Liverpool FC Forum

[big al]

OK GUYS Who will win the title this year.  The way i see it there are 4 contenders.

1. Arsenal, lots of young players, new stadium means increased home crowds( they will see the financial benefits of that next season) but for this season they should do very well.  I think they have the most astute manager in the league fianancially that is (never did get over Anelka, bought for 1, sold for 15 million that is) Anyway bis surprise champions league finalists.  But are in my book still lacking a little could surprise many but I think 3rd
2. Chelsea, the champions. Have bought big so far, ( by the way I think that Enlgand failed so miserably against Portugal because Frank Lampart has physcological problems.  The lad knows his career is in trouble at chelsea with the arrival of Ballack.  I feel soory or the lad.  But he's F+++ED)  They are the team to beat.  But their weakness is their arogant manager.  if he fails to win the Champions league this season he too like Lampard is F***ED. However they should win. 1st
3.  Man utd  A team in complete and utter disarray.  yet they stiil won second place last year.  Are going to start this season in complete disarray again.  ( Have by the way in my book the most hateful polayer in football, no not Ronaldo, but Heinze, well in second thoughts they have a toss up for the two most hated players in football.  Anyway I put them 4th.
2. Livverpool.  The best thing about Liverpool these days is the lack of predicability. We used to know they'd be sh*t and they were. now we don't know what we will get. I Think Rafa is An exceptional manager with still so much to prove.  We could win the title this year but my head says 2nd

Now I know many of you will think this premature but unless  Arsenal, Man U , Liverpool or someone else gets Chelsea's moneys this is the way I see it!

What do You Think?

[Kukilon]

1. Chelsea
2. Liverpool
3. Arsenal
4. Tottenham

I hope we will be able to challenge Chelsea but I doubt it. Arsenal will be really dangerous this season since most of their players have matured and they have also made som class reinforcements. Ljungberg is the only one on the way down in my opinion.

United will have a complete season and finish somewhere between 4-7 place.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Although it is difficult to tell since there is still 6 weeks for players to leave and arrive, this is how it stands at the moment in my opinion:

Arsenal: Still a very good side but have lost so many good experienced players over the last 2/3 years, people may laugh at the like of Keown, Parlour, Wiltord, Kanu, etc, but they were experienced Premiership players who knew how to come in an do a good job. Add to that the exit of the majestic Patrick Viera, and now Sol Cambell, and they are looking vulnerable in my opinion. The physical state of Henry is also an issue, last year it was clearly noticeable that he was tiring much quicker towards the ends of games, he is 28 now and is carrying a long standing achilles injury. They haven’t enough experienced Premiership players to mount a serious challenge to Chelsea. Their central midfield is too week in my opinion, while Cesc is a talented player, he is overrated, and is physically not ideal for a Premiership central midfielder, up until February he is very average, their only option is to use a 3 man central midfield on certain occasions when playing against better or more physical sides. In terms of the stadium, it wont be a few years until they start seeing the finical rewards in terms of transfer funds. Overall I feel Arsenal would need to buy about 3 first team players in order to mount a serious challenge.

Chelsea: They are too strong, they have added 2 world class players to their first team and no other club in the WORLD can afford to sustain the wage bill of 24 man squad of that quality. They already have a very strong base and it looks like they will keep Gallas (a vital player). I can see them winning the Premiership.

Man Utd: They are still a very good side. Their biggest issue is the central midfield, if Fergie went out and got a top quality central midfield partnership they could mount a challenge. But now they have the issue of RVN leaving, he is going to be very hard to replace, but they do have a basis of a quality team.

Liverpool: Our squad is stronger and more balance than it has ever been. We have quality competition all over the pitch, and if we can add a quality right winger and a quality striker to our first team I think we will be the closest to Chelsea.

My money is on the top 4 being this:

Chelsea
Liverpool
Man Utd
Arsenal



I think Arsenal and Man Utd losing Campbell and RVN has given us a boost, both are proven top quality Premiership players. Last season we made huge strides but we mustn’t forgot how fortunate we were with injuries from November onwards. I would be happy if we came second, achieved 85+ points and gave Chelsea a real run for their money (excuse the pun), we need Chelsea to look over their shoulders for most of the season, they need to know their in a fight. If things go to plan I think we can make a genuine challenge for the title come the 2007/2008 season.

[Ciggy]

1. Chelsea
2. Liverpool
3. Arsenal
4. Tottenham

United will have a complete season and finish somewhere between 4-7 place.

  I know United are going through a bit of a translation period but you actually think Spurs will finish abive them
Mind you you''ve just said Bellamy will score 25 goals for us this season and Alonso will score 10, pass us the crack pipe lad.

[big al]

Cool Hand sorry mate but I actually splattered the computer with wine when I saw Keown's name as an Arsenal elite. 

[Bman]

  I know United are going through a bit of a translation period but you actually think Spurs will finish abive them

                                                                        ^^^^^^
What are they all having problems communicating with eachother

[The Manhattan Project]

1- Chelsea
2- Liverpool
3- Arsenal
4- Man Utd
5- Tottenham

[Ciggy]

  I know United are going through a bit of a translation period but you actually think Spurs will finish abive them

                                                                        ^^^^^^
What are they all having problems communicating with eachother

Spelling mistake, whats your beef with me hey? Your always at it 

[Bman]

Spelling mistake, whats your beef with me hey? Your always at it 

WTF, always at it ?

FFS it was a joke, what happened to all this "British" humour you went on about the other day ? 

[Kev Huyton 2006]

It's aready been said, but second is the best we can hope for, this term.

Chelsea signing Ballack and schevchenko is a worry, maybe nesta also, but they still have to "perform" and meet the required standard as last season.

Finishing above Man Utd is our goal.

If we did finish above chelsea it wold mean 1st place. but a  big ask.

this is due to the transfer trends of both clubs.

How consistent can liverpool be? ? ?

[jonnymac1979]

THIS IS AN OLD POST OF MINE FROM ABOUT A MONTH AGO.  I STILL STAND BY WHAT I SAID.

I don't know if this is just me but I'm saying it anyway.

Am I the only one in thinking that Chelsea are going to have two to three top or world class players in every position (barring full backs probably), who will simply not play every game causing disharmony on the training ground and in the dressing room? 

And ultimately a lack of match fitness for the players concerned?  They have a squad of about thirty players who will be used to playing every game for their clubs, not being squad rotated like they will be next season and certainly not playing under a manager as egotistical as Mourinho.

I can't help but think that last season was not as satisfying for Chelsea as their first title triumph was.  Firstly, too much of a walk in the park, secondly, losing in the Champions League and FA Cup to their bitterest rivals lately in Barcelona and Liverpool; also count Lampards ordinary form compared to his superhuman consistency the year before.

Added to all this are the murmurings about Abramovich going over Mourinho's head over Chelsea's transfer policy (he wants Crespo to stay, Mourinho isn't convinced entirely, Ballack and Shevchenko were deals orchestrated by the Russian we're led to believe...).  Mourinho's comments in their title celebrations suggest that he nearly quit managing Chelsea twice last season.  Count the fact he complains that the media do not recognise his managing talents because of the monetary advantage Chelsea have when signing players over other clubs.  Stamford Bridge is not the Garden of Eden their playing staff and their fickle fans make out it is.

Having stated that, they will all in all probably win the Premier League next season.  Not a bold statement is it?  But I'm just saying that it will not be a stroll for Mourinho and Chelsea. 

Tally up Chelsea's midfielders who they simply cannot afford to leave out of their side.  They're stocked to the gills with them.  Makelele, Duff, Robben, Wright-Phillips, Cole, Lampard, Essien, Ballack and to a lesser point Geremi who usually fills in at right-back.  I would guess that Duff, Essien and Wright Phillips would be the scapegoats here.  That's a problem for them.  All top class players who will become unsettled perhaps.

It's going to be interesting to see who loses out between Makelele, Ballack and Lampard.  I think you can get at Chelsea if you get at Makelele, so if he's the scapegoat, they will be vulnerable.  Lampard is their talisman, a favourite of the manager and did they really need Ballack?  It's documented Manchester United were in for him so they could have signed him on that basis to stop a rival acquiring him.  It's not beneath Chelsea to do that I'm sure (Wright-Phillips springs to mind), Ballack seems like a bit of a mercenary "in-it-for-the-money" type according to bitter reports from Germany, but it could be a case of square pegs in round holes trying to accommodate their massive squad into eleven positions.

Shevchenko hasn't kicked a ball for them yet obviously.  Drogba won't like it certainly.  The signing raises the point seeing if Shevchenko can play up on his own (I'm more than certain for £31 million quid that he can), or are Chelsea suited to playing Drogba who is certainly effective for them?  This conundrum then takes you back to playing a flooded midfield of five (including Makelele sitting deep and Drogba up front leaving Shevchenko out) or a midfield of four with Crespo and Shevchenko in attack who as we already know are a proven partnership, (leaving Drogba and two from Essien, Makelele, Ballack or Lampard out - they can't all play as Chelsea rely on wingers too much).  Leaving more noses out of joint in midfield.

This strategy Chelsea are pursuing is Real Madrid's 'Galactico' experiment six years down the line.  I'm no expert but I don't see how you can motivate thirty multi-millionaires when they know in all likelihood they will be sitting on the bench for 30-35% of their teams games during a season.

What I'm saying is don't make the mistake of thinking Chelsea are unbeatable.  Surely Liverpool have proven that in the last two years?  Some people are giving up before a ball has been kicked.  We just happen to have a manager who coped with this kind of disadvantage successfully in Spain and walked away with two Primera Ligas.  Never give up.

[weringo]

Mind you you''ve just said Bellamy will score 25 goals for us this season and Alonso will score 10, pass us the crack pipe lad.

I know Alonso scoring 10 is a couple of goals over the top, but why can Bellamy not score 25 goals? Last season he scored 19 in 29 starts + 6 as a sub for a club so if he starts 40+ games for us this season, 25 goals is certainly not unrealistic

[Ciggy]

  Great post John you should post more often.
It makes sense and lets hope that Lampard carries his WC form over into the prem.
After all they are only names they are worth a bit more cause they are better players but it doesnt mean they are better than us, IMO and ok I am baist because we where going to sign Maureen.
I would rather have Rafa any day than over any manager in the prem.
If Maureen was our manager could any of us think we feel close to him? Noway what so ever.
We get from Rafa that he loves us and we know he does everything for us.
What does Maureen have to do for Chelsea?
Or the fans?
Feckall, maybe we are more sentimental here in Liverpool that we love Rafa so much, but we know he means what he says atleast.
I read a few other forums and the bitters cant wait to see ballack and Svechenco they dont care if they get beat 10-0 BTW it will be just a pleasure for them to see such players in the flesh.

I said before what we have to worry about is rabbits in headlights when these teams in the prem come up against them.
But we are not fased, or @rsed weve won more than all of them.
So feck yers.
LFC is the best club on earth.  

[Lando_Griffin]

Great post Johnny, and you too, Ciggy.

My heart obviously says we will win the league this season, but then - my head does too.

I honestly believe if we can recapture the form we had in the latter-half of last season, then not even Sh*tski and their superstars will be able to keep up.

You know what I think?

I think if we beat the feckers at Anfield and draw at Sh*tford Bridge, we'll do 'em.

I believe that trophey is ours.

[Woollyback]

1. chelsea
2. liverpool
3. man u
4. aresenal


predictable i suppose, but i reckon no more than 10/12 points will separate 1st from 4th this season. should make things a bit more interesting than of late