New Season, Nothing New

Greetings from this small corner of the hemisphere. It’s been a while since I dropped a post here. Maybe it’s been occasioned by the busy work schedule, social stuff or just the hangover from the 2022-3 football season when I almost suffered a heart-attack. More on that later. Nevertheless, one of my enemies Ann Wamonje decided to remind me to post something, anything. Of course I know what subject she wanted me to tackle and I won’t disappoint.

?A new football season is in its second month and already, the trends have started forming. Manchester City, as always, is whipping every team, thereby making EPL look more like a Farmer’s League than a serious competition. To be honest, as long as Pep Gurdiola remains in England, they might as well hand over the trophy to City at the beginning of the season. Then the rest of the teams can compete for the remaining 19 positions. This is not by any means to say that they’ll win the league. I am a runner and as I said before, the season is a marathon, not a sprint. But if you were a betting man, you’d be safer to place your money on City.

?Even before August 14, I mentioned to a friend that Tottenham might surprise everyone. Much had been said about Harry Kane’s departure and to give credit where it is due, he’s a good goal-scorer. Add that to the usual English media hyping their own and you’d think Kane is closer to the greats. Never! Before the washed-up image now at Barcelona, the name Robert Lewandoski sent jitters down the spine of defenders. Remember his name? Back to Kane, people forget just how much good players may also hold the club back. The hype, the circus and the constant fixation with one player has many a times negatively affected the squad and I think this has been the case with Tottenham. I still think Spurs mugged Bayern Munich on this one and I may be wrong. But age is not on Kane’s side, neither will he get the “English hype” in Germany. And like with many players, they suffer injuries and loss of form during the season. That is when this whole transfer will be looked at with a microscopic eye. Kane better performs all through the season. Otherwise, he should quickly look for Sadio Mane’s contacts. In the meantime, Spurs seems to have quickly gelled and are doing quite well. Again, it is still too early. Two or three losses in a row and they’ll be calling for the manager’s head!

?I normally speak about Manchester United with mixed feelings. One of my friends Evans Ogeto is an ardent supporter of this club and he doesn’t take it kindly that I am critical. But many of my predictions, especially in the goalkeeping department are being proved right. And Ogeto has suddenly stopped responding to my messages. Nevertheless, whether out of hope or real belief, I foresee a good season for United. Or let me say, it won’t be as bad as the last few results have been. They seem to start slow and then pick up as the season goes on. Maybe it is a tactic by the manager to lower fan expectations. That way, he can get away with the mediocrity that has been witnessed at that club in the past few games of the season. I still hold the position that buying expensive shiny toys in the name of players will not take the club anywhere. Only a fool tries the same thing for 8 seasons in a row and expects to strike gold on the 9th. Those running the club, and a majority of the fans seem to fall in this category.

?Now, if you think Manchester United has problems, then you don’t know of a club called Chelsea. Every mediocrity at United is magnified 3 times at Chelsea. During every transfer window since Roman Abramovich was booted, they have gone about buying anything and every player they spot. To make it even worse, they pay over the odds for these overhyped wannabes. It is a well-known fact that the transfer market is over-inflated but who is Chelsea? In fact, the latest trick is Arsenal/Liverpool bids over-the-top for a player and nine out of ten times, Chelsea will double that bid. You got to wonder how much prime Cristiano Ronaldo would cost in today’s market, especially if Chelsea are bidding. Brighton seems to be the biggest beneficiary of this largesse by Chelsea. They are to Chelsea what Southampton was to Liverpool some seasons ago, just more expensive. Chelsea will slowly climb up the table but they’re more likely to end up mid-table. For the investment they have put up, this will be a total failure. But are the players really that good to warrant that outlay?

?Liverpool doesn’t seem to have the massive pressure they had last season and as such, I believe they’ll put up a good case this season. They’re likely to slip back into top-4 and probably put up a fight for the title but there’s a juggernaut called Manchester City. There are also other teams like Newcastle and Brighton who will flatter to deceive but in all honesty, they’re punching way above their weight. As such, they look legit. But these are just mid-table clubs who can beat Arsenal.

?And of course I can’t close without talking about my favorite Arsenal. As usual, they have started the season like a grass-thatched house that has caught fire. We are used to this now and hearing “sisi kama mafans wa Asenali” getting excited makes me smile. Granted, after last season’s exploits, I totally understand where they’re coming from. Many of their fans who had long gone into hibernation suddenly reappeared last season and are currently the loudest. Also, after last season’s near-heart-attack for me (they almost won it), I am not going to speak so loudly. Furthermore, they just wacked Manchester United a few weeks ago, and that cut deep. The fact remains though that Arsenal lead the table for 94% of the season and still didn’t win the trophy. I don’t see how better it can get for you than that, and because the other big boys (and small ones too) took note, they (Arsenal) will not be allowed that much room this time round.

?Now, I have been wrong on several occasions before and the above predictions might not work out. For now, since we are just fans and have very little influence on how things turn out on the pitch, get your starter pack (each team has one for the fans), sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. It is a marathon!