English Premier League Season 2014/15 Review: No surprises at the top end

TOO GOOD: Chelsea players celebrate their title on the parade bus

1^st – Chelsea

Jose Mourinho’s men secured the title with three games to spare. That in itself, says a lot about Chelsea’s dominance in the 2014/15 season. Chelsea no doubt won their first premiership title in five years due to their unassailable start of the season. New signing Diego Costa was one of the best strikers in Europe before he was ravaged by injury for the past two months. His total of 20 goals in 26 Premier League appearances is a more impressive statistic than of his Golden Boot rivals Harry Kane, with 21 goals in 34 games, and Sergio Aguero, with 26 goals in 33 games. It is one of those cases of ‘what if’ the Spanish striker played a few more games for his side. But in the end, the West London team clearly didn’t need to rely on Costa with the luxury of PFA Player of the Year Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas at his use nearly all-year round.

Season Rating – 10

2^nd – Manchester City

For some reason, the media have virtually ignored the fact that Manchester City has gone through the motions this season without a trophy. Manuel Pellegrini’s squad surely has to be expected to take a Champions League spot, which they did, but also with the amount of flair and skill of some of its players win at least one piece of silverware year in year out. This season they didn’t even come close to one, and heavily relied on Argentine striker and Golden Boot winner Sergio Aguero to do most of the work. After a poor season, it looks like Yaya Toure is on his way out of the blue part of Manchester with plenty of world-class names been thrown up in the air to replace the Ivorian Coast midfielder. It is surprising that Pellegrini is still the Manager, but maybe that’s what the second-place side need to change for the better in comparison to previous years when the boss would be fired after one season.

Season Rating – 6

3^rd – Arsenal

Arsene Wenger has done a reasonable job with his players this season, and particularly with the purchase of former Barcelona winger Alexis Sanchez, with 16 league goals and eight assists in his debut season. If the Premier League was to start after Christmas, the North London side would be at the summit of the league - but a champion side is not crowned over five months of play. Due to a subpar start to the season, largely due to the World Cup taking its toll on key players, the Gunners simply couldn’t keep up with Chelsea. Arsenal has showed signs of improvement from last season having avoided the nerve-wrecking Champions League qualifier that Man United will have to endure. But ultimately Arsenal fans will agree that their side must win this weekend’s FA Cup final against Aston Villa to consider the season a success.

Season Rating – 7*         

*9 if Arsenal win the FA Cup

4^th – Manchester United

This season was always going to be a mission for Louis Van Gaal and the Red Devils with a line-up, apart from a few, completely different to the season before. Without any Champions League, I expected United to be fighting for the top two at least but it seems their defensive issues were deeper than first thought. Wayne Rooney was their highest league goal scorer with a total of 12, which was a tied 10^th on the leader board. Former Real Madrid winger and new signing Angel Di Maria notched the third highest number of assists with 10 but United fans will struggle to remember when the last assist actually happened considering Di Maria’s dismal back half to the season. Van Gaal is expected to be very busy in the transfer window and it’s no secret which positions need strengthening to challenge for the title next year – nearly everywhere.

Season Rating - 7

The Chasers...

Tottenham Hotspur got as close as it could get to the top-four despite young England striker Harry Kane bagging a League second-high 21 goals. It is quite clear that if Spurs are to progress then manager Mauricio Pochettino will need another striker to play alongside Kane or deputise him with at least 15 goals in ammo.

Liverpool’s latest season can only be considered as a disaster after failing miserably to invest and, especially, to replace last year’s Golden Boot winner and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez. It is hard to sift out many positives from the Reds season with the emergence of young midfielder Jordan Ibe and an evolving playmaker in Philipe Coutinho, of the few.

Considering the pedigree of players Southampton lost in the last transfer window, the Saints have done extremely well to finish seventh place this season. The quickest hat-rick in Premier League history from Sadio Mane two weeks ago was one of the many highlights for the South England side this season.

Swansea City, who finished eighth in a club record, has now created themselves a reputation of a very tough team to beat, who also play attractive football. Gary Monk’s side was tactically spot-on on numerous occasions and all without their previous leading goal scorer Wilfried Bony, who now plays for Man City.

Stoke City has had another solid season and manager Mark Hughes has to be given much of the credit after coming under heavy scrutiny in the past seasons - mostly for its rugby-style football.

Crystal Palace is now an established Premier League side after another comfortable finish in the mid-table region whereas Everton below them could be noted as one of the under-achieving sides of the season.

After nosing around the top-four around Christmas, it was only a matter of time before West Ham plummeted eventually to 12^th place which is more of a true reflection of the Hammers season.

West Bromich Albion had a wonderful conclusion to their season notably defeating Chelsea at home 3-0 two weeks ago while the same can be said about Leicester City, who undeniably was the surprise package of this season.

Newcastle United dodged a bullet after leaving it to the last day to avoid relegation in a run-in that only included one win from the last 11 games for the Toon.

Sunderland and Aston Villa both ended their seasons lethargically while the three teams going down consisting of Hull City, Burnley, and QPR, cannot have too many complaints about why they are all going to be playing Championships football next season.

What we've learned after seven rounds in the AFL...

Fremantle Dockers Brownlow Medallist contender Nat Fyfe is on fire

1^st – Fremantle

The Dockers are two wins clear out in front of the rest of the competition and don’t look like letting up any time soon. Having already beaten the Cats, Swans, Port Adelaide, and second-placed West Coast Eagles, the Fremantle-based side are in great stead for the rest of the season. Nat Fyfe has been dominant for his team although may find himself in hot water for  Brownlow Medal contention after his third-quarter incident against Western Bulldogs last week.

2^nd – West Coast Eagles

My long-shot tip for the Flag is getting better and better each game. Despite being undermanned for a number of games, the West Coast Eagles have stunned their opponents with their quick attacking combinations starting all the way from the back pocket into the forward lines. Former Brisbane Lions player Elliot Yeo is proving a bargain after making his move up from defence into the midfield taking contested marks and kicking important goals for his side.

3^rd – Sydney Swans

There are not too many surprises when it comes to the 2014 grand final runners-up thus far. With losses to the Dockers and Western Bulldogs, the Swans are sitting pretty. Luke Parker is no longer a stranger in the AFL after some outstanding displays for his side, particularly in the comfortable win (in the end) for the Cats.

4^th – Adelaide Crows

The Crows have picked up wins against the Saints, Suns, Demons, and the Kangaroos way back in round one. It is hard to judge at this point how they fair this season but it seems Eddie Betts will need a lot more support up front from the rest of his teammates if the Crows are to be in the Top 8 at season’s end. 

5^th – GWS

It is great to see the surprise package of the season so far come in the form of newly formed and youthful Greater Western Sydney Giants. I wonder if Kevin Sheedy pictured 2015 with his old team to be anything like this one. The statistics might not say it but former Bulldogs skipper Ryan Griffen in midfield is killing it for his new club. If progress isn’t a 78-point club record win over Carlton last week then God only knows what is.

6^th – Hawks

The Hawthorn side have definitely had one of the tougher opening starts to the season in terms of fixtures against the likes of the Cats, Power, and Kangaroos. Yet the reigning champions still find themselves three wins off the Dockers. Billy Hartung is a young superstar and fans will be hoping there are many years to come for him in the gold and brown.

7^th – Pies

Collingwood have had one of the kinder starts to the season but seventh is probably not a true reflection of where they rank among the rest. If Nathan Buckley can string wins against the Suns, Kangaroos, and Demons in the next few weeks then that would be a more ideal time for season assessment. It looks like midfielder Jack Crisp deserves all the plaudits he is getting having originally filled in the midfield for injury cover.

8^th – Western Bulldogs

There is something strangely special about this Western Bulldogs team. The eighth-placed team have beaten the Eagles, got flogged by the Hawks, doubled the score of the Crows, and snatched a win over the Swans. Consistency seems to be the biggest issue for this side but a finals series berth looks to be on cards anyway.

The pack behind...

The Kangaroos are only not in the top eight because of their point’s percentage but should be a team fighting for those lower finals places later on if they can learn to defeat the big teams. 

Richmond look to be the same old Tigers at the moment showing promising signs but continue to struggle knocking off teams. 

Their round four loss in the wet to the Demons was the worst I’ve seen them play in a while.

The Bombers have just opened up another can of worms this time with WADA, but if Hird can keep the focus at Essendon then they could be worthy of a finals spot.

Port Adelaide have beaten the Hawks already this season but failed miserably against the Lions last week, a result that will tell a lot in the next few weeks. 

Geelong are part of the injury-struck bunch therefore one would be foolish to write them off yet. 

The Saints have been hot and cold lately with their win over the Bulldogs showing what they are capable of but, like the Demons, are still rebuilding. 

There is little to split between the two Queensland clubs but the Brisbane Lions look to have got one wheel back on track after the win over Power last week while the Suns cannot be taken seriously without Gary Ablett Junior. 

Rock-bottom Carlton Blues couldn’t be more deserving of last spot with their uninspiring footy however the players should be bearing the load of criticism just as much as Malthouse is.

2015 State of Origin: Blues likely to struggle against unchanged Maroons

NRL fans, let's get ready to rumble.

With just under two weeks away from the 2015 State of Origin Series, what could be more relevant than some old-fashioned speculation on team selection for the New South Wales and Queensland teams.

The Blues are searching for their second series win in nine years while the Maroons are eager than ever to bring the Series Shield back to the Sunshine State.

Considering the available players in both pools, Queensland should at least win Game One of the three-game series simply due to the number of important players missing from last year’s winning Blues squad.

Greg Bird was and always has been a key enforcer for NSW over the years while Jarryd Hayne has relocated to San Franciso to fufill his dream of playing in the National Football League with the 49ers.

Brett Morris’ try-saving tackling efforts with a dislocated shoulder last year speaks volumes itself, and is more than less the kind of thing that one would associate with State of Origin footy.’

Captain Paul Gallen, an 80-minute workhorse, is a “doubt” for Game One but I’m sure not too many NRL fans will be surprised if he pulls on a playing strip to lead the Blues out by kick-off time.

Then there is the ongoing selection debate in the halves – arguably where most games are won.

If history is to go by anything, NSW coach Laurie Daley would be stupid to change the victorious combination of Bulldogs pair Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds at halfback and five-eighth respectively.

Form is temporary but class is permanent. 

But it would not hurt for the two Canterbury players to show their worth in Friday night’s clash against my second preference Roosters pair James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce.

If NSW has learnt anything from their dominant Queensland rivals over the years, then form should not be at the top of the list of concerns.

If Daley is to make the big change at number 6 or 7 then it should be at the expense of Josh Reynolds, who has continued to show lack of maturity and poor decision-making in recent times.

Overall, the NSW team will still be competitive playing in front of a home crowd at ANZ Stadium in Sydney but fans cannot realistically expect a win to start off.

My starting NSW line-up: 1. Josh Dugan, 2. Daniel Tupou, 4. Michael Jennings, 3. Josh Morris, 5. Will Hopoate, 6. Josh Reynolds, 7. Trent Hodkinson, 8. Aaron Woods, 9. Robbie Farah, 10. Paul Gallen, 11. Beau Scott, 12. Ryan Hoffman, 13. Luke Lewis, 14. Trent Merrin, 15. Andrew Fifita, 16. James Tamou, 17. Anthony Watmough.

With the way both Queensland teams in the NRL are playing, that is the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys, the Maroons side should pick itself with little dramas.

Queensland coach Mal Meninga has already stated that reasonable faith would still be shown in the losing 2014 side ahead of the May 27 series opener.

Therefore there aren’t too many talking points besides the pointless decision to put GI or Billy The Kid at fullback, toss up Brent Tate’s wing spot vacancy, or whether to pick Manly’s out-of-form DCE.

Maroons fans may have been sweating over the fitness of long-term injury hit Darius Boyd but will be pleased that the Broncos winger has already been instrumental since returning to action last week against the Penrith Panthers.

On paper, as it should be, it is a star-studded line-up that will once again require the highest of quality performances from the opposition to force a loss out of the Queensland side.

My starting QLD line-up: 1. Billy Slater, 2. Darius Boyd, 3. Greg Inglis, 4. Justin Hodges, 5. Will Chambers, 6. Johnathon Thurston, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Matthew Scott, 9. Cameron Smith, 10. Nate Myles, 11. Aidan Guerra, 12. Josh Papalii, 13. Corey Parker, 14. Daly Cherry-Evans, 15. Chris McQueen, 16. Sam Thaiday, 17. Matt Gillett

2015 A-League Final Series Preview: The biggest Big Blue in history

1^st – Melbourne Victory

Next match: Lowest ranked Winner from Elimination finals (8/5)

Most Valuable Player – Fahid Ben Khalfallah (Left Wing) 

Fahid Ben Khalfallah

Last week Melbourne Victory manager Kevin Muscat was no doubt licking his lips at the sight of the Tunisian creative midfielder signing on with the club until the end of the 2016/17 season. 

As one of the contenders for the Johnny Warren Medal, the A-League’s best player, the 32-year-old has bagged five goals along with nine assists in 25 matches for the competition front runners. 

The 2015 minor premiers will go into this final series as outright favourites after consistently playing the best football all season backing it up with solid defence. 

Victory has the best home record in the A-League with nine wins out of 14 possible games, which inclines me to think that with one of the most fierce fan bases behind them for their major semi-final, likely to be against Wellington Phoenix, next week, it is difficult to see them not progress into the decider.

2^nd – Sydney FC

Next match: Highest ranked Winner from Elimination finals (9/5)

Most Valuable Player – Marc Janko (Striker)

Marc Janko

The Austrian International is the Golden Boot winner with a tally of 16 goals for the Sky Blues. 

Still recovering from a minor injury, the Sky Blues striker must feature in this final series if Sydney is to be of any chance of taking the premiership. 

He records on average a league high of 3.7 shots per game, which is a statistic not to be ignored.

Sydney FC has finished the regular season strongly recording three straight wins, only matched by Victory, against Perth Glory, wooden spoon Newcastle Jets, and a tough fixture away in Wellington. 

It’s likely that Adelaide United will be there next opponents, which I’m tipping to be a cracker of a semi-final at Sydney Football Stadium. 

The key to their success is not scoring goals, but keeping them out as well which has been the downfall for them at times. 

Being undefeated away from home all season, the Sky Blues will have an advantage no matter where the grand final is to be played if they make it.

3^rd – Adelaide United

Next match: Brisbane Roar at Home (1/5)

Most Valuable Player – Marcelo Carrusca (Centre midfield)

Marcelo Carrusca

Adelaide playmaker Marcelo Carrusca will return from injury for the elimination final to his teammate’s relief. 

The Reds has lost five out of eight games that the Argentine midfielder has missed this season, which speaks volumes of his importance to the line-up. 

Carrusca may be a bit rusty coming into this game but his quality on the ball is near second to none with seven goals and three assists to boast for 19 games. 

It is extremely difficult to go past Adelaide at Hindmarsh Stadium, in one of the most hostile environments in the A-League. 

The wing attack of the home side will be busy for the full 90 minutes which will be too much for the Roar defence to handle. 

Adelaide to continue on their impressive result last week and win 2-1 in a thrilling tie.

4^th – Wellington Phoenix

Next match: Melbourne City at Home (3/5)

Most Valuable Player – Nathan Burns (Striker)

Nathan Burns

The Socceroos striker has been a revelation for Phoenix this season and credit must be given to manager Ernie Merrick, who has got the best out of the former Adelaide United and Jets player. 

Tied second for the Golden Boot, Burns has proved lethal in front of goal forming a notable partnership with Kenny Cunningham. 

 

Just over a month ago Wellington Phoenix was at the summit of the A-League. 

But unfortunately the Kiwi-based side dropped out of the rat race due to some inconsistent performances. 

The results have been a bit up and down lately for the fourth placed side but I’m still tipping them to get up comfortably over Melbourne City courtesy of the formidable striking power up front that consists of Roly Bonevacia, Roy Krishna, and Michael McGlinchey. Phoenix to win 2-0.

5^th – Melbourne City

Next match: At Wellington Phoenix (3/5)

Most Valuable Player – Aaron Mooy (Centre midfield)

Aaron Mooy

The central midfielder, who has the fourth highest tally of passes in the league, has been a stand out performer in what really has been a under achieving Melbourne City side.

The young Socceroo has played every game but two this season due to international duty. 

With seven goals and assists apiece, Mooy needs to fire and continue his support up front in a game where I’m giving the Melburnians little hope.

With all the hype of Manchester City buying the club and the exhibition signing of Spanish superstar David Villa, there seems to have been less concentration on results in the Melbourne camp this season. 

Somehow they find themselves in the finals, and I do give them a glimmer of hope due to the late mid-season signing of former Socceroo Josh Kennedy, who still boasts plenty of talent.

6^th – Brisbane Roar

Next match: At Adelaide United

Most Valuable Player – Thomas Broich

Thomas Broich

The German star has arguably been the best player the A-League has seen in history but this season has been blighted by injury. 

Recently named in the A-League Team of the Decade, Broich has made just 16 appearances yet still has seven assists to his name. 

The bottom line is that Broich, who was recently named in A-League Team of the Decade, needs to fire if Roar is to move further in the competition.

Last year’s premiers find themselves in the final series this year at the expense of Perth Glory, who was effectively evicted from the finals series regardless of finishing in third place. 

The Brisbane club still hasn’t dealt with the loss of former leading goal scorer and Melbourne Victory striker Besart Berisha, which makes it hard to pick where the goals will come from for the 2014 minor premiers. 

The experienced midfield pair of Matt McKay and Thomas Broich has a huge task ahead in a game where the Roar should only be capable of scraping out a gutsy win at most.

Grand final prediction: Melbourne Victory 1-1 Sydney FC (Melbourne Victory win in Extra Time)