Soccer Buzz

It’s that time of the year again.   Here are a few things I will look forward to for the 2007/2008 season.

• Obviously, can Manchester United repeat?  Carlos Tevez gives them a real consistent attacking threat outside of Wayne Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo, but of course what happens should Rooney or Ronaldo succumb to injury?  Also, how much longer can Sir Alex rely on Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes?  Anderson and Nani are talened young players, but I don’t know if we’ll see too much from them in their first season in England.
• I really wonder what will happen at Chelsea this year.  There’s no question that the  Roman Abramovich/Jose Mourinho is strained to say the least, and it is difficult to imagine this relationship lasting too much longer without at least another Premiership title.  Unfortunately for Chelsea, they face injury problems, most notably captain John Terry.  I don’t think Chelsea can afford an early season slump and expect to reclaim the title, especially with Didier Drogba and Michael Essien likely to miss several weeks after the new year for the African Nations Cup.
• Can Liverpool jump into the top two?  Signing Fernando Torres could be a dynamite signing for the club, and it could be a sign that Rafa Benitez is looking to succeed in thePremiership this season as opposed to just the Champions League .  Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin are also great additions to the club.
• Even without Henry, Arsenal should be fun to watch this season as they always are, but there are so many questions about the club.  After missing much of the second half of the 2006/2007 campaign, Robin Van Persie could be on the verge of becoming a star, and new signing Eduardo Da Silva could provide the cold blooded goal scoring that Arsenal so desperately needed last season.  Still, while the talent is there, Arsenal is still a young team and will likely be in transition mode once again.
• Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham, however, could be ready to jump into a Champion’s League slot.  Keeping Dimitar Berbatov was a major accomplishment for Spurs, and Darren Bent gives them more firepower up top.  However, we’ve heard this story from White Hart Lane for the past two years, and if Martin Jol doesn’t deliver Champions League soccer for next season, he may be looking for a new job.
• As for the bottom of the table, I have some serious questions about Reading.  They were a tremendous surprise last season, but now they won’t be sneaking up on anybody.  Plus, their midfield engine Steve Sidwell has moved on to Chelsea.
  Sunderland will be interesting to watch with Roy Keane at the helm, and if there is one newly promoted team that seems ready to make some noise in the Premiership, Sunderland seems like a good choice.  Brian McBride being named Fulham’s captain is a wonderful story for American soccer fans, but Fulham will have to find a way to turn things around after a late season slump put them in relegation peril.  Finally, can we all agree that Derby will be this season’s Watford?

Well, as I finish this entry, we’re about 7 hours from the start of the new season.  Enjoy!