NJ's Premier League Preview - Part Four
By Nishant Joshi




The Big 4

Chelsea have snuck into favourites for the league ahead of Manchester United, and rightly so. The departures of Ronaldo and Tevez means that United have lost a ridiculous amount of talent in the attacking department, and I would argue that those two players are irreplaceable. Sir Alex

Irreplaceable? Cristiano Ronaldo

Ferguson has only really managed Antonio Valencia as another attacking replacement, but it would be a miracle if he were to achieve a fraction of what Ronaldo did in his time at the club. Ronaldo scored goals and offered a myriad of options by himself. He was United's best player since Cantona, and the Premiership will be poorer for his loss.

Not United, of course, who raked in a stupid £80 million from Real Madrid. It is concerning, however, that Ferguson was subsequently gazumped by Madrid for the services of Karim Benzema, and only Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery seems to be a viable alternative as a 'like for like' replacement for Ronaldo, but it's highly unlikely that he will get anywhere near Old Trafford this season.

It's too tough to call an outright winner this season. I fancy Chelsea to be more consistent that United, but Liverpool will also pose a serious threat - if they can be as ruthless and merciless as their fans, they could challenge for the title again. The loss of Ronaldo and Tevez is the biggest blow imaginable and as a result it's too tight to call the winner.

Arsenal will sorely miss Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor, but will have the likes of Eduardo and Rosicky to make full returns from injury to compensate to some extent. The Gunners still seem light on heavyweight talent and they lack the physicality to go on an extended winning streak, which is a great shame as they are just a couple of quality players away from mounting a title challenge. But for now, I expect them to tread water.

One bet that I am particularly interested in is Liverpool to win the Big 4 mini-league. Last year, they were brilliant against the better sides and mediocre against the lesser sides. Benitez really managed to get the best out of his side against the top sides, and I feel that Coral are taking a big risk by laying 3.5.

NJ's Bets:

Arsenal to finish fourth ('same as last season' market) - 3pts @ 2.6 - William Hill

Liverpool to win league without the Big 2 - 5pts @ 1.91 - Coral

Liverpool to finish top of Big 4 mini-league - 2.5pts @ 3.5 - Coral