Posted on Saturday, 27th June 2009 by Ryan Melchiot
As the dust settles after an epic battle for the English Premiership title, the summer months will bring along its fair share of speculation and rumors. What would be foremost on fans’ minds will be possible transfer sagas. The development of Manchester City as the richest club in football will also be headline news.
The fates of the top four teams in English football might suffer some blows in differing degrees. The first that would come to mind would be that of Manchester United. Most might not agree, especially after another sparkling season winning the league title and reaching the Champions League final for a second successive year.
Beneath the surface though, things might not be going that well for Alex Ferguson and his team. The rumors and unrest surrounding star player Ronaldo refuses to go away. Real Madrid continues to court the player’s attention and he constantly changes his stance over his dedication to the Red Devils too.
Manchester United could also rue their decision to haggle over the price for the popular Carlos Tevez. It has left the striker disgusted with the treatment dished out by the club and he is on his way out. This could leave the English champions’ forward line in need of more reinforcements.
The club’s record signing Dimitar Berbatov has not settled in well. Fans have started to get on his back despite the manager’s support and insistence that the player would come good. A full season after the summer could make or break the Bulgarian’s time at Old Trafford.
Finally, age is becoming an issue with the more experienced players in the champion’s squad. Players like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and even Rio Ferdinand could see further decline in their powers. The new and younger crop of players have much potential but experience is something that cannot be bought with money.
The champions are not the only ones faced with disruptions at all levels. Liverpool again face questions about their financial security. Chelsea have to embark on another spending spree to freshen their playing ranks, while Arsenal will need to finally prove all their potential counts for something in the form of silverware.
For the detractors of English football, this might be good news to them. However, there are teams waiting in the wings to take over if any of the big guns fail to perform, such as Manchester City and Everton. There might be some disruptions ahead, but expect the champions and their challengers to still come good eventually.
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