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TALKING BALL WITH: SHEBBY
FourFourTwo magazine, September 2005
The English Premier League 2005/2006 season has just begun. Will it hold major upsets or any surprises in this final season before the World Cup 2006 in Germany? Football pundit Serbegeth Singh, or Shebby as he is called these days, shares his thoughts with B.J. Rozario.
What do you forecast for this 2005/2006 season for the EPL?
It’s going to be a very, very big season in the English Premier League simply because of what is at stake. Chelsea won the League last season. They have got to defend the title. People will be looking at Chelsea doing well in the Champions League. Everybody will be looking at Chelsea to sweep all before them.
For Arsenal, once again, they are there or thereabouts. They’ve got some very, very good young players. They’re coming together, but I honestly feel they should go out and sign Michael Owen.
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Shebby Singh: 'This is the beginning for Maurinho. This is where he has to prove himself.'
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I think Michael Owen is tailor-made for them because Arsenal need a striker. They need a penalty box striker, somebody to partner Thierry Henry upfront. Thierry is very good at drifting along the forward line but you need someone (in the penalty box). Arsenal have gotten along so far but I think this time around they will not get as many goals from midfield as they did previously from Freddie Ljungberg or Robert Pires.
I think they’re very solid at the back. In midfield, no problems without (Patrick) Vierra. Francesc Fabregas showed last season that he can play alongside Vierra. Arsenal have also shown they can play without Vierra. But they need that one striker and I think Michael Owen will be motivated. He needs to be playing regularly and he will always score goals because he is a penalty box striker.
Manchester United – Sir Alex Ferguson himself admitted towards the end of last season that he was trying to make too many changes to the team. This season he has got to choose his best 11 players and say ‘You are my best 11. You are going to start every game. Unless there are injuries or suspensions, I am not going to change the team.’
That will give them the impetus because players will know they are playing every week, rather than the uncertainty of who’s playing and who’s not playing. You don’t do that to players, especially senior players like Paul Scholes.
If they can get that right, I think Man United will have a very, very good season again.
For Liverpool, I’m not really sure how Rafa Benitez is going to set out this season. He’s never going to come out and try to play attractive football because his philosophy has always been based on good solid defensive ethics. It was very successful in the European Cup which is a knockout competition, but to do that over 38 matches? That’s going to be the big question for him and I think once again they won’t struggle but they won’t have a great season.
So that’s my top four – Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United, and Liverpool.
Among the other teams, Spurs is a personal favourite of mine. Nobody wants to take them seriously. I’m glad because I think people don’t realise it but they’ve signed a lot of good young players who are already internationals or breaking into national teams.
But most importantly I think Spurs play some very good football and I think they will take a lot of people by surprise.
Newcastle have got good players. They’ve got Scott Parker, and (Belozoglu) Emre. Fantastic players but I don’t know if they have the coaching ability. No disrespect to Graham Souness but everywhere he goes players’ individual performances drop. As a coach you need to work on players. For me, it’s a waste if Scott Parker and Emre didn’t have good seasons, or rather the teams they are with don’t have a good season because they’re fantastic players.
What do you think of the new transfers?
I think the most expensive signing coming into the EPL is Alexander Hleb from Stuttgart to Arsenal. He’s a very good player, in the Arsenal mould – a player who’s got pace and can run with the ball. It’s just a matter of adapting to the team because Arsene Wenger does not bring somebody in and make him start straight away. You’ve got to bide your time, wait for your chance.
The biggest transfer this season has been Shaun Wright-Phillips to Chelsea at £21 million. He’s an EPL player anyway. Is he going to be a regular? Is he going to set the team alight? I don’t think so because he’s always going to lose out in terms of experience to people like Damien Duff and Arjen Robben. He’s going to have to wait until somebody is injured before he’s going to be given a chance. As much as I think he’s a good Premier League player, he’s got to prove that he’s an international class player.
Of course with the World Cup around the corner, everybody will want to show that. But if (Jose) Mourinho can improve him the way he worked with Joe Cole then Shaun Wright-Phillips could have another major season.
Who are the players to look out for this season?
For me personally, I think Park Ji-sung (of Man United) is going to have a very, very good season. He’s another one who needs to play more matches with the team. I think he’ll have an impact on the EPL.
Apart from that I don’t really see any other one person, someone we don’t really know, coming through and taking the premiership by storm. It’s just going to be the usual suspects. Look out for Ruud van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, and Wayne Rooney.
I hope Emre at Newcastle has a good season because he’s fantastic. He’s a magician as a midfielder. He’s got skills, brains, the knowledge, and the know-how.
And Fabregas once again will have a good season. Suddenly people are talking about Fabregas. He’s such a mature 18-year-old, it’s unbelievable.
I’m also looking at Robin van Persie of Arsenal. No doubting his ability already, but I still feel that he has got that little bit extra about him that could make him a world class player. He needs to prove himself but maybe he might be bigger than Robben at the end of the day, in a couple more seasons when he has that level of experience and maturity.
Maybe this season if Arsene Wenger plays him regularly, it could be interesting because Pires and Ljungberg will not play too many matches so there’s always an opportunity for him on either flank.
Any final words on EPL this season?
This is the beginning for Mourinho. This is where he has to prove himself. The pressure is on Mourinho NOW. Last season there was no pressure on him. He could come on the pitch, do what he liked, say whatever he liked. But this is the big season for Mourinho. I don’t think any one manager in the world possibly is under more pressure than he is.
I believe he can handle it. I believe he’s got the know-how. He’s that kind of a coach. He’s very intelligent. So I’m just excited about watching how Mourinho will perform with all the pressure and I’m backing him to come out on top.
It’ll also be interesting to watch individual players and watch how they react because it’s pre-World Cup season.
Copyright FourFourTwo
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Up for the Cup, June 6, 2006
Getting ready for World Cup, May 26, 2006
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