Premiership Preview--2. Chelsea

2. The 2006-2007 Premier League season was decided on April 28 when Chelsea, needing nothing short of a win, welcomed Bolton to Stamford Bridge. After falling behind 1-0, Salomon Kalou equalized and an own goal by Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen put Chelsea up 2-1. On the same day, in the northwest of England, league leader Manchester United were in deep trouble against Everton, down 2-0 50 minutes into the game. A Chelsea win coupled with a Manchester United loss would've put the two teams equal on points and set up a massive showdown to decide the league at Stamford Bridge just two weeks later. However, a 54th minute goal from Bolton's Kevin Davies leveled the game at 2-2, where it would finish, and Manchester United scored 4 consecutive goals to beat Everton 4-2 and effectively wrap up the title.

Chelsea hope to write a different story for the 2007-2008 season. French winger Florent Malouda was the club's only cash buy as he came over from Lyon. The other three players brought in this summer (Tal Ben Haim, Claudio Pizarro, and Steve Sidwell) by José Mourinho were free transfers; absolute steals as each of those players wouldn't have come cheap if they were still under contract with their respective clubs. Malouda's breakout performance at the 2006 World Cup for France was followed up by his earning the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award for Lyon in the 2006-2007 season. At $26 million US, he's going to be counted on to produce on the wing in Chelsea's vaunted 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation. Tal Ben Haim moved over from Bolton and provides Mourinho with a legitimate 2nd/3rd option at center back behind John Terry, and will also be used at right back and even left back if need be. This frees up the powerful Michael Essien to return full-time to the central midfield role at which he excels. Peruvian international Claudio Pizarro's transfer from Bayern Munich is a solid move for Chelsea. Behind Didier Drogba, who scored a team-high 20 goals in 32 league games last season, and Salomon Kalou, the striking choices for Mourinho aren't too reliable. Ukranian forward Andriy Shevchenko only scored 4 goals in the Premiership last season (in 22 games; Kalou scored 7 in 19 games) and can't be counted on yet, though increased production is expected from him as he's now had a full season to adjust to the Premier League. Pizarro brings Champions League experience and production to a team that will undoubtedly be focusing on Europe's top competition this season. Midfielder Steve Sidwell had it made at Reading; starting and playing every game he was fit enough to take part in was a given with Steve Coppell's club but he wanted to play for a higher-profile team that played in Europe. He'll provide some depth to the Chelsea midfield; but with Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard, Lassana Diarra, Claude Makelele, and even Michael Ballack all playing in the center, Sidwell's playing time figures to be limited.

A trip to Anfield to meet Liverpool highlights the first month of Chelsea's schedule, which also includes a home game against Portsmouth. The best two teams in the Premiership square off at Old Trafford on September 23 as Manchester United will look to make a statement for the rest of the season at home and Chelsea will try and make one of their own and get a rare away win at the home of the defending champions. Out of 6 combined games in October and November, 4 of which are on the road, anything less than 15 points would have to considered a disappointment with the quality of teams Chelsea will face in that span. Tough games at Arsenal and Blackburn are the last two before Christmas, and a home game against Aston Villa on December 26th won't be easy either. Chelsea play Tottenham twice in a span of 6 games, once in the middle of January (home) and the other at the end of February. February will prove to be a difficult month for the Blues, as not only do Chelsea have to go to Tottenham, they'll travel to Fratton Park (never easy) and play host to Liverpool. It's downhill from there until the end of the season, however, as Chelsea will be expected to take the maximum points in 10 of the last 11 games. If the title chase is at tight as many people expect it to be, the March 26 game at Stamford Bridge against Manchester United could very well decide the Premiership.

Bottom Line: Two Premiership titles in the past three seasons, as well as an FA Cup, two Carling Cups, and a Community Shield don't seem to be enough for Chelsea fans. The focus this year will be the Champions League as the Blues have never won it in their history. They've been eliminated in the semi-finals in two of the past three tournaments by Liverpool (both under Mourinho), and in three of the past four competitions in total. Another unsuccessful trip to the semi-finals is not going to cut it under chairman Roman Abramovich, and a failure to win the whole thing may cost Mourinho his job. With all that said, Liverpool have a chance to make a run at second place as Chelsea's priorites will lie in Europe, but Chelsea's roster is so deep that they'll be able to hold off the Reds. I don't think Chelsea can win the Premiership this season; injuries are already taking a toll on the London club and Manchester United are looking fit and ready to go. Second in the Premiership and an appearance in the Champions League final in Moscow (where they'll lose to Barcelona) is my prediction.

Premiership Preview--3. Liverpool

3. Liverpool have one goal in mind this year: winning the Premier League. The Merseyside Reds haven't won the domestic title since 1989-90, and though they're arguably the most successful club in England as far as European competition goes, the fans at Anfield are clamoring for a return to domestic glory. Liverpool finished a whopping 21 points behind Manchester United last season and new American co-chairmen George Gillette and Tom Hicks have spent a lot of money this summer to bring in players for manager Rafael Benitez in the quest for a Premiership title. Benitez has developed a reputation as being a great manager in Europe, probably the best out of any other manager in the Premiership, but far from a wizard in the Premier League. He'll have to shake that label if he wants to lead his club to the top of the table this season.

It's been a flurry of activity at Liverpool this summer. 11 new players have made their way to Anfield and 9 will be playing somewhere else this season (though Adam Hammill and Danny Guthrie are only on loan). At just 23 years of age, Spanish striker Fernando Torres cost Liverpool $40 million US but that investment could turn out to be well worth the cost. Torres played previously for Atletico Madrid, where he scored 82 goals in 214 league appearances, and also stars for the Spanish national team (14 goals in 40 games). He joins a striking corps that, quite frankly, is less than intimidating, and his presence and production will be important from day one. Another young player, 20-year old Dutch winger/attacker Ryan Babel, will also play a critical role this season. He'll play a lot on the left wing as incumbent Harry Kewell is constantly injured and fellow new signing Yossi Benayoun is more of a natural central midfielder. Benayoun made the move from West Ham, where he often played behind the striker as an attacking midfielder. He also figures to get his share of playing time as Rafael Benitez has been playing Steven Gerrard on the right side with increased frequency. Benayoun will probably get a chance on the left side as well, but he's never played there before and with quality options there already he'll end up playing in the center. Striker Andriy Voronin came on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, but at 28 years old, he's no spring chicken and returning Liverpool forwards Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch are better Premier League options. Liverpool also lost their share of talent this summer. Though he's hot-tempered and always surrounded by controversy, Craig Bellamy is actually a decent player and will score his share of goals for West Ham this season. Two wingers, Bolo Zenden and Luis Garcia, also left Merseyside (though not for greener pastures). Garcia was an important player for Liverpool in his time there, Zenden was a depth player who didn't factor into Liverpool's future plans. Robbie Fowler will be taking a helicopter to new club Cardiff City every day as he's keeping his home in Liverpool, where he earned his legendary status through numerous big, important goals in his decade-long stint there.

After a tough trip to Aston Villa to begin the season and a home game with Chelsea the following week, Liverpool play 13 league games in a row in which they'll be favored to take full points. A road game at Portsmouth in that span will be very tricky, but it's the kind of game Liverpool will need to win if they harbor realistic title hopes. Same goes for home games against the two North London clubs, Tottenham and Arsenal, and a match at Blackburn. Liverpool play host to Manchester United and Portsmouth for the last two games before Christmas, then embark on another long stretch of winnable games. This one's easier than the 13-game run mentioned earlier, as out of the 7 games involved a home game with Aston Villa is the toughest. Trips to Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham (to close out the season) mark the second half, so Liverpool don't get the benefit of home-field advantage against the Premiership's best teams when it matters most.

Bottom Line: Unlike Manchester United and Chelsea, Liverpool's primary focus will be the Premier League. However, Liverpool don't have the same caliber of players up and down their lineup like those two teams do and that's what is most important. The points gap between the top 3 teams will be much closer than what it was last season, so Liverpool won't be fielding second-string lineups at the end of the year like they did last season (resting players for the Champions League had a lot to do with that as well), and March 22 will be their most important game of the season as it's away at Manchester United. Liverpool will have to "settle" for a run at the Champions League final in Moscow, as they just don't have the firepower to compete with Manchester United and Chelsea.

PK's and a Near-Fight

Manchester United took the FA Community Shield today with a victory over Chelsea. The game was tied 1-1 after 90 minutes and went straight to PK's, where Manchester United goalie Edwin van der Sar saved three in a row and Wayne Rooney converted the clincher to give United the win. We learned nothing new about the two teams; Chelsea played a bunch of second-stringers and Manchester United didn't play with much intensity; they didn't go into many tackles and were content to let Chelsea knock the ball around. Chelsea may start the season without their captain John Terry; Terry didn't play today due to a knee injury and could be unavailable when his team plays Birmingham next Saturday to kick off the year.

Liverpool drew with Feyenoord today 1-1 in a pre-season friendly. Steven Gerrard equalized for the Reds, but let's be honest: The highlight of the match was a nice scrum that flared up after a pair of late, tough challenges. A Feyenoord player, 20-year old winger Royston Drenthe, came in and got all of Gerrard's left shin and ankle then was promptly taken down from the side. The whistle blew for a foul, and another Liverpool player kicked the loose ball into Drenthe, who was on the ground. Pushing and shoving ensued, just what I like to see! Is it hockey season yet??

Community Shield

It's a game that means absolutely nothing in the long run, but today's FA Community Shield (10 AM ET, FSC) will pit Premier League champion Manchester United and FA Cup winner Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London.

Multiple starters from both teams will be held out of the lineup as there's no point in risking them getting injured before the Premiership season kicks off next week, and what you'll see will have the excitement of an NFL pre-season game.

Net profits from the match today (ticket sales, match programs, etc.) go to various charities throughout England. At least it's for a good cause, right?