European Football 2018

Dear Barclays Premier League,

Start early all you want, the rest of Europe will not care. Change the transfer deadline all you want, the rest of Europe will not care. Force Burnley to play 6 games before the beginning of September, I don't think the European schedule makers will care. And so I don't care either, and I will start my season preview blog now.

England:
Premier League Champions: Manchester City
F.A. Cup Champions: Bournemouth (Not quite Leicester but still)
That Other Cup: Manchester City (Their second 11 is awesome)
Champions League Places: Liverpool (2), Manchester United (3) , Chelsea (4).
Euro League Places: Tottenham (5), Arsenal (6), Everton (7). Bournemouth (Cup Champions)
Relegation: Brighton, Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City

Season Outlook: I know that there hasn't been a repeat champion since 2009, but I think it's pretty safe to say City can do it this year. Their team doesn't have any of the world true elites - like a Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi or a Luis Suarez, but they are about as close to complete as a team can be. Now that it's truly Pep's squad; there are about 5 or 6 different ways that the team can play, and they do all of them very well. I think Liverpool will chase them down, but will end up about 6-8 points adrift by the end of the year. I think the real race lies between the 3rd-6th spots. I'll give the nod to Manchester United and Chelsea to lock up the final Champions League places as I think Paul Pogba and Eden Hazard give the two clubs a little bit more quality on the day than a Dele Alli or a Mesut Ozil, but it could be a really tight race. Tottenham is sneaky, and could very well end up in the race for the title. I think that Everton and Leicester will fight for that last European place, but the quality in Everton's squad is starting to really shine. I think that Wolves could finish top half with all the quality that they brought in, and I think that it's Crystal Palace that might fight to stay alive with the Brighton and Cardiff's of the world. I think that Bournemouth realizes that their team has the talent for a one-off, and really gives it a go in the cup competition. Hopefully they get a few easy draws to help them along the way.

France:
Ligue 1 Champions: PSG
Coupe de France Champions: PSG
Champions League Places: Lyon (2), Monaco (3)
Euro League Places: Marseille (4), Lille (5), Rennes (6)
Relegation: Nantes, Amiens, Caen.

Season Outlook: Probably the league I follow the least out of the big 5, but I know well enough to guess that the PSG all-stars can win a league-cup double with relative ease. Kylian Mbappe is going to be one of the best players in the world soon, and my only regret for him is that he didn't move to Real Madrid to replace Ronaldo, and instead agreed to the PSG long-term plan. There still might be time for him at Madrid, and if paired with Martin Odegaard and Marco Asensio, could dominate the future of European football. So for now, they can dominate the French landscape. They didn't have the off-season like they did in 2017, but were still able to complete the Mbappe signing from Monaco (after the 12 month loan), and even got GK Gianluigi Buffon to sign on a free transfer. I assume that Europe is the main target. Lyon were able to keep their number 10 Nabil Fekir from the clutches of Liverpool; with that, may have the talent to make it to Europe's biggest stage. I also like the direction that AS Monaco continues to tour; sign Europe's youngest and brightest stars and then sell them for a handful of money once they begin to reach their potential. Next up on the list: Youri Tielemans. I think he will be one of the best CM in the world in 2-3 years time. The sweepstakes should begin next summer.

Germany:
Bundesliga Champions: Bayern Munich
DFB Pokal Champions: RB Leipzig
Champions League Places: Borussia Dortmund (2), FC Schalke (3), Bayer Leverkusen (4)
Euro League Places: Borussia Monchengladbach (5), VFB Stuttgart (6), RB Leipzig (Cup winners)
Relegation: Fortuna, Hannover 96

Season Outlook: Looks to be Bayern and then everyone else. This team is getting older, and maybe Niko Kovac puts an emphasis on the European trophy, but I still believe they have enough in their tank (and keeping James was huge), to win another title. It'll be fun to watch when Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry take over for Ribery and Robben, however, those two just have so much guile and determination. They sold Douglas Costa, so it remains to be seen if anyone comes in besides those two. The race for 2nd should be fun. I think that Dortmund has enough depth and should do it if they can find their center forward. Schalke and Leverkusen didn't lose any of their horses sans Leon Goretzka, but for Schalke that could be the difference between finishing 2nd last year and 5th this year. I still think the team has quality. Leipzig has a team that can challenge on 2 fronts, and I think they do enough (maybe avoid Bayern) to lift the cup. I hope we get to see Hamburg in the top flight next year, it sure is going to be strange without them.

Italy:
Serie A Champions: Juventus
Coppa Italia Champions: Juventus
Champions League Places: Napoli (2), Inter (3)
Euro League Places: Roma (4), Lazio (5), AC Milan (6)
Relegation: Parma, Frosinone, SPAL

Season Outlook: I think that all eyes will be on Juventus, and once the train gets rolling, we are going to see something special. It's a shame that Buffon didn't stick around for it, but the wealth of attacking options - Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado, Costa, Mario Mandzukic, - is embarrassing to have in a league like this, perhaps only Barcelona and Manchester City aren't envious of all the talent. Napoli will be entertaining, but I think we are getting close to the end of this generation of multiple Champions League appearances. Still a good team. Inter is one of the most improved teams in Europe, and Roma, Lazio and Milan will be good enough to push them until the end. I really like the talent of Torino's roster, and if any club can surprise and break into this pretty sturdy top 6, my guess is that it will be them.

Spain: 
La Liga Champions: Barcelona
Copa Del Rey Champions: Real Madrid
Champions League Places: Atletico (2), Real Madrid (3), Villarreal (4)
Euro League Places: Sevilla (5), Real Sociedad (6), Valencia (7)
Relegation: SD Huesca, SD Eibar, Deportivo Alaves

Season Outlook: Just like Hamburg in the Bundesliga, we are watching a La Liga season without the familiar Deportivo La Coruna for the first time in a generation. This is sadder for me in a way, when I was living over in Germany, it was Deportivo that won the Spanish League, and the team that I thought was most threatening to the power of Manchester United of that time. Crazy how quickly things change in sports. In any case, Barcelona looks too tough for some of the world's best sides, and it might be the last hurrah for the Messi-Suarez combo. If they can figure out which one of the Phillipe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Malcom triumvirate can line up next to them, and offer the same services that Neymar did, they could be hauling in 3 trophies these next 12 months. Atletico and Real Madrid didn't go crazy this year, but both added an element that could make things interesting. Thomas Lemar was a fantastic signing for Atletico and gives them a quicker dimension in the attack. Thibaut Courtois cleans up the only weakness that Real Madrid thought they had (I think Keylor Navas has done a fine job over the years), and really solidifies the back line. Marco Asensio should fill in for Cristiano admirably.

Champions League:
Quarterfinalists: Manchester City, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG.
Final: Juventus vs Barcelona.

Here's to hoping we are finally seeing a Cristiano Ronaldo vs Messi final, albeit in jerseys that we weren't expecting. I think Juventus takes it and concludes their dream season with multiple (3) trophies.

Euro League:
Final: Sevilla vs Chelsea. This would actually be a pretty good final if it can be put together. Sevilla usually thrives in this competition and seems to find an appropriate balance between competing in the Spanish League and the Europa League. Chelsea has a chip on their shoulder it appears, have plenty of depth in midfield and attack for 2 competitions, and I think Kepa moves into the GK position seamlessly. Sevilla takes another trophy though.

World 11:  (3-4-3)
GK - Alisson Becker
CB - Mats Hummels
CB - Giorgio Chiellini
CB - Samuel Umtiti
LM - Eden Hazard
CM - Fernandinho
CM - N'Golo Kante
RM - Koke
CF - Leo Messi
CF - Cristiano Ronaldo
CF - Paulo Dybala

My 11: (4-4-2)
GK - David De Gea
LB - Luke Shaw
CB - Mats Hummels
CB - Dayot Upamecano
RB - Joshua Kimmich
LM - Ryan Sessegnon
CM - Paul Pogba
CM - Youri Tielemans
RM - Ousmane Dembele
ST - Antoine Griezmann
ST - Marcus Rashford

Wouldn't be a blog without the Nate's 9, would it? Let's do top 9 surprises for the 2018-19 European season...

#9 - Wolves and Watford finish top half in England. I like Burnley a little bit more, and I think that Crystal Palace has more talent. But Burnley will be playing on Thursday nights if they can get past Olympiacos (I think they do), and Crystal Palace will attempt some cup runs. I think Wolves will want to finish as high as they can, and continue bringing in top tier talent to the midlands. Ruben Neves will be one of the best and most well-known players by this time next season. Watford lost their best player in Richarlison, but Wil Hughes is massively underrated, and the team context works really well here. 9th and 10th for them.

#8 - Deportivo La Coruna won't come back to La Liga for awhile. They are really bad. Like hardly any talent on the team what so ever. I think it might be a few years before this once proud club makes it back to the highest Spanish League, but maybe with a new investment in the youth, they can have another talented generation come through.

#7 - Ross Barkley will push Cesc Fabregas out of Chelsea. I think Fabregas will be the biggest talent across Europe to move in January. Barkley is a very talented player; I hope Chelsea give him the chance to shine beyond these first round of games. With a hectic schedule coming up (Top 4 aspirations, plus Thursday nights), they will need a deep squad. With Kovacic on and Drinkwater available, I think Fabregas could help a European club (Juventus? PSG?) make a push in next spring's Champions League knockout rounds.

#6 - Celtic and Rangers will meet in Europa League. Wouldn't it be something if both teams catch some form during the fall season and push through their groups into qualification for the knockout rounds? Would be some of the best atmospheres football has ever seen in my opinion. I'll throw this out there, see if cosmic karma will give us this footballing blessing.

#5. Bournemouth win the F.A. Cup. This would be one hell of a surprise. I'm always intrigued that more clubs don't try and do "A Wigan", and give their fans the run of a lifetime. Yeah it sucks that Wigan are playing football in the 2nd tier, and spent some time in the 3rd one since their miracle cup win over Manchester City just a few short years ago, but they have a trophy in their cabinet and a magical season to be remembered. I think Bournemouth would appreciate something like that.

#4. Jose Mourinho will be fired. It just seems like a thing now. He always fails in his 3rd season with a club, and usually with terrible results. Perhaps a Carabao Cup loss in the early rounds? Another row with his captain, Paul Pogba? Driving Anthony Martial to PSG himself? Something is going to happen, and I think Manchester will be done with his antics.

#3. Houssem Aouar and not Christian Pulisic will be the next world star. I'm not sure how Lyon does it. If Fekir would've left, it really wouldn't have mattered so much, because Aouar would have stepped in without an issue. They already have the world's next great holding midfielder in Lucas Tousart. Now they get the next great attacking midfielder in Aouar? Doesn't really seem fair, does it? And when Luka Modric does get tired of the Real Madrid football and expectations, they will have their ready made replacement right here. And Christian will end up at Chelsea instead.

#2. Eden Hazard will end up at Real Madrid. Next season. Chelsea gets another year out of him, and will use Champions League football and a open position on the left side of the field to sign Pulisic instead. Hazard goes on to be one of the great Real Madrid players.

#1. Youri Tielemans will be the next 100 million Euro player when Monaco put him up for sale next July. Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG will be the only clubs in the sweepstakes to sign him, even though Manchester City and Manchester United will want to. My guess is he goes for around 130 million Euros and ends up at Barcelona. They are going to build one final team for Messi to lay claim to the greatest player and winner of all time. Back to back Champions League titles might do it. Tielemans could be the reason why. -- When it's all said and done, Monaco could be holding onto 300 million Euros of talent (Tielemans, Geubbels, Pellegri, Rony Lopes, Mboula, Sylla) right now. The future of football is living with the princes...