A side who managed to avoid relegation last season, Aston Villa will be hoping to recover and do better this season. Villa were one of three teams who finished the campaign on 41 points, which is only five points above Wigan, who finished 18th and were relegated. Last season, Paul Lambert's side managed to lose the majority of their games, coming second best in 17 of their matches.
However, since the end of the season, things have started to look up for The Villains. They managed to retain the services of star player Christian Benteke, who had put in a transfer request and was being linked to Tottenham Hotspur. They have also brought in some new players - Luna, Okore and Tonev to name a few.
The start of the current season has really been more of the same for the Midlands team, they are currently 9th in the table with one win and two losses. Their opening day win against Arsenal at The Emirates came as a shock to many, with Benteke taking centre stage as usual. Since then Aston Villa have suffered narrow defeats at the hands of Chelsea (2-1) and Liverpool (0-1), this should be considered as a good start for what is, in reality, a mid-table team.
With Aston Villa's next six fixtures - Newcastle, Norwich, Man City, Hull, Tottenham and Everton - looking like a mixed bag of challenges, Paul Lambert will be quietly confident that his side can take a few scalps. As long as Benteke is in top form (as he usually is), the likes of Hull, Norwich and Newcastle should not provide much difficulty for Villa.
For me, Aston Villa are a typical mid-table side. They have a star player, as most teams do, backed up by some quality from other areas of the pitch (Agbonlahor, Ireland). I think that Villa will return to form this season and finish in a decent position, probably in the top ten but if not, just outside that area.
A club with what is, on paper, one of the strongest starting elevens in the Premier League, Arsenal should be expecting to get into the top four comfortably. However, amid signs in recent years that Arsene Wenger has been losing his managerial genius (most effectively used in the early 2000s), Arsenal fans and football fans alike have witnessed the painful transition from title challengers to Champions' League play-off participants.
This isn't intended as a jab at Arsenal, it's just the harsh reality of their situation. Last season's fourth place placement for The Gunners was only just achieved by a slight points margin in front of Tottenham, when in theory they should be easily getting into the top four. Quality players like Podolski, Wilshere (although he is regularly injured), Walcott, Arteta and Cazorla should have all but ensured Arsenal's automatic qualification for a group stage place in the Champions' League, so what went wrong?
For me, Arsenal's problems lie in two main areas, the defence and the sub's bench. With a first choice back four of Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny and Gibbs, Arsenal can't realistically expect anything better than a fourth place finish this season. The only notable names on Arsenal's substitute bench are Aaron Ramsey and possibly Per Mertesacker, neither of which are quality players. In a League where teams like Chelsea can have a player of Juan Mata's quality on the bench and still play well, and where Manchester City can leave a player like Aguero or Silva out and play well, it is essential to have a strong bench.
So what will Arsenal be expecting from this season? Sadly, it'll be the same as always in recent years - snatching fourth place. Even this early in the season, it doesn't take a genius to realise that Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea will most likely take up the top three. That leaves Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool to battle for one place.
I think that although Arsenal do have a good starting team, they are not progressing as fast as their Premier League rivals and that will mean that they will fall behind in the race for fourth place. It's my opinion that Arsenal just don't have what it takes to get fourth this season, but I hope they prove me wrong and start getting back to their old ways. However, how many of us can really see that happening?
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is quickly becoming one of the most talked about and exciting players in the world. At the tender age of 21, he has already scored 136 professional club goals for Santos and 23 goals for Brazil at the highest level. He has won the South American Footballer of the Year for the past three years, and in 2011 he was nominated for the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Neymar has won a Puskás Award (goal of the season) and he is best known for his flair and attacking style.
Neymar was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo. His father was also a footballer and he became Neymar's advisor when he spotted his son's talents. Multiple moves saw Neymar's family live in many different areas of Brazil, but this opened the door for clubs to take Neymar into their academies. When he was 17, he signed a professional contract at Santos, where he was able to receive sponsors and substantially increase his family's quality of life.
Neymar began his professional football career in 2009, and he hasn't looked back since. 14 goals in his debut season quickly change into 42 goals in his second season. He slumped behind slightly in 2011, scoring 24 goals in 47 games, which is still fairly impressive for a young player. Following this slight fall in goalscoring, Neymar came back to enjoy his best season at the Brazilian club, scoring 43 goals in 47 games. In total, Neymar scored 136 professional goals in 225 games for Santos.
Neymar's international record is even more impressive, he has scored 23 goals in 37 appearances for his country. There have only been two matches where Brazil haven't won when Neymar has scored. Most recently, he has been voted 'man of the match' in 3 out of 3 of Brazil's Confederations Cup matches, scoring a spectacular goal in each game.
Neymar has had his praises sung by many of football's top names, such as Pelé, Ronaldinho, and retired Brazilian superstar Ronaldo. Ronaldo said "Neymar is a great talent who will show the world that he will be number one". Many footballers and pundits have tipped Neymar to become the best footballer in the world, easily overtaking Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Neymar became a father at the age of 19 in August 2011, the baby was born in São Paulo, just like Neymar. The new father embraced the birth, saying " I cried when I learned that I would be his father. At first, I felt fear. Then joy. It is a new responsibility and I am now enjoying it". In 2012, 'France Football' placed the young Brazilian as the 7th richest footballer in the world, with a combined income - from salaries, bonuses and off field earnings (sponsors etc.) - of £11 million. Neymar's most notable sponsorship deal is an 11-year deal with Nike, which he signed in March 2011. Earlier this year he was rated by 'SportsPro' magazine as the most marketable athlete in the world, beating Cristiano Ronaldo's 'CR7' branding (he came in 8th!). Neymar has also been on the cover of North American versions of the Pro Evolution football game, and he was the first Brazilian athlete to feature on the cover of 'TIME' magazine.
'The Next Pelé'? Many people seem to think so.
Neymar has won 10 honours with a team (six with Santos and four with Brazil). However, he has managed to rack up an incredible 38 individual honours. This may be a point of criticism for some people, as many have claimed that his style of play is too selfish. Recent performances have suggested otherwise, Neymar provided an impressive assist for team mate Jô in a game against Mexico, here he showed impressive skill to squeeze through an impossibly tight space and selflessly assist his team mate.
So what's next for Neymar? After completing his €57 million move to Spanish giants Barcelona on a five-year deal, he'll be looking to make a name for himself at one of the biggest clubs in the world. And with a €190 million release clause in his contract, it seems as though he'll have a lot of time to do so.
Of course, being the 9th most expensive transfer in history is no small matter. But for a young man who has already established himself as one of the world's best players and overall football personalities, I believe he will be able to live up to his praises and I wouldn't be surprised to see him challenging for top honours next season...
Recently, German football has been dominating the European headlines following the convincing wins against Barcelona and Real Madrid for Bayern Munich and Borrusia Dortmund respectively. But did these victories predict the future of competitions such as the Champions League? Will teams like Munich and Dortmund start to be consistent finalists in the tournament? Munich's recent form in the tournament - three finals in four years - suggests so.
So how much better can the German teams get? Munich appear to be on the rise following their signing of Mario Götze, the young Dortmund starlet, for €37 million, and with rumours linking them to Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, the Munich outfit could be going from strength to strength this summer. Bayern won the Bundesliga in mid-April and are currently 20 points ahead of second placed Dortmund. They have lost just one game all season and conceded only 15 goals. Munich have been well know for being a hard working, industrious side with powerful attacking skill and a solid defence, but after this runaway reattainment of the league and places in the Champions League and German Cup finals, how much better can they get? On top of this season's success, next season will see a new manager at the Allianz Arena, Pep Guardiola. In his career at Barcelona, Guardiola won 14 trophies and had a 70% overall win rate. With the players at Bayern, there could be no limit to what they might achieve. However, a 1-1 draw between Bayern and Dortmund last weekend could give hope for Jurgen Klopp's side. Borrusia Dortmund narrowly avoided being on the wrong end of one of the greatest Champions League comebacks ever at the hands of Real Madrid last week. A Lewandowski quadruple (and a Ronaldo goal) gave them a 4-1 lead going to the Bernabéu, where they eventually lost 2-0, going through by the skin of their teeth. A second place finish in the Bundesliga may have disappointed Dortmund - who had won it two years in a row before this season - but a Champions League final place is hard to achieve and it may crown a decent season for Klopp and his players. But could this be the last time for a while that they find themselves doing so well? With the losses of Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United and Mario Götze to Bayern Munich recently - and maybe more on the go (Lewandowski?) - the future isn't looking too bright for Borrusia Dortmund. Although they do still have some quality in the team e.g. Reus, Hummels etc. Watch this space...
Götze has already gone, who could be next?
On a larger scale, leagues such as the Spanish La Liga and the English Premier League may be starting to look obsolete in comparison to the Bundesliga's general style of play. Barcelona and Real Madrid were embarrassed by the German sides and England's representatives in the Champions League this season (Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal) were relatively unsuccessful, with United getting the furthest - being beaten by Madrid in the last 16. However, La Liga's 'Big Two' turned into a 'Big Three' this season, with the inclusion of Atlético Madrid, so it will be exciting to see how the other Madrid outfit fare in the Champions League next season. And with the race for fourth still ongoing in the Premier League and the relegation battle as tight as ever, England's league is still proving to be one of the most unpredictable in the world. Furthermore, the summer transfer window could prove to be beneficial for many clubs around Spain and England. With rumours that Neymar could be moving to either of the big Spanish clubs (Barcelona and Real Madrid) constantly floating in and out of the back pages, and players such as Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo rumoured to be coming to Old Trafford in the window, you're never too far away from a big transfer story. In recent years, teams like Barcelona, Madrid, United and Chelsea have been transfer wizards (with the obvious exception of Torres to Chelsea), and signings such as Pique (Manchester United to Barcelona, 2008), Ronaldo (Manchester United to Real Madrid, 2009), Hazard (Lille to Chelsea, 2012) and van Persie (Arsenal to Manchester United, 2012) have shown real intent from Europe's top clubs to expand and fill up their trophy cabinets. After a poor English representation in the Champions League knockout stages this season, the top four teams in the Premier League will be looking to make an impact on next season's competition, but do the English squads have the quality to take on top European teams like they used to? Recent form - with the exception of Chelsea's Champions League victory last season - suggest not. Manchester City's bottom place finish in their group this year shows how weak the Premier League must be in comparison, for the champions to be knocked straight out of the competition at the first stage is a harsh reminder of how far behind other countries we actually are.
City took an early exit this season, can they do better in the next campaign?
Italy, Turkey and the Netherlands all had their champions confirmed last weekend - Juventus, Galatasary and Ajax respectively - and they could all be looking from a bit more from their Champions League efforts this time round. Galatasary and Juventus both enjoyed a decent campaign this season, as they both reached the quarter-finals. Could they improve on that next year? The chances look slim, but the mega-bucks Turkish side could make a big transfer this summer to boost their squad and Italian champions Juventus are being linked to Manchester United winger Nani. However, even with any big signings they might make, I doubt these clubs will have what it takes to challenge the likes of Bayern and Dortmund at the top, but only time will tell...
Overall, I'm predicting some German dominance for the next few years, most likely coming from Munich. If there are major transfers in the summer however, Spanish and English teams could pose a threat to the next Champions League holders. A challenge from outside the main three leagues looks unlikely, although there is usually an unexpected run of wins for one team in the competition. Either way, the footballing community is looking forward to the new season of European football, so roll on September.
