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“It is always the underdogs who bring out the best in the favourites”. Tired of seeing the favourites sweep away all the trophies, the crowd loves the occasional upsets. Be it Wigan winning the FA Cup against Manchester City or Sabine Lisicki defeating Serena Williams in the recently concluded Wimbledon or Uruguay knocking out Spain in the U-20 football world cup, the crowd always roots for the underdogs.
We hate it when it happens to our team but we love it when it happens to our rivals. The minnows not only win matches, but also win hearts. It’s, perhaps, in the English Premier League that one can witness remarkable turnarounds which can disrupt a team’s quest for the title. With the upcoming season looking like a even contest, the remarkable upsets guarantee a nail-biting finish.
Here is a look at three teams which can spoil the party for the top teams.
Swansea
Kicking off their Premier League campaign just two years ago, the first Welsh team in the league already looks a threat to the top-tier teams. In their second year, Swansea already have the League Cup in their cabinet going past Liverpool in the fourth round and Chelsea in the semis and culminated in earning a place in the UEFA Europa League qualification round.
Swansea have also made their presence felt in the transfer market last season. Along with Michu, who was one of the best buys of the season, others like Pablo Hernandez, De Guzman, Nathan Dyer and Routledge have also been noteworthy additions to the squad.
With another season of top-flight football, Michael Laudrup’s boys are more than capable of doing the impossible. New signing Jonjo Shelvey and Wilfried Bony will add more depth to their attacking option, making the Swans one of the toughest teams to beat. Swans look strong enough to pull off many upsets and they may start off with one, when Swansea host United in their opening match.
James Morrison playmaking skills will have to come to the fore for the Baggies to make an impression they made last season
West Bromwich Albion
The Baggies had a terrific start in the previous season. West Brom beat Liverpool in both their Premier League encounters and also beat Chelsea in a home game.
West Brom enjoyed a short spell in the top four last season. However, lack of consistency from the Baggies resulted in squandering their position, finally finishing eighth at the end of the league.
Romelu Lukaku had been their best player in the previous campaign, being the sixth-highest goal scorer with 17 goals. Shane Long’s intelligence in deceiving defenders and James Morrison’s role as a playmaker turned to be a big asset for the Baggies last season.
Albions’ new signing in Nicolas Anelka provides more experience to the squad, and reports claiming that another ex-Chelsea man Salomon Kalou is close to join the Baggies.
West Brom do not have a strong team in paper, but they would look to show more consistency and certainly looks like the better teams to cause major upsets this season.
Southampton flourished under Mauricio Pochettino in the second half of the season, scalping the likes of Manchester City enroute to their late surge last season.
Southampton
The Saints did not look like a strong team starting the previous season, but they did manage to pull off a few upsets. In preparation off their first season back in the 2012-13 Premier League season, Southampton broke the club’s record twice as they signed Jay Rodriguez, Gaston Ramirez and Maya Yoshida.
These players along with players like Ricky Lambert, Jack Cork and player of the year Morgan Schneiderlin, have created a team with the right blend of youth and experience. Saints now look like a team strong enough capable of the occasional upsets and will back themselves to keep the momentum they gathered from the previous season.
Another big-money signing has been completed by Southampton, bringing in more stability to the back four by signing 24-year-old Lyon center back Dejan Lovren and Celtic player Victor Wanyama. Though Southampton finished 14th in the previous season, they look like a formidable unit ready to take any of the top teams in the Premier League.
