ANOTHER PREMIER LEAGUE season is just around the corner with most top-flight clubs scattered across the globe in the midst of pre-season preparations.
Despite a surprisingly quiet transfer market (by Premier League standards) the usual suspects of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal will once again begin the upcoming campaign as clear favourties to fill the top four positions.
So just what can the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool do to upset the apple cart and infiltrate the cabal of regular top four finishers? Where do the two clubs need to strengthen most in an effort to qualify for the lucrative Champions League tournament?
Tottenham Hotspur
The biggest summer news stories emanating from White Harte Lane centred on manager Andre Villas Boas and player of the year Gareth Bale’s status within the club. AVB’s resistance to overtures from mega-rich PSG, appointing former England assistant manager Franco Baldini as technical director and an insistence that Bale would not be transferred until at least next season was good news for Tottenham supporters.
This was offset however by an inability to, at the time of writing, produce a second marquee signing to go along with Paulinho ahead of the new campaign.
The Brazilian certainly represents a welcome addition to an already impressive looking Tottenham midfield following his eye-catching displays at the Confederations Cup. Paulinho would form a lethal triumvirate alongside Moussa Dembele and Sandro in the centre of the park if AVB decides to press ahead with a rumoured 4-3-3 formation for the new season.
And therein lies Spurs’ biggest obstacle to breaking into the top four; a formidable looking midfield yes, but a chronic lack of out-and-out attacking options other than deploying Gareth Bale as a deep-lying striker leaves Spurs light up front.
Only Jermaine Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor are listed as current first choice strikers meaning the North London club need to recruit fresh attacking talent and fast. A proposed move for David Villa fell through with the former Barca hit-man choosing Atletico Madrid instead leaving Spurs pondering potential bids for Christian Benteke, Roberto Soldado and at one time, Brazilian international Leandro Damiao.
Will they do it?
Spurs remain the Premier League club best positioned to breach the top four. At least two strikers must arrive at White Hart Lane and possibly some defensive cover as well though before Spurs can entertain thoughts of overtaking Arsenal or Chelsea.
Last season’s over-reliance on Gareth Bale cannot continue so Daniel Levy needs to open his cheque book and begin a recruitment drive otherwise it looks another season of missed opportunities for the North London club.
Liverpool
Brendan Rodgers has been busy in the transfer market this summer amid constant rumours concerning Luis Suarez’s potential destinations should the Uruguayan decide to hand in a transfer request and / or Liverpool choose to sell one of their most valuable assets.
The loss of influential defender Jamie Carragher to retirement has been balanced by the early arrivals of Kolo Toure, Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto and Simon Mignolet. Rodgers has always preached about his wish to have competition for every first team place and with four new signings plus the possibility of more to come the Liverpool manager is certainly in a much healthier position than he was this time last year.
Aspas looked lively in Liveropol’s recent friendly defeat of Preston and the former Celta Vigo midfielder already has the look of a decent attacking weapon while Mignolet should push Reina for the goalkeeping position having said no to other clubs before agreeing to move to Anfield.
A solid 4-4-2 formation with Suarez (if still around) playing off Sturridge, a rejuvenated Steven Gerrard in the heart of midfield having committed his long term future plus Aspas and Coutinho prompting from either wing suggests Liverpool will be a dangerous proposition for any defence in the final third of the pitch this coming season.
Questions remain to be answered about Toure’s long-term suitability in the heart of the red’s defence however and Rodgers needs Agger and Skrtel to remain injury free to have any chance of improving on last season’s disappointing seventh place finish.
Will they do it?
Unlikely is the honest answer but with all their new signings Liverpool look equipped to improve on their 61-point haul from last season. Finishing higher than Everton is essential; otherwise the knives will be out for Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool may well produce plenty of attractive football but until Rodgers adds midfield steel the season-long consistency required to push into the Champions League qualification places looks beyond the Anfield club for at least another season.
Ger McCarthy is an Irish-based freelance sports journalist and published author. A regular contributor to Irish daily national the Irish Examiner, he also pens weekly columns for both the Evening Echo & Southern Star newspapers. Has written extensively for the Setanta Sports, NewsTalk, and Shoot! Football magazine web sites and is a regular member of Back Page Football’s Hold The Back Page football podcast.His first book ‘Off Centre Circle’ about a lifetime spent toiling in the amateur football leagues of Ireland received critical acclaim.
