The big Premier League kick off is just over a month away and the transfer markets are beginning to warm up, but for three teams it’s an adventure their fans have been looking forward to since May.
Norwich City, Sheffield United and Aston Villa have all made it to the Promised Land. They have all been here before but may get a surprise just how things have changed, in a world where strikers need the merest sniff of goal to score, and defenders cost £75 million.
Who can cut it at the top table?
The early Premier League 2019 betting odds have the three promoted teams as favourites for the drop, with only Aston Villa odds against at 2.50 with SBOBET, but every season begins with hope. The question is ‘how long it will last?’
Norwich City
Head coach Daniel Farke put together a young and pacey side which played without fear last season and had that one crucial ingredient to meet the challenge of a very tough Championship, a lethal striker. Teemu Pukki was an unlikely hero 12 months ago, a free transfer from Brondby, but he has ripped up England’s second tier, finishing as top scorer with 29 goals as the Canaries won the league.
The Finland international has been rewarded with a three year contract which will keep him at Carrow Road until 2022 and he’ll hope to continue a fruitful partnership with creative midfielder Onel Hernandez who weighed in with eight goals.
A baptism of fire awaits Norwich, with an away trip to Anfield to welcome them back to the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool pushed Manchester City all the way in the best title race in recent memory and will give some Norwich fans sleepless nights. The Reds have hit five goals in four of their last six games against the Canaries.
Sheffield United
Chris Wilder has done an amazing job at Bramhall Lane since taking the reigns in 2016. He’s coached the Blades to successive promotions, lifting them from League One obscurity to the Premier League, and on a shoestring. He’s a Sheffield United fan through and through, as is Billy Sharp, the striker he appointed captain.
Wilder has moved in the market to bring some much needed experience to Bramall Lane, signing centre back Phil Jagielka, who left Sheffield for Everton 12 years ago. And they will desperately need his Premier League experience. The Blades have a testing introduction to life at the top table, with a visit to Bournemouth followed by back to back home fixtures against Crystal Palace and Leicester City. They need to get at least one result, and preferably two, from those three games as, with a visit to Chelsea following; their first season in the Premier League for 12 years could look daunting if they start at the bottom.
Aston Villa
The Villains won the most valuable match in football last May when they beat Derby County in the Championship play-off final. They had finished fifth in the league but head coach Dean Smith, with Chelsea legend John Terry alongside him, inspired them to a brilliant second half of the season and the momentum was with them as they entered the play-offs. Can they keep that momentum up?
Jack Grealish is the stand out performer, a midfield general with quick feet and a quicker mind, with the ability to unlock any defence in the Championship. I think he’ll cause problems for quite a few in the Premier League too.
Villa are spending big, recently announcing that defender Tyrone Mings is on his way from Bournemouth for a chunky fee of around £25m.
They open up with a famous old English fixture, a visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the opening day, before welcoming Bournemouth to Villa Park.
Verdict: I think Sheffield United will struggle to make the huge step up and Norwich could find life tough, unless Pukki can surprise us all again. Aston Villa has the pull to bring another couple of players needed to give them a good chance of a lower mid table finish.
Great matches and big rivalries
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United August 19th
What a cracking game this is between Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils. Wolves picked up ten points from their last five games of the 2018/2019 season to finish seventh, a place behind Manchester United who picked up a measly two points over the same period.
OGS has a complete rebuild to do, and we think he’ll be without Paul Pogba. A draw at Molineux would be a good return for the visitors.
Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur 1st September
Having finally found a home at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs have no distractions now and after reaching the Champions League final, they will want to stay ahead of North London rivals Arsenal. The Gunners have all but closed the gap, finishing a single point behind Spurs and Unai Emery will target a reversal of that position in his second season at the Emirates.
Chelsea vs Liverpool 22nd September
The biggest Premier League 2019 news of the close season so far is that Blues legend Frank Lampard has returned to the Bridge to coach his beloved Chelsea. And what a fairytale it would be if he can win some silverware in his first season as a Premier League boss. He’ll have to do it without Eden Hazard and will need to build quickly. A home game against Liverpool will be a serious examination of his credentials.
While Chelsea finished third, the Blues were a colossal 25 points behind Liverpool in second and a win for Lampard would be some prize.
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