Predicting the Heroes and Villains of the Premier League Opening Weekend

The Premier League season is almost here, and it's arrived right in the nick of time.

Just when the hackneyed tales of the transfer window threatened to drive you mad, football, our hero, is back to save the day.

Football, real football, is just hours away. Prepare to be rescued from the gloom of the summer's messiest transfer sagas and catapulted back into the familiar surroundings of England's top flight, only with a few new additions—Joe Kinnear, Crystal Palace, what are you doing here? Is this the '90s?

Like every season, this campaign promises to have its fair share of heroes and villains, but who will be making the headlines this weekend? Who looks like a front-runner to be Swansea's superman or Everton's enfant terrible?

We've picked one hero and one villain from each fixture in the opening round of games. Who would YOU include in your predictions? Let us know below!

Liverpool vs. Stoke City

Hero: Iago Aspas. The top flight has seen plenty of foreign imports arrive over the summer, many of them from Spain. One player who seems to have snuck under the radar is Liverpool's Aspas.

While most of the excitement has been reserved for high-profile players like Jesus Navas, Roberto Soldado and Alvaro Negredo, Aspas has arrived with little fanfare. Easily Celta Vigo's best player in the 2012/13 season, I predict Aspas to get off to a flying start for Liverpool and become an instant Kop hero. 48 hours from now, people may be saying Luis Suarez…Luis who?

Villain: Mark Hughes. About 20 minutes into the first half of their game against Liverpool, new Stoke gaffer Mark Hughes is quickly going to become his side's villain. Potters fans will have enjoyed the summer, hoping that free-flowing football would replace the rough-and-ready, long-ball, throw-in-reliant tactics that Tony Pulis masterminded. Nope, under Hughes, Stoke are, well… they are still Stoke.

Like The Who once sang: "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss." 

Hero: Iago Aspas. The top-flight has seen plenty of foreign imports arrive over the summer, many of them from Spain. One player who seems to have snuck under the radar is Liverpool’s Aspas. While most of the excitement has been reserved for high-profile players like Jesus Navas, Roberto Soldado and Alvaro Negredo, Aspas has arrived with little fanfare. Easily Celta Vigo’s best player in the 2012/13 season, I predict Aspas to get off to a flying start for Liverpool and become an instant Kop hero. 48 hours from now, people may be saying Luis Suarez…Luis who?

 

Villain: Mark Hughes.  About 20 minutes into the first half of their game against Liverpool, new Stoke gaffer Mark Hughes is going to quickly become the side’s villain. Potters fans will have enjoyed the summer, hoping that free-flowing football would replace the rough and ready, long-ball, let’s-depend-on-Rory-Delap-throw-in tactics that Tony Pulis masterminded. Nope, under Hughes, Stoke are still, well… they are still Stoke.

 

Like The Who once sang: “Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHhrZgojY1Q

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa

Hero: Christian Benteke. Already a hero for inking a new deal at Villa Park over the summer, the Belgian will take no time to rediscover the form that saw him score 19 Premier League goals for Aston Villa last season. With seven goals in five preseason games, I predict two strikes from the 22-year-old and a rousing reception. You heard it here first.

Villain: Anyone who has the foresight to offload Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh over the summer deserves to be called a hero. However, it’s the lack of players coming in the opposite direction that threatens to see Arsene Wenger labeled a villain as early as Game 1. Le Professeur promised much, yet delivered little during the transfer window and (sorry Gunners fans) when Arsenal are defeated at home by Villa on Saturday, people will be casting him as the bad guy already.

Norwich vs. Everton

Hero: By name alone, Ricky van Wolfswinkel deserves to be a Norwich hero. The Dutch striker, who signed from Sporting Lisbon over the summer, is a natural goalscorer. Combined with fellow new signings Leroy Fer and Gary Hooper, van Wolfswinkel looks like he’s going to have an immediate impact for the Canaries, who I predict to beat Everton in their opening game.

Villain: You never know what you’re going to get from Marouane Fellaini, sometimes brilliant, often hotheaded and always unpredictable. This week, he’s an early contender to play the antihero. Rumours that he was unavailable for an Everton friendly due to interest from Manchester United, as reported by Goal.com, rather than for injury will have done little to endear him to the Goodison faithful. He probably won’t become a United player, but the continuing gossip will be enough to see a few boos directed his way at Carrow Road.

Sunderland vs. Fulham

Hero: Maarten Stekelenburg is one of the signings of the summer. In a career that has many parallels with that of fellow Dutchman Edwin van der Sar, this 30-year-old Oranje international promises to be one of Fulham's heroes of the season, let alone their first game.

Villain: Although Fulham manager Martin Jol looks the part; this dubious honour goes to Sunderland's Craig Gardner. Last season, the fiery midfielder was the Premier league's most-booked player, with 10 yellow cards and one red. Expect him to start the season where he left off. 

West Bromwich Albion vs. Southampton

Hero: Nicolas Anelka. Possibly one of the coups of the summer, the Frenchman will mark his return to the Premier League with a winning goal against Southampton, reminding us all that, at 34, he’s still got it.

Villain: Nicolas Anelka. After scoring said goal for West Brom and flashing the briefest of smiles, Anelka will adopt his default grimace, reminding us all that, at 34, he’s still "Le Sulk."

West Ham vs. Cardiff

Hero: Cardiff new boy Gary Medel will instantly endear himself to travelling Bluebirds fans against West Ham. Not known as the friendliest of away grounds to play at, Medel will prove he can "mix it" at the Boleyn. Signed from Sevilla earlier this month, they don’t call him the "Pitbull" for nothing.

Villain: Craig Bellamy will be making a return to West Ham as Cardiff City captain. It won't be a friendly welcome from all corners of the ground for the man who left the club four years ago under fairly acrimonious circumstances.

Bellamy was alleged to have stormed out of a training session, having demanded a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur. The story was later deemed to be untrue. Still held in high regard by some sections of the Hammers support, the Welshman is a figure that people love to hate and will be booed no matter what.

Swansea vs. Manchester United

Hero: Jonjo Shelvey. On the face of it, a strange choice. From the Arjen Robben bracket of players who will always look like they are in their forties, Shelvey failed to make a lasting impact at Liverpool, who told the 21-year-old that he could leave this summer. Highly-rated as a youngster at Charlton Athletic, I predict that Shelvey will find his feet at the Liberty Stadium. With years ahead of him and with the ability to score screamers like this, he could have a big impact on the Swans' season and in their first fixture against Manchester United.

Villain: On November 8, 1986 a certain Sir Alex Ferguson lost his first game in charge of Manchester United 2-0. The Daily Mail's David Atkinson, who was at that game, said: "I was actually hopeful of a short Ferguson reign, by which time the United board could have lined up a more spectacular and appropriate gaffer."

I predict another 2-0 loss for United as they travel to Wales for the first game of the new season. New manager David Moyes will suffer the same initial reception as Ferguson, he'll be the villain, the outcast, the unknown. Until he gets a win, and then all will be forgiven.

Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Hero: In Roberto Soldado, Spurs have a player to get genuinely excited about. A hero in the making, the Spaniard scored 24 goals in 35 La Liga appearances for Valencia last term.

As reported by Paul Hirst in the Daily Mail, Soldado has already targeted 20-plus goals in his debut Premier League season. If he manages the feat, he'll be the first out-and-out striker to score more than 20 league goals for Spurs since Juergen Klinsmann in 1994/95. If he pulls it off, he'll be a hero far beyond the playing time of this particular game.

Villain: Gareth Bale. The player who will determine how Spurs' season should pan out will probably not feature in their first three games, as reported by the Guardian's David Hytner. However, expect to hear his name mentioned at least 1,041 times by the commentary team during the 90-minute game at Selhurst Park. The 24-year-old has missed virtually all of the club's preseason. Rumours of injuries may be true or false but one thing is certain, Spurs fans won't be happy until they know where their talisman's future lies.

Chelsea vs. Hull

Hero: Fernando Torres. No, really. The spotlight and the pressure has eased off, and I think this could be a turnaround season for the Spaniard. He won the Europa League with Chelsea last season, where he scored six goals in nine games, was runner-up in the Confederations Cup, where he netted five, and during the last Premier League season he scored eight and registered nine assists. Hardly prolific, but not bad for someone considered a "flop." Fernando Torres, the unlikely hero of Game 1.

Villain: Assem Allam. Who? You say. Allam is Hull City’s owner and the brains behind the idea to re-brand the club as the Hull City Tigers. Quoted on the BBC Sport website last week, Allam said: "My dislike for the word 'City' is because it is common. I want the club to be special. It is about identity. 'City' is a lousy identity. Hull City Association Football Club is so long."

With Hull seemingly happy with their previous name since 1904, expect some very disgruntled fans.

Manchester City vs. Newcastle

Hero: Alvaro Negredo. Manchester City have spent £90 million over the summer, and they have spent very well. Former Real Madrid, Almeria and Sevilla striker Negredo scored 25 goals in La Liga last season and scored this cheeky backheeled goal for Spain this week in a friendly against Ecuador. I imagine that Manchester City will dismantle Newcastle 6-0 on Monday and, if Negredo dispatches the Magpies with this kind of skill, he'll be the hero of the day.

Villain: Newcastle fans had to check their calendars earlier this summer to make sure it wasn't April Fool’s Day. Joe Kinnear, he of Crazy Gang and expletive-packed Newcastle press conference fame, had been installed as director of football at St James' Park. Charged with taking care of Newcastle's dealings in the transfer market, so far Kinnear has signed striker Loic Remy on loan. Remy is now injured—as reported by the Mirror's Simon Bird.

Failing to get the names of his players right in a phone interview just one day after taking the job in a talkSPORT interivew did not inspire much confidence from Newcastle fans, who will be sure to voice their discontent at the Etihad Stadium.