The attention of football fans will now switch to the upcoming weekend and the return of the Barclays Premier League. While it is widely expected that the title race will be fought out between Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea we take a look at some teams that could surprise experts by having good seasons.
First of all there will be a lot of attention surrounding Premier League new boys Cardiff City in the upcoming campaign as it will be their first ever season in England’s top flight. The Championship winners arguably had the best squad in the Championship last season and have wasted no time in strengthening for the Premier League. Cardiff City’s most impressive signing has to be centre back Steven Caulker joining from Tottenham who is tipped by many to be a future England international and will add some real quality to the Bluebirds’ defence. Malky Mackay has also added striker Andreas Cornelius and midfielder Gary Medel to his strong squad which already contains Premier League veteran Craig Bellamy and rising star Kim Bo Kyung. West Ham will host Cardiff on the opening day of the season and while Cardiff fans will only be hoping to stay in the division the Welsh side may well surprise a few pundits by finishing higher up the league.
Cardiff’s local rivals Swansea could also be a team to watch out for in 2013/14. Michael Laudrup has seen his side make incredible progress since taking charge at the beginning of last season with his team winning the League Cup and finishing 9th in the Premier League. Laudrup was tipped by some to become Barcelona manager over the summer however he remains at the Liberty Stadium and will be keen to see his attractive brand of football continue to flourish. Swansea have managed to keep hold of star players Michu, Ashley Williams, Michel Vorm and Jonathan De Guzman over the summer and fans of the Welsh outfit will hope these players can reproduce their form of last season. If pre season is anything to go by Swansea will have a very successful 2013/14 as they won all their matches as well as defeating Swedish team Malmo FF 4-0 on aggregate in the Europa League qualifying round. New signings Jonjo Shelvey and Wilfried Bony will add to the squad however fans will be hoping participation in the Europa League does
not hinder the clubs performances in the Premier League. These are exciting times for Swansea City fans who may well have a memorable season ahead.
Finally, eyes will be on Tottenham Hotspur as the North London club look the most likely to break into the top four places. Spurs have strengthened over the summer with the additions of a much needed goalscorer in Roberto Soldado, midfielders Etienne Capoue and Paulinho and Belgian winger Nacer Chadli. This could give Tottenham the edge over local rivals and 4th place contenders Arsenal who are yet to spend any money this transfer window. There remains a big question mark over Gareth Bale’s future with a move to Real Madrid hanging in the balance. The Welshman’s future will certainly have a big impact on the upcoming season at White Hart Lane. With or without Bale Tottenham are capable of matching the top teams and look set to do battle with Arsenal for a top four place.
