15 Bold Predictions for World Football in 2015
While the footballing action of 2014 has been dissected intensely over the last few days, here at Bleacher Report we are keen to look ahead to the future.
Over the last few months, the sport saw many memorable moments, several records broken and numerous heroes and villains emerge.
Some of these incidents could have been imagined, or even foreseen, whereas others came completely unexpected—for example, who could possibly have anticipated that Spain and Brazil would have been completely taken apart at this summer’s World Cup?
In this feature, Bleacher Report present 15 bold predictions for the coming 12 months of football.
Liverpool to Lose Faith
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Brendan Rodgers achieved wonderful things with Liverpool last season, helping the side rediscover their lustre and taking them on an unlikely title tilt.
The wheels have come off, however, and with Luis Suarez sold and Danny Sturridge injured, doubts have risen about the former Swansea City manager.
Amazingly, Rodgers has failed to improve the defensive unit, which looks flakier with each passing game.
The goalkeeper situation looms large, with neither Brad Jones nor Simon Mignolet appearing to be the answer.
Steven Gerrard isn’t getting any younger and his influence is waning, as explored by Dave Kidd of the Mirror, while successive batches of Rodgers’ transfers have bombed, as outlined here by Robbie Savage of BBC Sport.
Things may be about to get worse before they get better at Anfield, and the coach has to be held at least partially accountable.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Reds lost the faith and turned somewhere else over the next 12 months.
Saint-Etienne to Return to Europe's Top Table
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Former European giants Saint-Etienne know what it feels like to fall from the limelight.
ASSE once challenged the continent’s finest, and have been French champions on 10 occasions. However, they have also battled relegation as recently as 2010.
Steady progress over the last few seasons has returned Christophe Galtier's side to the top quarter of Ligue 1, however, and I believe this could be the year when they take their improvement to another level.
With both Monaco and Lille looking unconvincing in Ligue 1 this term, an opportunity has emerged for a third team to join Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille as likely Champions League qualifiers.
Olympique Lyonnais will be looking to pin down third place over the coming months, but could their great local rivals beat them to it?
Tottenham Hotspur to Win Silverware
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Are Tottenham Hotspur turning the corner under Mauricio Pochettino?
After a disappointing spell of home results, Spurs are beginning to show some resiliency under the new manager and have begun to start delivering some tenacious performances on the road.
Christian Eriksen appears to be relishing life as a Premier League playmaker, while Erik Lamela’s goal against Burnley (his first in the EPL) suggests he might finally be delivering on his immense promise.
It’s been a while (2008) since Tottenham won a trophy. However, facing Sheffield United in the semi-final of the League Cup and being alive in two other cup competitions, don’t bet against Spurs’ redevelopment continuing at pace before the season is over.
Ghana to Be Eliminated in the Opening Round of the Afcon
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The first major footballing event of the new year—apart from the FA Cup third round—is the Africa Cup of Nations.
As ever, many of the usual suspects will be considered among the favourites for the title. Algeria will be looking to build on their excellent World Cup showing with a continental crown, while Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Ghana—all of whom disappointed in Brazil—will be looking to improve on recent struggles.
Of this quartet, I fear for the Black Stars.
Drawn in the Group of Death alongside Senegal, South Africa and Algeria, the West Africans are also welcoming a new manager.
Avram Grant is at the helm of his first African side, but he is yet to have the opportunity to work with any of his players.
Mercifully, the former Chelsea boss resisted recalling Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari, via Michael Oti Adjei of BBC Sport. The pair have proved themselves to be divisive influences and brought the team into disrepute over the summer.
Without them, however, the Black Stars risk a lack of quality and invention in the midfield, particularly without the services of Juventus midfielder and star man Kwadwo Asamoah, who will miss the tournament with injury (via BBC Sport).
I foresee the Black Stars being the big casualties of the Afcon opening round.
Arsenal to Miss out on the Champions League
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Arsene Wenger deserves enormous credit for the way in which he has consistently overcome adversity to ensure that Arsenal qualify for the Champions League.
For the last 17 seasons, the Gunners have entered Europe’s top competition by virtue of their league showing—it’s an incredible run of consistency.
But it has to end sometime, and could this be the year when Wenger’s run comes to an abrupt halt?
I fear so.
Despite the acquisitions of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck, the north London side still have too many areas of frailty.
Take, for example, their persistent fragility at centre-back, where Per Mertesacker was again found wanting as Liverpool snatched a late equaliser at Anfield, as per Metro.
Similarly, at the base of midfield, Mathieu Flamini does a lot of moaning, but Michael Owen, for one, believes the club still need to buy a "commanding central midfielder," via Twitter. As much as Arsene may wish it to be true, playing Santi Cazorla as a defensive midfielder is no way forward at all.
Considering the strength of the Premier League this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of a number of challengers pipped the Gunners to join Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs at the European high table next term.
Bony to Hit Big
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I think everyone’s pretty much realised by now that Wilfried Bony is an exceptional striker.
The forward may be yet to convince for the Ivory Coast, where he is charged with replacing the legendary Didier Drogba, but he has enjoyed an outstanding year at club level.
The ex-Vitesse Arnhem man has scored more goals than anyone in the Premier League in 2014, and I can see this continuing into 2015.
More so, I can see Bony improving on his goalscoring record.
If he remains at Swansea City, then I anticipate that as his relationship with the talented and underrated Gylfi Sigurdsson develops, he will again devastate in front of goal.
Similarly, while the forward started this season slowly, he did the same in the 2013-14 campaign, only to explode into life after New Year.
Finally, I can see one of Europe’s big dogs coming in for the Ivorian in one of the next two transfer windows. If Bony moves to a grander club, has better players around him and receives more consistent service, expect his numbers to increase considerably.
He has the awareness, he has the power and the ruthlessness in front of goal to establish himself as one of the world's most effective hitmen.
Expect great things in 2015.
Klopp to Leave Dortmund
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Such has been his excellent work over the last few years, even Borussia Dortmund’s hard-to-believe struggles haven’t dented his reputation too much.
The 2013 Champions League finalists currently sit second from bottom in the Bundesliga table, having accrued 15 points from their opening 17 matches.
Despite a recent revival, they remain in the relegation zone, with player injuries and the inability of a selection of new strikers to settle meaning they sit a whopping 30 points off table-toppers Bayern Munich.
However this one ends—and Klopp insists that people don’t write his team off just yet, via The Guardian—it’s hard to see the manager sticking around for too much longer.
As Raphael Honigstein, also with The Guardian, argues:
"Coaches who demand Klopp’s level of work and tactical discipline from their players don’t tend to last very long at any particular club.
2014-15 won’t mark the end of BVB’s membership in the top flight. But it could well be the beginning of the end of the Klopp era, with all the vagaries that go with it.
"
Austin, Ings, Kane for England
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I'm struggling to remember a season in which so many young English forwards have stepped up to the plate in the top flight.
Saido Berahino has already been called up to the England squad this season, even though he didn’t make his debut against either Slovenia or Scotland.
I expect one or two (or even three) more forwards will be given the once-over by Roy Hodgson over the next 12 months.
In 2015, I predict that, unless any of them drop off dramatically, Harry Kane, Danny Ings and Charlie Austin (four, four and 11 goals respectively in the EPL this season, according to Who Scored) will all make their Three Lions debuts.
A New African Force
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Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2015 Cup of Nations will ensure that Africa crowns a new champion next year.
However, could the continent also be set to celebrate the emergence of a new force?
The nature of the lopsided Afcon draw has meant that traditional giants Cameroon, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Ghana, Algeria and Senegal will be whittled down to two for the semi-final stage.
This leaves the likes of Burkina Faso (unlikely finalists in 2013), the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tunisia, Cape Verde and Gabon as the key contenders for the other two spots.
Any of these five could, with a bit of luck, run to the final, but Gabon, with a spine including Didier Ovono, Bruno Ecuele Manga, Andre Poko and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, are particularly well-placed to be the tournament’s surprise package.
QPR on the Up
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In the 2012-13 season, I expected Queens Park Rangers to build on their debut campaign in the Premier League and push on for a top-half finish or even challenge for the European places.
Ultimately, it didn’t happen, as Mark Hughes was dismissed after a horrible start to the season and Harry Redknapp couldn’t keep the Hoops afloat.
At times this campaign, it has felt as though the Rangers were destined for the drop again.
In the early weeks, incompetent defensive displays and some tactical muddling saw then struggle near the base of the table, but recently, things have begun to pick up.
The Hoops’ home form alone should keep them in the division, and as the west Londoners grow in confidence, I expect the likes of Eduardo Vargas, Mauricio Isla and Junior Hoillet will come into their own and help the club carry more of a threat on the road.
Tony Fernandes also has the resources (and the manager) to make things happen in the January window.
I am predicting that QPR will steer well clear of the relegation dog fight, and they will begin realising their expectations of the 2012-13 season toward the second half of 2015.
Messi's Decline
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It’s beginning to look more and more like Barcelona will never recreate the dominance they enjoyed under Pep Guardiola.
Key components of that side have aged (Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol), others have been let go or are reportedly keen to depart (Victor Valdes and Sergio Busquets, according to Anthony Chapman of the Express), while would-be replacements have been pushed toward the exit door (Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara).
Within this context, it’s impressive that Lionel Messi has continued to break records at such an alarming rate over the last few months.
The four-time Ballon d’Or winner recently became the all-time top scorer in both La Liga and the Champions League, but is he on the slide?
Once upon a time, Messi hit 91 goals in a calendar year and 73 in a season, but few would back him to match these stats either this term or in 2015.
As Barca have declined, so Messi, slightly behind the collective, has also seen his contribution reduced. I expect this trend to continue over the coming 12 months.
His statistical decline has been explored in depth by both Richard Innes of the Mirror and Arron Duckling of BarcaBlaugranes.com.
New Faces in the EPL
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The top of the Championship has a very unfamiliar look to it.
Bournemouth sit at the summit of the division, one point ahead of Ipswich Town, who are themselves invigorated under the sure stewardship of Mick McCarthy.
Behind them, Brentford lead the chasing pack of play-off hopefuls.
Traditional giants Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers have slipped following excellent starts, while sides that have recently featured in the Premier League Wigan Athletic and Blackpool are currently in the relegation zone.
Admittedly, it’s unlikely that all three of the table-toppers will secure a spot in the Premier League at the season’s end. However, could one of the trio retain their spot over the coming six months?
Ipswich haven’t been in the top flight since 2002, while the Bees haven’t been in the top tier since before the Second World War. Bournemouth have never before taken a place among the country’s elite.
Time for some new faces?
Japan and Australia to Contest the Asian Cup Final
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Predicting the winners of the Asian Cup would be a very, very bold prediction. For simply a “bold prediction,” I’m going to forecast an Australia/Japan final.
Both sides featured at the World Cup and were eliminated in the first-round after disappointing showings.
The East Asians will have been unhappy to have fallen at the first hurdle, particularly after Alberto Zaccheroni’s side had delivered such flashes of brilliance at the 2013 Confederations Cup.
Javier Aguirre has taken over and has got the side—with much the same personnel—playing in a more attacking style.
Australia, by contrast, were drawn into the Group of Death in Brazil and saw the tournament as an opportunity to blood new talent.
Their young players haven’t peaked just yet, but I believe that after the plucky showings of the summer, they can secure a spot in the Asian Cup final.
Pulis to Get Relegated
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To suggest that Tony Pulis might take over a Premier League club in the bottom half of the table isn’t such a bold prediction.
The former Stoke City manager has never been relegated, and he extended that record last season. After taking over Crystal Palace in dire circumstances in autumn, he succeeded in not only steering the Eagles clear of relegation, but also in guiding the Londoners up to 11th place.
For any chairman concerned about his side’s chances of escaping the drop, Pulis—currently a free agent—would appear to be the ideal troubleshooter.
However, could this be one bridge too far the Welshman?
Last year, Palace recruited Pulis in time for the January transfer window and the manager made a number of key acquisitions, including five on deadline day, via BBC Sport.
Would he be able to have the same impact in the second half of this season, should strugglers such as Hull City, West Bromwich Albion or Leicester City decide to turn to the 56-year-old?
Everton Win the Europa League
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While two of England’s Europa League competitors, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, will still be boldly confident of making the top four in the Premier League, it’s hard to see Everton being as self-assured.
Spurs are only four points off West Ham United in fourth, while Brendan Rodgers will likely argue that his team still have room for improvement with Daniel Sturridge set to return from injury in early January, via Ashley Clements of the Daily Mail, and Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana still finding their feet (one hopes) on Merseyside.
For Everton, with an ageing side and little room to manoeuvre in the January transfer window, it’s difficult to envisage much in the way of improvement in the new year.
Therefore, I expect the Toffees to put a great deal of emphasis on the Europa League, the winners of which receive a Champions League spot for the 2015-16 season.
Packed with experienced campaigners, the enduring genius of Samuel Eto’o, the nascent brilliance of Ross Barkley and the cup nous of Roberto Martinez, the Goodison Park outfit will be serious contenders for Europe’s B continental competition.
