Keegan faces Venables

Premier League favorites Arsenal, Man Utd get easy starts

LONDON (AP) -- Arsenal and Manchester United couldn't have dreamed of easier starts. Kevin Keegan faces Terry Venables in a matchup of two former England coaches while American stars Brad Friedel and Claudio Reyna will be on opposite sides too.

The Premier League kicks off this weekend and, after a week of acrimony and mudslinging, the players, coaches and fans will be glad to get some competitive action.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are likely to be the three front runners once more and, while Gerard Houllier's team has a tricky game at Aston Villa, the Gunners and the Reds should start with three points apiece.

Defending champion Arsenal hosts a Birmingham City team which came up through the playoffs and hasn't been in the top flight for 18 seasons. Man U, the richest sports club in the world, take on Premier League pauper West Bromwich Albion which hasn't tasted life at the top since 1986 but was promoted as division one runner up behind Manchester City.

The biggest name to join Arsenal's classy squad is Brazilian World Cup star Gilberto Silva, who immediately made his mark by scoring the winner against Liverpool in Sunday's Community (formerly Charity) Shield.

Arsene Wenger's team, which won the title by seven points from Liverpool last term with Man U 10 points behind, faces a Birmingham City squad bankrolled by David Sullivan, publisher of a series of pornography magazines.

Sullivan's cash has provided a succession of managers to buy big to get the team to the top flight and Steve Bruce finally succeeded. Clinton Morrison, an Irish international, is the biggest signing at 4.5 million (US$6.75 million) but may miss the game through injury.

By contrast, the entire West Brom squad was hired for the fee Blues paid for Morrison. Gary Megson's team, which had 27 shutouts in division one last season, will have its defense severely tested by the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs although United will be without injured 30 million pound (US$45 million) defender Rio Ferdinand and French World Cup goalkeeper Fabien Barthez.

There's a curious twist to Manchester City's visit to Leeds United on Saturday.

While Keegan has recruited seven new players and spent more than 20 million (US$30 million), powerhouse Leeds sold Ferdinand to Manchester United to help clear debts and has only hired 30-year-old midfielder Paul Okon -- the sixth Australian to join the club.

With Keegan and Venables in opposition dugouts, the battle could be won in the tactical battle although a lot will depend on the performance of City's biggest signing, French striker Nicolas Anelka.

Liverpool hopes to start with three points from its trip to Villa Park although new signings -- Senegalese striker El-Hadji Diouf and Frenchman Bruno Cheyrou -- are still getting to know their new teammates.

Veteran Paul Merson has left Villa for division one Portsmouth while talented Turkish defender Ozalan Alpay has put in a transfer request. On the plus side, Swedish World Cup striker Marcus Allback makes his Premier League debut.

Friedel and Reyna, who both played major parts in the United States' impressive run to the World Cup quarterfinal, will be playing against each other when Blackburn hosts Sunderland.

Glenn Hoddle's Tottenham goes to Everton's Goodison Park with doubts surrounding several players, including Uruguayan midfielder Gustavo Poyet, Germany wingback Christian Ziege, countryman Steffen Freund, Darren Anderton, Les Ferdinand, Steve Clemence and Ledley King.

Everton manager David Moyes has spent 8 million pounds (US$12 million) on Nigerian World Cup defender Joseph Yobo and former Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright.

Middlesbrough has new signings Massimo Maccarone, Geremi and Paul Boateng making their debuts at Southampton although World Cup star Juninho, who suffered a knee injury at Italian club Modena, fears he could be sidelined for several months.

Signed from French club Troyes for 2 million pounds (US$3 million), Swedish World Cup defender Michael Svensson is Gordon Strachan's biggest signing as Saints bid to match or improve on last season's 11th place finish.

Like Leeds, Chelsea is another club forced to cut its spending and trim costs because of debts and, for once, has made few moves in the transfer market.

Claudio Ranieri's highly paid and expensively assembled team crosses London to meet Alan Curbishley's Charlton, which hopes to maintain its Premier League status, having surprised its critics by finishing ninth and 14th.

Fulham has not one but two greats running its team right now in manager Jean Tigana and consultant Franco Baresi.

Tigana, one of the stars of the French national team that won the 1984 Euros, was initially upset with owner Mohamed Al-Fayed that former AC Milan sweeper Baresi appeared to be taking over his job.

"At the start there were problems because my name is well-known in football, but now these are over," Baresi said.

"Tigana is the manager and I'm the consultant to the chairman. I am happy about the experience I have had at Fulham and believe that in time things will be right."

The Cottagers host a Bolton team which has spent big during the summer.

Manager Sam Allardyce persuaded on loan French veteran Youri Djorkaeff to stay full time and also signed Nigerian playmaker Jay Jay Okocha.

Cole lays down challenge to treble-hunting Arsenal

LONDON (Reuters) -- Arsenal need to start playing for each other in European competition this season if they are to realise their dream of winning the Treble, according to defender Ashley Cole.

The north London club, who dominated English football last season by winning the league and FA Cup double, have only reached one quarter-final of the Champions League since manager Arsene Wenger took over in 1996.

"We seem to be getting closer and closer every year and learning with every game in the Champions League...but I don't think we worked as a team as much as we did in the premier league last season," England defender Cole told Reuters on Thursday.

"[Our success] depends on how certain players look at it. I want to win everything...other players want to win the Champions League more than anything, and that's probably the toughest thing.

"But if we just carry on going, we can do better than last season... we can maybe win the Champions League as well and do the Treble.

"Whatever happens, we have to keep the hunger there and try to do it all over again. We can't get carried away by winning the double."

Cole, the left-back, was sent off in Arsenal's first Champions League match of last season -- a 1-0 defeat to Real Mallorca -- and they failed to progress beyond the second group stage.

Despite the domestic success, 21-year-old Cole insists Arsenal will not be basking in their achievements.

"We proved a lot of people wrong by winning the double last year, but I think we've still got some more to prove," said Cole, who was surprised when told that British bookmakers had installed United as favorites for the title again this season.

Asked if United would drop as many points as they did last term, Cole said: "I don't see why not.

"Maybe they did have a bad season but we lost a few games at home as well...there's room for us to improve even more."

Despite a challenge from Southampton's emerging full-back Wayne Bridge, Cole held on to his England place and was an integral part of the side which lost to eventual winners Brazil in the last eight of this year's World Cup.

He said: "It was good for me getting the experience of the World Cup even though we were disappointed with the outcome...it didn't change my game but it has helped me in gaining experience against top-class opposition."

Lampard fears Ferdinand factor as Chelsea aim for title

England international Ferdinand became the world's most expensive defender when he moved from Leeds United to Old Trafford for nearly 30 million pounds ($45.95 million) last month.

"I have spoken to Rio, it's a great move for him," Lampard, who played with Ferdinand for six seasons at West Ham United, told Chelsea TV.

"He's very confident in his ability and he will take things in his stride. He's a fantastic player and he showed that at the World Cup finals [in June]. The people around him, and those who played with him [at West Ham], knew what he was capable of and how good he was going to be.

"I wouldn't call 30 million pounds a bargain as it's a lot of money, but it's virtually a bargain because he will only get better.

"I can see him being United's center-back for 10 or 15 years and being superb for them... United, with Arsenal, are the strongest team with the signing of Rio."

Ferdinand, 23, suffered an ankle injury in the pre-season friendly against Argentine side Boca Juniors last Saturday, but is hoping to make his competitive United debut on August 23 -- against Lampard's Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The west London club finished a disappointing sixth in the league last season, and were beaten by Arsenal in the FA Cup final as their north London rivals went on to clinch the league and FA Cup double.

Chelsea challenge

Chelsea missed out on the Champions League and Lampard was overlooked for an England World Cup place but the 24-year-old hopes to make up for that disappointment under boss Claudio Ranieri, whose side play at Charlton Athletic in their first game of the season on Saturday.

"The World Cup didn't happen for me but maybe the six or seven week break will work in my favor for the coming season as we did play a lot of games last season," Lampard said.

"We need a good start to this season...that will set the tone.

"We want to win the league, we've got the players here to do that if we play consistently well. If we don't set our sights on doing that at the start of the season then there's something wrong.

"If we don't win it we want to get into the Champions League.

"But it's hard now. Look at the top three last year [Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United] and they're very strong.

"But we beat them a lot when we play against them and that says a lot. What we're not doing is beating other teams regularly enough. If we find that ingredient, then why can't we win the league?

"You can maybe forgive us last season with new signings coming in but now we've had a year together, we should go better. This season is really up to us."

Carragher: Repeat performance will net Liverpool title

LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -- Liverpool will win their first English Premier League title if they can duplicate last season's points tally, according to England defender Jamie Carragher.

Gerard Houllier's men finished runners up to Arsenal in last season's championship with 80 points -- their highest placing since the Premier League started in 1992.

"The points we got last season would have won the title in most other seasons and if we get 80 again this time around we will win the league," Carragher told reporters.

"The real boost for us was to have finished above Manchester United. In the past couple of seasons we've done well against them, but we've always, deep down, not really fancied it much when we have played them.

"That has all changed. It gave us a lot of confidence because they were a great side and brought a lot of new players in last summer, so to finish above them was as great boost for us all.

"Now we are quietly confident and we will be there at the end fighting for it, have no fear about that."

Carragher spent the close season recovering from knee surgery, which ruled him out of contention for a place in England's World Cup squad.

The versatile 24-year-old believes his hard work has paid off as he prepares for Liverpool's Premier League opener at Aston Villa this Sunday.

"My own recovery has been very good," he said. "The surgeon in the United States may have cost a few quid but it's got me back about a month earlier.

"I have been coming in every day and working hard with the physios. I've still only had a few minutes on the pitch while the rest of the lads have had five games or more and I'm not quite there yet.

"But I am certainly over the injury and could play now if I'm wanted."

 

Related information

Stories

European Soccer Preview Index Top English Premiership summer transfers Premier League Clubs at a Glance English Premier League Team-by-Team Prospectus Ferguson blames pitch, tactics for Hungary upset

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video

Reuters contributed to this report.