The pre-season is in full flow and the build up to the new season is getting more exciting by the day. Therefore, let’s take pre-season preparation as a variable to preview this upcoming season in football rather than discussing the oft-repeated, boring variable known as the transfer market.

Despite its overuse in previewing a football season, however, the transfer market has been an extremely important variable that most often becomes the driving force behind a bookmaker’s bets. The pre-season, on the other hand, has not proven to be nearly as decisive in recent years. As a result, I want to raise this question for all my fellow readers:  After all, how important is the modern-day pre-season?

Last pre-season, Tottenham looked very promising, with Darren Bent scoring more goals than he could count with two hands. Juande Ramos looked firmly in control of the team’s affairs and it appeared that during the 2008/09 season,  the previous year’s Carling Cup winners would replicate their cup form in the Premier League as well.

However, the Spurs sank quickly to the bottom of the league table when the actual season began. Without a savior in the tactically gifted Harry Redknapp, White Hart Lane could have easily witnessed the relegation of a side that didn’t bother to show up after the pre-season. As for Darren Bent, he will be plying his trade in Sunderland this coming season. You do the math!

While I poke fun at Tottenham’s contrasting fortunes, it is important not to forget that their city rivals Arsenal also paint quite a contrasting picture when their pre-season is compared with the season itself. The fact that Arsenal’s trophy cabinet in the past half a decade is dominated by friendly pre-season trophies such as The Emirates Cup and The Amsterdam Cup speaks volumes about how poor they have been in carrying their solid pre-season form to the games that actually matter.

Recently, AC Milan arrived in the United States with quite a bang!  With all the hype surrounding Leonardo’s fresh-look squad, everyone except the Milan squad forgot that the Rossoneri had come to participate in merely a pre-season tournament. No big deal, right? Absolutely! When Milan took the field for each of the three games of the World Football Challenge, the players seemed to indicate that they would much rather lie on the beach and enjoy the United States. That should help explain their worst record in the competition.

And who can blame them? Not only Milan players, but almost all of the world’s top footballers have international duties to attend to during the off-season, which means they are already playing catch-up with their clubs during the pre-season. Meanwhile, their lesser renowned counterparts are constantly impressing the staff at their club during the extended amount of time given to them.

In the end, though, it has been proven time and again that the regular season has its own story to tell. Clearly, Manchester United’s pre-season loss to Bayern Munich is not an indicator of the momentum with which the two sides are entering the 2009/10 season. Similarly, Real Madrid’s failure to beat Al Ittihad does not expose any inabilities of the Madrid giants. In fact, Florentino Perez’s prolific crew will continue to relax in the coming days as it plays overpriced games in sold out arenas against lower level opposition such as Toronto F.C.

The bottom line is, the pre-season is simply what you make of it. If you are an upcoming player with no international commitments and a lot to prove to your club, it is no rocket science that you will put your best foot forward. On the other hand, if you are a megastar such as Cristiano Ronaldo, you will most likely take the much-deserved summer off and leave the goods for the regular season.

Apart from Chelsea, which is a club committed to consistently putting out it’s top team in any competition, I cannot think of a club that actually views the pre-season any different from what I do. It is true that in the coming days, I could be proven wrong when one of the world’s major football clubs manages to carry its pre-season form into the regular season. For now, I will stick to my take on the pre-season as a virtually useless predictor for a club’s regular season performance.

Do you just hit the snooze button all summer or can you get up for a friendly? Have your say below!

The World Cup is  fast approaching, and one of the tournament’s main sponsors, Sony Ericsson, has offered Premiership Talk readers an exciting opportunity. Prem Talk has been given one FIFA branded Sony Ericsson W995 to give out, and you could be the winner!

In addition, the winner of this £500 phone will have the chance to win an all expenses paid trip to South Africa to see your country play in the World Cup! One of Sony Ericsson’s special FIFA branded phones comes with a golden ticket that includes airfare to the World Cup, accomodation in a four star hotel, and two tickets to all of your nations matches in the most prestigious tournament in football!

To enter this competition, simply send an email to competition@premiershiptalk.com with your name, address, and answer to the following question:

Which Premier League player has won the most Premiership crowns but has never appeared in the World Cup?

Please enter “Competition” as the subject to your email to ensure your entry is received.

This competition will run on Premiership Talk from now until August 23rd, 2009, so enter today! A winner will be chosen at random, so stay tuned to Premiership Talk!

The season is fast approaching, and with preseason friendlies now fully underway squads are getting ready for the 2009/10 Premier League season. Last season saw Aston Villa comfortable in fourth place for much of the season before stuttering over the finish line, but Martin O’Neill’s side lead a long list of clubs hoping to crack into the four coveted Champions League spots this season.

Here are the four sides that are most likely to challenge the top four.

Manchester City

City are the most likely of these candidates to dislodge United, Chelsea, Liverpool, or Arsenal this season. Backed by their billionaire owner, City has built a solid squad under Mark Hughes. With Robinho leading the attack and Kolo Toure now paired with Richard Dunne in front of Shay Given, there is no doubt that City could cause some damage this season. Emmanuel Adebayor is an excellent addition to the Citizens, and along with Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz, City is not short on options.

In midfield Stephen Ireland will be looking to follow up his best season with more of the same, and if he can click with Nigel de Jong and company then City look good all the way from front to back.

The only question mark that remains is Mark Hughes. Sparky has never managed a top four side, and with a whole host of egos now resting in the City of Manchester Stadium it’s up to Hughes to keep everyone happy and positive.

Look out for: Emmanuel Adebayor. The big frontman has scored goals wherever has played, and with worldclass players all around him and a key role in the side he should flourish.

Everton

If anyone knows how to challenge the top four, it’s David Moyes and Everton. The Toffees ousted crosstown rivals Liverpool from the top four in the 2004/05 season, and they’ll be looking to do it again. Everton have become used to finishing in fifth, and with a little bit of luck and a healthy squad they are more than capable of doing so.

Too many people are forgetting that Everton’s most clinical striker missed almost the entirety of last season. Yakubu is a proven goalscorer in the Premiership, and with the Yak back in the lineup Everton fans are expecting success. Louis Saha is a more than capable strike partner, but the former Manchester United striker is also prone to injuries. The midfield pairing of Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini is one of the best in the league, but injuries and suspensions kept both of them out of the lineup quite a few times last season.

Look out for: Marouane Fellaini. If you haven’t seen this big fella play yet, watch him this season. The Belgian has immense skill with his feet, is a threat in the air, and is never afraid to put in a crunching tackle.

Tottenham

It seems like every season it’s Tottenham that is being tipped for greatness. This year, though, things should finally be different. Instead of underachieving, it appears that the Spurs finally have the pieces in place. Harry Redknapp is a more than capable manager, and with time to put his own mark on the squad and a full preseason under his belt, Tottenham is shaping up.

The signing of Peter Crouch means that Tottenham have three of the most proven strikers in the Premier League. Combined with Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe, Crouch will form a dynamic partnership up top. Tottenham is capable of choosing a different style to play each week - there is a big-little combination, a little-little combo, and pace to burn all over the pitch.

Last season we didn’t get to see much of Ledley King, but this year we should get a pleasant reminder as to why he deserves a shot in the England squad. With Jonathan Woodgate also in the heart of the Tottenham defense, Gomes shouldn’t need to worry about conceding too many goals.

Look out for: Luka Modric. The Croatian playmaker arrived with big expectations, but with his own squad underperforming, Luka fell into the trap as well. With a rejuvanated squad around him, Luka should be back to his best. And trust me, his best is pretty good.

Aston Villa

Villa is the side that came so close to finishing in the top four this past season. Martin O’Neill and his determined squad were hanging on to fourth all season long, but eventually their thin depth was revealed and Arsenal reclaimed their Champions League spot.

Villa are now without their former captain Gareth Barry, but in place of him they’ve got bags of confidence and far more experience. O’Neill has been desperately clinging on to the young and talented Ashley Young, and it’s he who holds the key this season. A healthy John Carew will help, too, but chances are that Villa won’t be quite as good as they were last season.

Look out for: Gabriel Agbonlahor. Agbonlahor started off last season in spectacular form, but as Villa’s form dropped so did their star striker’s. With more experience under his belt and a thorough preseason to get back into the swing of things, Agbonlahor should be able to get back in the goals again. Who knows, he just might make the England World Cup roster.

Will any of these candidates break into the top four? Have your say below!

Okay, I have backed Mr. Wenger for years: since he first became the manager for Arsenal, when the Evening Standard greeted him with the headline “Arsene Who?” to when Arsene signed unknown young players like Fabregas, Petit, Toure, and even the last couple years (not giving Pires the two years he wanted, letting go of Henry, and not signing more midfielders when we needed it). But, enough is enough.

We can all agree that Arsene Wenger is a fantastic manager, one of the greatest to ever grace the Arsenal grounds. Not to mention, the Frenchman is one of the greatest managers in Premier League history. He is one of the main reasons that we have seen such fantastic football in the Premiership. When Arsenal won a match, it was won with style and finesse, something that all fans, even the losing opposition, admired. Now though, what has happened?

It seems that Arsene is still living in the past. He seems to think that we can still play that football. The only problem? Arsenal don’t have a solid defence to keep counter attacking. The reason why Arsenal won the double in 1998 was not because of the attacking players brought in.

Yes, they played a big part, but Wenger’s smartest decision was to keep our solid back four: Dixon, Winterburn, Keown, and captain Tony Adams. On top of that, the Gunners had one of the best goalies, David Seaman. These were the players that prevented the ball going in the back of the net while letting Overmars, Vieira, Petit, Parlour, Bergkamp, and Ian Wright play freely, not worrying about the defence.

As always, Wenger decides never to fully replace what we have lost. Wenger’s first folly was not replacing the midfielders we lost. Apparently, we had too many midfielders according to Arsene, so we let Flamini, Diarra, and Gilberto go.

Flamini, who was the perfect mold of fitting Ray Parlour’s shoes, just wanted higher wages to supplement his tireless effort he puts in while on the pitch. Parlour wanted the same, but we decided to just let him go instead. Gilberto was a victim of the two-year contract disease. As he was over 30, he was only allowed to have a one-year contract, but wanted two years, so he left.

So, what has he done to replace these players? Nothing. We are playing Nasri, Rosicky, Arshavin, and Walcott on the wings. The only player who is fitting Gilberto and Flamini’s shoes is young Denilson. He is a good player, but we need experience in this role. Fabregas has been calling for a more defensive partner so he doesn’t need to worry so much about running up and down the pitch. This is what destroyed Arsenal’s season last year: no holding midfielder.

Yet again, the same mistake is about to be made. As of writing, Toure is now a Manchester City player, and Eboue is about to sign for Fiorentina on a five year deal. What is Wenger’s reasoning? “We have too many central defenders.” Please tell me you’re not counting the youth and reserve squads, too. With Toure out of the picture, we have Senderos, Silvestre, Gallas, and Vermaelen.

First of all, Silvestre is not good enough. Senderos now has a bit more experience from his loan, but he’s still largely unproven. Gallas is a different story. Since he was stripped from his captaincy he has been playing better, a bit more humble, and his inflated ego has finally been deflated. As for Vermaelen, like most Arsenal fans, I really have no idea how he is going to play. He does have experience with the UEFA Cup and the Champions League as he was the captain of Ajax, but it’ll take time to settle in to the squad. Where are the other three defenders, Mr. Wenger?

With at least £50 million brought in through transfers, Wenger has enough money to buy two or three quality players: a defensive midfielder, a center back, and a striker. We sold two of our players to Manchester City, who have now become our biggest rival competing for fourth place.

Hopefully Wenger is just saving it for the last minute, or are we going to use more reserve players and use faith to win trophies. Keep in mind, that hasn’t happened for the past four years. Maybe it’s time for Vela to shine, or for Vermaelen to be a carbon copy of Puyol.

Let’s just say that I won’t be chanting “in Arsene we trust” as much as I did last season. This season has to amount to some success.

Is Faraaz right or has he fell off his rocker? Have your say below!