WhoScored.com AN AEA ERMAN eG YANaa tl NSS NTA Me: ) | US Ne eens ST 1b PCTs a APA TaN AW Neer} Ss CUM es Mets) [21r8 15) Ta =i,110)0) Met TANNA S30) MAN UTD - NEWCASTLE [18519 (el eee WU Sate) -74 | STOKE - SUNDERLAND 22823 SWANSEA - TOTTENHAM 24225 1 PREMIER LEAGUE Pas PREVIEW ESE a) Lea DERMOT CORRIGAN STS f ae is Se DOMM NORRIS EE eC rn a 5 Tn rs i- Ky Matt eee Tay cS iia) cae iz MICHAEL FRANCIS FON ee . coo Ss i i : = Ra POINTS |36- *| anh i nS BAT PMA PSY frat x ay yea Re ital [LARD ee mE gt LY PU gt 1A ts 4] lal BARGAIN CNRS 7A 2 1 = Sew, N ee f 7 a TOGA cs ee a e ug SU ae mere /, um OL y { 'FIVE TALKING POINTS | PrteivileR LEAGUE WILL JOSE MOURINHO AGAIN ENSURE ANOTHER TREND OF HIS. CAREER COMES TRUE? Chelsea have made more statement signings than anyone else this summer, but the question is whether they can perpetuate another defining statement from JOSE MOURINHO's career. "His second years are better than his first because the players know each other,” Ricardo Carvalho once said, and it has been commonly echoed. Porto and Inter added the Champions League to their domestic titles in second seasons under Mourinho, Real Madrid finally usurped Barca. Now, Chelsea are going to have to recover attitle they have not won in four years. To do that they're also going to have to solve one major issue: score more. Chelsea had more shots per game (182) than any other team last season but were undone by too many blanks. CAN LIVERPOOL BE SO GOOD WITHOUT LUIS SUAREZ? Liverpool were the story of last season and it's difficult to dispute that itall revolved around one star. SUAREZ was at the centre of everything and thereby above every other player: His 31 goals ensured he was the top scorer in the league by 10, he had the most shots per game with 55, the second highest assists with 12and the second highest number of dribbles, with 28a match In short, he was at times unplayable While the maximum level at which Suarez performed had much to do with Brendan Rodgers's creatively fluid approach, the wonder now is how much the forward's sale will sap that system. As an elementary example, the relentless manner in which Liverpool battered teams with the most shots on target per game (68) will already be affected DID THE WORLD CUP SHOW LOUIS VAN GAAL CAN RETURN MAN UNITED TO THE TITLE RACE? Inall the commotion surrounding the eventual decision to replace David Moyes, there was one deeper question: brilliant as VAN GAAL's CV is, has he been away from the top level too long to replicate that effect? The World Cup appeared to banish such doubts. The Dutch coach was at the forefront of all of its innovations, as the Netherlands went further than anyone expected. Van Gaal put together a remarkably tight outfit evidenced by the fact they conceded fewer shots per game () than anyone else in the knockout stages. SHOTS CONCEDED per came WORLD CUP 2014 KNOCKOUT STAGES Netherlands 9 France 10.2 Uruguay 10.8 Argentina 11.1 Belgium 11.6 WILL THE FA CUP PUSH ARSENAL ONTO ANOTHER LEVEL? Itwas Brian Clough who best described the sensation that Arsene Wenger's side have just enjoye the FA Cup: "the Champagne was like we'd been given a shot of something positive that only a trophy, whatever itis, can bring,” Clough once said. The first trophy can genuinely havea transformative psychological effect, especially for a young core like ARSENAL have. Ithas happened with countless sides throughout English history, and Wenger's side may well be the latest. Alexis Sanchez certainly represents yet another level in terms of ransfers. His movement could help Arsenal keep the penetration they lost when Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott were out last season, as shown by the fact they were only caught offside 1.9 times a game - one of the lowest in the Premier League. There weren't as many runs in behind. IS THERE ANY WAY FOR SOUTHAMPTON TO RECOVER? Having come to the cusp of d something unprecedente building on last season's brillianc SOUTHAMPTON have instead endured an exodus of the type that has simply never been seen before in the English game. The manager responsible for their approach has gone; the majority of the key players he made so much better have already been sold, Last season Southampton had the highest possession in the division with 58.6%. Now, they must effectively build from scratch AVERAGE POSSESSION PREMIER LEAGUE 2013/14 Southampton 58.6% Manchester City 57.6% Swansea 57.3% Arsenal 56.8% Liverpool 55.8% <> WhoScored comPREMIER LEAGUE 2014/19 PREVIEW Aer a season that so often hit such sensational heights, is been an ody subdued summer for champions MANCHESTER CITY. Of course, pat ofthat has to do withthe gleful wonder ofthe Word Cup grabhing al atlenon but there's also ‘he fact thatthe intrational tournament self conditions what happens net ~ and is pettcuaty relevant for City. Since the Premier League was founded. no side tas retained the tite in the year immetiately after a Word Cup, which is particular tsk fora City team hoping to win successive ties forthe fist time ever and thereby announce thatthe cub have moved onto anther level themselves, That may seem tke no more than a quirk, butitis aso fcultto escape the realty that the demanding naure of an event the size ofthe Word Cup does have a genuine effect Because so many players from the top eams are involved it does inuence how ready they are, and distort the field alte City had 10 playersin Brazil the same amounts Liverpool and Arsenal but two behind Chelsea and three behind United. In that regart itis perhas pointed that they have not followed the tren forthe rest of the super-lubs and signed one ofthe World Cup's sts instead simply seeking t solve existing issues. Scored-com Recruiting the Ukes of Fernando should add depth to cover the team's defence when they ddon'thave Feraninho, a player that offered City's most tackles per game (29) by anyone except Pablo Zable Of course itremains hugely efit to improve anatac that hit 102 goals lst season ~ and an incredible 6 from open play - but hatin itself presens the eleral derma for dfending ctrampions do you seek to continuously vote or conslae and thereby allow others the chance cath up? PREMIER LEAGUE 2013/14 gi OPEN PLAY @IBSETPIECES PENALTY (GBCOUNTER ATTACK @BOWN GOALS From te summers activi seems CHELSEA are best sett do the ltr, as they improved al the key ares ofthe tea Felipe Lis wil strengthen a defence that was area the bestin the division. DIEGO COSTA wil provide the aggression Jose Mourinho so favours from his stkers ~a remarkable 9 fouls a game - white Cesc Fabregas wil at last ofthe mitfild nuance ta a team that ad a surprisingly low average of through bal per game lst season. I's hard notto think Chelsea wil havea higher rate of scoring going some way to fix the issue that so cost them lastterm, Those two stil seem the main canis, particularly as LIVERPOOL, and MANCHESTER UNITED adaptto new circumstances one the loss oftheir best player the other te aval ofa new manager -whiliremais to be seen whether ARSENAL can now finaly bi on that FA Cup win, itil take a significant lean from one of those latte thre to compete with the weatiest two. For al the usual summer fascination with who the ig teams are signing, there have been two ther storynes that have added an element of tramato the close-season, and could well pay a huge olin the relegation bale. Te sti the mass exodus at SOUTHAMPTON, which ensures thereare absolutly no guarantees about anything they ve done, and that they haveto start again. Mauricio Pochetino ast season ensured their surge was built onthe best rate of possession inthe Premier League ~ at 5862, Thatis now gone. The second isthe remarkable state of airs at \WEST HAM UNITED. were the owners seem to be seing up some kindof face-off wih manager Sam Alardyce thas been a close- season fraught wih tension Toa certain degree, West Ham's situation sums up the eventual problem that every nationally mid-table team faces. A certain stl of football has repeatedly ke them nthe division and consolidated ther Premier League place but ultimately ensure ther is nat much spark to ther circumstances. Cubs wil aways seek to grow, butthe skis that attempting that growth may require lasing some ofthe qualities that kept them up. Thats precisely the case at West Ham, because ther is no csputng the effectiveness of their fotal nor the itaons oft You only have to look ta rae of possession at 2.6 the second lowestin the division The issues at both teams look set to perpetuate anater increasing trend inthe Premier League the huge number of teams involved in the relegation battle for so long thas been @ characteristic ofthe last few campaigns Up unl the astfew weeks, almstthe entirety ofthe boito half has been in danger. Thats unkly to change. Southampton and West Ham seem setto joina group that includes SUNDERLAND, WEST BRON, ASTON VILLA, HULL CITY, LEICESTER CITY, OPR and BURNLEY. LOWEST RATED TEAMS PREMIER LEAGUE 2013/14 CARDIFF 6:63 NORWICH 665 FULHAM 6.65 SUNDERLAND 637 HULL 671 ASTON VILLA. 671 WEST BROM 674 WEST HAM 678 PROMOTED TEAMS ‘CHAMPIONSHIP 2013/14 LEICESTER 6.98 BURNLEY 6.95 QPR 6.87 The Premier League finds itself nafaiar situation, and one that somewhat disrupts some afits grandiose pretensions. Yet again, the campeitons outstanding player has decamped tone of Spain's big two us, LUIS SUAREZ follows the ne already tread by Gareth Ble and Cristiano Ronaldo. Just ke those wo, there's no obscuring the efectof that departure. A virtually allof WhoScoret's stats prove - from his shots per game a5 to his cribbles per game at 28 - leone his goals, Suarez waste Premier League's most profoundly bint payer at season A Een THE PREMIER LEAGUE'S HIGHEST RATED PLAYER FROM LAST SEASON HAS DEPARTED. WHO WILL BETHE STAR PLAYER NEXT SEASON? There hasnt yet been the purchase to succeed himin that regard, despite the glamour inthe tikes of Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas. As ever. the competition is going to have to create its ‘own megastrs rater than buy them in. Liverpool have themselves tiscovered that ona simallr scale as they seek to replace Suaer's vera effec ifnottrety replace the player himself through a variety of othe signings such as Adam Lalla and Rickie Lambert Toa certain degree though italso sums up a deeper realty of he Premier League, The tars have always been the managers andthe real strength inthe state ofthe teams The majority of the signings atleast serve that Thais no dearer ‘than wit Chelsea's signing of Diego Costa, whose angresson replicates so much of what Didier Drogha brought in hs prime. ete. Ciretisciay Cees TOP TRANSFERS LUIS SUAREZ Eh = (=, DAVID LUIZ (9 = DIEGO COSTA flo» 2) ALEXIS SANCHEZ fh = G LUKE SHAW (Eh oe ANDER HERRERA {tio GS ROMELU LUKAKU £33 CESC FABREGAS (2h £3} ADAM LALLANA 223 ou (Fi) DEJAN LOVREN (3 = [ES LAZAR MARKOVIC FS] oe (3) CALUM CHAMBERS 3» FE FILIPE LUIS (fl o» K&S FERNANDO REGES (fi) = MATHIEU DEBUCHY (fi) = EA ENNER VALENCIA (3) (EB DUSANTADIC (El ov GBS BEN DAVIES 3» |X) DIVOCK ORIG! (9) o> (Fa) EMRECAN £58 = |) STEVEN CAULKER (J) (25) LEONARDO ULLOA (3) =» (©) GYLFISIGURDSSON |X» JAKE LIVERMORE |)» (2. BROWN IDEVE (3) ow (iti/ \ Vy aL ) EX | EM cilenihh dened 7 Gl) ALEXIS SANCHEZ Le THOMAS EISFELD (2 16Aug 2014 _vCrystal Palace (H) Arsenal ended their run without a trophy by iting the FA Cup and secured Champions League qualification yet again after a fight fr fourth with Everton and Spurs last season, Having secured their most wins ina Premier League season (’) since 07/08, the Gunners made progress and their improvements have continued into the summer. The loss of Bacary Sagna to fellow title rivals City is a blow and will irk Arsenal fans but that disappointment has been offset somewhat by the arrival of MATHIEU DEBUCHY. The former Newcastle right-back is favoured over Sagna for the French national side and earned a place in WhoScored’s 2013/14 Premier League team of the season with a rating of The marquee signing this summer, however, following on from Mesut Oil ths time last year, is undoubtedly that of ALEXIS SANCHEZ, The Chilean arrives from Barcelona off the back ofan excellent World Cup showing and a fantastic goalscoring campaign in La Liga, heralding 19 goals. He'l offer a pacy alternative in attack which could allow Wenger to experiment away from a long favoured &-2-3-1 formation, DAVID OSPINA was a great value signing and offers a real threat to Szczesmy's starting berth, with CALUM CHAMBERS also coming in o at as cover ina variety of positions. Arsenal look to have a stronger squad depth this time around. Pere eee ee cnr ce een Cuenta the past and their rivals tothe crown have strengthened once more, Sancher's arrival will To ne ce aon te ee ear aa eC ed but an improvement on last season is certainly a possibilty (iteain) re aca) Ca teslo CORUM TUTTO O.Giroud ARE TAY BATHE LEN piu ar a ae les B eA 6)" cn EASA ie ePae i ff UTR COT Oo STII Ty eT mo "i | LAURENT KOSCIELNY 7.33 ou a —) MESUT OZIL 2225 WhoScored.com nnn 27Sep 2014 | vChelsea (A) SE aastTe Villa diced with death for much of last season once again, nat really surviving in recent COMM eo eed CHRISTIAN BENTEKE struggled to recreate his debut season form (WhoScored rating drop from 7.5 to 7.25) prior to season ending injury that is likely to keep him out for the first few months ofthis campaign The Belgian’ injury has meant that potential suitors have been perturbed for now, but Me ees Cay transfer policy has altered somewhat, wih the club in a state of limbo having been put up for sale, and the signings of SENDEROS, JOE COLE and RICHARDSON certainly add experience toa young squad but do smack of desperation somewhat, with no real transfer Prete = JORDANBOWERY_€23 = MARGALBRIGHTON <4 NATHAN DELFOUNESO @3 > The likes of Agbonlahor and Weimann will ned to step upto the plate this time around having scored just 5 league goals between them last season, while the ‘tomb squad! at the club have all heen given a second chance given the tight budget. High earners Bent, NZogbia and Hutton are all out of Villa hiding having not featured forthe clubin any capacity last season. Pe eu eR ee a forwards and any regression would likely see them slide out of the Premier League for the ee a eet eee RE De eed tast season (3) and if you can't keep the ball you need someone to bail you outa times. In the initial absence of Benteke, it could prove to he a tough ask forthe Villans. CROLL TOC a LRG asia ly Ss INU T aaa FABIAN DELPH 7.13 LE THE ESTATES I TTR CL TRL LUy cee “ —— a - oo = a j — ro Direc ; com: TAD TRANGEEDS o: ff Sg) LUKAS JUTKIEWICZ i MARVIN SORDELL (2 _ MATTHEW TAYLOR a) STEVENREID iy) = CHRISBAIRD hay Burnley surpassed all expectations by securing an automatic promotion place having sold their top scorer the season previous. Charlie Austin, atthe start of the campaign. While the likes of DANNY INGS and SAM VOKES performed admirably upfront in his absence, Rca Si ing 2 team that was incredibly hard to break Cm ee cea al Cee Re ty matches, ro oO ne nee hoa so far though, with LUKAS JUTKIEWICZ and MARVIN SORDELL joining the club having hardly set the Championship aight last season, netting 8 and 7 goals respectively. The main Pe Oe tee Gees or a ee PO as ee a ce ce oOo meta ee a Da a) and centre-back Jason Shackell also mati their way into the PFA's Team ofthe Season. Additions in central midfield, however; are certainly a priority, i | Although they were so impressive in last season's promotion campaign Burnley don't have the finances tobe able to match the likes of Leicester and OPR, who have both made more eye-catching forays into the transfer market. The Clarets willbe hard to beat once more but may lack the creativity in midfield to survive, with much depending on the ease with which Danny Ings makes the step up in class, particularly in the absence through injury of " Pcs aay ios fe uraener Asahi ri: FW AN Poe CHPTRH UU ag UTC TPAC VAT Td RTT aaa tone CHELSEA There or there abouts for the entirety of lst season, Chelsea fell short inthe last few matches, wth a shock home defeat to Sunderland in April ultimately ending their title challenge. The Blues had the best defensive record inthe league by a distance, conceding at least ten goals fewer than any other side, but eventual champions Manchester City netted DT With Chelsea's failings last season so easy to quantify, Jose Mourinho's mission this summer was clear. He needed to add! more goals to his team, andthe arrivals of CESC FABREGAS and ES eee eae ey ety Cee cere ee eee Uy Pee one sa ac Goer ee ey Seu ammunition for fellow new boy Costa, as wel as filling a vod lft in midfield by club legend feusear ih f])__DIEGO COSTA 2) _CESCFABREGAS ] 7 ROC Ee eS ea «= DAVID LUIZ (A) had an outstanding campaign in Spain last season. The former Aetico forward isa true ee oun ee eee) ‘otal coming inside 18-yards. Elsewhere, the return from loan of THIBAUT COURTOIS sets up See oe rea ee) OM oer ee era eT g aera <= _ROMELULUKAKU = ___DEMBABA MC SPR ETT Given that no Chelsea player has scored more than 15 league goals since the 2008/10 See eo es ee ee If he can reach the 20-goal mark than it's hard to see Chelsea falling short this time around, aU a a is) re re) @ Gs is j re] | y ve Oa a | Ce MENG SENS.) Ts SU @) a ENC UOT JASON cha Bi: Hany ” — pi —_o9mt ri ri : me - ——4 TAA WhoScored.com EDEN HAZARD 7.65, 2 liey laity rere SCM by Month Pa ce aha a Leicester romped tothe Championship tie last season and wil be excited about their return to the Premier League. The Fores accrued 102 points and scored a whopping 82 goals on PORT OAc Le ican performances of Hull and Crystal Palace in England’s top tier last season as they aim to Poe tenn | z3mug20 vChelsea(h) STUN east ~ (eon oe lo players to date LEONARDO ULLOA arrived in July for a club record £8m, while Pr eee ‘duo MATTHEW UPSON and MARC ALBRIGHTON both signed for free. ld ease the goalscoring burden on Cavid Nugent and Jamie Vardy, who netted 20 and 1° league goals Peon S aca Pema Ce DC Ue em eC eo tior and the club will need the trio to hit the ground running, They won't be short of creativity either, with new signing Albrighton playing an accurate cross most often (every 2 minutes) Cote ct oN Css re eek a resisting the urge to sell a umber of key performers from last season, Leicester have a strong squad that wil strive to avid following inthe footsteps of Reading and Cardin SC ee Some will argue Leicester overspent on Ulloa. Only Z players missed more clear-cut chances than the 28-year-old (16) in the Championship last season, so while he can get into the 7 positon to be picked out by a teammate, his tack of composure infront of goal could be a aac ee ie ene ey 27 oy Cre ene nes ce) CTCL TLC CHUA NTaPRAC eN aT lt ro 5 SOUCY ) a ar UTERO TO SA RITCHIE DE LAET 7.37 ?" CET DANIEL DRINKWATER 7.15, DRS WhoScored.comI Ft ae ee IVERPOOL | De ee eee eT ee ae kc ee ec eee re Reds, who performed above expectations to finish just“ points behind eventual c Sa Peo ete Te Oe es TTR Se Oe ee ee position to Totenham, who hat! money to burn as a result of Gareth Bale's record-breaking move to Real Madrid last summer. Replacing the Uruguayan is no easy CeCe oe ee ae ee ty CT ee nec A raft of players have joined onthe back of his sale, with Liverpoat pillaging Southampton forthe signings of RICKIE LAMBERT, ADAM LALLAMA and DEJAN LOVREN. Meanwhile LAZAR MARKOVIC and EMRE CAN have also arrived from Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen PU Cet ue ua Ue the year. The signing of Loyren could he the most important as Brendan Rodgers aims to solidify an error-prone defence - only Tottenham (2!) committed more errors that ST ee ree Caen Croatian was Saints'top rated player according to WhoScored last term (7.12) Liverpoot will struggle to match the heights of last season, The departure of Suarez is a huge blow tothe club and bringing in suficient quality to cover his goalscoring and creative exploits is a tough ask Nevertheless, the club should have enough about them to secure back-to-back top-« finishes and Champions League football once again, TU TC a L Suarez SE Top Scorers su aces 5) 7 eta Meee me 1 Thc MAG a —— Flee Nt Scored.com | i3sep2014 |vAstonVillatH) | ies 20500 2014 |v WestHam (A) [ 27sep 2014 [vEverton tH) | > ADAMLALLANA =p DEJANLOVREN => 5 LAUARMARKOVIG => Cc) __EMREGIN, =>) <= WSSU 25 Aug 2014__ v Man City (A) 31Aug 2014 _ v Spurs (A) 138ep 2014_| vAston Villa (H) Aug 204 vSouthampton (H) 278ep 2014 | vEverton (H) ‘)_DNOCKORIG. => per? ENR a yManchester City secured their second Premier League title in three years in what was a Pest ecs secur a ere a mec C Cnet try ‘21sep 2014 | v Chelsea (H) rin ‘trophy cabinet and guided the club to the last-16 of the Champions League 278ep 2014 V Hull (A) i) FERNANDOREGES => 7 WILLY CABALLERO => BRUNO ZUCULINI_ => = _ JACKRODWELL sail BACARY SAGNA Vol = _ GARETH BARRY a, ee NE: na oa) oh eal A ~ NPR CY VTUT 2 League Standing sy Montn | | | ; eae 34 “a teas i ost TNC TAU cy f a il and bigger and better things are expected inthe upcoming campaign Pellegrini has strengthened in key areas all across the pitch. WILLY CABALLERO, has made ‘more caves (75) than any other goalkeeper in te last Z seasons in La Liga, has swapped SC ee se ee Elsewhere, Frank Lampard has arrived on loan until the New Year to maintain his match fitness ahead of his MLS debut and will give the City boss more options in the middle of the a FERNANDO further solidifies an already strong midfield-and is expected to-compote with Fernandinho for a stating spot. Only Tomas Horava (1!) won possession more times in the midfield third than Fernando (°0) in the group stages of the Champions League last season, so his ability to win the ball will benefit the team going forward. Meanwhile, BACARY SAGA will compete with PABLO ZABALETA for a place atright-back, while the lack of major departures mean City have suficient quality all across the pitch. This’ be crucial tothe Crs eu ne ere Having won the ttl in 2012, City faltered the following campaign, failing to match the exploits of the previous season. Pellegrini will lok to ensure the players remain focused as they aim to secure back-to-back Premier League championships, but with those around them strengthening, the Citizens could end the campaign runners-up, regardless of the es POUT) A a Mal yy % LSE eT 4 Rau Ue A) TSI a Nllaa IVa Te Ie Fae Scored.comee a came Une ue ASTERACEAE for the upcoming campaign. David Moyes was supposed to be Sir Alex Ferguson's long-term E 5 c successor but was relieved of is duties in Apri as United sttteredtoa 7h laced fishin (QAR ONUCMMN DOCS 20Sep 2014 _V Hull (H) Te eet eae peers im Teche tid rire ry igpies’ highest rated player (7°) prior to his exit in the New Year and they may have ie eh ee og ee 27 ep 2014 |vWest Ham tH) 29 Sep 2014 | vStoke (A) Peo ee eno ee The big ch ere eo otra) Serene ei Ure icro Tae Pye ECS Ta ese tek eee ‘suitably impressed by Netherlands in South America - only Germany (7 |”) earned a better De Jong may have missed a substantial chunk of last season due to injury, but he has Dee IM OL CRS eu ne at & = = Ce ee Ee URE Chg 3-man defence the experienced boss implemented at Brazil 2014, which will signal a e LUKE SHAW REMY CABELLA DUO OC eu ee SUT Pea Ce eee Cc SOO CUE DC er ae ent erereretimepeteermiy airen MMH Het SIEM DEJONG eee eee ying eae rns Bilbao having been close My a) a if oe Arsenal, while EMMANUEL RIVIERE joins from Monaco to provide atlequate competition up = ALEXANDER BUTINER ys EMMANUEL RIVIERE A ee eet tein or The old guard - Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs - have either left or retired + Doe CU LU CU Ske Ei A and need replacing before the season kicks off, with United hoping to complete @ number of (ua BEBE q DARYLJANMAAT Co a ee eee oe Oe aC MIU ae vetting just & deals before the season gets underway. Arturo Vidal, Daley Blind and Mats Hummels, Nene ee eo oe ee er ae ce aL amongst others, continue tobe linked with a move to Old Trafford. <= = PATRICEEVRA #3 ANOZEPEREZ to adjust to the rigours ofthe Premier League sooner rather than later. Pc Cn ee 2 See eer eS enc “tral 201 appeased supporters an theyhave oreyrght (ote exted about hi umm I ss) | QSMITNTTETIVTESTATTMS=) ——encast oan improved aque ish abla and DeJong shoul beable to provide ample creativity in the midfield, while Janmaat Te RUC CURE appointment, keen to forget a hugely underwhelming campaign under Moyes. Although a nn : : a Cn Om CR CC Ur eee osu Ana) ge CEUs al co ay ry tO aay as Pa) S , aN - a . i W. Rooney UE RY Mls Goal Contribution TETRA Ci y MCAS ELIT a ATPASE Ta A A Ay Per Game y 3 é‘ E" 1 a On aC ey Top Scorers cits AJ > 7 Naa 4 @ _ ) im aR ay — AUTON ENTRUST OAL Cl MeL NTs ar = MOUSSA SISSOKO H ces a 6 = = | | | : | eer MAUS | er ’ Freee n i _| F a L a, 5 ae WhoScored.comMany tipped OPR to bounce straight back to the Premier League and they did just that, albeit through the drama of the playoffs. Bobby Zamora’s goal proved to be the difference between the t's and Derby County t Wembley in May. However, many felt they should have returned to Englands top tier as Championship winners and had it not been for a drop in form in the second half ofthe season, they may wel have done. ‘RIO FERDINAND and STEVEN CAULKER solidi ‘JORDON MUTCH inject some top-flight experince in defence and midfield. Caulker blocked Noe Ge URC RC UM WCU REUSE Se acquisitions on free and loan deals respectively, while Mutch provides a goalscoring and creative threat having scored or assisted {7 5 of Cadit’s “7 league goals ast term. FORO LTE Julio César returns from his loan spell at Toronto FC onthe back of Brazl’s Wortd Cup ign and, provided Harry Redknapp places trust in him, should be ample competition en, who recently signed a new contract at the club. Redknapp has managed to ‘rim some of the wages from the squad, wth Esteban Granerojoining Real Sociedad permanently, while Andy Johnson, Hogan Ephraim and Stephane Mbia have al left the club. The Hoops are yet to bring in any fresh faces in attack, however. Aftr- CHARLIE AUSTIN: (15), loanee Ravel Morrison was OPR’s next top goalscorer () in the Championship, though LOTC REMY’s failed move to Liverpool could see him return tothe fold at Loftus Road There is stil time for QPRto bring in new faces ahead ofthe upcoming campaign. The signings of Ferdinand, Caulker and Isla strengthen the defence andthe goals expected goals from Mutch could yet see the west London side stave off the threat of relegation CHET CUT fe 16.Aug 2014 V Hull (H) ram 2 2amug 2014 | WSpurs A) TD TRANCE a MAURIGIOISLA Sh roa) CNTY EAGT SRT asa 7 DUSANTADIC i) __ GRAZIANO PELLE Sainf&have seen the squad that impressed so much in finishing 8th last season brutally picked apart this summer. Star players Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan ovren and Calum Chambers have all moved on, while the manager who instilled their effective pressing, possession-based game which saw them maintain the highest possession average inthe Premier League last season ( also lft PO The vastly experienced Ronald Koeman has come in and he has stacks of cash to spend, though it remains to be seen how well any new signings will etl. GRAZIANO PELLE and DDUSAN TADIC have already followed! Koeman to St Mary's, having finished last season as the ‘wo highest-rated players in the Eredivisie, with Pelle scoring the second-most goals (2:) A re ee eau ee ec than most in England and if he can get them to click then there is every reason that ) Aes <= _ADANIAUANA x, = _DEJANLOVREN = GALUM CHAMBERS. ; \ eae = Coa en) “ et a ; However, improvements need to be made to an increasingly depleted defence before the end ofthe summer transfer window and they also need to make sure they hold onto the integral MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN, without whom they won only 2 out of’ matches Poe OOO ee eer cee) DCU UC Re ee Ser eno Ue, Cr eu ec Po aan a ) = CTT 7 Top Scorers a vet a aa A ten TT NEDUM ONUOHA 7.24 SN a aa aN A WhoScored.com font in 1s 06 UTERO = PREMIER LEAGUE 2013/14 STAT ROUND-UP ) tra ee a cane a B mM TODHIUET x cm) a eames 3 pup See yan linet TEENY 1) i “fi | fl ia nag 5 L 5 I a. i i J i | ee oaCITY) Hughes” signings have largely done welt atthe Britannia, and his work inthe transfer STR clans et market so far this summer has been somewhat intriguing. More firepower was needed up al Ua eT Ce eee ve) _ BOUANKRKIC ru PHILBARDSLEY As a youngster he was held in exceptionally high regard in some quarters and there is the chance that he will finally come good at Stoke, where itis hoped he will provide greater MA) STEVESIDWELL =>] creative thrust an advanced areas. Diouf fits the mould of a burly Stoke forward, having 7 rit os TE aS) aU hea § IO a cri GLUE DIONATAN = MICHAELKIGHTLY &, Stoke rather quietly snuck up into a ninth-placed finish ast season, despite not a single Cece ie tio) their very impressive home record, which was the best outside the teams to finish the een ee ae ee as Hughes’ men conceded only 17 goals in ‘9 home matches, but only managed to score ecco nn RKIC represents something ofa risk after a mined season on loan at Ajax. Hughes wil be hoping for an improvement on last season and that will surely need to come away from home. If they can maintain the incredible home record they enjoyed last season then another top half finish certainly isn’t heyond them, though anything better than last Pee eeu STMT esate a JAGK RODWELL JORDI GOMEZ BILLY JONES = (GNACIOscoccO Wha an a \ osm: AML/AD i Ta CHE TUL UC a 21.2% BCE re OR) AT rs Per came gg) Per Game yi | _PeRoroucy 7.2 Cea A A aa Fae EDT UCU) LT A eto OUI — 13" —> 7 ; iW WhoScored.com >= wt |__| |_| a ey Me ound fan) eae PYM LENNY MrT EDU CU UCU) ———— ee i mT Ay at Berean ee te Sunderland looked doomed at an early stage. After a run of 7 losses anda draw that left them 7 points adrift of safety midway through April and with only 6 games remaining, they rere te However, Gus Poyet and Connor Wickham) inspired the team to an unprecedented escape, A oe oe ee een ee ce) respectable 14th The climax ofthe 2013/14 season will have given fans a huge confidence en en ee se ee a POE Ce aed GOS ECO CLO DEUCE CRUO CUCU he sizeable wage bill, with the likes Andreas Dossena, Oscar Ustari, Carlos Cuellar NE SU UC UU eR Ue 12m TTT SPIN MSTA eet aN tive EO RA LUN Seo Scene cm LSD Peet eee Me eC ore Noe but having played only 0 ofthe time he could have at Manchester Cty, avoiding a layot ‘may just be impossible Given the end to last season that they enjoyed, there will bea good feeling around the club atthe start ofthe new campaign, with genuine belief that they should comfortably survive and could even push on up the table, With the vast amount of quality inthe upper reaches Cee Coc cue CMa RTC TU CRS i} % Pee >) a SURO | LH) vy J ALVA Rates |) SVM ONT 8 SUE tae WhoScored.comSTILT ate _GYLFISIGURDSSON Ny Ao wf | ' : Ah < CRU Cus EUR ey os UES i i ‘manager that won them thei first ever major trophy, with the tgam in 12th position int Torr a ners standing, He has been given the reigns for this season but is up there with the favourites to win the sack race and a poor start to the season could be fatal, with the worry that their passing game may remain too blunt and ineffective (only Arsenal completed more passes than Swansea last season, yet / teams scored more goals) The blows of losing Ben Davies and Michel Vorm to Tottenham have been softened by the Cm Le a ng STC Rech Michu has moved to Hapolion loan, Leen oe es Toca ne but itis hoped that BAFETIMBI GOMIS, who was signed from Lyon having reached double figures for goals in each of the last Ligue 1 seasons, wil take some ofthe goalscoring burden off the worian, while LUKASZ FABIANSK is hoping to prove his Premier League Sornrro ‘Amanager lacking experience and plenty of transfer business over the summer makes for an uncertain future for Swansea, and one that could go either way. It wll be hard to hold off nterestin Bony and even more soto achieve another mid-table finish, and they could ee Dalia Cee TOU) ETRE TT Key P et Game Per Gi P a iy by Fr - ee RC rf ;: Pi = at cs ee : ONC 90 i = ~ — Ce ar | Ge 14 Sanya ; IAL eM eA Pa TSN AL NMRA ee 16Aug204__vWestHam (A) 27Sep 2014 vArsenal (A) BTN aaa f 25 __BENDAVIES 25 __ MICHELVORM ERIC DIER 4 GVLFISIGURDSSON <8 = JAKELIVERMORE = IAGOFALQUE ©) A Cy eH ana Cora) 1 Te TSA Ta TOTTENHAM ‘Asumiiey of upheaval a year ago left Spurs much-changed and uncertain ahead of the eee Core tech Tare) ‘a number of big-money failures, with Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela in particular struggling to adapt to life in England. Spurs only won ‘ league games in a row once last ‘season and that meant missing out on Champions League football once again, This time around, though, there was no star player departing, but instead a new and exciting incoming manager in Mauricio Pochettino, who the club are hoping can implement the pressing game that worked so effectively at Southampton and take the club up aleve. RE Ea ee EU Ue een to provide competition for Danny Rose, while MICHEL VORM is a decent backup goalkeeper. There are still improvements to he made though, particularly in defence, withthe club having committed the most errors that led to a goal (2!) of al 96 teams in Europe's top 5 leagues last season, Pochettino is sad tobe ater further recruits, mast recently Mateo Musacchio from Villareal, but space will surely need to be made for them in an already packed Tottenham squad or the manager may struggle to keep everyone happy. Some ofthe deadwood has been offioaded, bu fans are still awaiting the kind of marquee signing that will Se eo ee Sinth was the best Spurs could do last term and there is litle reason to belive they can improve on that this season given improvements made by teams around and above them. Pockettino took Southampton from 15th to thin the space of 18 months, but breaking into the en one ae ee beyond them once again. CTCL LUC O; OA NS Ci CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN 7.20 EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR 7.16 ERT a MOUSA DEMBELE 7.12 Se Sa Deitel , CrHissar! Pepe Mel's reign at West Brom ended in a 17th-placd finish and litle to shout a the summer, wit the Spaniard overseeing just 3 wins in 17 matches in onl avoiding relegation thanks to the failures of those sides that finished below themin the ote MC een eed cata were so incredibly poor. BROWN IDEYE i eC a aw Cece eee eos oa decision, but CRAIG GARDNER and CHRIS BAIRD are rather uninspiring replacements. JOLEON LESCOTT wil significantly bolster one of only two Premier League defences that ie eer no eo ea cy league appearances last season he may need a while to get hack up to pace. Costa Rica right-back CRISTIAN GAMBOA has joined too, having starred atthe World Cup making the Cee eee ee ee eG another incoming transfer is Australi left-back JASON DAYIDSOX, so it remains to be seen Dee eae a) ET CT ee CL are ee ce od record fee inthe hope that he can fire the side to safety. Delayed by a work permit application, his pre-season has been shortened, soit remains to be seen how he will adapt to the Premier League after scoring just S goals in 19 appearances for Dynamo Kev last, season, Aan Irvine is now at the helm, a largely unproven manager, having been relegated with Sheffield Wednesday in his last senior post. He has since been learning hs trade as the academy hoss at Everton bu it remains to be seen if he can succeed atthe top ofthe PO ee cu A utr ete ceo CHET TUT 24hug 2014_v Crystal Palace (A) [ 30kug204 _vSouthampton tH) § STMT asset f y ner) ie Tas oa) eae es iw Wiele o PUR oct a eC Rea) Paine erent mrs TT eee eat Pee een ee ee team in the Premier League, and without Carroll there to bring halls down they had Ce er ras NC scored all of Ecuador’s goals at the World Cup this summer, has been signed andit is hoped that he can do Carroll's job in the Englishman's absence. DIEGO POYET and AARON CRESSWELL are both exciting acquisitions from the Championship who, with WhoScored Pee , respectively, showed genuine indications that they are capable of Se aCe MAURO ZARATE returns to Europe after a prolific spel hack in Argentina where he scored goals injust !9 league appearances and West Ham fans will be hoping he can hit a simitar number in the Premier League, while CHEIKHOU KOUYATE isa burly defender that Sam Allardyce should enjoy utilising. In 6 Champions League games for Anderlecht last ene me OR ee) Bee een eae er ates Allardyce is, due toa fractious relationship with the board, the bookies’ early favourite to win the sack race and a poor start could spell the end! for a manager who is unlikely to Co ee DUOMO uae ROS CO Bee C UCC OW SOR UU SU oe CHE TC GS Ries Cy) ‘4 } — Peeters _ CHRIS BRUNT 7.01 ERE JONAS OLSSON 6.97 Le} q wd = 16m Lae a WhoScored-com ou fe | i a ERC TRO) ea" Sa FTA at 0" a "| i = EL) i % LSE ee) Cy << Se a2 JAMES TOMKINS 7.15 UNS TaAR SSN A Sa WhoScored.comMénchengladbach were able to pick up this improving, young winger for a cut-price this year. ANDRE HAHN won an incredible 5.9 aerial duels per game last season, whilst scoring 12 goals and setting up 7 more, meaning he was directly Ge ant crue eg finished an unprecedented 8th in the Bundesliga; Oe eee at Ce eee of challenging the German duopoly of Bayern and PE eee aT be able to develop as a player and help them do eu Peet Ti pr Pes 0 Reeser aero ecey greater competition. Only two goalkeepers in the top 5 European leagues saved Se Rr toy Coretta ira also successfully claimed more crosses (12) than any other stopper atthe World Cup this summer. An extremely cheap purchase, too, at just £3m, Pee eee Ud PCS ccs ered MU CU The summer of 2014 transfer activity is in full swing, with hundreds of players having already traded home and moved to pastures new ahead of the 2014/15 campaign. Luis Suarez’s transfer to Barcelona was gazumped in the headlines Ds eu ecu a cone et ee eu eae tS et ec er mee Cece cudnt Letra eeu Dr eG ean en ie De Lee ete Le Pesce tunes Scenes Ly ee reg care nt competition, with only 1 player winning possession in the middle third more times in the World Cup Fn ee EU eed volumes about his technique and assurance at ‘such a young age that the only players to complete more passes than him were Kroos, Mascherano, ce AT Cet SE ae Se nay in the coming season. ST Hoy Itmakes perfect sense that Tony Puls has signed Tee RU gd Premier League seasons, he has made a colossal 99h headed clearances, which is just 2 fewer than the player who has made the most; Puls’ former ees Hangeland will also be a set-piece threat for his De ne Another player to miake his move this summer due to an unfathomably low release clause was Bayer Leeverkusen's SIDNEY SAM. who has gone to Schalke for just €2.5m. Injury problems persist for the 26-year-old, but even ithe again manages only half a season, the fee will till prove a snip. In just 22 Bundestiga appearances last season Sam registered 15 goals and assists and his resultant average of a goal or assist every 92 minutes was one of the best inthe league. With strengths of key passes, dribbling, long shots and ee ue ra re Deed Peer ne met ct Meee the goalkeeping stars in Brazil this summer, Peete me rts progressed to the knockout stages unbeaten, conceding just 1 goal. Ochoa has made 428 saves over the past 3 seasons; that's more than any eee oe eae he could be a key free transfer as Malaga look to re-join the foothaling elit in Spain. iy PE RUE aa ciCg eee ee og ete od ge Russia he will be able toto challenge for honours. but having created over 100 more chances (314) than any other player over the last 3 Ligue 1 Se ee playing at an even higher level. ary Fah on Se Breer irc Area ti Brie cue England - for just £4.8m after a successful eM eer Tt Tee eC Rees breaking up play effectively while also mee ‘commendable tallies for a predominantly Dee eM aa UU without the ball, Parolo could prove one of the Arend BCI er ree CUCM Om eee Ae ee ecg ie eRe uM Ie goalscorer, with 74 goals in his 131 Bundestiga Doce lo ean Lucey season. If there was going to be any weakness in this Bayern Munich side it would have been up ee eet Cee See Tea Ua Pee ome nanny Champions League. He has created an average of ey eet) appearances over the past 3 seasons, and clearly still has a lotto offer. Along with Kevin De Bruyne, PS eee a ees who will be hoping to break back into the top & this season,oe MALAI Me NO LI UNC URA LUIS PURGE Ce kh O Cre h crn Crt nna CimiaeT Cucauercciecccn) that are perhaps yet to become a household name. Here we look at ten that may well be by the end of the upcoming campaign. tT back in 2012/13 but a transfer to PSG should thrust the full-back further into the limelight. A Reon age international instead opted for a move to the Gee ee ec) DR ACU a lee ick cic ccna Dutchman to start and ofers great athleticism down the flank, as well as the ability to fil in at See ee eT ee his excellent delivery saw him pick up 6 assists to Pee Cea players made more tackles and interceptions ent ee ese tina bak) E eee ee LAYVIN KURZAWA’s first full campaign in the French top-flight come toa disappointing end but Pee re cr ey impressive ease. Having amassed 20 league starts for the eventual runners-up, whilst particularly impressing inthe offensive phase Cee ee en Cn On te) showed an impressive reading of the game at the back, always looking to play on the front foot. The full-back made more interceptions per game (3.4) than any other player in Ligue 1 and once he had RO sce go CO Ree eee ete ce ee geen could yet be inthe offing this season a Te ee TP oe eed Em LA) Cece Te anne ic CMMs Cae ec sie all youth levels and is another tipped to make the breakthrough into the senior side sooner or later. He's strong inthe tackle - with oly & Bundesliga players making more last season (96) ~ but also able to create chances atthe business end, proving particularly effective over a deal ball SN A onan ete CNN Tt Th ; CL OM ac esa celona first team following a hugely eee es i egg Blaugrana boss Luis Enrique. With Alexis Sanchez Ne cier aurea es Br nu ce Co an advanced postion onthe flank should see him pick up plenty of minutes this season. The midfielder caries the ball well, averaging 2.4 successful dribbles per game and with 1. key passes per game he registered 5 assists to accompany ‘ league goals, With only Carlos Vela fouled more times per game in La Liga last pee et ee tg roe eee ons flight, HAKAN CALHANOGLU made quite a name a eee ned) seemingly any distance. A direct free-kick from clase tothe halfway line against Borussia Pe ieee Dee eu ey ecrien emergence saved Hamburg from the drop. HSV en cog eee ete CeCe Cea De nee Per ag top 5 leagues scored mare goals from outside the ey ? Dea oe Erne nite ESS Wa OS RSS A Ia Cr eee a eee eee) gamble but Rudi Garcia clearly has faith inthe Argentine, who shone on loan at Verona inthe previous campaign, Playing predominantly from Ceo ean ert providing a simitar goal threat to that of former fan favourite and compatriot Erk Lamela, Wit a knack fr the spectacular, 6 ofthe -year-old's Serer eee ut res Poet) pert) S To look at n ene altel Bg Se eons international only turned 20 this year. The former Bayern graduate excelled upon his arrival at Bayer Leverkusen and it was perhaps a little Pe cae cae the youngster to leave so early in his eect be Liverpool's gain though, with the Merseysiders acquiring a player that will provide competition Pence er cs Cae Ue og Se UMUC RUSE) break up play and carry the ball forward with Pca eer cS ees PE tT right now but fellow countryman en pair certainly represent a bright future atthe back for France. Atjust 0, Laporte was a mainstay for an Athletic side that ended the campaign in the final Champions League Pn ecu eek ea defender has al ofthe tools to get tothe very top cr ee duels last season and made a combined total of fae eet Gnome a surprise to see one of La Liga’s Eo ed was d Y While the Pi an renee oR Rca en of note to break int the first team, the club have also shown that they are wiling to invest in youth as well as nurture it. LEON GORETZKA was Re nee ee) ee ne that he earned a call-up tothe provisional German World Cup squad and a first senior cap at A eee et Tea ee eT Ce ee cus effect, offering a real aerial threat from crosses from the opposite flank and winning an aerial ener ue =~ hus Cerca en last season were enough to see the newly- ee er rr STOO UES ma ue BCR UCL) RLU players notching more - and also provided é assists for teammates. A direct contribution to 22 POS Car a ns SESS) ed Cerne eons nce enone youngster following the arrival of Alvaro Morata, eae an sta RECS Se RL CuO CRLF to the Old Lady after netting hat-tricks against ‘Sampdoria and Fiorentina, and four eS eeeFIVE TALKING POINTS | LA LIGA HOW MUCH WILL ATLETICO MISS COSTA AND VILLA? Last season DIEGO COSTA and DAVID VILLA between them scored 52% of their side's total Liga goals [Costa 27 and Villa 13] as ATLETICO MADRID surprisingly won the title. Both strikers are now gone. The stats suggest replacements Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann boast similar firepower. Mandzukic scored 18 in 30 games [9 as sub] for Bayern Munich last term, while Griezmann managed 13 goals and 4 assists for Real Sociedad in 35 appearances. The new men also bring the off-the-ball effort required by Diego Simeone. Mandzukic exactly matched Costa's average tackles [0.6] and interceptions (02! per game last season. Griezmann's perhaps more surprising figures [1.5 tackles and 09 interceptions] suggest he’s even more fond of hard work. IS ONE BALL ENOUGH FOR MESSI, NEYMAR AND SUAREZ? LUIS SUAREZ was Whoscored.com’s highest performer 8.43 average] across Europe's top five leagues last season. But how Barcelona's new signing fits with fellow South American superstars LIONEL MESSI and NEYMAR is still tobe seen One concem is that Messi [4.6] and Neymar [3] were second and third respectively in La Liga’s average dribbles ranking. Suarez, meanwhile, had the second most in the Premier League with 28 solo runs per game. The three also figured highly in their competitions’ total shots per game rankings - Suarez 55 [1st in England], Messi 5.2 [2nd in Spain] and Neymar 2.6 [11th]. Getting three such high-profile individualists to play together looks a challenge. CAN JAMES TAKE DI MARIA'S ROLE IN MADRID’S MIDFIELD? Angel Di Maria glued REAL MADRID together last season, topping La Liga’s standings for both assists [17] and key passes [91]. At first glance JAMES RODRIGUEZ's figures [12 assists and 85 key passes in his 34 Ligue 1 appearances] were pretty similar. Both also hit 3.3 long balls per game. But there are concems over whether James can provide the same defensive contribution in deeper areas. The stats suggest the Colombian can His tackles [1.1] interceptions [0.7] and fouls [0.8] per game last season compare surprisingly well with Di Maria's figures [1.3.0.6 and 07 respectively] CAN PLAYMAKERS HERRERA AND RAKITIC BE REPLACED AT ATHLETIC AND SEVILLA? ANDER HERRERA's midfield displays were key to Athletic Bilbao finishing fourth last season. with an average performance rating of 7.38 from WhoScored.com, five goals, five assists and 54 key passes in 33 games. IVAN RAKITIC had even better stats as he drove Sevilla to fifth - 10 assists and 12 goals in 34 appearances, plus 23 key passes per game for an overall performance rating of 7.60 [fourth overall in La Liga} Their departures leave big midfield holes to fil at both clubs. Likely replacements Befiat Etxebarria at Athletic and ex-Barca B starlet Denis Suarez at Sevilla will have their work cut out. CAN DANI PAREJO KEEP IMPROVING AT VALENCIA? Former Real Madrid starlet DANI PAREJO, now 25, finally came of age with an excellent 2013/14 campaign for VALENCIA. Parejo averaged 64 passes per game [6th of all La Liga players] 87.7% pass completion [14th] and 22 key passes [7th]. He also managed four goals and five assists in 31 games, plus 23 tackles per appearance The question now is whether in a much-changed side, and under yet another new coach, Parejo can step up again. If so he could be this season's Herrera or Rakitic and return his team to Europe ACM a ultAletico shocked prety much everyone by winning at seasons Primera Division ie showing super consistency to jus about hold of Barcelona and Real Madrid and become te fist ‘ther team to it the trophy since 2004, ATLETICO’s success was even more starting given an average of ust 8 9% possession per game. Diego Simeone’s aggressive and direct side topped La Liga’ tackles rankings [24.6 per game, while frishing mid-table for both fouls {139 per game] and pass completion (7:3) With Madrid and Bara the tp two in pass completion and bot we in fouls commited, ‘he tfferences in approach were prety clear. Such stats make Alice's achievement lth ‘greater, wile suggesting itmight be nigh on impossible to repeat. The lass of individuals such a Diego Costa, ThibatCourois and Felipe Luis willbe ft. butan inevitable fal-offn cansistency and focus looks ely to bean even bigger issue. LALIGA 2013/14 ihe | (ei AH) Va Scored-com Neanwtileincoming BARCA coach Luis Enrique say he wants marines from his players this season. Artur tothe high-pressing favoured by ex-bnss Josep Guarini could see ‘an improvement on their 14.1 interceptions per game lat year th ofthe 20), which compared negaively with both Mairi [142] and letico (152. LUIS SUAREZ's arrival upfront could hep on the intensity front - while also pushing Barca lest year tomake up thecfference with Madrid (1946 in total shots per game. The Catalan cub have aso moved oda with a weekness inthe air evidentin conceing a La Liga high of 24.21 of their total goals against from comers. New defensive signing Jeremy Mathieu made headed clearances last term (ranked Mh n Shin} for Valencia, so he shoud help the team improve in that area, AREAL MADRID the big money signing of ‘World Cup stars James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos mean enach Carlo Anceot must again try and ‘squeeze as many atack-minded players as possible int his Last season Madrid scored the most goals and tookthe most shots in La Primera, but hey also allowed opponents to take 109 shots per ame Tet just 91, Barca 89, while making just tackles [Barca 205, Aletco 24]. Kroos made 1.8 tackles per game at Bayer Munich ‘well behind Blancos midfielders Xabi Alonso 124]. Asierllarramend (2.2 and Luka Modric [21] Something for Anceloti to work on perhaps. Perez also looks thave solved the her Casas Diego Lope emma by signing Levante's goalkeeper Keyor Navas —who made the most savesin Europe's top leagues [160 in anpearances| ast season ata higher success rate [7661] than eer Lopez [71] or Casilas* efforts from the campaign previous (70.2) REAL MADRID PROBABLE XI 0 ares O On e EOan ToC Une) e 0 Pons root) ry O orig ro Bara RONALDO EVEN TS TS R ir) a een ea &, Tiago 7.43 ) Tete } si } (20+ APPS) Everyone willbe watching EIBAR, who won last season's Segunda Division and then raised the fun required to gain aicense fora fst ever Primera campaign Promising forthe Giny Basque (Ef | MARIO MANOZUKIC 223 ALVARO MORATA [eh = [f FILPE LUIS £3) <= (Fl JEREMY MATHIEU (Gf) a IVAN RAKITIC. fl = JAN OBLAK Fe oe fl ANDRE GOMES Fe» Gi ARC-ANORETER STEGEN [285] ow» (Eh CLAUDIO BRAVO (iB) (3 ADRIAN |) = (FIL ‘GUILHERME SIQUEIRA (ffi) ow» fl KEYLOR NAVAS (69) =» U JUAN BERNAT #22 <= Gf) ‘ALFRED FINNBOGASON (533) ow (1 WILLY CABALLERO ‘SHKODRAN MUSTAFI [4 (iD ANGEL CORREA 9)» fl BiFIVE TALKING TO WHAT EXTENT CAN BORUSSIA CEL ABS, Renae Cee DORTMUND REPLACE ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI? CANDIDATE FOR REINVENTION BY PEP GUARDIOLA? The arrival of JUAN BERNAT from Valencia is one that could be seen as a direct challenge to DAVID ALABA, now wellestablished as Bayern's left-back. The loss of the Poland striker is not just about replacing an excellent player: LEWANDOWSKI performed a variety of functions for BVB last season: goalscorer (20 goals), provider (6 assists) and ball-carrier (3.2 dribbles per game). The two share some characteristics they're good at holding onto the ball and passing — but their differences tell us how they might work together. Bernat is the more alert defender, making 22 tackles per game and 1.8 interceptions (compared to Alaba’s 1:8 and 1.0). The Austrian’s crossing is better and he provided 6 assists last season, suggesting he could be employed further forward. Wisely, Jiirgen Klopp has not attempted to directly substitute him. ADRIAN RAMOS has the passing (6 assists, 1.5 key passes per game for Hertha Berlin) and dribbling (2.6 per game) and CIRO IMMOBILE (22 goals. Bassists for Torino) brings his finishing skills. Fiting them both in will be a key challenge. POINTS | WILL WE SEE A MORE CONFIDENT BAYER LEVERKUSEN UNDER NEW COACH ROGER SCHMIDT? Leverkusen almost missed out on the Champions League last term after a poor spell post-Christmas. After a run of 1 win and 6 defeats in 9 matches between February and April saw Sami Hyypia fired, caretaker Sascha Lewandowski had to conjure 4 wins from the final 5 to secure qualification. CAN HAMBURG AVOID A REPEAT OF THEIR NIGHTMARE 2013-14? HAMBURG are stil the only ever- present in the Bundesliga, but they are lucky to be so. They need to rectify the worst defence in the Bundesliga, which shipped 75 goals in 34 matches in 2013-14. The arrival of Valon Behramias a shield should help; he made 4 tackles per match for Napoli last season, and completed 90.1% of his passes. Nikolai Miller, signed from Mainz, could provide the goals from midfield to replace Calhanoglu. He scored and assisted last season, and also makes a defensive contribution, which will be welcome. New coach ROGER SCHMIDT might bring the approach of his rampant Salzburg side; in the Europa League. they had 184 efforts on goal per game New signing Hakan Cathanoglu fits the bill: taking 28 shots per game. he scored 11 goals and provided 4 assists in his debut Bundesliga campaign for Hamburg. WHO CAN BREAK INTO THE TOP FOUR? If Bayem and Dortmund look firmly entrenched in two of the Champions League places, neither Schalke nor Leverkusen looked entirely convincing last season. WOLFSBURG look stable under Dieter Hecking, and can still count on the strength of Luiz Gustavo (34 tackles per game) and Ricardo Rodriguez 3.1 Rodriguez also contributed 5 goals and Yassists from left-back, while Kevin De Bruyne (@ goals and6 assists in 16 starts) now has a full season to make an impression. Meanwhile BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH have firepower, with Raffael (15 goals/7 assists) and Max Kruse (12/9) joined by André Hahn (12/7 for Augsburg). <> WhoScored-comTheres itl pint pretending that BAYERN MUNICH are anything but overwhelming favourites at the dawn ofthis new campaign ‘Mer fnshing 19 points clear atthe tp ast season the margin had been 25 in 2012-13, Pop Guardiola has strengthened his squad subi but signtfcanty The introduction of Sebastian Rode adds depth (rom Eintracht Frankfurt and Juan Bernas arial rom Valencia means the full-back positions are covered, highlighting the wil to ‘cantinue with Philipp Lahm n mide. The captain's pass completion rate is central to the coach’ dominant philosophy 1.7L last season, Elsewhere, even Mario Mandzukic’s bi pes spear oa sre bape ha JIERT LEWANDOWSK| is nota huge upgrade (witha 7.98 WhoScored average rating in aman) Sng (teu SIC TE Scored-com The scope to improveis clear when one cansiders Bayer’ two top-rated players, Franck Rbéry (824) and Thiago Aleéntara (784) only started 29 games between them last season The late’ return might see Word Cup winning hero Maro Gtze ourish ina more central position, wit his strengths of key passes and dribbling coming int lay BORUSSIA DORTMUND's ambitions may — publically —be simpy to cement second place, buta level of ambitions clear from the signings of Adin Ramos from Herta Bern and especially Ciro immobile from Torino. Like with Bayer, focus should perhaps be less on new arrivals and more on returnees, after the injury problems which dogged Jirgen Klopp's team at every turn last season. A stable defence must be the launchpad! for their season, with Neven Subotc back after playing only 10 times and the team’s outstanding defender Mats Hummes (7.71 average rating) missing 7 games. Fist-choice ful-backs Lukasz Piszczek (15 starts) and Marcel Schmeler (19) were als limited by ness CUENTA TeaL ross poet ES STS Batt or cee: pes 3010 ceo} Eee vonin itis a stretch to consider BAYER LEVERKUSEN as genuine contenders tothe ttle, but their attacking verve, particularly under adventurous new coach Roger Schmidt. could make fe more uncomfortable forthe big two. Thy are builto have ago, with HAKAN CALHANOGLU and JOSIP DRMIC (17 goals in 30 stats for Nirnberg) joining STEFAN KIEALING (15 goals and 3 assists) andthe improving HEUNG MIN ‘SON (104). The tater pair took 2. and attempts at goal respectively per game in 2013/14 Added to Gonzalo Castro's creativity (Bassists). they could surprise. As Bundestga first-timers, tle is expected of PADERBORN, wit the smallest stadium and least dub members inthe division. Alban Meha could be this season's answer toa Hakan Calhanoglu- style breakthrough star, having scored 6 times ‘rom direct free-kick last season, and the completion of Eias Kachunga’s permanent move {fom BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH is important aftr he scared 6 times and made assists in their promotion campaign. The loan signing of 20-year-old Marvin Ducksch from Dortmund (12 goals in 26 starts for their B team last season) is hand too, bt hey might ack the requisite experience to flourish. Regarding the established order, one fears for HANNOVER. Like his predecessor Mirko Slomka, coach Tayfun Korkut endured a tough baptism, Aer winning hs rst 2 games, 1 win and 7 defeats flowed inthe next 10, leaving them perilously close tothe drop. took 4 wins from the last 5 to secure safety but Sf the goals in thatrun were scored by players no longer atthe club —including 2 rom Szabolcs Hust. her top performer (7.40) andthe contributor of 1 gols and 7 asiss Ad to thatthe exit of Mame Biram Diouf (@ goals in 18 stars) and there's alt of pressure ofnew boy Joselu to reproduce the form he showed on lan to Eintracht Frankfurt last season (9 goalsin 18 str). Hiroshi Kiyotake,ariving from Nimberg will need to tispay the crafthe showed lst season, Producing 28 dribhles and 1.9 key passes per game for 3 goals and 8 assist. Elsewhere, mare of ast season's strugglers stil have concerns, FREIBURG wil have to cope without key defender Mathias Ginter who has joined Dortmund after starting ever league gjame for Christian Seic’s men in 013/14 Armin Veh returns to STUTTGART wih a repeat of 2007 ie win not onthe menu, andthe aim of avoiding another season of struggle coud be tough with te reinforcement oftheir leaky defence (62 conceded test season), HERTHA BERLIN wil have to cover or the loss of Ramos (16 goals and 5 assists) ithey are to avoid a struggle. Julian Schieber without a Bundesiga goal since Apri 2013s unlikely tobe the answer, and they won just once inthe last 11 games of last season. Lewandowski move has clearly caughtthe eye itis hard to thnk ofa more heralded free transfer—and his all-round game already marked him out asthe Bundesiga’s outstanding striker inthe 2013/4 team ofthe season. Ramos and immobile shoud be exciting viewing at his old clu, andthe Hat international 3.1 shots per game average lst season wil se him hit the ground runing in Germany if repeated SN ee cri ais Lente 2 See CT ADLER 230, > cos Eisenere, having lsttwo cub legends in auelkeener MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN and Juan Arango, Borussia Ménchengladbach have been posive in the market Basel’ Yann Sommer (the top-rated goalkeeper in last season's Europa League, wih 7.6, has arived, ashas adventurous defender Fabian Johnson (Bassists and 14 dibles per match for Hoffenteim). Yetitis the attacking arrivals that promise to make Lucien Favre's side a must-watch, ANDRE HAHN is wel-known to Bundestiga fans after his exploits with Augsburg (12 goals and assists), while Thorgan Hazard isan exciting prospect having scored 14 and contributed assists inthe regular Juliper League season at Zulte Waregem, He averaged 3.3 key passes per game for Ziti the Europa League, which bores wel for Max Kruse and Rafael, SSE WURL *. rok a % Paes ATTACKS CS sees yriakos Papadopoulos loan move from Schale to Bayer Leverkusen wil hopefuly relaunch his njury-stled career. A reprise of his tacking average of 201172 and 2012/13 (aheathy 3.7) woud make Die Werksef a tough propasiion Mandzukic wil be fondly remembered by Bundesig fans as he leaves for Alico Madrid He hit 3 in 43 starts during his two seasons at the Aina Arena, having previously served Wolsfiurg Fis swansong season, with 18 goals in 21 starts, was his best. i) ro ed @andybrassell TON KROOS [Fe = 2 MARIO MANDZUKIC [ffl = E23 CIRO IMMOBILE [E> 8 ‘HAKAN CALHANOGLU 63 so E53 aRc-ANORETER STEGEN (EB) = EMRECAN |f=i] <= £53 MATTHIAS GINTER (ZA) (@8; JUAN BERNAT (i = ES ADRIAN RAMOS () ow» (a6) _prene- ice. LASOGGA (Fe YANN SOMMER [6 | NURISAHIN [i = (28) OLIVER BAUMANN 28)» 1?” JOSIP DRMIC WENDELL 2% EES ADAMSZALAL (5 ow ADMIR MEHMED! |i5)) LUUK DE JONG 75) <= |) JOSELU Pj 9B NICOLAI MULLER (9) =» ed HIROSHI KIYOTAKE (€3) (98) TIM MATAVZ P= oi VALENTIN STOCKER [i] VALON BEHRAMI (9) =» HARIS SEFEROVIC [i8)FIVE TALKING POINTS , SERIE A ALLEGRI SLOW OUT THE BLOCK Sassuolo's rise through the divisions started with MAX ALLEGRI. He then led Cagliari to their highest finish in Serie A in almost 15 years and beat Jose Mourinho to the Panchina d'Oro AtMilan, he ended a seven-year wait for the Scudetto, Last summer he was the frontrunner for the Roma job. This summer, before getting a call from Juventus, he was the favourite for the Italy post. Allegri can point to these achievements as his credentials. But to win Juventus fans over he needs a fast start. This isn't his forte. Since 2008, Allegri has averaged just 1 point per game in the first five matches of the season, TT MATCHES) @ 2013/14: @ 2012/13: $ ae @ 2010/11. 9 2o0a/i0 © 2008/09. ITURBO POWER Rudi Garcia likes his wide players to run with the ball and take on defenders. In his double-winning Lille side, for instance, Eden Hazard and Gervinho would break beyond backlines. Reunited with one half of that double act at Roma, he has sought to upgrade Alessandro Florenzi with the trickery and imagination of JUAN MANUEL ITURBE. The Argentine completed dribbles while playing for Verona last season. Only Fiorentina’s Juan Cuadrado [118] was more successful with the ball at his feet SERIE A 2013/14 SPLITTING UP THE GOAL-TWINS Not since the days of Ciccio Graziani and Paolo Pulici had Torino been able to boast strike partnership as. prolific as that of CIRO IMMOBILE and ALESSIO CERC! last season. One was Serie As Capocannoniere [scoring 22 times]. The other was the only player to get into double figures in goals [13] and assists [10] They combined for 45 of the Granata’s goalss, a staggering 78%. Immobile has since left for Borussia Dortmund and Cerciis interesting AC Milan Torino hope to hold onto him and that he will pair up just as well with new signing Fabio Quagliarella. The former Juventus striker averaged a goal every 85.1 minutes in the Champions League last season. With regular starts, he should do well for the Toro PLEASED TO MICHU Ayear or so ago Napoli’s record signing Gonzalo Higuain jumped off Paolo Cannavaro's boat and went face first into the rocks below the water around Capri. Luckily his injuries weren't serious but he did seem prone to others in his first season at San Paolo. In his absence Napoli struggled Goran Pandevand the raw Duvan Zapata couldn't provide the same threat. MICHU will offer more danger than they could anda different kind danger too. Six of his 20 Premier League goals for Swansea were headers. That's 30% Napoli don't score many of them. Only 14 - or 9% - of their goals have come from that avenue in the last two years. Wide players Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne will no longer be limited to crossing along the floor. They now have an option to aim for in the ai. PALERMO IN POLE TO SURVIVE AMONG THE PROMOTED Juventus weren't the only ones to have a record breaking championship winning campaign last season. The points PALERMO amassed as they claimed the Cadetto and bounced straight back to Serie A was anew landmark. No team had won it with five games to spare either. Conceding only 28 goals, the Rosanero’s defence was the best in Serie B and with it being strengthened further this summer, there should be a decent foundation on which to consolidate their position in the top flight again. ae Dae <> WhoScored-comERIE! A 2014/15 PREVIEW ‘An impossible to improve upor’ season, the resignation of Anionio Conte, the ining ois decision aftr the first day of pre-season traning, the deity ofhis successor Max Alogi the divisiveness of is coaching career his history wih Andrea Piro, andthe prospect ofasing ‘Arturo Vidal have ll contnbuted to making champions JUVENTUS appear vulnerable forthe frstime since they opened a cycle of dominance But the end doesn't have t be nigh. Conte's legacy is a winning mentality He eaves the best squad in ly. one that has only got deeper over the summer withthe signings of Patoe Evra, Romulo, Roberta Pereyra and Alvaro Morata. legr has also been there and done it frees te coach cure ace in Sere to have eda team othe Scud. Site tite race wil be iter True ROMA finished 17 points behind Juventus last season basset ba rt The championship wast decides 4, And while Juventus sought to teanet the fet ‘team ever to break the 10-point barrier andto go parfetat home Roma ad nating pa they couldnt cath the league leaders or be caught by Napol and so relaxed. losing tei last three games. \Scored.com Ther points total o 5 sil would have been enough to win the Scudetn in five ofthe ast sc yeas. twas aso a ci record. Rui Garcia made is players aware ofhow god they can be. They wil raw confidence from lst season and their erin the transfer market this summer. Roma have spent more than anyone else. They fave also made the biggest signing -JUAN ITURBE from Verona for €22m.He joins former Champions League winners Ashley Cole and Seydou Keita in anticipation of Roma's return to the compeiton and Davide Astor. Uroy Emanueson and Salih Ucan With two players per postion Roma lok equipped to repeat the exploits oflast season cope with paying in Europe and crucialy mount anther serious tile challenge MOST DRIBBLES See VALE TT Pr ORI} As for Coppaltalia holders NAPOLI there’ less type and enhusiasm around them than a year ago. Of course many changes were made then, They appointed anew coach, maved toa new system and syle of play and brought ina host of new personnel Now mare setled and famiar with Ra Bnite’s methods, Napot should be more consistent and mare in contention providing Juventus and Roma don't post the same exraorinary numbers as lat season. Remember the Patenopei beat them both in the spring Kalidou Khoulbaly strengthens the defence, while Michus an alternative to Marek Hamsik at No.10 and Gonzalo Higuain a No. Question marks inger over the goalkeeper pion after Pope Rea retuned t Liverpool folowing his loan as they doin mdfeld where efor to sign Maxime Gonalons and Javier Mascherano failed, Marouane Fellini has since emerged asthe latest objective lfnot the configuration, then the composition of the op 3 appears kel to remain the same. But cam anyone seriously break nai? INTER have certainly given themselves a chance. Without he resources of old Pero Ausio their new director of sport hes shown an impressive abit to do more witless. Foran intial outa of just €4 6m they have atiled Nemanja Vidic. Dodo, Yann M Vil, Gary Medel and Dani Osvaldo. Graftthem onto an existing group that includes one of Europes bestNo.1sin Samir Handanovie, a centre boasting Mateo Kovacic and Heranes plus finishers Uke Mauro cari and Rodrigo Palacio up front and there's cause for optimism. As there is at LAZIO. The acquisitions of Netherlands defender STEFAN DE VRU, who was included in FIFA and WhoScored com's World Cup All-Star team, in addition to one of inte’s main targets Dusan Basta, and Paras tly international midfielder Marco Paola, thereby ‘Weakening a competitor for the Europa League, represenis some ofthe best business in Sere A 0 far World Cup winner Miroslav Klose is staying and now has a back-up in Nantes striker Fp Ojorjevic while Udinese's remaining stake in main difference-maker Antoni Candreva has been bought out WORLD CUP 2014 STEFAN DE VRU MATS HUMMELS , RON VLAAR MARTIN DEMICHELIS GIANCARLO GONZALEZ Competition between th and éth promises to be particularly ferce. FIORENTINA willbe back inthe mix again as ong as they don surfer the same misfortune as last season and lose Giuseppe Rossi and Mario Gomez injury and Juan Cuadrada to one of Europe's elit). Mean- tile onty Roma [€39Sm, Juventus [€36.8m) and Lazo [€18Aml have spent more than TORING [€12.7m) They have replaced last season's Capocannonier Ciro immobile with Fabio Quagliarlia. remains tobe seen, however, whether they can also retain fellow tay internationals Alessio Cerci and Mateo Darmian Their league form could suf too from competing in Europe Torino are initat armas expense. Roberto Donan’ plans to use the sense of injustice they feel as motivation. MILAN shouldbe driven bya need to redeem themselves. They surely can'tbe worse than last yer. But onthe basis oftheir mercato and their pre-season under Pigpo Inzaghi, maybe they can... Alex should bolster their defence, Stephan El Shaarawy is tke anew signing and much [probably to much] is expected of Hachim Mastour. Milan also need MARIO BALOTELLI tobe the player he was in his first sicmonths a the club and the player he coud be CMe APPS: 12(1) 2565) Des ea SL} Ch ae rune) WENT) Last year's revelation VERONA are almost completely changed, Trust must be putin coach Andrea Mandortn and director of sport Sean Soglano, who has landed Mexico captain and former Barcelona libero Rafael Marquez in one ofthe coups of the window. TEU be interesting to see if Sinisa Miajlovicis more than a coach wha does best when a ‘team’s survivals threatened by relegation, as was the case at CATANIA and then SAMP last season, They look more dangerous with Gonzalo Bergssio being an upgrade on Maxi Lopez. Cousins GENOA may regret allowing Albert Gilardino to leave for Guangzhou Ever- grande uniess Alessandro Mari reproduces the form he showed for Cagliari and later in his frst season fr Juventus. Nonetheless their purchase of Diego Prot from Sei intrigues. Upin UDINE the Stamaccioi-Stankovie double act should do wel away fromthe spot- light The Friufan clubs model of developing talent plays to the former Inter youth coach's strengths. It also helps that veteran striker Toto Di Natal has put of his retirement Sardniais the new location of Zemanlandia, Predictaby It Boemo swifty sold CAGLIARI best defender. That shoud be fun, as wil his reunion with Marca Sau, hs former protege at Foggia, Among the promoted clubs, PALERMO look prety in pink. Much will depend however on whether president Maurizio Zamparini pushes the self-destruct button or nt Keep an eye out for talented young striker Andrea Belo EMPOLI' old schoo front pairing of Massimo Maccarone and Francesco Tavan wil bear a Lotof responsibilty as to whether they survive CCESENA are back thanks once again to Pier Paolo Bsol, The Seahorses havent maintained theirop-fight status since the late Bs Ensuring they do so would be some achievement. ‘| Cos eee eer) a CIRO IMMOBILE (38) <= Gy STEFAN DEVRU MD) Koi ‘SHKODRAN MUSTAFL il <= [a2 ‘KALIDOU KOULIBAYY [@) MARKO LIVIA i) MIRKO VUCINIC (BD, <= {fh [RADJANAINGGOLAN (@) o _—-MARCOPAROLO ffill == ko __ STEFANO STURARO JES) = Lith ‘ALBERTO GILARDINO {(3) <= JE LUCA MARRONE (3) [ith IAGO FALOUE [Yi =» EB ANTONIO SANABRIA (3) > SALIH UCAN (6) se FEDERICO PELUSO [ijl =» es) KYLELAFFERTY [@ # GUILHERME (i) ov (2 ADILRAM! (fi) <> _ SIMONE BENEDETT (5) =» 1) RODRIGO AGUIRRE {ih = [2s FABIO QUAGLIARELLA Ji _ SIMEVRSALIKO JE)» (es) VALON BEHRAM! R63 <= (69)FIVE TALKING POINTS , L HOW CAN DAVID LUIZ AND THIAGO SILVA MAKE PSG STRONGER? LUIZs tough nightin the World Cup semi-final against Germany was without the guidance of his captain THIAGO SILVA: their partnership yielded just 4 goals in 5 matches before Belo Horizonte, and Luiz averaged a 78 rating before the semi Domestically, PSG's defence is already the best in Ligue 1, conceding 23 las season. The Champions League is where they will be expected to step up. They allowed 11.1 shots against them per game (compared to Bayern Munich's 8.1), so Luiz’s ability to keep the ball could add something, complimenting Silva's anticipation, CAN MONACO SURVIVE FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY? MONACO thought they'd done the hard part in reaching the Champions League; now, they must meet Financial Fair Play regulations. With limited revenue streams, it has already led them to cash in on James Rodriguez. The now-Real Madrid man scored 9 and provided 12 assists (more than anyone else in Ligue 1) last season. Despite new coach Leonardo Jardim declaring Radamel Falcao “un-transferable”, he might be next. Falcao scored 9 in 16 starts before his knee injury and with Emmanuel Rivigre (10 in 19) having gone to Newcastle, there is diminished cover. IS MARCELO BIELSA THE MAN TO REVIVE MARSEILLE? Taking on a first new challenge since the deflating end to his Athletic Bilbao tenure, BIELSA can count on huge local excitement at his arrival. He will struggle to reproduce as deflating a season as last season, when Marseille finished 6th and missed out on Europe, Four'wins anda draw in five pre-season games — with opposition including Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica — bode well. So too does the feel-good factor within the squad Both top scorer André-Pierre Gignac (16 goals in 30 starts) and Dimitri Payet 8 goals and 6 assists) have rejected moves, attesting to the Bielsa magnetism ARE LYON PUTTING TOO MUCH FAITH IN THEIR EXCELLENT YOUTH ACADEMY? That LYON have the best youth academy in France is clear, butas they tighten the belt ahead of their move toa new stadium in late 2015, can one have too much of a good thing? 21-year-old MOHAMED YATTARA. making his debut. scored twice in the season's opener against Mlada Boleslav in the Europa League, but only he and YASSINE BENZIA (19) are in the running to partner Alexandre Lacazette (15 Ligue 1 goals last season). The club have opted not to replace Bafetimbi Gomis (14 goals) and Jimmy Briand (6 goals and 5 assists in 10 starts), and trustin youth. They may regret it ” YASSINE BENZIA MINS PER _— eo GOAL if 5 \ WHO WILL ADAPT BEST TO LIGUE 1 MANAGEMENT — WILLY SAGNOL OR CLAUDE MAKELELE? Two France legends make their first steps in senior management this season. with very different challenges. With Bordeaux, SAGNOL will hope to push towards the European qualification places, building a team around top performers Lamine Sané (7.21 average rating) and Grégory Sertic (735, with 10 assists). MAKELELE's ambitions in Corsica will be more modest, especially with the loss of playmaker Wahbi Khazri—to Sagnol’s side. His Paris connections have already snared him Alphonse Areola to replace Mickaél Landreau in goal, and he will be protected by an experienced and consistent defence, including Sébastien Squillaci (33 years old, 31 starts last season) and Francois Modesto (35/33) <—> WhoScoredscomChampions PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN are so imposing that ou ist thought might be to wonder how many oftheir own high watermarks they can surpass. In 2013/14, Laurent Blancs side seta record Ligue 1 pont ota in the threefor-2-win ra (9), arecord numberof victories in a 20-team Ligue 1 (27, and equaled the record for away wins in 2 20-4eam division (12) The scope forimprovementis there wth the akition of David Luiz and Serge Aurier (see below) and Yohan Cabaye having had a six-month acclmatisation period — he only averaged a rating his 9 Ligue 1 stars last season, having rated 7.46 with Newcastle in the Premier League (17 stars) ‘The main questions how they would deal wth an injury or suspension to ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC. With 26 goals and 11 assists, he was directly implicated in 4 oftheir goals last season. His injury absence in Apri coincided with their worst ‘un of the season, with 2 wins and 3 defeats during 6 matches in all competitions incorporating a Champions League exit MONACO should be their closest challengers again, despite a quiet transfer window to date ‘They stil have plentiful talent, and one wonders if, Jo Moutnho might step ino the number 10 role he began lst season in more reguaty now James Rodriguez has lt the Principality. The Portugal midfielder provided 8 assists in 2013/4 despite visibly tring in the last few mons of his fist season outside Portugal. Leonardo Jardimis men have yout too, Defensive midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko (19) has arrived from Rennes, for whom ony the experienced Jean I Makoun made more tackles lst season Bakayoko averaged per match), Scored.com Jardim could also opt to switch from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, bringing in 20-year-old Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco and Lucas Ocampos to fnk Radame Falcan Ocampos made 23 substitute appearances alongside hs 1 tarts last season, and wil hope to str more ths tim around. We mus wat to see how MARSEILLE evolve under Marcela Belsa, but they should be an interesting watch. Despite ElLoco's perceived eccentiies, he can rely on a squad with ‘abundant Ligue 1 experience, with Steve Meandanda, Andé-Pierre Gignac DIMITRI PAYET and Nicolas NKoulo all starting over 30 matches last season. Bielsa will also be pleased he has players who can creat from wide areas, with full-back Benjamin Mendy (assist), Payet (6) and Florian Thauvin 9) making up forthe loss of Nathiew Vatbuena. Ps ts a ee na Hee Et ciitany 2 an) Ne eT [ASTER ca ad Gea rats BASTIA 3 © ida EVIAN 7 EVIAN, who dropped a mind-boggling 23 points from winning positions last season have cause for concer too. They have ost Kévin Berigaud, their 10-goaltop scorer to Monipelie. Meanvile Modou Sougou, who contributed goals and 4 assists, has returned to Marseile after his lan expired ‘The return of LENS to the top-fight ater three seasons’ absence i a welcome one (her Stade Félx-Bolaertis one ofthe moreatmaspheric in France) butthe fears that it may be a shor-tved stay Coach Antone Kombouaré sat out much of the cubs pre-season asthe French authorities originally refused to ray the cub’s promotion, with recrutment put on hold They couldnt find the money to sign Tous’ protic striker Andy Dlr (2 Ligue 2 goals ast season, plus assists), who has now joined Charon Athletic, and you wonder where gols will come from. ‘Alphonse Areola and Marcel Tisserand, nfuetial loanees from ast season, were loaned elsewhere (BASTIA and TOULOUSE respectively) as uncertainty reigned atthe Boller. NANTES, currently under a transfer ban and having lost top scorer Filip Djordjevic to Lazio (whose 9 goals and & assists covered of their goal tally in 2013/14) ona free transfer, could also be vulnerable. Another famous name from the French game's past. STADE DE REIMS, perhaps look onthe shakiest ground. Having ost coach Hubert Fournier to LYON, they also saw star micfielder Graegorz Krychowiak jump ship to Sevilla last month, Reims’ top-rated player with an average of 7.28, Krychowiak added real bite, making 2.7 tackles and interceptions per match, Ithas been a relatively quiet transfer window to date, with the champions predictably among the busiest. Liz's high-profile arrival from Chelsea has drawn many to question his defensive qualities, but his usefulness as PSG's first Line of attack will be important in a league his team will dominate, His rate of accurate long balls per game rose to during the World Cup (due to him always playing in defence), which should serve Zlatan Ibrahimovic well. Aurer, meanwhile was one of Europe's best attacking full- backs last season, with the 21-year-old scoring 6 and giving 6 assists for Toulouse. 18-year-old Marcos ‘Rony’ Lopes. loaned to LILLE by English champions Manchester Cty. could bea suprise hit Compared by Les Dogues coach René Girard to JAMES ROD- RIGUEZ in terms of style, Lopes caught the eye in the UEFA Youth League last season. notably witha hat-trick against Bayern Munich, and has made a handful of useful first-team cameas fr Cty. He registred 2 assists inthe League Cup semi-final second leg win at West Ham last season Ricky van Wolswinkel infamously, the scorer of usta single goal in 16 Premier League starts for Norwich lst season — might do better for SAINT ETIENNE after joining on loan forthe season, One would certainly fancy him to manage more than the 1.3 shots per game he did in England, with Yohan Mali (1.8 key passes per match), Romain Hamouma (1.4) and Max Gradel (1.4) all on hand to supply him. GDALS + ASSISTS WT aren % rae Ta Ri aa an The aforementioned James will be a big loss to Ligue 1 as a whole, as well as Monaco, after a sparkling single campaign in which he created ‘more goals than any ather player inthe division (12) as wel as scoring 9 times himsett Bafetimbi Gomis also leaves Ligue 1 after reaching the end of his contract wih Lyon joining Swansea, Before departing the Stade Gerland, Gomis became the 82nd player to reach the 100-goal mark in Ligue 1 matches during April’ 2-1 at VALENCIENNES. He leaves the Hexagon witha tal of ra ' ne CSE Pre JAMES RODRIGUEZ {'s DAVID LUZ £23 > 6 AYMEN ABDENNOUR (5) DIVOCK ORIG! [i=] <= REMY CABELLA [i TIEMOUE BAKAYOKO (EA) MATHIEU VALBUENA £23) = il EMMANUEL RIVIERE il MICHY BATSHUAYI [f) ow 8) GRZEGORZ KRYCHOWIAK Th ROMAIN ALESSANDRINI (G3) JONATHAN PITROIPA CD DAVID OSPINA ESE YOHAN MOLLO [3] = JORDAN AYEW [J] = KEVIN BERIGAUD 3) PAULNARDI MEXER (2) ow WAHBIKHAZRI (38) on NICKIBILLE NIELSEN 3)» F PHILIPP HOSINER 223) GELSON FERNANDES (4) = (3 SEBASTIEN CORCHIA (EB = LINDSAY ROSE KG) o» (EH CHRISTOPHE JALLET (29) EHfone word could describe the Eredivisie tis “engrssing’. predictability bore out ofthe annual summer upheaval — todays economic realty means Duch dubs find it dificult retain the experience and cohesion forged aver the past 12-18 months leading tits compete nature. Since the leagues inception in 1956 no team has managed to win ve consecutive championships the feeling among many observers thatit'all about to change History wil be re-written by Frank de Boer and AJAX The comerstne behind their latest domestic supremacy has been De Boers syste, No longer relying on incviduals anyone can be replaced, and reintroducing Ajax’ tational game absent for much of th time betwen his departure asa player in 1998 and appointment as manager in December 2010 With heavy emlasis on al circulation, averaging an 858% pass accuracy and 62.62 of possession in 2013/14, Ajax ae able to control matches. inthe process reducing the Gketinood of defeat thre sufred last season, More importanty their possesson-based game is ther (greatest defensive weapon; opponents can't ham you without the ball - no defence was meaner lst season (28 goals conceded), Scored-com Despite their status as first among equals De Boer wil pont out they haven't exactly stoled to ‘he finishing line inher four successive championships. What has setthem apart though isthe knack of wining games, 9 of ther victories last season came bya one-goal margin. Ithas utimately been the cference and coud prove ta beso once again. Nonetheless the gauntlet has been thrown, and would be usurpers — Feyenoord, PSY, FC Twente and Vitesse — know they need ta raise their game Cchédas it might sound, if side does fish above De Boers men hey/re certain be champions FEYENOORD, chasing a frst in 16 years, and FC TWENTE, winners in 2010, both outgunned Ajax (6) last season with 76 and 72 goals respectively — buthave parted ways with their main contributors GRAZIANO PELE (responsible for 30% of Feyenoord goals) and Dusan Tadic (224 of Twente’) Along with PSV they ae the greatest threat to Ajax’s throne. Phillip Cocu’s talented side fnished ina respectable fourth pace with inconsistency, characteristic ofa young team, proving ther undoing One postive was Memphis Depay and with 12 goals and 7 assist, his WhoScored rating of 7.72 was only bettered by Pelé and Tai EREDIVISIE 2013/14 POSSESSION PASS ACCURACY a TOP SCORERS 203/14 oud AJAX @BLEAGUE AVERAGE YP Aone stage last season it looked like VITESSE eat for an inaugural championship would come toan end — no team had more shots in otal (18.1) or efforts on target 7) per game. Heading into the second half of 2013/4 level with Ajax however they woud sufer an extreme case of stage fright with 4 wins and 6 defeats compared ta 11 wins and 3 defeats inthe fst The lack of European footall should be an advantage butthat was aso the case ast season, Peter Bosz wil need to show lessons heave been lear VITESSE LEAGUE AVERAGE Itgoes without saying the newiy-promoted dubs WILLEM Il, FC DORDRECHT and EXCELSIOR wont have it easy. Survival wil be on their mind tuitthy can tke hear from SC CAMBUUR and {60 AHEAD EAGLES, finishing 1th and 13th respectively lst season, who wil both be determined to avid the dreaded ‘second-season syndrome’ NAC BREDA. along wih HERACLES. ished above the relegation zone though 8 victories was the eat amount of any team wi stayed up. Only SC Cambuur 4) scored fewer than NebojSa Gute’ side (2), whose average of 1 shots and 158 shots conceded per game amount to leagues ‘worst and fourth highest respectively. Because of itsrepuiation as ‘developmental league’ — the ‘unique seing oi being the flourishing ofelents inanatack-minded competion (978 goals in games last season) — rarely does a payer tor near ther peak ave. Luuk de Jong — once touted asthe next top Dutch number rine’ during his FC Twente days—is an exception. He's joined PSV aftr dsappoitng spel at Borussia Monchengladbach (8 gals in 4S games) and on oan at Newcastle United (0 goasin games) between January-May 2014 is brother Siem, who captained jain ther last wo it winning seasons, recently moved to StJames’ Park andi hoping t fae bette. Acros the league there's great emphasis on having a strong youth set-up and scouting network wit the majority ofnew faces eer individuals unearthed or discovered abroad. The cones who leave have only shawn potential — a future Balon d'Or nominee coud be playing his trade in Eredivisie this upcoming campaign 2013/14 STATISTICS t awe) SAIN dst (GRAZIANO PELE DUSAN TADIC MEMPHIS DEPAY JOEL VELIMAN DUSAN TADIC. LEX IMMERS LUC CASTAIGNOS ‘ALFRED FINNBOGASON MICHAEL HIGDON ERIC BOTTEGHIN JORGEN LOCADIA QUINCY PROMES JENSTOORNSTRA JETRO WILLEMS ‘LEX IMMERS FILIP KOSTIC MEMPHIS DEPAY TLS STS k DUSANTADIC MOHAMED EL MAKRINI ALFRED FINNBOGASON YASSIN AYOUB HAKIM ZIYECH CELSO ORTIZ JEAN-PAUL BOETIUS. MARTEN DE ROON LUCAS PIAZON DOKE SCHMIDT LASSE SCHONE FELIPE GUTIERREZ NICK VAN DER VELDEN JORDY CLAISE (QUINCY PROMES SANDER DUTS ARON JOHANNSSON ERIC BOTTEGHIN FILIP KOSTIC GURAM KASHIARUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2014/15 PREVIEW Russian foobal winesses apart short off-season banks oa footing clndar bal eres many scratching ther heads, Te beauty fit though isthal he wa between campaigsisnotnery as pauls itcan befor oer nations aerss he coninent. Thee will once again be fought out between the stl pretenders, ZENIT ST PETERSBURG connueto possess the srongest squad inte league accompanied bya coach who asthe cede o drag hs epensiey assembled squad tothe foe bth atfomeand aca. However despite Zt obvious strengths tis CSKA MOSCOW who ent th season asleaque chapins. Theprublem for CSKAis that Lend Sutsk has fled ‘omask he gring deficiencies inthe squat ver the course ofthe summer Forte cbt be sucessful this season yu imagine tat hei have toext Europe ataneary stage. thewse ther fai squd wil beleterposed othe rigours fetal on mpl 7 Scored-com cy Pe @éonnnaris iste surprise that (SK rn of 10 consecutive league vcore towards the endothe season came at atime when SEYDOU DOUMBIA managed ster clear ofserousinjury.The orn forward contributed to 37LofSKistol league nals which camein spe fthefact that he ony started 18keaque games ver the course ofthe season. Doumbia rman one ofthe mos nical forward in European fot with is average shots per gre coming nat 26 in and he wile va tnCSKAS comparison to Hulk’ hopes ofreaining thie RUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2013/14 WITH @wimour Then there comes a group of cubs who have long harboured aspirations offing the ite, buthave never truly possessed the quay to go that extra few steps further and cement historic triumph The Muscovite trio of SPARTAK. DINAMO and LOKOMOTIY can all testo ovning some ofthe key ingredients needed fora league victory however weakness alla often reas ts ugly head foreach ofthe three sides. TOP 5 DEFENSIVE RECORDS RUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2073/14 LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW CSKA MOSCOW RUBIN KAZAN ZENIT ST. PETERSBURG TEREK GROZNY Lokomat bronze medal ish st season was buitt upon defensive salty - havin conceded only 23 goals - wit the team conceding ony shots per game, However, offensively they struge to consisteny break down sibborn defences wit aheay reliance on st pieces meaning tat 14 goals came from dea bal situations, Fr Leonid Kuchuk’s side to replicate at seasons heroics they must become a more uid attacking se - wth the sumer signings of Manuel Fernandes and Oumar Nasse offering Lokomotiv greater offensive impetis ‘Atthe other end of the table, its going to be a difficult campaign foreach of the newly promoted sides. ARSENAL TULA, MORDOVIA SARANSK and TORPEDO MOSCOW wil each ind thatthe stp up from the First Division is genuinely gargantuan, ‘which will likely lead to each of them battling for survival. RUBIN KAZAN ae a side who may find themselves facing ballet ean their status as. top-fight clu this season, A mit-table rsh failed to mask the fact tha they were merely 7 point off the relegation play-off places and despite a numberof signings ths summer the cub are seemingly content ook at what’ below them, 2s opposed to buying genuine talent to regain a European place Rubin have long suffered om an tacking impotence, having scored only 36 goals lst season. ‘Which came despite possessing the 5th highest average shots per game inthe league, at — Mmmm Cena Me Tents purchase of Argentinian international EZEQUIEL GARAY may well prove tobe on ofthe shrewdest purchases ofthe summer - with Andre Vilas Boas acquiring much needed qualty inthe cenite of defence. The league runners-up willbe hoping that Garay cn slity a defence that struggled - partculaty athome - to protect Yuri Lovyginin between the posts. Zenit conceded the ‘th highest average shots per game (1.1) while playing infront oftheir home fans atthe Petrovsky Stadium last season - with only KRYLYA SOVETOV, URAL and VOLGA NIZHNY NOVGOROD heaving worse records. Marat amalov' retum to Russian fotall - following a number of years in Portugal and more recenty Azerbaijan - wl be loked upon wit great intrigue, zmaiioy remains one of he finest players Russia has produced over recent years. however injures and personality conflicts have cause the former Sporting Cube and Port mifilderto endure a carer that has never quit flourished in the way it might have. For is new cub, KRASNODAR ther is hope that malo will provide some much needed quay in central attacking areas to relieve some ofthe pressure from te shoulders of Joacznho, who hasbeen the teams key attacking component over the past couple of years. 417 of Krasnodar’ altacs came ddovm the Bazin’ left fank last season, which {goes to show the reliance he team have on him to produce key moments in matches. 2018/1 (a Bane HULK THOMAS PHIBEL \VITALY DENISOV. DMITRY TARASOV. DANNY JAN DURICA SEYDOU DOUMBIA VASSILI BERZOUTSKI JOAOZINHO VERDRAN CORLUKA, DANNY IVELIN POPOV JOAOZINHO ‘ALEKSANDR SAMEDOV. JANO ANANIDZE ‘SEYDOU DOUMBIA TINOCOSTA ‘ALEKSEY IONOV. ALEXANDER KOKORIN HULK 4 STATISTICS a na BURSA a3i3) ‘SEYDOU DOUMBIA ‘ARTEM DZYUBA HULK YURA MOVSISYAN DAME N'DOYE DANNY GEORGI PEEV ZORANTOSIC ALEXANDER KOKORIN ‘SPARTAK GOGNIYEV. ss VSM asS) PONTUS WERNBLOOM: ITALY DENISOV. ARSENI LOGASHOV JANUSZ.GOL DIMITRY KOMBAROV. RUSLAN ADZHINDZHAL ALEKSANDRU GATCAN, ‘ALIGADZHIBEKOV CHARLES KABORE GEORGY SCHENNIKOV.DERBY COUNTY came desperatly dose to promaon lastseason and must be considered a good pick a fish tp thistime around Sued ony ling just shor. and wither younger ents entering the new campaign wit that expertnce in heir ocker they are ‘good shoutfor promotion. Again, Wil Hughes wil be a ay acet nd wal sok tomprove onthe four goa he scored is season but big season wi so be ected of Craig Br theirleading scorer last set wih lng gol et eth cored ‘imesin 21 sats st season but given more game time coud impress alot of people Each yearthe teams who have dropped dwn from he Premier League repped to make an immedi rum btofhe tre cropping a rae. CARDIFF perhaps appear best-sufed to bounce back They have lastacupleoig names buthave bought hrevaly andthe fin sell side erty the kere no mmuchlast season using eight cere formation) they look wel paced Scored-com a CHAMPIONSHIP 2014/15 PREVIEW FULHAM have te bones ofa decent squad, to, while NORWICH have not been too active in the ‘transfer market but retain the nucleus of their squad. Tei problems infront of goal st season, scaring only 28 times, hav been wel highighied ‘so the addition of LEWIS GRABBAN is promising NOTTINGHAM FOREST have strengthened and under Stuart Pearce shoud atleast push fora play-off positon - though fears remain over the trigger-happy owners. Uwe Rose's WIGAN wil be thereabouts and, minus the distraction of Europe, hae a squad capable of irshing op. BLACKBURN should challenge # they can reve Jordan Rhodes of some goalscoring pressure ~ he neted 25 of their 70 lst season ~ and MIDDLESBROUGH representa good outside shou too ‘the opposite end, even f BLACKPOOL. end up wit decent squad by the ime the transfer window shuts, ther skambolc summer makes it certain they wil struggle Last season, they tated briianty — winning five of ther first ix games to lead the tbl in mid-September — before fading spectacularly. They were lucky to stay up nthe end relying on thei early season form. Astonishing, 27 players on profesional contracts havelet CHAMPIONSHIP 2013/14 TOMHNGE 708 GRAIG-GATHGART 7-01 BAGOSHING 6.94 HRIBROADFOOT 6:03 GHRIS-BASHAM = 6-94 JAGKROBINSON 6:75 NEALBISHOP 6:75 ANDYHALLIDAY B-¥3 The League One play-off winners ROTHERHAM wil tke fin fe inthe second ter cfclt They have invested in 11 new players, 10of them ree incuding the Republic of rand iteratonal Paul Groen witha cub record fee of $260.00 paid for Jordan Bowery from Aston Vila The squad is stronger but having so many actions coud affect ‘he chemistry iniallyandtishard to envisage them having @ comfortable campaign, Like al newly promoted sides their home form willbe vital. Last season the lost three times atthe New York stadium and keeping that number as low as possible willbe decisive. The aher wo newy- promoted sides, WOLVES and BRENTFORD, ae both better placed to consolidate ther places CHARLTON and MILLWALL were narow survivors in May but have the armoury to improve and stay away from any real danger The ater had such a fine end to the season going 8 games unbeaten once tan Holloway had his house in order. andthe should haveno problems ths imein securing a mid-table slot The key fr Charon, meanwhile sn increase in goals. Defensively hey had the 1h best record, shiping 61 goals, butony Blackpool and Doncaster scored fewer than their 1. BIRMINGHAM, who stayed up on gal ference thanks to alst-minuta equaliser wil nt allow a repeat of lst season's treadfulrun-in and have had a good pre-season, while LEEDS (who only won 6 times nthe second half ofthe season) and HUDDERSFIELD could be ragged int the mire oo ROSS MCCORMACK’S GOAL CONTRIBUTION FOR LEEDS CHAMPIONSHIP 2013/14 42 9% ao GOALS =@BASSISTS As fra transfers ae concerned, ROSS MCCORMACK's big-money move from Leeds to Fulham wile intriguing, He caved United for mastaf ast season and they wil indi tough to replace his goals but with Fulham desperate a return tothe top-flight can he be as prolific? The 11m price tag brings additonal pressure and it willbe ata order to match the 28 strikes and assists, rely contin to 6% of Leds’ goals ‘he accumulated last season. Leeds batch of Sere Aarivals willbe an interesting watch - ofthe four only Gaetano Berar stated a game ast season when at Sampdoria - and Cac have also done some shrewd business with the arrival of Adam le Fone. wio scored 15 times last season, Federico Macheda, whose polential remains unfuliled, andthe steady presence of Kagisho Dikgacoifrom Crystal alae. AK SAE N\A ts ‘SHANE DUFFY DAN BURN. JACK HOBBS KIERAN TRIPPIER, RUDY GESTEDE TOM CAIRNEY CHRISTOPHE BERRA JOEY BARTON ‘ALEX PEARCE ‘SIMON FRANCIS MOST ASSISTS KIERAN TRIPPIER CRAIG BRYSON ‘AARON CRESSWELL ANDY REID. DAVID NUGENT GARATH MCCLEARY ‘ADAM HAMMILL, GRANT LEADBITTER CHRIS MARTIN. IKECHIANYA 2013/14 STATISTICS ww y STI ASAT cc ROSS MCCORMACK JORDAN RHODES: TROY DEENEY LEWIS GRABBAN DANNY INGS CHRIS MARTIN: DAVID NUGENT ‘SAM VOKES CHARLIE AUSTIN CRAIG BRYSON a rn SMR ns) SIMON FRANCIS, RODOLPH AUSTIN MEDO JOEY BARTON DALE STEPHENS: WILL HUGHES: JAY SPEARING CRAIG FORSYTH LUKE MURPY. JOE RALLSi TURKISH SUPER LIG 2014/15 PREVIEW The Turkish Super Lig makes its WhoScored debut atthe end of he month and it promises to beamemorabe season as two ofthe league's juggernauts~19 time champions GALATASARAY and FENERBAHCE - batt it out for bragging rights ove wh wil land the Super Lig tile fora historic 20th ime and ear the rightto be frstto wear a fourth star on ther shirt Below we il take a look at who we expect tobe inthe race at both ends ofthe table and who could spring a surprise As anybody who has had the pleasure of visting or doing business in Turkey wil know Turks can have quite ‘relaxed attude'to time This cultural nuance apps to the country footal scene as wellso you can expect some lst minute transfer drama but we wil focus on the here and now forthe time being Last seasons champions Fenerbahce go no the new season the obvious favourites. The Canaries are very much the same side that ited the League il last season wit the only notable absent bein Sah Ucan, who fd the nest and joined Roma, Braziian playmaker DIEGO has teen manager ErsunYanals marquee signing and wil ada touch of lass and creativity oan already experienced mid. Scored-com Diego completed an average of34 successful dribbles a match and 1.6 key passes per game ‘ve spells with Wolfsburg and Atletico last season, Fenerbahge have depth in just about every poston and pent of frepawer upfront — in factno other team came even cose tothe Canaries grand total of 4 goals lst season, De aa esa PUR Cross coninentrivals Galatasaray have made major headway n Europe, consecutively reaching the Champions League quarter-fnels,btal isnot wellon the European shores ofltnbul The Lions never real recovered fram te sudden sacking of cht egend Fai Trim, Roberto Mancini replaced ‘he now Turkish naoaleam manager but was seen as ausurper tothe throne by Trim loyalists ‘and was never really given ar crack. Mancini has since been replaced by anather tlian, Cesare Panel The former talian rational tam coach wil enjoy the txury ofa pre-season but wil be tking a side lacking balance. Galatasaray los Didier Drogha —wiio scared a respectable 14 goals overall competion lst season to Chelsea this summer and have ett nda replacement. Galatasaray may have individual ent of higher calibre than Fenerbahge but the Lions are tacking depth Despite having a number ofissues Galatasaray cannot be red out of the tite race and should Prandeli getthe team to cck they willbe among the lating pack come te end of the season, my | Ca a) Istanbul's other tan BESIKTAS could very well enc up wrecking Fenerbahce and Galatasaray's dreams of fourth star Slaven Bic as had aul season to adapt Turkish football now and has very much the same sie which fnished third last time round Hugo Aimeida is expected to leave but the Eagles have made a numberof smart signings including stkers Cenk Tosun and DEMBA BA. The Senegeleseintrrtona rugged for plying time at Chelsea but sil scored eighties, including important goals agains Liverpool in the Premier League and PSS nthe Champions League. emia Ba CO Te S «ek = Apps : 77 (22) pa SSIS) Wee WOT iM | Conversion Rate: 13.37, Pee RSC UT EL Besiktas will be hoping the adition of Tosun and Bail help solve ther goal scoring conundrum asthe ltanbul based side nly managed tit the back ofthe net 53 times lst season the fewest (goals scored by any team in the top six. Former Arsenal youngster Ocuzhan Ozakup willbe pin the sings in mifeldand wil be joined anthe wings by another farmer Premier League youth product Kerim Fre Koyunluand Turkish interational cay Sahan. Besiktas under Bic press wel pose a treat going forwards bu will need to improve ther defensive fates TRABZONSPOR look ke they ae preparing for another transional season, The Black Sea Strm have ben tken over by former Algeria national team enach Vaid Vliodzic and he has been focusing on bidng a compact well organised side. Tabzonspor current lack the quality of the Istanbul giants and Vahodzc wil need to make a few signings tis summer ifthey arto mount a serious challenge. The main problem the Bosnian each faces is uggig foreign player spaces as he wil only be abet field ive non-Turkish layers a any one time in competitive games this season, ad just three foreign players willbe ‘permitted on the substitute bench in accordance wit the ltestrading bythe Turkish Footbal Federaion —Tzonspor currently have seven ton-Turksh players x Peers bl ge eeT'e@ o@QOee Sivas is aout a far rom the seting you would expecto see Roberto Caras. There is no giz glamour or lng sandy beaches in Sivas. sa provincial central Anatoan city wit tational values and a generally conservative atitude but thathasn'tstopned local folk joining the Bazin revoluon, SIVASSPOR had some ofthe leagues best performing players lst season wih ati Chahechouhefnishng asthe top score with ‘Svasspor have had no major departures and have made afew clever signings, such as 73-year-old Nigerian international stiker Macauley Christus. The Visidolar are aside capable of pulling off few suprises andfnish- ing near the top four again. KASIMPASA have been steadily improving over the ast ew seasons thanks in partto a cash injection from wealthy backers. Manager hota Arveladze learned his ral under the guidance of Louis van Gaal at AZ Alkmaar ands well schooled inthe word of Dutch fothall and tacts. The Georgian coach made some ofthe best value signings lst season - such as Ezequiel Scarione, who scored 16times, and ‘Swedish international keeper Andreas Isaksson The 41-year-old has been jut as shrewd his summer bringing in ErenDerdiyok — wha has Bundesliga gals to his name ~ from Bayer Leverkusen and Andre Casto rom Porto ovsoup: Pf) NEW AND IMPROVED LIVE MATCH CENTRE QUT ON THE 16TH AUGUST 2014 Nada ai OF THE SEASON a aimee aPAU RYE + Strengths Ei) PretatR cl) Ce Ree SoM cL) MOST CLEARANCES Tae HUTT Saw See GC USIU SRP USE SSRI Sa ned NEW MATCH DAY INFO Be aed Brome ora tag itd Beets = CHALKBOARD WITH DATA VISUALISATION SUSE RTL Te rao player performs an very X minute; A player performs a eon Apa fe) Opie) TSS Negtol) 7 NM MSY NSO) THE WHOSCORED APP} MARTIN “8 & “Although winning individual awards is great. none of it would be possible without the help of my teammates. Im very proud to be considered the e ~ highest rated defender for last season and, as a team, we hope to carry on our : 7. a - {good form into the new season and hopefully win a trophy. a n= a BL ‘There must have been some tough competition fs mea ea See ae genuinely pleased to be given this by WhoScor pete ee F cai TINGIANGOE UY A)