The 2011 Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United this Saturday has the makings of something truly spectacular. Arguably the two best clubs in the world, this rematch of the 2009 Champions League final (which saw the Catalan giants win 2-0) will be the pinnacle of the season for both sides – and a career-defining moment for most of the players involved. It will also demonstrate how prestigious the Champions League is, and exhibit to Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal what they can look forward to next season.
Tottenham Hotspur have had what can be considered a successful season. They finished fifth in the Premier League as well as reaching the quarter-final stages of the Champions League. However, they will not feature in the competition next season. As a matter of fact, next season there will be six Premier League teams – Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool - all with the same ambition; to make it back into the Champions League. But of course, six into four does not go.
So with the emergence of other Premier League teams vying for the competition after several years of the top four more or less deciding itself, what does each side have to do to give themselves the best opportunity to reach the Champions League in 2012?
Manchester United
Now statistically the most successful English club of all time after picking up their nineteenth Premier League title last weekend (albeit with the lowest winning points total since 1999) Alex Ferguson has proven that with himself at the helm of this club, Manchester United will always be a huge threat in both domestic and European football.
However, with influential veterans such as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs coming towards the end of their careers, Ferguson must ensure that his new, developing breed of Red Devils possess the same hunger and desire as former Manchester United greats did. He has the ability to get the best out of young, upcoming players and has been able to do this throughout his managerial career. A good example of this is Javier Hernández who has been a revelation in his debut season and scored twenty goals in all competitions.
Manchester United have not finished outside the top three since the Premier League began; a trend which they will hope to continue into next season. It is hard to imagine them not qualifying for the Champions League in 2012. If they win the final on Saturday, they become not only the team to beat in England, but in the world.
Manchester City
The noisy neighbours at Eastlands can be proud of a successful season following a third placed finish in the Premier League as well as winning the FA Cup against Stoke City. Roberto Mancini has now set the precedent by guiding his team into the Champions League and this will surely now be expected for the foreseeable future.
Manchester City are a team on the up and have quality in depth in most areas of their squad. They are also the richest football club in the world, and it could be argued that they were able to finish third because they did not have the distraction of the Champions League themselves this season. In spite of this, what Mancini has achieved should not be undervalued. The Italian has overcome huge media pressure at times this season when results have not gone favourably. He has lost key players for extended periods of time this season. He has ridden the waves of inconsistency offered by some Manchester City performance. But in spite of that, he has done what was required of him this season; finish in the top four in the Premier League.
However, the seemingly impending departure of Carlos Tevez will be a huge loss. Edin Dzeko has struggled to find the net this season and although Mario Balotelli has shown glimmers of brilliance, Mancini will need to find a quick replacement for the Tevez should he leave the club. Another problem will be keeping individual players happy; an abundance of finance is one thing, but will Mancini be able to guarantee all his star players, as well as potential summer signings, the desired amount of game time?
Manchester City reaching the top four next season seems quite likely, although the job Roberto Mancini has on his hands should by no means be underestimated.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur were unable to qualify for next season’s Champions League following a fifth placed finish in the Premier League. It is a shame because Spurs played some of their finest football of the season in the Champions League against Inter Milan, AC Milan and Young Boys before eventually being comprehensively beaten by Real Madrid.
Harry Redknapp faces a huge challenge to reach the Champions League next season and has without a doubt the biggest challenge ahead of him among the other five teams mentioned here. Firstly, Spurs qualified for the Europa League but it may act as more of a burden if they aim to achieve highly in said tournament – whilst hoping for a top four finish in the Premier League - simply due to the demanding amount of extra games involved.
Secondly, Tottenham will not only have to try to keep hold of their best players this summer but also look to bolster certain areas of depth by attracting at least four or five top quality players to the club. With Spurs not being in the Champions League next season, this may be easier said than done. Players like Luka Modric and Rafael Van Der Vaart will be difficult to keep at White Hart Lane after both enjoyed fantastic seasons with the club. Redknapp will also be keen to bring in a prolific goal scorer after Spurs managed just 55 goals this season – the lowest of any team in the top six.
Whilst it was no fluke that Spurs did finish fourth in 2010, they certainly face an uphill struggle to achieve such heights next season. Out of these six sides, on paper, they are the least likely to manage to do so.
Chelsea
Chelsea were at one stage in a fantastic position to overtake Manchester United after a fantastic run which saw them within three points of their rivals, but ended up winning no silverware this season. Despite finishing second in the Premier League, it was not enough for manager Carlo Ancelotti to keep his job at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea seem to be at a fork in the road. One the one hand, it appears that perhaps all Chelsea need is the right manager to get them back on track in terms of the race for the title. On the other, they could be heading towards a transition phase. Key players like Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka are all at least 32 years old and getting to the end of, or are past, their prime. Also, Fernando Torres has struggled since arriving at the club, and his future could be in doubt as he is a player who tends to individually thrive under certain managers, as can be seen from his time at Liverpool.
There is still a high level of player quality at Chelsea and it may just be that the right man in charge is needed – former manager Guus Hiddink has been linked with the role although this may just be mere speculation and the media filling in the blanks.
It is difficult to predict whether Chelsea will do better or worse next season than they did this year, but they should make the top four in the Premier League next season so long as they continue to get the best out of their current key players.
Liverpool
The turnaround at this club since the arrival of Kenny Dalglish has been astonishing. Liverpool were floundering in twelfth place in the Premier League when the Scotsman arrived in January after Roy Hodgson’s unsuccessful stint in charge. The Merseyside club soon went on a terrific run picking up 33 points in eighteen games towards the end of the season, at one stage giving themselves a viable shot at fifth place. The owners made the right choice in making Dalglish their permanent manager.
With Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez signing for the club at the start of the year, Liverpool seem to be heading the right direction with the right kind of players. On paper, this has been an unsuccessful season for Liverpool – but fans will be feeling optimistic about their club’s next campaign.
Liverpool are in a good position to get back into the Champions League in 2012 because they are back to winning ways under a manager who, like Ferguson, knows how to get the best out of his players. They should be looking at finishing fifth at an absolute minimum next year.
Arsenal
It really is a wonder how Arsenal ended up winning no silverware this year. They were in the running for four different competitions at the end of February, but a late defeat to Birmingham in the Carling Cup saw their season spiral out of control. They were eliminated from the Champions League by Barcelona before losing in the FA Cup final to Arsenal in the space of a week, before slipping down the league table and finishing fourth – meaning that they now must qualify to even get into the group stages of the Champions League this season.
The problem this season with Arsenal is twofold. Firstly, they are at risk of losing key players as a result of failing to win a trophy for the fifth consecutive year. Cesc Fabregas is constantly linked with a move to Barcelona, and offers are likely to come in for Robin Van Persie after a superb season for the Gunners. Secondly, several of their big name players are too inconsistent. Andrei Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner simply have not been good enough this season when called upon.
While Arsenal have a tendency to struggle in big games against the top sides, they also tend to go on runs in the Premier League when they are absolutely unstoppable. But they are heavily reliant on a couple of key players as mentioned above, and with their next domestic campaign likely to contain more “big games” than ever before, they will need several individuals to perform better than they did last season – or invest in new talent. Will that be enough to maintain a top four spot in the Premier League – and if not, what happens to Arsene Wenger after that?
Based on how the teams currently stand, here is my forecast for next season:
1. Manchester United
2. Manchester City
3. Liverpool
4. Chelsea
----------------------------------
5. Arsenal
6. Tottenham Hotspur
Of course, this is all based on how teams are looking now – and next season is a whole summer away, during which time all six of these clubs will be looking to make changes to give themselves in the best opportunity to achieve as much success as is possible.
Feel free to comment whether you agree or disagree.
Great piece Si! I think a very appropriate especially with the impending final tonight! I would have to say that out of the teams you have mentioned I would argue that Man Utd are the only team guaranteed Champions league qualification; with the stability at the club at the moment and the possibility for all those around them to lose players and their respected managers if things don’t go the way the fans and owners desire. However I think with the emergence of Spurs and Man City, the top four places have really been shaken up, and looks like it could be a changing of the guard.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool out of the current 6 would be the outfit most likely to struggle next year, having failed to qualify for even the UEFA cup they will struggle to bring in the quality players needed to compete at the higher echelons of the Premier League. Saying that, Spurs will struggle to mount a successful campaign in the League with the distractions of the seemingly awkward UEFA cup and its insane Thursday night fixtures. In addition to this, the extra revenue and the prestige of the Champions League will mean the other 4 teams ahead of them will be able to lure the superior players who want to play in the Champions League.
With Man City the possibility of imploding seems all too possible, I don’t think Mancini has full control of his squad (the best example being Ballotelli) and already this season just passed it seemed as though he was only one game away from getting the sack. Now Arsenal and Chelsea are the more thoroughbred out of the remaining teams, depending on who Chelsea get to take over (with my money on Hiddink) they could possibly be the team to challenge United for the title, or if Abramovich continues with his infatuation of the Champions League as he did this season, they could end up dropping places.
The most settled of the challengers would have to be Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger in charge of the club for 14 years and a contract until 2014 they are unlikely to experience many dramas. Nevertheless, with a sustained run without silverware rumblings around the Emirates last year could again re-emerge with a poor start and a lack of top quality signings over the summer. Table for me 1. Man Utd, 2. Aresenal, 3. Chelsea, 4. Man City, 5. Liverpool, 6. Spurs.
A very good piece and a very daring one at the same time! Predicting the table for the season lying ahead of us, just after the end of one season.
ReplyDelete