New Delhi: So things seem to be in apple-pie order for the most awaited post-World Cup soccer action – the English Premier League – as the season gets underway in the UK on Saturday with Tottenham Hotspur taking on the wealthiest club of the league, Manchester City.
England have already set the tone for the season with a 2-1 victory over Hungary in a friendly on Wednesday, where after the jeers came the cheers that buried the English World Cup ghost.
Besides the Lampards and the Gerrards and the Rooneys, EPL 2010 will unveil new transfers who may or may not be christened as demigods but surely guarantee some spicy, exciting soccer spread over 380 mouth-watering fixtures.
Defending champions Chelsea are going to be a force with the kind of talent in their ranks but Manchester United would not leave any stone unturned to find the trick that helps them bell the blue-hued 'Cheshire Cat'.
'The Blues' come riding on the EPL and FA Cup success but Ancelotti and his blue brigade would be the first to know that they have their task cut out if they have to repeat last year's performance.
Many stars of the just-concluded World Cup in the rainbow nation have bagged lucrative EPL deals but more than the moolah, it's the chance to play in the world's biggest league that's going to turn the boy in them to a man.
There's hardly any EPL season that doesn't begin with Manchester United as one of the contenders to lift the trophy. Wayne Rooney will be out to vent his World Cup anger and his 19 opponents are aware of the threat he can pose despite his dismal outing in South Africa.
The opening weekend will witness Arsenal taking on Liverpool, who would want to shrug off last year's disappointment, a match-up that can whet any appetite. The fixture on the following day - Manchester United vs Newcastle United - as well will have fans queued up, especially Man Utd ones. In hindsight, even though EPL is a marathon league, these encounters will give us a fair idea about how far-fetched our dreams can be to see either United, Arsenal or Liverpool top the leaderboard and be a real threat for Chelsea.
The scales, no doubt, are tilted heavily in favour of Chelsea and Manchester United but teams like Manchester City can't be taken for granted either. Players like Carlos Tevez can turn any match on its head. Having said that, a football fan's heart and mind keep moving back to Manchester United and Chelsea, who - at least to start off with - look to be two of the most probable teams to enter into a last-week tussle for EPL 2010-11.
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