Luis Suarez: part ignoramus, part cannibal, part mercenary, part brilliant footballer.
The sad reality is, for many fans that will fill Anfield this season, those first three descriptions will fade away into the inner recesses of the memory because of the fourth description. Such is fandom, as fickle a business as there is.
What do I think, as a proud Liverpool fan? I wait for the day Suarez is transferred, and please, oh please, let these rumblings that he will actually sign an improved deal to the one he signed just last year be just media bluster, and nothing more.
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Ok, then. Honestly, I am actually very excited ahead of the new season, as it promises more intrigue and fascinating story lines than we have seen in a long time.
There are many fantastic season previews available to read, including several on sportsnet.ca, so I’ll take a different tact for this blog entry. Here’s my anti-preview: 10 things you won’t see, might see, or don’t want to see:
1) Badge kissing. Please, unless your name is Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs, Frank Lampard or perhaps Brede Hangeland, DO NOT kiss the badge on your jersey. Honestly, don’t you think fans have been patronized enough already? I swear that if the aforementioned Luis Suarez dares to even motion those vicious Branislav Ivanovic flavoured chompers towards any Liver bird crest, I will hurl something at the TV.
2) Notice I did not mention John Terry above. JT would certainly be one of the rare breeds to have a right to kiss his club’s badge. Certainly, he owes Chelsea so much, considering the embarrassments he has caused them over the years, but I left him out as I fully expect to see JT in a tracksuit on the bench this season rather than yelling at teammates, opponents, linesman and referees.
Ok, he’ll still be yelling at linesman and referees, but it will be from the bench. His body has been beaten down. Jose Mourinho needs to break from what will be constant comparisons to his previous regime at Stamford Bridge, and Captain marvellous will be a victim. Even with one arm now, Branislav Ivanovic is for me a commanding centre back, and even if David Luiz ends up moving, Gary Cahill is ready for a breakout campaign.
3) Tom Cleverly will not be the man with which Manchester United’s creative verve is fed. He can’t be, right? A decent start last season was derailed by injuries, and the early comparisons with a young Paul Gascoigne were mercifully put to rest. I cannot imagine a scenario whereby come early September David Moyes hasn’t made his mark with a big time signing of a midfield magician. Luca Modric would be ideal, and I still think he is the man most likely to arrive. Marouane Fellaini would also look wonderful in red, but can we stop saying he would provide the silky creativity United needs? Thank you.
4) Of course Fellaini would look delicious in the red of Arsenal, but can Arsene Wenger pull the deal off? I have been firm in my defence of Wenger in recent times, and have been hammered for it. Surely, though, after all the promises made this summer, the Frenchman will spend some money? If the Gunners once again spend modestly (sorry, Michu would be a panic buy – see Mikel Arteta) then I may need to rethink my opinion.
5) Stevan Jovetic, Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo are all superb signings for Manchester City, but all will have to live under the shadow of Fernandinho. As exciting a signing as City has made, this boy is going to dominate the Premier League. His understanding with Yaya Toure will be key, but if they jive, I honestly don’t know how any opponents will deal with the twosome.
Saturday programming alert: Watch Liverpool vs. Stoke City (on Sportsnet’s main channel), Arsenal vs. Aston Villa (on Sportsnet’s main channel), Sunderland vs. Fulham (on Sportsnet World) and Swansea City vs. Manchester United (on Sportsnet’s main channel). Also, you can watch these three games, plus Cardiff City vs. West Ham United, on Sportsnet World Online. Live coverage on Saturday begins at 7:30 am ET/4:30 am PT. | For full details of Sportsnet’s English Premier League coverage, CLICK HERE
6) For the first time since 2007-2008, Stoke City will be playing outside the Premier League next season. I hope I’m wrong, but it seems to me ownership is thinking too big. Last season, Tony Pulis was instructed to change the ethos of the club – no more knock ‘em down and lob it. The results were poor, and by the time the club panicked and returned to its more familiar anti-football, it was almost too late. Stoke survived, but Pulis did not. Mark Hughes arrives and once again he is mandated a new look style from his bosses. Good luck to him, as the bulk of the team remains, and the bulk have bulk, and a bulky style of play. Other relegation rivals have improved this off-season, and usually one of the promotion clubs has a good year. I have genuine fear for Stoke.
7) Keeping with the Stoke connection, I admit that this season will be missing something. Michael Owen. Don’t laugh. Stop it! Yes, he’s basically been retired for five years or so, but damn it, aside from a brief sojourn to Spain, the Owen storyline has been a Premier League fixture for 16 years. I’ll miss him. So sue me.
8) Jermaine Defoe will finally get his move to a club that appreciates him in January. Despite only starting three games, Defoe will lead Spurs in scoring with six goals, but he is still very much only a bench option.
9) The final two months of the season will be pure hell. No, not because of the Liverpool relegation fight (I’m kidding. They’ll be decent, and in the fourth place conversation, for what it’s worth) No, because it’s a World Cup year. Injuries will be THE storyline as spring approaches. Every match will have fans of every World Cup team biting their nails. Will Wayne Rooney break another metatarsal while foraging through the middle for Shakhtar Donetsk, or will Robin van Persie recover in time after doing his ankle back in November? Such drama.
Number 10? It’s an anti-preview. A top ten is just so typical and clichéd. I’ll leave it like this: get set, and enjoy, because it’s going to be an insane few months.
European Football Weekly: Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Dan Riccio, Derrick Brandao and Gord Brunt take an in-depth look at the beautiful game on the European Football Weekly podcast. For more details and to listen to past shows, CLICK HERE