Saving The Best For The Last

The footballing season has finally kicked off but ……. But something is definitely missing. While many would understandably not observe, the few that do, really do. The Italian Serie A might not be as fascinating as it was in the 90s, yet, it still makes millions of people’s weekend by keeping them glued to their television.

One thing that scores the Calcio for my money is the “absence of intimidation”. As a matter of fact, the difference in play between the best and worst teams in the league is not as much as other top leagues in Europe. For the also-rans, the dearth of “big name” players is outwitted by a sound tactical approach which is indeed superior to the players. In the words of current Chelsea Manager, Jose Felix Mourinho “Italy is my greatest challenge yet. How can a team who wants to win be playing against a team who doesn’t want to lose?” To cap it off, the Italian league leaves you mouth- opened with mesmerizing artistic goals that keeps you licking your lips week in week out. With these, we now take a look at the chances of favourite teams for the scudetto.

WHO WINS THE EPL 2013-2014 SEASON?

Even though two European leagues have commenced, the appetite of most football fans is still left intact as they eagerly count days to August 17 which is 90 days after last season. There’s no price for guessing right, it marks the commencement of the most watched league in the world, which some refer to as mankind’s greatest obsession – the English Premier League.

 This season’s wait is aided by the return of the spotlight monger, “the special one”, Jose Felix Mourinho to Chelsea after six years. It must be said that this move suits all parties – the coach, the owner, the players, the fans and even the media. For the opponents, it only leaves them with worries as they are now up against a manger who managed 67% win (124 win of 185 games) in his first stint. Still in London, this time the North, the world would expect Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger to finally break the deadlock of eight trophyless seasons as the current longest serving manager in the peninsula (17 years). In the red side of Manchester, it would be fascinating to see how former Preston and Everton manager, David Moyes, settle in and maybe fill his compatriot’s peerless shoes in the dug out of Manchester United.

With these teasers, I could not help but do an expose on favourite teams in terms of their strength, weaknesses and consequently, give my advice. In no particular order:

Two-Horse Race. So?

That the Primera division is almost documented to be a two horse race does not take the shine off it. In fact, it makes it all the more interesting. Although it must be said that the exit of the best three strikers in the league after Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi makes it uglier, with Radamel Falcao having gone to Monaco, Alvaro Negredo to Manchester City and Roberto Soldado to Tottenham Hotspurs. Still, the best players in the planet ply their trade in the la Liga, not least the El Classico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Of most interest would be to see how both teams with new managers and a couple of interesting signings will slug it out for the league title. That there is no clear favourite leaves a lot to be seen. To this effect, we would give a close look at both teams to give us an idea of where the trophy will be heading. In no particular order: