselves unable or unwilling to compete. Jose will explode, causing us to replace him mid-season at a huge cost. There is no clear up and coming manager out there, and if there was, Ed f*cking Woodward probably wouldn’t have heard of him.

United will not fade into obscurity – our wage bill is too high for that – but no longer will we be differentiated from Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. And I honestly don’t think the owners will mind one bit.
Ryan (cheerful on a Tuesday), Bermuda

I’m so miserable
It’s barely 72 hours to the start of the EPL season but for the first time since I started following Man Utd in 1999, I am not looking forward to it.

Seems my love for football reduced after my country, Nigeria exited the World Cup and after my second team, England, which I supported wholeheartedly also got eliminated. I supported England if not for anything, at least for bringing so much entertainment to our TV screens via the EPL(even almost at the detriment of its own football)….

Anyway, back to my misery, all thanks to Mr Jose, I now suffer from FD, footballite dysfunction. The enthusiasm is gone. United look terrible to watch, no great signings yet and to cap it all, seems the coach himself has already thrown in the towel even before the first round.

I just hope I find the passion back when Man Utd square up against Leicester City.
Jeffrey Abu, Lagos

 

Make the swap deal happen
Should Spurs swap Alderweireld for Martial (or Chelsea do the same with Willian) – actually yes.

The negative impact is two direct games against a rival (Spurs vs ManU), the positive impact is 36 games for your now stronger rival taking extra points off everyone else, thus benefiting you.

Bottom line – If you’re not using good players, you’re best letting them do damage for a direct rival, than keeping them off the pitch and out of the game.
Matthew (ITFC)

 

Some preseason predictions (can you tell he’s a Liverpool fan? ‘Best inspiring team’ made us laugh)
Champions: Liverpool. Although City are viewed as head and shoulders better than any other club in the division. Liverpool have built a fine spine to the team and should push on from last season if Mane, Salah, Firmino and Sturridge all stay fit and score goals. Naby Keita in midfield will allow for Sturridge in a different formation instead of just plan A. I’m a Liverpool fan and think we are very close. Too close to not acknowledge a title tilt is not at least expected.

REST OF THE TOP FOUR: Man City, Spurs and Arsenal in that order. City had more players actually playing in the latter stages of the World Cup than Liverpool and this will lead to fatigue latter in the season. Spurs in third for me. They have been second for a few seasons now and a slip out of the Top 4 is unlikely

Arsenal to just nick fourth place over Utd. I’m afraid this is the season the meltdown starts for Mourinho and the parked bus will have lots of Man Utd players found dead underneath it as Mourinho hits the nuclear meltdown button due to the weight of expectation getting to him. Remember he thinks it is unfair other team’s spend money and his club don’t get a walk to silverware through financial dominance etc.

OVERACHIEVERS: Crystal Palace. They finish sixth (6th!). Although I don’t rate Roy highly as a manager if they keep hold of Zaha and add Ings this is achievable.

UNDERACHIEVERS: Man Utd. As previously stated the manager of said football club is used to heavy investment in his XI and squad each year greater than the competitors in a given league. Man City have spent; Liverpool have spent; Spurs have developed players and Arsenal are eventually fixing the holes in their ship.

TOP SCORER: Aubameyang (34 goals). This was my gut with Salah and Kane of course pushing him hard.

Assist King: Naby Keita… He will get loads of them.

Best Player of the season: Naby Keita. Just think this guy will help Liverpool dominate matches. The new Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson will be the finest in the PL next season; but keeper’s don’t win awards in general?

Young player of the season: Someone new?

Best manager: Jurgen Klopp

Best Inspiring Team: Liverpool

Best Uninspiring Team: Man United

Best Signing: Alisson Becker will make David De Gea et al look like schoolboys!

Worst Signing: Fred (Man Utd) he will be thrown under a Mourinho parked bus.

Teams to be relegated: Southampton, Huddersfield and Cardiff City.
Dan (Liverpool tinted specs and hopes and dreams)

 

And Everton predictions
Seeing as it’s prediction time, thought I’d change it up a little. I’m interested in the other teams (outside of my own) and people’s hopes and concerns for their own team. Be nice to get a few of these from clubs outside the top 6 – get a wider scope of team opinions. I’ll kick it off with my team Everton.

Where they’ll finish: 7th. Silva will steady things but still won’t get near the mini league at the top.

Cup Run: Semis in the League Cup. 4th Round in the FA Cup.

Player of the Year: Pickford again. Given how ropey the defense looks he’ll be called into action a bit; and the boy knows how to make a save.

Top Goalscorer: Cenk Tosun. Richarlison may come close, but Tosun is clearly first choice striker and does know where the net is.

Best New Signing (including players you think you’ll sign this week): Richarlison. It’s a lot of money, maybe too much, but I do think he will actually be good.

Breakout Season: Kieran Dowell. Oozes class and if he can become consistent will be a bloody star…and probably sign for City in 2020.

How Long the Manager will Last: All season. Does actually look like Everton are trying to slowly build something here.

Player Who Unexpectedly Drops Out of the First Team Picture: Leighton Baines. I love that man but it’s almost time and soon enough it’ll be him challenging for Digne’s spot.

Best Goal: Sigurdsson will pull out something ridiculous at some point.

Bogey Team they Won’t be Able to Beat: Watford. And they’ll be bloody happy about it too!

Team they’ll Beat When they Shouldn’t: Hmm. Been pretty pants against the top 6. Maybe Utd with a dodgy pen in a drab affair.

Most ‘Sorely Missed’ Player: Theo will play a few great games, pull something and be out for half the season.

What Gary Lineker Will Be Most Impressed By: Players who run fast and toward the goal.

What Graeme Souness Will Get Most Angry About: Expecting to win games without a solid defense or discipline. I actually expect him to be physically in pain at some of the things the defense will do.

Ok. I’ll leave it there. Let me know yours.
Will Wymant, EFC

 

Don’t keep underestimating Vardy
Rob, I think you are massively underestimating Vardy’s importance at Leicester. Whilst Kasper, Maguire and Ndidi had good seasons last year, it was Vardy that dragged us into the top 10.

Yes he’s getting older but he has yet to show any sign of decline. He is still our best player and it would be utter madness to try to transition away from him. Without him we would likely be relegated.
Joel (The less said about Puel’s “possession football” the better)

 

Code: 574919-257648
I know you guys tend not to talk about fantasy football, which is fair enough because it is a massive distraction from actual football… But I am sure that 99% of the mailboxers play. So I am wondering if there is a football365 mailbox league that has been set up.

If so can F365 send out a code in a little editor response to this mail? Or can someone set one up and send a code?

Would love to see who Peter G and co are backing for their teams.
James Warren