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The most popular national championship in the world is returning. This weekend kicks off the 2006/07 English "Premier" League. Like in previous years, the biggest question remains - will anyone be able to stop the "Chelsea" dynasty, seeking their third consecutive championship. Trying to answer this and more questions, briefly reviewing each team in the "Tribuna" section, website visitor Rimantas tries to answer.
If you have your own thoughts or predictions about the upcoming English championship, remember that you can send your articles to [email protected]
Position last year: 4th
Coach: Arsene Wenger (since September 1996)
In: Tomas Rosicky (Borussia Dortmund)
Out: Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell (Portsmouth), Kerrea Gilbert (Cardiff), Mark Howard (Cardiff), Michael Jordan (Chesterfield), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham), Fabrice Muamba (Birmingham), Robert Pires (Villarreal), Nicklas Bendtner (Birmingham), Ryan Smith (Derby)
Summer: Last season was worse than usual. In the summer, "Arsenal" managed to keep Thierry Henry, but the team's defense raises many questions, especially if they fail to keep A. Cole.
Leader: Thierry Henry. When he is not injured, the team is a team. When injured, it is a group of players who do not really know how to attack the opponent's goal.
Prediction: 5th place. There are possibilities to go higher, but last season's flaw - instability - could also affect this year. Especially considering Arsenal's undeniable dependence on Henry.
Position last year: 16th
Coach: Martin O'Neill (Since August 2006)
In: none
Out: Jamie Ward (Torquay)
Summer: After a poor season, a poor offseason followed, where it was more interesting not what the club buys but who buys the club.
Leader: Milan Baros. The most goal-scoring Euro 2004 player's last season was not very successful, but his star at "Villa Park" is still the brightest.
Prediction: 14th. No notable changes so far, so breaking into the top ten will be very difficult.
Position last year: 6th
Coach: Mark Hughes (Since September 2004)
In: Jason Brown (Gillingham), Francis Jeffers (Charlton), Benni McCarthy (Porto), Jason Roberts (Wigan)
Out: Lorenzo Amoruso, Craig Bellamy (Liverpool), Paul Dickov (Man City), Gary Harkins (Grimsby)
Summer: Losing C. Bellamy from the team - undoubtedly a major loss, but B. McCarthy should at least partially compensate for it.
Leader: Morten Gamst-Pedersen. Last year, the Norwegian was already one of the best "Premier" League defenders, and it's no wonder that Hughes extended his contract for another 4 years.
Prediction: 8th. Retaining the previous position will be difficult, but "Blackburn" remains among the teams that will fight for the last tickets to Europe.
Position last year: 8th
Coach: Sam Allardyce (Since October 1999)
In: Quinton Fortune (Man Utd), Abdoulaye Meite (Marseille), Idan Tal (Maccabi Haifa)
Out: Khalilou Fadiga, Dietmar Hamann (Man City), Radhi Jaidi (Birmingham), Matt Jansen, Hidetoshi Nakata, Bruno N'Gotty (Birmingham), Jay-Jay Okocha, Oscar Perez, Chris Howarth (Oldham)
Summer: In recent years, "Bolton" has played consistently well, but this year "Big Sam" started to rejuvenate the team, and this could affect the results.
Leader: Kevin Nolan. A call up to the England national team is probably not far off.
Prediction: 10th. Giving up a few old wolves may result in a slight decline in results, but "Bolton" remains among the contenders for Europe.
Position last year: 13th
Coach: Iain Dowie (Since May 2006)
In: Christian Bolanos (Saprissa), Amady Faye (Newcastle), Cory Gibbs (Feyenoord), Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Middlesbrough), Gonzalo Sorondo (Inter), Djimi Traore (Liverpool), Simon Walton (Leeds)
Out: Shaun Bartlett (Kaizer Chiefs), Jay Bothroyd (Wolves), Adam Cottrell (Millwall), Rob Elliot (Accrington), Francis Jeffers (Blackburn), Jonatan Johansson (Malmo), Sheku Kamara (Watford), Chris Perry (West Brom), Chris Powell (Watford)
Summer: An era begins in South London after Alan Curbishley. For now, the signs are not bad - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink should form a great striking duo with Darren Bent.
Leader: Darren Bent. He will try to prove that he is worthy of the England national team.
Prediction: 15th. The team will have to adapt to a new coach, which could slightly complicate the position they were in this year.
Position last year: 1st
Coach: Jose Mourinho (Since June 2004)
In: Michael Ballack (Bayern), Hilario (Nacional), Salomon Kalou (Feyenoord), John Obi Mikel (Lyn Oslo), Andriy Shevchenko (Milan), Kalidou Boulahrouz (Hamburger)
Out: Carlton Cole (West Ham), Asier Del Horno (Valencia), Damien Duff (Newcastle), Dean Furman (Rangers), Anthony Grant (Wycombe), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Barcelona), Danny Hollands (Bournemouth), Jiri Jarosik (Celtic), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joe Keenan (Willem II), Filipe Morais (Millwall), Lenny Pidgeley (Millwall), Dean Smith (Aldershot), Jack Watkins, James Younghusband
Summer: Attracted two superstars, showing that Mourinho is aiming not only for the "Premier" League title but also for the Champions League. The only concern for "Chelsea" fans might be the situation with Gallas.
Leader: John Terry. The new England national team captain remains the most stable and reliable player at Chelsea.
Prediction: 1st place. Mourinho has everything to win a third consecutive championship.
Position last year: 11th
Coach: David Moyes (Since March 2002)
In: Tim Howard (Man Utd), Andrew Johnson (Crystal Palace), Joleon Lescott (Wolves), Scott Spencer (Oldham)
Out: Duncan Ferguson, James Harris, Paul Hopkins, Nigel Martyn, Christian Seargeant, Li Tie (Sheffield Utd), Laurence Wilson (Chester), Sean Wright, Stephen Wynne
Summer: "Everton" has strengthened. Replicating the performance of the 2004-05 season probably won't happen, but showing improvement over last year is a more achievable task.
Leader: Andrew Johnson. The record signing for Everton should be the biggest threat to opponents' goals.
Prediction: 7th place. The team has all the chances to compete for European spots.
Position last year: 11th
Coach: Chris Coleman (Since April 2003)
In: Jimmy Bullard (Wigan), Bjorn Runstrom (Hammarby), Franck Queudrue (Middlesbrough), Gabriel Zakuani (Leyton Orient)
Out: Richard De Villiers, Liam Fontaine (Bristol City), Alain Goma, Adam Green (Grays), Neale McDermott, Darren Pratley (Swansea), Robert Watkins, Zesh Rehman (QPR), Tony Warner (Leeds), Ricardo Batista (Wycombe), Dean Leacock (Derby)
Summer: The acquisition of Jimmy Bullard is a positive step, but the biggest problem of the summer is the conflict with the club's brightest star, Steed Malbranque.
Leader: Luis Boa Morte. His responsibilities will increase this year.
Prediction: 17th. If opponents figure out how to play on the Thames coast, "Fulham" could fare even worse. If "Fulham" finds a way to play away from home, things could be better.
Position last year: 3rd
Coach: Rafael Benitez (Since June 2004)
In: Fabio Aurelio (Valencia), Craig Bellamy (Blackburn), Gabriel Paletta (Atletico Banfield), Jermaine Pennant (Birmingham), Dirk Kuyt (Feyenoord)
Out: Ramon Caliste (Scunthorpe), Bruno Cheyrou (Rennes), Djibril Cisse (Marseille), Dietmar Hamann (Bolton), Chris Kirkland (Wigan), Fernando Morientes (Valencia), Conal Platt (Bournemouth), David Raven (Carlisle), Zak Whitbread (Millwall), Danny O'Donnell (Crewe), Djimi Traore (Charlton), Antonio Barragan (Deportivo)
Summer: Strengthening the weakest positions, "Liverpool" expects to compete for the champion's title. Now everything depends on how quickly the team's newcomers adapt to the game.
Leader: Steven Gerrard. The team's results largely depend on his performance.
Prediction: 3rd place. "Liverpool" has undoubtedly improved and will be real contenders for the title.
Position last year: 15th
Coach: Stuart Pearce (Since March 2005)
In: Bernardo Corradi (Valencia), Ousmane Dabo (Lazio), Paul Dickov (Blackburn), Dietmar Hamann (Bolton), Joe Hart (Shrewsbury), Hatem Trabelsi (Ajax)
Out: Ian Bennett, Karl Bermingham, Mikkel Bischoff (Coventry), Paul Collins, Lee Croft (Norwich), Geert de Vlieger (Zulte Waregem), Tuomas Haapala, David Sommeil (Sheffield Utd), Michael Ward, Bradley Wright-Phillips (Southampton), Willo Flood (Cardiff), David James (Portsmouth)
Summer: After a very poor end to the season, "Man City" will need to rehabilitate. Strengthened with a few well-known players, the season should be better.
Leader: Joey Barton. Despite his character, he is a great footballer.
Prediction: 11th place. A European spot may be challenging to achieve, but it is possible to fight for it.
Position last year: 2nd in the Championship league
Coach: Steve Coppell (Since October 2003)
In: Seol Ki-Hyeon (Wolves), Sam Sodje (Brentford)
Out: Johnny Mullins (Mansfield), Jamie Young (Wycombe)
Summer: The new season starts without radical changes. On one hand, it means the team will be well-played, on the other hand, the lack of experience at this level may be a concern. Steve Coppell has a big responsibility - to keep "royals" in the Premier League
Leader: Steve Sidwell. The most important player in the defense line.
Prediction: 17th place. On paper, Reading's attack seems sufficient to stay in the Premier League.
Position last year: 2nd in the Championship league
Coach: Neil Warnock (Since December 1999)
In: Ian Bennett (Leeds), Claude Davis (Preston), Rob Hulse (Leeds), Mikele Leigertwood (Crystal Palace), Christian Nade (Troyes), David Sommeil (Man City), Li Tie (Everton)
Out: Phil Barnes (Grimsby), Luke Beckett (Huddersfield), Brian Deane, Bruce Dyer (Doncaster), Garry Flitcroft, Jonathan Forte (Doncaster), Kevan Hurst (Chesterfield), Simon Francis (Southend), Gary Mulligan (Gillingham), Ian Ross (Notts County), Alan Wright, Geoff Horsfield (Leeds)
Summer: Much work has been done, but whether it will affect the early season games is a big question. Prior examples have shown that the first couple of months in the Premier League can be crucial for newly promoted clubs.
Leader: Claude Davis. A promising central defender, although still new to the team.
Prediction: 19th place. Warnock's teams are usually hard to beat, but the chances of survival are not very high.
Position last year: 5th
Coach: Adrian Boothroyd (Since March 2005)
In: Damien Francis (Wigan), Albert Jarrett (Brighton), Sheku Kamara (Charlton), Scott Loach (Lincoln), Tamas Priskin (Gyori ETO), Chris Powell (Charlton), Claude Seanla (Tottenham), Danny Shittu (QPR), Ben Foster (Man Utd)
Out: Jamie Hand (Chester)
Summer: After being among the candidates to be relegated to a lower division before last season, "Watford" is now in the Premier League. The team has strengthened but creating an even bigger miracle will be extremely difficult. Although Boothroyd said that 17th place would not satisfy him, the fans probably wouldn't agree.
Leader: Marlon King. His 22 goals in the Championship are noteworthy, but achieving similar results in the Premier League is unlikely.
Prediction: 20th place. On paper, the Reading offense seems sufficient to stay in the Premier League.
Position last year: 9th
Coach: Alan Pardew (Since October 2003)
In: Lee Bowyer (Newcastle), Carlton Cole (Chelsea), Tyrone Mears (Preston), John Pantsil (Tel Aviv Hapoel), Jonathan Spector (Man Utd), George McCartney (Sunderland), Robert Green (Norwich)
Out: Darren Behcet (Yeovil), Chris Cohen (Yeovil), Carl Fletcher (Crystal Palace), Shaka Hislop (Dallas), Trent McClenahan (Hereford), Elliott Ward (Coventry), Ishmael Welsh (Yeovil), Clive Clarke (Sunderland), Matt Reed (Bristol City), Stephen Bywater (Derby)
Summer: After a great season, Pardew managed to keep most of the main players and even strengthened, so "West Ham" should compete for places in Europe next year.
Leader: Marlon Harewood. "West Ham" has a large choice of attacking players, but Harewood is still the biggest threat.
Prediction: 9th place. Maintaining their position in the upper rankings is very possible.
Position last year: 10th
Coach: Paul Jewell (Since June 2001)
In: Emmerson Boyce (Crystal Palace), Tomasz Cywka (Gwarek Zabrze), Fitz Hall (Crystal Palace), Emile Heskey (Birmingham), Chris Kirkland (Liverpool), Denny Landzaat (AZ Alkmaar)
Out: Jimmy Bullard (Fulham), Damien Francis (Watford), Stephane Henchoz, Kevin Lee (Southport), Jason Roberts (Blackburn), David Thompson (Portsmouth)
Summer: Lost leader Jimmy Bullard, added the controversial Emile Heskey, the team may not be much weaker than last year, but looking at "Wigan" will now be different.
Leader: Arjan De Zeeuw. A rock in the "Wigan" defense line.
Prediction: 18th place. Last year was probably the maximum reached. The position is precarious now, and "Wigan" doesn't seem very strong at the moment.
