The media underestimation of us is unbelievable - and it will work in our favor by taking way a lot of pressure.
I went to an charity NBC event last night. All the NBC talking heads were there. And it was like Van Gaal was Fergie and we were stoke city. It's just a amazing to me who they think a dictator will turn it all around. World domination awaits them apparently... Here the article on it.
Premier League preview: NBC pundits predict Manchester United resurgence
Lowe, Mustoe and Earle pick Van Gaal to galvanise, Mourinho to take the title … and Arsenal to unearth ‘the new Tony Adams’
On Wednesday, three days before the start of a Premier League season eagerly awaited in the US as well as the UK, the Seattle Sounders right-back DeAndre Yedlin signed for Tottenham. On Wednesday evening, NBC’s soccer pundits, preparing for a second season covering England’s top flight after a very successful first, dealt what might be seen – admittedly, with a large dose of salt – to be a sobering blow to his hopes of immediate glory.
At the Captain’s Knock in midtown Manhattan, Robbie Earl, Robbie Mustoe and presenter Rebecca Lowe – and a special guest, the former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin – gave their predictions for the season to come. None of them picked Spurs to crack the top four.
Title winners & top four
Robbie Mustoe: I have to consider Manchester United’s revival. We’ve watched them in pre-season and it was super-impressive – super-intense. Louis van Gaal has changed the system a little bit. I think they’ll be back in the top four. Then you think, who’s going to drop out from last season, and I think it’s going to be a difficult season for Liverpool. We all know about losing Luís Suarez to Barcelona and trying to replace those goals; they have a lot of new young players who will be good, but maybe not this season. So, let me get to it: fourth, Manchester United; third, Manchester City; second, Arsenal; first, Chelsea.
Robbie Earle: It’s a very important season for Chelsea. Last season, José Mourinho didn’t have the players he wanted. No excuses this year, the Special One. He called Arsène Wenger a “specialist in failure” – I think it’s two years now he hasn’t won a trophy himself. With the players he’s got, I’m going to go for Chelsea to win the league, followed by City. I think it might be difficult for them to go back to back and win it again, and I also think Champions League is now on the horizon. In third place, Liverpool. I have a lot of belief in Brendan Rogers, he’s got some good young players, he’s an inventive, evolving coach. And my fourth spot goes to United. Van Gaal is a game-changer. There was a time last season when in that tunnel, teams didn’t fear United. I think Van Gaal will change that.
In saying that, I’m going against all my principles and my love of Wenger – I think Arsenal are out of the top four. They lost the title through not replacing Johan Djourou and not having a centre-midfield player to drive and win a game. This summer they haven’t done any of that business they needed to do, as well as they played in the Community Shield.
Rebecca Lowe: I don’t ever get to give my opinion, so this is exciting. I’m going to go Arsenal fourth, because they need another striker; third, City, because I think they might focus on the Champions League. I’m going to go Chelsea second, and I think it may be the tightest title race ever. In first place… I’m going to go United. After the era I grew up in, it’s weird not to have them as favourites. And you can go from seventh to first – Liverpool almost did it last year. I think Van Gaal is a game-changer and I think Wayne Rooney will relish the captaincy, and I think they’ll buy at least one big name before the end of the transfer window. You heard it here first.
Dion Dublin: Van Gaal will bring back that fear, of having to perform in a Manchester United shirt. I think some people have come in recently and thought their shirt was safe. And it should never be. I think [former manager] David Moyes took the heart out of United – he tried his very best but when you take the engine out of a car you can’t run it. I think that drive will come back. So I think it’s United top, City second, Chelsea third and Arsenal fourth.
Best new signing
RM: Ander Herrera – a central-midfield player, talented, a playmaker, intelligent – is a player we should all watch at United and enjoy this season. It’s something United have missed, having lost Paul Scholes. Someone who can play passes and see things and open things up. Herrera can do that. You’re going to enjoy his creativity and his craft.
RE: My signing of the season is Diego Costa at Chelsea, and that’s because if you go back to when Mourinho’s sides won titles at Chelsea, they did play football and entertain, yes, but when they didn’t or couldn’t do that they beat you with power and strength and intensity. They haven’t done that with the likes of [Fernando] Torres or [Demba] Ba, who weren’t good enough strikers to play that role. They now have a guy with 27 goals in la Liga, a big physical presence who will enjoy the Premier League.
RL: I’m going to go for Calum Chambers, who Wenger has just brought to Arsenal from Southampton for a lot of money – £16m for a 19-year-old. He’s versatile, he plays centre-back and full-back, he’s a leader, he’s what Arsenal have needed. Yes he’s young, but I have a feeling we might be seeing the new Tony Adams. It’s a big shout. Again, you heard it here first. I think he’ll force his way in – Laurent Koscielny gets injured a lot, Per Mertesacker needs a rest after the World Cup. He could be the star of the season.
