Let battle begin

The short wait is over as this Saturday sees the start of the Premiership season and although it only feels like yesterday that Manchester United sealed the title, much has happened in the subsequent months, not least in the transfer market.

However, the activity has not been in the most expected areas. Chelsea, for instance, have been very quiet and only the purchase of Florent Malouda from Lyon has been high profile. In fact it has been more of a case of who might be leaving than who is arriving with uncertainty surrounding the futures of Robben, Ballack and even Frank Lampard.
It is a similar story at Arsenal where the departure of Thierry Henry has shadowed any of the new players arriving and it looks like another season of development for the Gunners rather than a realistic chance of trophies.
Having said that, in Van Persie and Fabregas they have two of the most talented players in the league and if they can step out of the shadow that Henry created then this team might well become an unexpected contender.
The one thing that is certain is that they will play with a flair and a passing game that on their day is unmatched in Europe.
This quiet transfer activity is not matched by the contenders in the north. Far from it. Liverpool and Manchester United have been spending money as if the clubs future depended on it, and in Liverpool’s case that might be more true than the manager and new owners would like.
When Chelsea have spent their millions in the past the pressure to win trophies was immense but Jose Moriniho delivered and it is now down to Benitez to replicate his achievements.
Failure to do this will dent the Spaniard’s reputation and in the fickle world of football management attempts at recovering it are often futile, especially in the Premiership.
Liverpool have brought in eight new players, most notably Torres from Athletico Madrid, and sold or released a similar number amounting to a lot of activity and the transfer window has not ended yet with Gabriel Heinze still a major target.
The purchase of Torres for a reported £27 million is the most interesting, not least because of that price tag. Torres is undoubtedly a talented player but he is not the natural goal scorer that is essential at the top level.
The first few games will be crucial to not only for his confidence but also the faith his team-mates will have in him and should it go poorly at the beginning it is possible to envisage a long and demanding season for the young man.
Benitez certainly has no excuses now and should he fail to take this group of players to title contenders – and that means winning the Premiership or at least being in the mix with two games to go – then he will have failed.
Success in Europe is still important to Liverpool but it is the Championship that is the priority and any repeat of the huge points difference with the top two like last year would be disastrous.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have been buying attacking players as if they were becoming an extinct breed. It is entirely possible that Ferguson could play two holding midfielders in Carrack and Hargreaves and then fill the remaining four spots with Giggs, Saha, Rooney and Tevez or to be honest any other number of combinations.
The combined transfer fee for Anderson and Nani purchased from Copenhagen and Lisbon respectively was £30 million and if both players can justify their fees then competition for places is going to be intense at Old Trafford.
United should be challenging for all four trophies this year but unlike Liverpool it will be the Champions League that will be the Holy Grail this season.
Of all the other clubs in the league trying to break into the top four the usual suspects, namely Spurs, Everton and Newcastle  will be promising much but will ultimately fail as in previous years.
All these clubs have had the resources and players in the past to make the breakthrough and the fact they have not means there is no reason to see why this year might be any different.
One club that does look like it is making steady progress is Blackburn and under Mark Hughes they have a manager who is capable of competing with the top four and in Benni MaCarthy and now Santa Cruz they have two strikers of quality to score enough goals that could make the difference.
All things considered, the title will end up at Old Trafford or Chelsea and preference is just for the London club because the desire to win the title back will be immense and Manchester United will not only be concentrating on winning the Champions League but they will also have a lot of players to fit in to a playing style.
This can take time and the last three Premiership titles have gone to the team that has started the season best and there is no reason why this one will be any different.
Morinho and his team are in the best position to do this. 

By Patrick Cummings
patrick.cummings@blueyonder.co.uk