When it starts to boil up

So, what did you make of the opening round of fixtures of the English Premier League last weekend? Do you think, like I do, that this could be a more open title race than was the case last season or you reckon that one team will run away with the honours the way Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United did in finishing 11 points clear? I would understand anyone taking either position because there was evidence for both cases on display.

Listening to some of the top managers in the Premier League before and after last week’s round of games, there seems to be some consensus that this season’s race will be very competitive. Chelsea’s returning manager Jose Mourinho, Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini and Arsene Wenger of the Arsenal have all been quoted as saying that as many as six teams are in with a shout for the league title.

It is easy to see where they are coming from. United are not going to give up on their title without a fight and they showed that Ferguson’s departure has not changed anything, not yet anyway, by way of ambition and drive. They will, therefore, take some beating. Their so-called noisy neighbours have strengthened significantly in the European summer and look poised to reclaim the title they surrendered tamely last season.

Then you have Chelsea who have not only strengthened, but have also been refreshed and galvanised by Mourinho’s return. You expect them to be part of this fight. You can also not count out the Arsenal despite the growing moans among the team’s fan base regarding the lack of inspiring transfer activity at the time of piecing these thoughts together. They have lost no key player this time and that should help.

The other two teams being mentioned in this equation are Tottenham Hotspur and my Liverpool, albeit with an outside chance. Andre Villas-Boas’s team has been very busy in the transfer market and even if Gareth Bale leaves as is being widely speculated, they will have a very strong and deep squad that can stand up to any opposition. There is also recognition of the work Brendan Rodgers is doing at Anfield growing the team largely from inside.

Yet it is possible that one team could run away with it and if I were pressed to single out the side that could do it purely on last weekend’s evidence, then it has to be the Citizens of Manchester whose performance against Newcastle United on Monday night was as accomplished as they come. They were entertaining, they were dominant and they were dangerous. Most of all, you saw a happy group that was confident.

But I could not help feeling sorry for Aston Villa. Last week, I talked about Manchester United manager David Moyes complaining about his team’s opening fixtures where they are meeting three top sides over five fixtures. Villa are today completing a run of three such fixtures in seven days and the last thing they deserved is the sort of questionable refereeing they got at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

And we now enter into the last week of the transfer window. If experience is anything to go by, this is when it all boils up. There is usually a combination of panic buys by those sides eager to placate their demanding fans and some bargains from teams desperate to offload some players and balance their books. The next nine days should be exciting and I cannot wait to watch the drama.