The dark horses of the English Premier League

The season of 2011-2012 was tipped as the most exciting season of the decade by most of the pundits. It not only gave a new teamname to be engraved on the Premier League trophy, but also demolished the long established group of Big 4, with City finishing first and Spurs pipping Chelsea for the fourth place.A major criticism of the Premier League has been the dominance of the famously known “Big Four” clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United).With the exception of Blackburn Rovers in 94-95 and Manchester City in 11-12, only 3 out of the top 4 have won the Premier League titles – Arsenal and Chelsea have won the league (3 times each) and Manchester United a record 12 times.

 Now with no more “Big 4″ to dominate the league, let us review the dark horses of the Premier League that might shock or surprise us at the end of the season.

NEWCASTLE UNITED F.C

Newcastle United: The Toon faithful will be pretty happy after watching their team perform in the league last season. After their strongest finish in the league since Bryan Robson’s days and with European nights back at St James’ Park, the future for the Magpies seems rosy. With Alan Pardew at the helm of schemes and with little interference from owner Mike Ashley, the visionary plans of Pardew are bound to reap benefits in seasons to come. With a well built and balanced squad, Newcastle may again challenge for the top four spots like the old days. The strike force comprising of Cisse, Ba, Ben Arfa and Cabaye will make the Toon Army a threat to the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs for the fourth spot. Also, their stable back four, which was hard to penetrate in the previous season, makes the team look good on the defensive front as well. However, with the return of European football the team might be stretched due to congested fixtures and may not achieve the top four finish in the next season

PREDICTED FINISH – 5

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.C

Tottenham Hotspur: After the cruel ending of their last campaign which saw them edge so close yet so far to Champions League football, Spurs will be more determined to do well this season and make the spot, which was looted from them by Chelsea at the last moment, their own. With the signing of Villas Boas and the club holding onto Modric, Spurs have shown their gritty determination to better their position from the last season. With the busy transfer dealings, the only side Spurs can end up on is the upside. After the captures of Vertonghen and Sigurdsson and probably Stekelenburg to come, Spurs will definitely be the team to beat. Also with the likes of Van Der Vaart, Bale, Modric and Parker, they have one of the best midfield in the league. However, the only problem that lies ahead for Spurs is that their attack lacks teeth. With Adebayor gone and Defoe left alone, the Spurs seem to be thin in this department. But if they can get a good strike partner for Defoe, then we may see a new team in the Top 4 next season.

PREDICTED FINISH – 4

LIVERPOOL F.C

Liverpool: The only thing that the Reds can talk about these days is their prestigious history, about how they used to dominate in England and Europe. Although having been included in the Big 4, Liverpool have never threatened the top teams except for the 2005 season. However, they ended their 6 year trophy drought last season by winning the Carling  Cup. Many of the Red faithfuls would like to think of that as an ominous sign. Also, with Brendan Rodgers appointed and with the big signings of last season having time to settle after one season, Liverpool could certainly improve. The squad that Liverpool posses may not be ideal for the playing style that Rodgers implemented at Swansea. The tiki-taka passing may seem alien to the likes of Adam, Carroll and Gerrard who have, for most of the times, played the long ball game.Also, the game style will take time to produce benefits and so may cost Liverpool a place in the top 4 this season

PREDICTED FINISH – 7

FULHAM F.C

Fulham: Having played some nice football and qualified for the Europa league, Fulham turned some heads in the later stage of the season by beating the likes of Liverpool and going unbeaten against the likes of Arsenal , Chelsea and Liverpool in both the legs. Also, with Martin Jol as their manager, the Cottagers have played nice attacking football, and Clint Dempsey has been a revelation from the last season. With the capture of Hugo Rodallega, the void created by Zamora will be filled- and Fulham can build on last season’s success. So they too are a team to be reckoned with for a top 5 finish if they can get their act together. But to achieve that they will have to make some additions to the squad which seems a bit depleted in the midfield and also in the attacking department.