Aviva Premiership Preview: Saracens

Director of Rugby/ Head Coach: Mark McCall

Captain: Brad Barritt

Stadium: Allianz Park (Capacity: 10,000)

Last Season: Champions

Prediction: Champions

Saracens had a hugely successful season last time out completing a European-Premiership double.

The London based club are awash with international talent with seven of the squad picked to tour with England in June to Australia. Alex Goode, Owen Farrell, Billy Vunipola, George Kruis, Maro Itoje, Jamie George and Mako Vunipola all playing a part in the tour.

Farrell kicking a goal as Saracens defeat Zebre. 

Saracens solid defensive style due to the ‘wolfpack’ instilled by former defence coach Paul Gustard and the the ability of Owen Farrell to manage the game makes them the most well drilled side in the Premiership.

Patterned play and effective breakdown work sets them apart from their rivals. Their ability to carry round the corner and explode past the defender in the ruck allows them to use phase play as an attacking weapon.

THREE TO WATCH

Owen Farrell

Position: Fly-Half/Centre  Nationality: English  Age: 24  Height: 1.88m  Weight: 96kg

The England fly-half is the key to Saracens attacking play, his goal kicking and game management allow Saracens to continue playing in the right areas of the field so he can kick the points.

His defensive game is the best of any Premiership fly-half and his attacking game has come on leaps and bounds over the past season. He now has this style of playing whats in front of him which has given Saracens an extra gear.

He’ll be on the Lions tour come June.

Maro Itoje

Position: Lock/Flanker  Nationality: English  Age: 21  Height: 1.95m  Weight: 116kg

The Saracens lock had an outstanding year winning every game he started for both Saracens and England. He became an international superstar, people in Australia will know the name now.

Maro Itoje with the European Champions Cup.

The 21 year old was an outstanding presence to have in the dressing room, almost a lucky charm. The power and pace he possesses is extraordinary but the lock just wants to keep improving and continue to grow as a rugby player.

Billy Vunipola

Position; Number Eight  Nationality: English  Age: 23  Height: 1.88m  Weight: 126kg

The number eight was undoubtedly England’s player of the season form which was equally impressive for his club.

His ball carrying and size make him a really dangerous player to have attacking the fringes and the way he works with a back row is really important to Saracens breakdown work, the addition of Schalk Burger will further improve this dynamic.

TRANSFERS

IN (6)

Schalk Burger (Western Stormers, SAF)

Mark Flanagan (Bedford Blues, ENG)

Vincent Koch (Western Stormers, SAF)

Alex Lozowski (Wasps, ENG)

Sean Maitland (London Irish, ENG)

Savenaca Rawaca (Fiji Sevens, INT)

OUT (10)

Biyi Alo (Worcester Warriors, ENG)

Jacques Burger (Retired, RET)

Catalin Fercu (Timisora Saracens, ROM)

Rhys Gill (Cardiff Blues, WAL)

Charlie Hodgson (Retired, RET)

Kieran Longbottom (Sale Sharks, ENG)

Aaron Morris (Harlequins, ENG)

Thretton Palamo (Bristol Rugby, ENG)

Dave Porecki (London Irish, ENG)

Ben Ransom (London Irish, ENG)

The capture of Burger is a hugely impressive signing and he will add to Saracens already impressive back row resources. Maitland adds some pace out wide and Koch will provide depth in the front row.

New signing, Schalk Burger.

Hodgson and Burger have been great servants to the club and leave with heavy hearts. Gill will be missed for his scrum work and Biyi Alo is an exciting prospect.

My Saracens 23

15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Duncan Taylor 12 Brad Barritt (Captain) 11 Chris Wyles 10 Owen Farrell 9 Richard Wigglesworth

1 Mako Vunipola 2 Schalk Brits 3 Petrus Du Plessis 4 Maro Itoje 5 George Kruis 6 Jackson Wray 7 Schalk Burger 8 Billy Vunipola

16 Jamie George 17 Vincent Koch 18 Billy Walker 19 Alistair Hargreaves 20 Will Fraser 21 Ben Spencer 22 Alex Lozowski 23 Sean Maitland

Saracens are clearly the side to beat this season.

Barclays Premier League Previews (H-L)

Barclays Premier League Preview: Hull City

Manager: Not Applicable

Stadium: KC Stadium (Capacity: 25.450)

Captain: Michael Dawson

Top Scorer: Abel Hernandez (20)

Biggest Signing: Jonathan Edwards (Free)

Last Season: Promoted (Championship)

Prediction: Relegated

Hull City have recently been rocked by the departure of Steve Bruce but will still fancy themselves to threaten some of the more well established teams in the division.

They have Premier League pedigree and with business still to be done they could yet strengthen an already talented squad.

Edwards in action for Peterborough.

Abel Hernandez was lethal last season ending the season with 20 goals in the Championship and a further two in other competitions. In the midfield they also have experienced operators in Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore.

There is plenty of time for Hull to lure Welsh striker Hal Robson-Kanu to the KC Stadium before the end of August.

Due to bouncing straight back up the players that were relegated are much the same and will know just how tough and unforgiving the Premier League can be.

IN

Jonathan Edwards (Peterborough United, Free)

OUT

Sone Aluko (Fulham, Free)

Ryan Taylor (Released)

Hull are still looking for a goalkeeper keeping tabs on both Crystal Palace’s McCarthy and Cardiff’s Marshall. They are also leading the race for Robson-Kanu. They could also see another departure as fellow promoted club Middlesborough are interested in Harry Maguire.

Hal Robson-Kanu

My Hull City XI (4-5-1): 1 A.McGregor; 12 H.Maguire, 6 C.Davies, 21 M.Dawson (Captain), 26 A.Robertson; 27 A.Elmohamady, 14 J.Livermore, 8 T.Huddlestone, 10 R.Snodgrass, 11 S.Clucas; 9 A.Hernandez

Barclays Premier League Preview: Leicester City

Manager: Claudio Ranieri

Stadium: King Power Stadium (Capacity: 32,312)

Captain: Wes Morgan

Top Scorer: Jamie Vardy (24)

Biggest Signing: Ahmed Musa (£15 million)

Last Season: Champions

Prediction: Europa League

Leicester City…what a season! What a team! What a manager!

What they did was incredible but now the hard work begins for Ranieri and his squad, the loss of Kanté is a blow but Leicester have a chance this season to become a big club.

It is highly unlikely they will win the league again, they could though realistically achieve a place in the top seven therefore securing some form of European football. it is critical they push on and stick to the gameplan that served them so well last season.

Jamie Vardy is a key player for Leicester.

Leicester are a spirited side and Ranieri will have no problem bringing the team together to try and make Leicester a consistently strong side, this relies on two things, firstly keeping things simple and secondly not thinking about last season too much.

As well as key departures they have made some really big signings, Ahmed Musa is lethal and him partnered with England striker Jamie Vardy and the Foxes should not be short of goals.

IN

Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, £15 million)

Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96, £2.6 million)

Nampalys Mendy (OGC Nice, Undisclosed)

Luis Hernandez (Sporting Gijon, Free)

OUT

N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea, £30 million)

Jonny Maddison (Yeovil Town, Undisclosed)

Joseph Dodoo (Rangers, Undisclosed)

Jacob Blyth (Motherwell, Free)

Paul Konchesky (Gillingham, Released)

Mark Schwarzer (Released)

With Riyad Mahrez still a target for both Chelsea and Arsenal there could yet be dealings to be done in the east Midlands. Leonardo Ulloa is also reported to be seeking a move but Leicester’s squad does seem to be looking close to finalised.

New signing Ahmed Musa.

My Leicester City XI (4-4-2): 1 K.Schmiechel; 17 D.Simpson, 5 W.Morgan (Captain), 6 R.Huth, 28 C.Fuchs; 26 R.Mahrez, 4 D.Drinkwater, NA N.Mendy, 11 M.Albrighton; NA A.Musa, 9 J.Vardy

Barclays Premier League Preview: Liverpool

Manager: Jurgen Klopp

Stadium: Anfield (Capacity: 44,742)

Captain: Jordan Henderson

Top Scorer: Roberto Firmino (10)

Biggest Signing: Sadio Mané (£34 million)

Last Season: 8th

Prediction: Europa League

Liverpool one of the most successful English clubs of all time blessed with great players and even greater managers.

Klopp is now the man in charge following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers and with a whole pre-season behind him and his own transfers in the mix can Klopp fix the club?

The squad is littered with internationals and young talent that can ignite the Premier League, this club clearly has ambitions to get back to where they once were as kings of Europe.

Klopp is having an effect.

Anfield is a wonderful venue and Liverpool need to match that venue with the quality of football and the German is building a squad to do that.

They have recruited well stealing another Southampton player in Mané and also bringing in some cheaper recruits.

IN

Sadio Mané (Southampton, £34 million)

Georginio Wijnaldum (Newcastle United, £25 million)

Loris Karius (FSV Mainz 05, £4.7 million)

Ragnar Klavan (FC Augsburg, Undisclosed)

Joel Matip (Schalke 04, Free)

Alex Manninger (FC Augsburg, Free)

OUT

Jordon Ibe (AFC Bournemouth, £15 million)

Sergi Canos (Norwich City, £2.5 million)

Jerome Sinclair (Watford, Undisclosed)

Martin Skrtel (Fenerbahche, Undisclosed)

Jordan Rossiter (Rangers, Free)

Kolo Toure (Celtic, Released)

Jose Enrique (Released)

A big spending summer sees two goalkeepers and two attacking midfielders arrive to bolster both attack and defence but they lose bright spark Ibe. Max Meyer is still a target for Klopp. Uncertainty still looms over the future of Mario Balotelli, Joe Allen, Brad Smith and Christian Benteke.

Mané looks like a key signing.

My Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): 22 S.Mignolet; 2 N.Clyne, 17 R.Klavan, 32 J.Matip, 18 A.Moreno; 24 J.Allen, 7 J.Milner (Captain); 20 A.Lallana, 19 S.Mané, 10 P.Coutinho; 15 D.Sturridge

 

Tottenham Hotspur Preview

Manager: Mauricio Pocchetino
Stadium: White Hart Lane
Captain: Hugo Lloris
Top Scorer: Harry Kane (31)

Tottenham a team that have really challenged the top 4 in recent seasons and now a regular team in European competitions last year however was a difficult one for the north London club.

Although Tottenham threaten the top 4 clubs in league positioning wins are rare they suffered heavy defeats to Manchester City as they were humiliated 4-1 and Chelsea who blew them away 3-0. Liverpool also put them to the sword as that match ended 4-1. These big losses before Christmas did not look good for Spurs. They were having patchy runs of form here and there but nothing to suggest they were good enough. None of their stars were really stepping up bar Kane and Eriksen at regular and long intervals. Tottenham found themsleves in 10th in mid December before they went on a run of 3 wins over the festive period including a win over Swansea away from home which many teams found tough with Swansea really improving every season. Spurs rose 3 places to 7th before they faced Manchester United a game that looked rather bleak if you looked at Spurs track record against England’s most successful club, they could only manage a 0-0 draw.

Tottenham players celebrate victory over Crystal Palace.

The 1st day of 2015 was the day that brought Tottenham’s best result and a match that made a hero out of England striker Harry Kane. Chelsea were beaten 5-3 in a phenomenal match, it was unheard of to put 5 past Courtois. Kane was sensational and suddenly a fanfare arose from the British press and the cries to get the striker playing for England rose into a crescendo. This second half of the season would prove to be much more fruitful than their slow start. A 2-1 win over Arsenal at White Hart Lane on 7th February was sensational and the Spurs stars were beginning to perform and bring some life and electricity to White Hart Lane. A trip to Manchester United was tough viewing as they were downed 3-0 at Old Trafford. This left the club reeling. Their run-in was fairly kind and a 4-3 win over Leicester showed how dangerous the club can be on the attack. They were building something special. This assault on the upper reaches of the table that started on New Years Day. They ended the season with a 1-0 victory against Everton a result that showed they are able to play some attractive football and will be looking to build on that sort of form in the coming seasons.

Tottenham very much assured as one of England’s could be clubs, they are missing 1 or 2 pieces of that puzzle a strand of that DNA that makes the Chelseas and Manchester Citys stand out. They found parts they didn’t know they had last season such as a world class striker and keeper in Kane and Lloris both of whim have been the interest of Manchester United although it seems their interest in Lloris has cooled now they have 5 goalkeepers in their 1st team. There are a few positions they lack in and at times their defence was exposed last season even in their 5-3 victory over eventual champions Chelsea is not a healthy record. Their goal difference was only a +5 at the end of the season compare that to 7th placed Southampton who finished with +21 but 2 places lower in the league table. Tottenham’s average season will need to be built on if they wish to play Champions League football anytime soon.

Tottenham’s key player was undoubtedly Harry Kane. The young finisher was outstanding following Christmas. He scored 31 goals in all competitions this season that is an alarming amount of goals. That is just 1 less goal that Agüero managed last season. Kane’s form earned him and England call-up. He scored on his debut and sent the country into delirium. The English striker saved Tottenham on many occasions and after becoming a cult icon after single handedly dismantling Chelsea he also scored the winner in the derby win over Arsenal. His finishing ability see him stand out as one of the league’s best forwards. He is going to be key to both his club and country’s fortunes for years to come.

Harry Kane got rewarded for club form by an England call-up.

Tottenham have been rather busy offloading players over the summer but have brought in a few fresh faces so they can continue to push for a top 4 place. They have brought in 3 new players the most notable being the acquisition of centre back Toby Alderweireld from the Spanish capital. He is a wonderful defender and could be a huge difference for a defence that at times leaked goals possibly the reason they have also brought in Wimmer. Kieran Trippier is another very canny signing a player that can be of service as back-up or in irritation system with Kyle Walker and Danny Rose. Tripper is quick and provides a counter attacker that can pose problems for slow midfielders if he is given room on the outside.

Alternierend in action for Ajax.

A total of 7 first team departures. Brad Friedel finally retires from football at the age of 44, a wonderful servant to the game and the Premier League the former USA goalkeeper will be missed. Kaboul also leaves having had a good career in north London a player that was a real asset to the Spurs team and understood what the club meant to the fans. Lewis Holtby leaves the club, the promising midfielder showed some real potential last season but Tottenham have so much depth in midfield Holtby was always going to struggle. Paulinho has also had enough of north London, he has a great couple of seasons. Some high profile departures could harm Tottenham although their recruitment seems very smart.

IN: Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid, £11.5 million)
Kieran Trippier (Burnley, £3.5 million)
Kevin Wimmer (FC Köln, £4.3 million)

OUT: Paulinho (Guangzhou Evergrande, £9.9 million)
Brad Friedel (Retired)
Lewis Holtby (Hamburg, £4.6 million)
Younés Kaboul (Sunderland, £3 million)
Étienne Capoue (Watford, £6.3 million)
Benjamin Stambouli (Paris Saint-Germain, £6 million)
Vlad Chiriches (Napoli, £4.5 million)

Tottenham should have an interesting season and should their stars be in a good vein of form I see no reason they can retain 5th.

My Tottenham Hotspur XI (4-2-3-1): 1 H.Lloris; 2 K.Walker 4 T.Alderweireld 15 E.Dier 3 D.Rose; 19 M.Dembélé 8 R.Mason; 22 N.Chadli 23 C.Eriksen 17 A.Townsend; 10 H.Kane

Bench: 13 M.Vorm 16 K.Trippier 5 J.Vertonghen 27 K.Wimmer 6 N.Bentaleb 11 É.Lamela 9 R.Soldado

Last Season: 5th
Prediction: 6th

Manchester City Preview

Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
Captain: Vincent Kompany
Top Scorer: Segio Agüero (32)

Ultimately Manchester City will view last year as a failure losing the title to Londoners Chelsea with barely a whimper as the trophy went to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea finished a clear 8 ahead of Manchester City in what was a very easy title race.

Manchester City’s record at home is wonderful having lost just twice at home in the league with 14 wins that is a record that most teams in Europe would die for including the Spanish giants of Real Madrid and Barcelona or the likes of German heavyweight Bayern Munich. Their attack was something to behold over the course of the season they scored 83 goals which is an outstanding total for any club. With strikers like Agüero, Bony and Jovetic in the team are simply terrific at doing a forwards job with their pace and shooting accuracy. Their 83 goals is 10 more than the nearest team which is Chelsea who only managed 73 goals over the course of the campaign.

Agüero celebrates a goal against Arsenal.

Manchester City’s clinical ability was clear to see with their impressive 5-0 demolition of Newcastle on 21st February and an incredible 6-0 annihilation of QPR in early May they were no stranger to banging home goals that at times they had no right to score. The quality in the squad is scary to have that much money sat on the bench which included names like England midfielder Lampard, Bony and Navas. The Sky Blues have endured some tough times over the years but now they are a top team the fans will not settle for anything but the very best from their star studded, expensive squad. The squad that saw them rack up a 12 game unbeaten streak from 2nd November until the 18th January when Arsenal beat Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Silva, Toure and Navas are the undeniably superb creative players full of flair and energy with their attacking brilliance. The midfield at the Etihad Stadium is a blend of attacking geniuses and defensive organisers they are a well oiled machine that keep the blistering attackers connected to the able defence with players like Vincent Kompany and Kolarov who have been hugely important for their club. Manchester City had a wonderful few results last season but their humbling at the hands of Middlesborough in the FA Cup and Newcastle in the League Cup ensured that Pellegrini’s team would not be winning a trophy this season.

David Silva celebrating at the Emirates Stadium.

The key man for Manchester City was undoubtedly the goalkeeper Joe Hart who for a number of seasons has been key to the team’s success. Hart has a very good record in goal and the England goalkeeper made 36 of the 38 Premier League appearances last season an amazing feat in itself. To have the world’s best attackers Suarez, Messi and Neymar only put 3 goals past you in all seriousness is not bad. Yes Manchester City did concede the most goals out of the top 4 in the league but once again the goalkeeper has been huge if the defence was slightly shaper it is undoubtedly the weakest part of Pellegrini’s arsenal.

The transfer market a familiar place for Manchester City however they have only brought in 2 first team players. 2 very goof players of course with England internationals Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph joining Manchester City. Sterling wants to win trophies and play in the Champions League that he will get at Manchester City but can he become a star at Manchester City I for one do not think so, he could of course end up as another starlet on the scrapheap like Scott Sinclair. Fabian Delph joins amidst him pledging his loyalty to former club Aston Villa. There are calls that Manchester City are just trying to boost their English quota. This is no surprise looking at their academy compared to the other big team Chelsea who have a wonderful academy. The only player to graduate from the Manchester City academy in recent years is of course Micah Richards who has left for Aston Villa as Delph heads north.

New signing Sterling on the ball for England.mil

Manchester City have lost 9 players over the summer high profile names like Negredo who has been lacklustre in the Premier League but is nonetheless a very good finisher. Lampard finally ends up across the pond in New York. The aforementioned Sinclair heads to Aston Villa along with Richards to try and resurrect his career which stalled in the north west. Milner also leaves the Etihad to join Premier League rivals Liverpool in a deal that could be huge for the Anfield club.

IN: Raheem Sterling (Liverpool, £44 million)
Fabian Delph (Aston Villa, £8 million)

OUT: Micah Richards (Aston Villa, Free)
Scott Sinclair (Aston Villa, £3 million)
John Guidetti (Celta Vigo, Free)
Álvaro Negredo (Valencia, £22 million)
Frank Lampard (New York City, Free)
James Milner (Liverpool, Free)
Majita Natasic (Schalke 04, £8.3 million)
Dedryck Boyata (Celtic, £1.7 million)
Karim Rekik (Marseille, £3.9 million)

An already great and expensive team has been bolstered with impressive yet expensive acquisitions with their 2 English assets. They are by no means bargains but if their 2 new recruits can continue their development and Manchester City can continue to play good football then they can win the league but their competitors Arsenal and Chelsea look too strong.

My Manchester City XI (4-2-3-1): 1 J.Hart 5 P.Zabaleta 4 V.Kompany (C) 20 E.Mangala 11 A.Kolarov; 18 F.Delph 25 Fernandinho; 7 R.Sterling 42 Y.Touré 21 D.Silva; 16 S.Agüero

Bench: 13 W.Caballero 22 G.Clichy 26 M.Demichelis 6 Fernando 14 W.Bony 15 J.Navas 8 S.Nasri

Last Season: 2nd
Prediction: 3rd

Chelsea Preview

Manger: José Mourinho
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Captain: John Terry
Top Scorer: Diego Costa (21)

Chelsea had a wonderful season last term with the return of the ‘Special One’ to steer Chelsea to a wonderful League Cup and Premier League double. He signed some deadly players last season snapping up the duo of Luis and Costa from the Spanish capital as well as Cuadrado developing this team into one of the most dangerous and coveted in Europe.

Chelsea after winning the Barclays Premier League.

Chelsea only lost 4 games all season, 3 coming in the Premier League and the final 1 in the FA Cup 4th round. That is an astonishing achievement they went a whole Champions League campaign without losing still to get knocked out by French giant PSG who went through due to the frankly ridiculous away goals rule. Chelsea also only lost away from home with trips to St James’ Park, White Hart Lane and The Hawthorns proving too tricky for the champions. It took them until 6th December to lose their first match as Newcastle beat them 2-1. Chelsea were to beat them just over a month later in the return leg for sweet revenge but not before an excellent solo Harry Kane performance handed Chelsea defeat number 2.

Following the loss to Tottenham they went 16 matches unbeaten including a 5-0 thrashing of Swansea away from home and 1-0 win over Manchester United in impressive fashion. Chelsea were strong in attack and defence ending the season 8 points clear of 2nd placed Manchester City. Having conceded just 32 goals Mourinho could rest assured his team was not just the brilliant Costa, Fabregas combination that seemed unstoppable for the first half of the season leading to Costa’s 21 goals over the course of the season.

Chelsea’s Champions League run was also impressive only conceding 3 goals over the course of the group stage but racked up 17 including a 6-0 hammering of Maribor and a 5-0 thrashing of Schalke which was hugely impressive. Chelsea have just been outstanding in every facet of the game, nobody can quite get close to Chelsea in terms of class and strength in depth as well as the world class names like Hazard, Costa and Cahill they have the youngsters such as Loftus-Cheek and Solanke coming through to join the side that cannot stop winning trophies.

Costa was impressive last season, so was Fabregas, Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill the list goes on but the best player for Chelsea was Eden Hazard. An innovative, magic attacking player. his turn of pace and touch make him one of the most desirable midfielders in the world, he’s young as well at only 24 the Belgian has plenty more time to develop into one of the best players in world football. I’m surprised the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich haven’t come knocking for Hazard, if he continue this form into next season nobody will have a chance.

Eden Hazard celebrates a goal against Hull.

Chelsea’s title winning season meant they didn’t need to bring in a huge amount of players especially with the youth coming through the ranks at Stamford Bridge. They have signed 4 players with Begovic being the most significant bringing in back up for the fabulous Courtois who has been the standout goalkeeper in the league ahead of De Gea, Hart and anybody else in England. That signing could prove to be hugely important ahead of the new season where depth could be important for Chelsea.

New signing Begovic in action for Stoke.

Chelsea have lost two veterans in Ivorian striker Drogba and Czech keeper Cech and they were sent off in style by the stylish London club. Czech was sold to rivals Arsenal which probably led to the capture of Begovic from Premier League rivals Stoke. They have also sold young midfielder McEachran to Brentford for a surprisingly low fee for such a talented player who has been crying out to be played more which shouldn’t be a problem at Brentford.

IN: Asmir Begovic (Stoke City, £8 million)
Kenedy (Fluminese, £6.3 million)
Nathan (Atletico Paranaense, £4.5 million)
Danilo Pantic (Partizan, 1.25 million)

OUT: Petr Cech (Arsenal, £10.9 million)
Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach, £5.85 million)
Gael Kakuta (Sevilla, £2.5 million)
Josh McEachran (Brentford, £750,000)
Didier Drogba (Free Agent, Free)
George Brady (Sunderland, Free)

Chelsea have made some worthwhile additions to an already strong squad. Chelsea are dangerous and they are well on course to bag the trophy again for Mourinho and Stamford Bridge. A back to back Premier League winning season would be something special but you’d have to be crazy to bet against it.

My Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): 13 T.Courtois; 2 B.Ivanovic 24 G.Cahill 26 J.Terry (C) 28 C.Azpilicueta; 21 N.Matic 4 C.Fabregas; 10 E.Hazard 8 Oscar 11 J.Cuadrado; 19 D.Costa

Bench: 1 A.Begovic 3 F.Luis 5 K.Zouma 12 J. Obi Mikel 7 Ramires 36 R.Loftus-Cheek 9 R.Falcao

Last Season: Champions
Prediction: Champions

Bournemouth Preview

Manager: Eddie Howe

Stadium: Dean Court

Captain: Tommy Elphick

Top Scorer: Callum Wilson (23)

Bournemouth were outstanding last season and played a good brand of entertaining, attacking football that was a delight to watch and with finishers like Kermorgant and Wilson in their ranks goals were not hard to come by. Bournemouth continued their meteoric rise from obscurity last season, it being only their second year in English football’s second tier they dispatched of all opposition to take the title at a canter and bring them the season in the Premier League they longed for. A stunning run from 28th February saw them go 13 games unbeaten until the end of the season beating some tough opposition in the process including hammering Fulham 5-1 at Craven Cottage and a 3-0 win over Middlesborough at Dean Court.

Bournemouth celebrate winning the Sky Bet Championship.

The Cherries looked red hot in that final run and racked up 90 points over the course of the season scoring 98 goals in the process making them one of the most deadly teams in the football league. This form is bound to be a lot harder to come by against Premier League opposition but if the likes of Ritchie and Atsu can supply Bournemouth’s forwards with enough ball in front of goal they should score enough goals to keep them away from a relegation scrap. An impressive League Cup run also saw some impressive displays such as the 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in the 4th round and the 3-0 demolition of Cardiff in the Welsh capital in the 3rd round. Liverpool ended Bournemouth’s cup run but many fans from all over the country will still have been hugely impressed by displays put in before Christmas by Bournemouth. So many players impressed last season none so more than former Swindon midfielder Matt Ritchie. The Scottish international was key to Bournemouth all over the pitch last season scoring goals as well as providing the strikers which is shown with his 15 goals from 46 appearances in the league from Ritchie last season. His impressive form for Bournemouth earn him the international call-up in March of this year to play against Northern Ireland and Gibraltar. If Bournemouth are to stay up Matt Ritchie will have to be at his best come August.

Matt Ritchie celebrates scoring against Derby County.

As is to be expected from a promoted club Bournemouth have had a busy summer in the transfer market. They have brought in five players whilst offloading eight players over the summer. Bournemouth have also brought in quality players like Boruc, Mings and King all likely to play a large part and considering Howe had to fork out £8 million for defender Mings plus loan out Ryan Fraser to Ipswich for the season he must be expecting to play Mings in some sort of role. Bringing in Boruc and Distin adds Premier League experience to a side distinctly lacking in that area.

Former Ipswich defender Tyrone Mings in action.

They have lost a lot of the ‘deadwood’ from their squad mostly through releasing the players from their contracts the only standout name on the exodus in Pitman who leaves Dean Court to join Ipswich Town. With the recruitment of King and loan deal for Chelsea winger Atsu it looked unlikely that Pitman would play much in the Premier League anyway due to the riches Bournemouth have at their disposal looking to next season.

IN: Artur Boruc (Southampton, Free) Sylvain Distin (Everton, Free) Adam Federici (Reading, Free) Joshua King (Blackburn Rovers, Free) Tyrone Mings (Ipswich Town, £8 million + Ryan Fraser loan deal)

OUT: Brett Pitman (Ipswich Town, Undisclosed) Joe Partington (Eastleigh, Free) Josh McQuoid (Luton Town, Free) Mohamed Colibaly (Racing Santander, Free) Miles Addison (Free Agent, Free) Ian Harte (Free Agent, Free) Darryl Flahavan (Free Agent, Free) Benjamin Büchel (Free Agent, Free) Bournemouth statistically have the best chance of staying up out of the promoted sides and looking at their squad it looks like they will be staying up so long as they play the way they did last year. It’s shaping up to be tough yet enjoyable season for Bournemouth players and fans alike.

My Bournemouth XI (4-4-2) 1 A.Boruc; 15 A.Smith 5 T.Elphick (C) 3 S.Cook 14 T.Mings; 30 M.Ritchie 4 D.Gosling 8 H.Arter 20 C.Atsu 13 C.Wilson 17 J.King

Bench: 23 A.Federici 25 S.Distin 11 C.Daniels 19 J.Stanislas 6 A.Surman 9 T.Rantie 18 Y.Kermorgant Last Season: Championship Winners Prediction: 17th