The homegrown rule and how the Premier League teams need to adapt
The start of the new English football season is less than 3 weeks away and by the look of things, most teams are already facing a number of queries and doubts.
Whatever happens between now and the 31st of August will really count a lot in deciding the fate of the English Premier League trophy this season.
Manchester City has already spent in excess of 75 million pounds and there are no signs of the spending spree to stop anytime soon. However, they still have a few players on their mind and they won’t rest on their laurels until they secure their signatures.
The new season will start with the FA implementing a new rule that requires every team to register 25 first team players, eight of whom will have to be trained in England or Wales for three years of more before their 21st birthday. This means that Manchester City is simply in dire straits and will have to shed some big names off their roster over the next few weeks.
Mancini has already hinted at wielding the axe as he is not sure if Bellamy, Michael Johnson and Nigel De Jong will be on the list of 25. Meanwhile it also seems impossible that Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz will be among that list if Mancini signs Balotelli and Dzeko.
Managing the new situation at hand will provide another acid test for the credentials of the Italian manager.
Sir Alex Ferguson has already backed out on his claims of resting the England players that participated in the World Cup and it will be interesting to see if the Scott names Owen Hargreaves in his 25, given the injury concerns of the player.
Both Mancini and Ferguson have tasted defeat in the Pre Season friendlies but Alex will not be desperate to make sure that everything is in place before Manchester United kick start their season on the 16th of August against Newcastle. Ferguson will be hoping that his side can get off to a flying start with three easy games especially with Chelsea starting the season without Essien, Drogba, Alex and Cech.
The departures of Ballack, Cole and Balleti have already weakened his side and with Deco and Carvallho to follow, it seems like Ancelotti will be under immense pressure right from the word go.
Suddenly, a formidable squad starts to look vulnerable and the onus of the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Terry and Lampard to carry the team and prove that there are no hangovers from a dismal summer in South Africa.
With Drogba set to miss the starting week of the campaign, Nicolas Anelka will lead the Blues attack and will have to deliver if Chelsea is to make a promising start to defend their title. They will have Yossi Banayoun to prove that Liverpool did not get the better deal in the player exchange that saw Joe Cole heading the other way.
Arsenal is going through its own set of problems with the future of Cesc Fabregas still undecided and Arsene Wenger will expect Maruane Chamak to hit the ground running from day 1.
If Van Persie and Chamakh fail to deliver on their promises, Arsenal will once again risk falling off the pace too early in the season like they have done on so many occasions in the past.
Liverpool’s new manager is still busy in the market and with Gerrard committing his future to the club, it still remains to be seen where Torres will be playing his football in the upcoming season.
The introduction of this new home grown rule means all the teams in the English Premier League will have to chop and change and whoever adapts to the rule sooner will have the early advantage. But whatever the teams do, they only have little over two weeks to do it.
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