Season with a bunch of unknowns in the Championship
Season with a bunch of unknowns in the Championship
The new season in the second level of English football promises to become one of the best and most unpredictable of all time, after 10-month relentless battle for promotion embarked two managers have won the Champions League - Rafael Benitez and Roberto Di Matteo.
They will try to return, respectively, Newcastle and Aston Villa in the elite from the first attempt, but competition is expected to be fierce.
It is noteworthy that six of the Championship club have played finals in Europe. Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest won the European Cup, Ipswich triumphed in the UEFA Cup in 1981, while Leeds, Fulham and Wolves have lost finals.
The battle at the top
Rafael Benitez improve results and form Newcastle in the Premier League at the end of the 2015/16 season, lost only 3 times for 10 rounds, but it was not enough to save the Magpies from exile in the Championship. Although the clause was to go on falling, many fans urged him to stay and eventually impressed when he agreed to sign a three-year contract in May. "The love I felt from the audience, had a great influence on me," admitted the former coach of Valencia, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Napoli and Real M.
Benitez wanted first to get a guarantee that the Magpies will have a strong enough team. Manager compensate for the lack of Andros Townsend with attracting Matt Ritchie from Bornem. Dwight Gayle (Kr. Palace), Jesus Gamesa (Atletico M), Isaac Hayden (Arsenal) and Grant Hanley (Blackburn) also docked at St James' Park. " Final mercurial Dzhordzhinyo Vaynaldum who had a tendency to hide in away games, amazingly was sold to Liverpool at this for more than double the amount than that paid for dzhordidata Dutchman year ago.
French international Moussa Sissoko also unlikely to stay, but faith in Rafa-lution remains intact. Optimism has conquered all fans in the city, in the early summer had already sold 33,000 season tickets. This is more than last year, it is expected the team regularly plays to packed capacity of 52,000 seats even in the second level.
If the Magpies will miss the Premier League, definitely the same goes for Aston Villa, where he planned to start the campaign outside the elite for the first time since 1987/88. At "Villa Park" increasingly unpopular owner Randy Lerner sell shares of Chinese businessman Tony Xia Tszyantun and with the mission to bring the fallen giant hired Roberto Di Matteo. The new manager attracted goal machine Fulham Ross McCormack to score 21 goals for the Cottagers last season.
In the face of Pierluigi naked (Verona) was even provided a quality goalkeeper. The old stock, which last year collapsed totally under the direction of Remi Garde, now as soon as possible need to adapt to the new environment. The advantage of Di Matteo is that we won promotion to the Premier League. It happened with West Brom in 2010.
In the race for one of the top two places should not be written off and Derby County, who after several campaigns which was on the brink of promotion, this time hoping to make a decisive move under the guidance of new manager Nigel Pearson. The foundations for a strong campaign there if key midfielder George Thorne fully recover from the injury that plagued him. Will Hughes and Jeff Hendrick are tempted with offers, but Pearson is determined to keep them.
Norwich coach Alex Neil also has a promotion in his CV after guiding the team to the elite in 2015 and, now will try to repeat the exercise, although sold to Southampton Nathan Redmond will definitely lacking. So far managed to repel Norwich offers for Robbie Brady, who was wanted by Leicester, West Ham, West Brom and Burnley. Many exciting moments expected from the 19-year-old former player of Barcelona and Liverpool Cergy Canosa, who impressed during his stay hire in Brentford last season.
Contenders for the playoffs
The first two places in the Championship provide direct promotion and teams from third to sixth will play frightening playoffs for the last quota. After being on pace to overtake Middlesbrough direct promotion in 2015/16, Brighton will again pursue higher goals.
Ironically, the team finished 15 points ahead of Sheffield Wednesday, but then dropped notably from the owls in the playoffs. To recover from a devastating blow direction of Brighton refused offers his three best players - Anthony Nokar Lewis Dunk and Dale Stevens. If all three are reserved, the team of Chris Houghton should not be underestimated since last year started the season in the Championship with 21 consecutive games without a loss.
Wednesday will also make a new experience for promotion, having Steven Fletcher from Sunderland to partner Fernando Forestier attack. Birmingham also has forces to join the battle for the Top 6, which means that Villa will not enjoy all the attention in the city. Wolves can become a contender after the change of ownership. Chinese development company took the shares for 45 million pounds and pledged substantial financial support for new manager Walter Zenga.
Benitez and Di Matteo not the only managers in the Championship, won the Champions League. The trio is completed by Jaap Stam who lifted the trophy, but as a player. It happened to Manchester United in 1998-1999 Former Dutch defender is now starting a solo career manager, after taking Reding.
The campaign has a bunch of unknowns, since most clubs in the Championship are hoping to fight for the top six, and nine are new managers - Blackburn, Cardiff, Nottingham, Rotherham, Reading, Derby, Leeds, Aston Villa and Wolves.
The situation at the bottom
Burton Albion has a strictly limited budget, since for the first time in its history came in the second level. Many consider it a sure relegation but Nigel Clough, who knows the division stay in Derby, will attempt to create feat. Wigan's Gary Caldwell seems too strong to be involved in the battle at the bottom, while teams from South Yorkshire seems heavy campaign.
Rotherham saved miraculously spring with Neil Warnock, the same luck will also need his successor Alan Stubbs. Barnsley also faces a volatile campaign, while Fulham look alarmingly weak after the departure of Moussa Dembele and McCormack.