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da betobet： Not long ago the Premier League was an almost pre-determined list, with the usual suspects finishing in their predicted positions at the start of the campaign. Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool were labelled the ‘big four’, with the likes of Tottenham and Everton occupying the places just below the quartet. As you journeyed down the table, for much of the 38 games, the bottom five often consisted of the same names, sitting behind the remainder of the sides in mid-table obscurity.
However, the past couple of seasons have seen a shake-up when it comes to end result of the English season with the emergence of new title challengers, and teams joining the mix from the Championship proving that the leap isn’t as vast as feared. It looks increasingly likely that both Liverpool and Chelsea will miss out on Champions League football for next season due to the exploits of Tottenham or Newcastle, allied with the emergence of the Abu Dhabi backed Manchester City. The appearance of these sides, has been met with fear from managers who had become used to their almost guaranteed position in the upper echelons of the division, and are now looking over their shoulder at the ‘new kids on the block’ and the former occupiers attempting to re-establish themselves.
As well as the shifting dynamic in the top-flight, the reputation of Premier League sides in Europe has taken a hit, with Chelsea the only side to make it to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. Over the past decade English sides have enjoyed large levels of success, with Liverpool claiming victory in 2005 and Manchester United beating national rivals Chelsea in 2008, but over the past few seasons the dynamic has shifted toward other continental nations, mainly Spain.
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As a result it’s believed that the summer spending by the upper level teams of the Premier League will once again be vast, as they all look to cement their status within their nation, and continent’s elite. There was a period of complacency on the part of some of the higher level sides in England during the course of the past few years, as teams allowed star men to move on, never really believing that those below them could emerge. Liverpool in particular have struggled with this, allied to financial difficulty, allowing Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano to depart, eliminating the spine of the promising 2007-08 team. As well as this Manchester United sanctioned the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo, albeit for a world record £80 million, as well as refusing to spend big money to keep Carlos Tevez from the clutches of local rivals Manchester City.
Moves such as these have seen a real drop in the quality at the upper end of the Premier League, shifting momentum away from the established forces, and handing a sense of optimism to the chasing pack. Due to this a summer of transfer activity is expected on the part of the United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, who have seen their cosy quartet blown apart. Red Devils’ chief executive, David Gill, has recently admitted that there will be comings and goings during the next window, hinting that the side are likely to spend big once more, after a relatively quite period of time in the transfer market. As well as the defending Champions, Arsenal have already made inroads to sign German international Lucas Podolski, while rumours surrounding wholesale changes, and a phasing out of the ‘old guard’ at Chelsea have gathered momentum throughout the season. It’s likely that Liverpool will once again spend big, with Kenny Dalglish keen to put the disappointing memories of this season behind him, while Manchester City will be linked to anybody who becomes available at a price of over £20 million, and Tottenham will be looking to build upon their recent upturn in fortunes.
Such actions show a sign of fear from the former ‘top sides’. Arsene Wenger has never been one to spend big and secure the signatures of proven players, yet this summer he could buck that trend, as he did during his deadline day flurry last season. The case of Manchester United is another fascinating one, as over a period of time their formidable squad gained an increasingly porous look. With the rumoured financial issues at the club, a big spend would hint at a genuine fear for their status as ‘top dogs’ after the emergence of their noisy neighbours.
The recent shift in the power dynamic at the upper end of the Premier League looks to finally be sinking in. This summer will once again be a busy one, with a spot in the top-four becoming ever more important.
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