GILES FILES: EPL Season Preview
by Giles Elliott, FOXSports.com
2. Leeds Utd. Liverpool apart, Leeds were England's best and most stylish team in Europe last season. David O'Leary, like Houllier, already has his team in place, but with Harry Kewell now fully fit, plus Rio Ferdinand and Robbie Keane both bedded in from the start of the campaign, Leeds look faster and stronger. Second best though will leave O'Leary to state that the Whites are just a bunch of kids, as he heads off to Old Trafford. Key Man: David Batty - has a winner's medal and a winner's mentality.
3. Manchester Utd. With the movement and finishing of van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes setting a personal scoring record, the Devils are coasting to an unprecedented fourth straight success. David Beckham then falls out with Veron over who gets to take the free-kicks, there is an outbreak of the human variant of Mad Cow disease, and Man Utd forget to win the title. Careless. Key Man: Sir Alex Ferguson - in his final season, how much will his mind be on May's Champions League final?
4. Arsenal. After three barren years following the Double in 1998, Arsene Wenger decides not to sign any French players this summer. It's a radical ploy, and Sol Campbell and Francis Jeffers have big expectations to live up to. The Zen manager, not to mention Patrick Vieira, is not the happiest man at Highbury, so with Barcelona calling, Arsenal may not even get to be Gunners-up again. Key Man: Thierry Henry - 17 EPL goals in each of the last two seasons, but we all know it should be much much more.
5. Tottenham Hotspur. Not one of the four realistic championship contenders, nevertheless Spurs can only get better. Glenn Hoddle has gone for the short-term fix, but you can't argue with the signings of Teddy Sheringham and Gustavo Poyet. With Sergei Rebrov due a breakout season, and a bit of faith healing even helping Darren Anderton, Tottenham finally become top six again. Key Man: Goran Bunjevcevic - the Yugoslavian defender has Campbell's shoes to fill.
6. Chelsea. Claudio Ranieri has never coached a league-winning side and he won't start doing it at Chelsea. In fact, he won't last beyond this season. The Blues' new midfield promises much, even if Frank Lampard is over-priced, and one wonders if Emmanuel Petit and Boudewijn Zenden really wanted the move to Stamford Bridge. Key Man: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - JFH may be the EPL's top striker again, but teamwork Jimmy, teamwork!
7. Charlton Athletic. Charlton ran Ipswich close as the league's surprise team last time out, and Alan Curbishley has now brought in Jason Euell and Luke Young from Wimbledon and Spurs, keeping a London feel at the home-loving Addicks. Curbs himself rejected West Ham to maintain Charlton's upward curve, so it's a very happy Valley. Key Man: Shaun Bartlett - the South African striker should score lots of goals this season.
8. Aston Villa. Peter Schmeichel for David James? Olof Mellberg for Gareth Southgate? Villa fans have been really scratching their heads this summer, and John Gregory will no have no excuses for scratching his when Villa chairman Deadly Doug Ellis lives up to his nickname. David Ginola is still on the bench, which won't make him slimmer either. Key Man: Paul Merson - better than ever but playing for Villa is enough to drive you to drink.
9. Sunderland. Peter Reid appears to have caught some disease from Harry Redknapp, scouring Europe for bargain buys that were available for a transfer for a reason. None of the new Black Cats this season looks ready to make an impact, and the Stadium of Light is no longer the fortress it once was. Key Man: Niall Quinn - can his back hold out for one more season? It has to for Kevin Phillips to score his share of goals.
10. Middlesbrough. Having finally seen the light and removed Bryan Robson from torturing the Riverside faithful, Boro have made the managerial coup of the summer in bringing in Steve McClaren. The former Man Utd assistant still has to clear out all the dross from the Robson era, but the new Boro should be good enough for 10th. Key Man: Joseph-Desire Job - never got a chance last year but McClaren will let him loose.
11. Ipswich Town. Sorry, but last season was a mirage. The Tractor Boys even know themselves that mid-table is probably more their level, especially now with homegrown stars Richard Wright and Jamie Scowcroft departed. George Burley may have been Manager of the Year, but this campaign is his biggest test yet. Key Man: Marcus Stewart - 19 goals last season was no fluke, but the odds are he'll struggle to repeat that feat.
12. Blackburn Rovers. Everyone says Fulham look the best of the promoted teams, but I like the look of Rovers. Solid at the back, with American keeper Brad Friedel fully deserving another chance at the top, Blackburn also have two of England's best young players in midfielder David Dunn and striker Matt Jansen. Key Man: Damien Duff - sprightly Irishman who has the speed and skill to terrorize defenses.
13. Fulham. Moving up two divisions has been too much for Watford and Manchester City in the last two years, but with fast forwards and a strong midfield marshaled by the evergreen John Collins, Jean Tigana's team can survive the step up. Defense is the Cottagers' weak link, so welcome Edwin van der Sar, the transfer coup of the EPL off-season. Key Man: Lee Clark - why Newcastle ever let the midfield dynamo go is a mystery.
14. Newcastle Utd. Never averse to spending large sums of money, $22m for Laurent Robert and Craig Bellamy was excessive even by the Magpies' standards. Bobby Robson's squad has plenty of class, but most of it is injured. By the time Alan Shearer, Carl Cort and Kieron Dyer return, another season may have gone by the wayside. Key Men: Alan Shearer, Carl Cort and Kieron Dyer.
15. Leicester City. Top of the table last fall, then the worst team in the league in the second half of the campaign - which Leicester will we see? Well, at least one with a stronger backbone thanks to the arrival of Dennis Wise, but the Foxes still lack a striker capable of 10 goals or more. Key Man: Muzzy Izzet - Leicester's decline last year coincided with his absence through injury.
16. Everton. With absolutely no chance of finishing in the top ten, the Toffees are still too good to go down and have finally seen sense in the transfer market, restricting themselves to the astute purchases of Alan Stubbs and Tomasz Radzinski. Then again, selling your best young players, Jeffers and Michael Ball, is none too clever. Key Man: Duncan Ferguson - simply has to stay healthy.
17. Southampton. New stadium, new manager, same old story. Away from The Dell, the Saints are meant to lose the secret of divine intervention that helps them miraculously avoid relegation year after year. Not so - Stuart Gray has had a bad press since being appointed Southampton manager, but will relish proving people wrong. Key Man: Matt Le Tissier - with Hoddle gone, Le Tiss finally gets to play again.
18. West Ham Utd. It will be an entertaining season in east London as usual. The trouble is, West Ham have never managed to score more goals than they have conceded in an EPL season, which spells bad news for new boss Glenn Roeder. How long will Paolo di Canio stick around when things go wrong? Key Man: Hayden Foxe - the "new Bobby Moore" has a job on his hands keeping the Hammers from sinking.
19. Derby County. Like his old drinking buddy Sir Alex, Jim Smith says farewell to the rigors of football management this season, by inflicting Fabrizio Ravanelli on the EPL again. Now four years older and slower than when his goals failed to save Middlesbrough from relegation, the White Feather signals a white flag for Rams fans. Key Man: Mart Poom - you have to feel sorry for the Estonian custodian.
20. Bolton Wanderers. History tells us at least one of the three promoted teams will be relegated - and this year it will be Bolton. Hopelessly under-endowed for the EPL, the Trotters can trot back down to the 1st Division, as in each of their previous two attempts at this level. Key Man: Ricardo Gardner - the Reggae Boy is Bolton's only real attacking threat, but can't do it all on his own.
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