New money rises in England as old powers slip

FE Team | Published: December 19, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

LONDON, Dec 18 (AFP): Manchester City and Chelsea, England's nouveaux riches, appear poised to dominate the Premier League in 2015, with traditional powerhouses Manchester United and Liverpool working their way through periods of transition.
United began this year as champions and Liverpool came agonisingly close to succeeding them, but it was City who prevailed in the 2013-14 title race and it is Chelsea who approach the New Year in pole position.
In truth, United's grip on power had weakened long before the clock struck midnight on January 1, as they lurched from calamity to calamity under David Moyes, hapless successor to legendary manager Alex Ferguson.
The axe finally fell in April, when Moyes was sacked 10 months into a six-year contract. Under the temporary guidance of Ryan Giggs, United eventually finished seventh-their lowest placing since 1990.
The straight-talking Louis van Gaal, architect of Holland's third-place finish at the World Cup, succeeded Moyes in July and after spending £150 million ($234.4 million, 188.6 million euros) on new players-including £59.7 million British-record signing Angel di Maria-United have started to move in the right direction.
The same cannot be said of Liverpool, who could not have imagined the trauma that awaited them as they took to the field against Chelsea on an overcast afternoon at Anfield on April 27.
Five points clear at the summit, Brendan Rodgers's side required seven points from their last three games to secure a first title since 1990 after a thrilling run of 11 straight wins that had captured neutral hearts.
But a freak slip by Steven Gerrard enabled Demba Ba to set Chelsea on their way to a 2-0 win and when Liverpool blew a 3-0 lead at Crystal Palace eight days later, the title was City's for the taking.
Following a dismal World Cup, Gerrard said he had been through "the worst three months of my life".
Inspired by man-mountain Yaya Toure, City amassed 102 league goals, while success against Sunderland in the League Cup final meant that manager Manuel Pellegrini ended his first season in England with two trophies.