from media and fans throughout the summer. With no World Cup or European Championships to occupy fans’ attention, never has a start to a new season been met with such anticipation and hype. Many were anticipating a closer title race this season after big spending by the top teams. But it wasn’t just the big boys splashing the cash - clubs up and down the country couldn’t get their chequebooks out quick enough. This promised to be one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive championship in a long time.Chelsea Blues
For early season drama, Stamford Bridge was undoubtedly the hottest ticket in town, but not always for the right reasons. If Mourinho’s departure itself was not such a shock, then the timing certainly was. It was football’s worst kept secret that Mourinho and Abramovic weren’t exactly bosom buddies, despite Kenyon’s repeated statements that all was well and good in the Chelsea family. Certainly the team’s start had been poor by their high standards, and there was little evidence of a more expansive and attractive style of football promised by Mourinho. The disappointing draw against Rosenberg was as much as Abramovic could take it appears, and Chelsea’s most successful manager was quickly on his way out of Chelsea Village by mutual consent. Avram Grant is now charged with stopping Chelsea’s season from going into freefall, and there are certainly a lot of worried faces around Stamford Bridge at the moment. Chelsea’s progress this season will be hard to predict, as will the futures of many of their star players.
Gunners Firing
Arsenal have probably been the biggest surprise so far on the pitch, adding more cutting edge this season to their usual flowing football. Fàbregas has had an impressive start to the campaign, as has Adebayor, whose goal against bitter rivals Spurs will have seen his stock rise even further around the Emirates. They have yet to be tested by another team from the big four, and there are still question marks over their away form, but if they can keep producing the same level of performance over the season, then Arsenal will be making a lot of critics eat humble pie after being written off by many during the summer.
Champions Start to Warm Up
Manchester United have taken time to get their season going, but five straight wins without conceding a go
al have seen them climb to second. The fitness, or lack of from Louis Saha is a constant worry, and United’s attack has looked toothless at times without the Frenchman’s eye for goal. Tevez has done as well as could be expected after his summer from hell, and Ronaldo and Rooney will hope to find some consistent form after their stuttering starts to the season through suspension and injury. The mean defence will have pleased Sir Alex, and the return to fitness of key players should see United pushing hard in all competitions.Anfield Promise
Liverpool will be fairly happy with their start to the season, and even more so with record signing Fernando Torres. They will want to get out of the habit of dropping silly points at home, though there does appear to be evidence of a more aggressive and assertive team at Anfield this season. Benitez, however, still has the ability to frustrate fans with his rotation policy, and this was once again in evidence this week, with Torres not starting in the league on Saturday (a match witch Liverpool drew 0-0) and then being picked to start in Liverpool’s League Cup match against Reading, a trophy that doesn’t rank highly in other managers’ priorities. It remains to be seen whether Benitez's chopping and chaniging will ultimately hinder Liverpool’s title bid, but early season performances have proved that Liverpool will be a strong contender.
Tottenham Woe
The biggest disappointment by far has been Tottenham, and not many would have
predicted 18th position for Spurs coming into October. The team haven’t played all that badly to be fair, but the defence has been a major worry for under fire boss Martin Jol, and Ledley King’s return from injury can’t come soon enough. The sniggers from the Emirates stadium seem to get louder with each passing week.New boss Sam Allardyce will be pleased with Newcastle’s first few matches, as will Sven Goran Eriksson, who has managed to gel his new signings together and guide Manchester City to third place. West Ham and Portsmouth have made solid enough starts to the campaign after considerable transfer activity, and Everton and Blackburn seem to have carried on from where they left off last season, with Santa Cruz impressing at Ewood Park. Emile Heskey’s early season form has helped to propel Wigan to the dizzying heights of 12th place, with Middlesbrough and Birmingham happy enough with eight points at this stage.
Looking further down the league, Black Cats boss Roy Keane will take heart from his side’s spirit and determination shown early on, as will Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez, whose side have been dealt some rough luck so far. Steve Coppell won’t be too concerned with Reading’s position at the moment, but points will need to be added to their total soon. Bolton have looked like a pale shadow of their former selves under Sammy Lee, but Anelka’s sparking form offers hope. Derby will be relieved to have notched their first win against Newcastle, but a season of struggle seems inevitable at this stage.
