2014-2015 English Premier League

This will be my 3rd post on the Barclay's English Premier league, (English Football League, Barclay's Premier League) which is without question the best professional futbol league in the world. However this post is rather a profile on the ongoing 2014-2015 season and the 20 teams that it consists of. The season began on Aug 16th and will finish on May 24th. At this point the season is still very early on, only 5 games in. Each team plays a total of 38 matches (home and away against each team in the league). A win is 3 points, a draw is 1 point, and a loss is 0 points. The team with the highest points after 38 games wins the league championship title.

Last season, Manchester City won the league championship and were promoted into the Champions League. They were also joined by 2nd place Liverpool, 3rd place Chelsea, and 4th place Arsenal. Everton and Tottenham, finished 5th and 6th and made it into the Europa league. For the first time in history, English powerhouse, Manchester United, failed to finish in the top four. The three lowest performing teams (Cardiff City, Fulham, and Norwich) were relegated to the 2nd division, while the three highest performing teams of the 2nd division were promoted into the premier league (Lecister City, Burnley, Queen Parks Rangers).

I was especially eager this fall for the return of European club futbol after such an exciting World Cup in Brasil, as well as the many off-season club trades that followed, This year for the first time ever I have followed the Premier League as well as the Champions League from the start of the season. I've been able to watch many of the games live on television during the weekends thanks to NBC Sports. I believe that the EPL is just as exciting as the NFL, because of it's competitive and unpredictable nature. Similiar to the NFL, any team in the EPL can win on any given Sunday, and i think that's a measure of a truly balanced and exciting league. Therefore here is a look of the 20 teams that make up this season's premier league.


Club: Manchester City FC

Last Year's Finish: 1st Place
Homeground: City of Manchester Stadium (47,405 capacity)
Headcoach: Manuel Pellegrini (Chilean) (2013-present as coach)
History: Established (1880 as St. Marks Gorton, 1887 Arwick FC, and 1894 as Manchester City FC
Rivals: Manchester United (Manchester Derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 86
Number of League Titles: 4 (1937, 1968, 2012, 2014)
Number of FA Cup Titles: 5 (1904, 1934, 1956, 1969, 2011)
Number of European Champions League Appearances: 4
Superstar Players:

• Joe Hart: GK (England)
• Vincent Kompany (Captain): DF (Belgium)
• Samir Nasri: MF (France)
• Edin Dzeko: FW (Bosnia & Herzagovia)
• Jesus Navas: MF (Spain)
• Sergio Aguero: FW (Argentina)
• Frank Lampard: MF (England)
• David Silva: MF (Spain)
• Yaya Toure: MF (Ivory Coast)

Club: Liverpool FC
Last Year's Finish: 2nd place
Headcoach: Brendan Rogers (2012-present) (Irish)

Homeground: Anfield (45,276) in Liverpool
History: Founded in 1892
Rivals: Everton (Merryside Derby); Manchester United
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 100
Number of League Titles: 18 (1901, 1906, 1922, 1923, 1947, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990)
Number of FA Cup Titles: 7 (1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006)
Number of European Champions League Appearances: 9 (Champions in 2006)
Superstar Players:

• Steven Gerrard: MF (England) (Captain)
• Daniel Sturridge: FW (England)
• Raheem Sterling: MF (England)
• Mario Balotelli: FW (Italy)
• Philippe Coutinho: MF (Brazil)

Club: Chelsea FC

Last Year's Finish: 3rd Place
Headcoach: Jose Mourinho (2004-2007; 2013-present) (Portuguese)
Homeground: Stamford Bridge (41,837) in Fulham, London
History: Founded in 1905
Rivals: Arsenal (London and West London derbies)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 80
Number of League Titles: 4 (1955, 2005, 2006, 2010)
Number of FA Cups:7 (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)
Number of European Champions League Appearances: 13 (Champions in 2012)
Superstar Players:

• John Terry: DF (England) (Captain)
• Branislav Ivanovic: DF (Serbia)
• Filipe Luis: DF (Brazil)
• Cesc Fabregas: MF (Spain)
• Oscar: MF (Brazil)
• Eden Hazard: MF (Belgium)
• Didier Drogba: FW (Ivory Coast)
• Thibaut Courtouis: GK (Belgium)
• Petr Cech: GK (Czech Republic)
• Diego Costa: FW (Spain)
• Andre Schurrle: MF (Germany)
• Loic Remy: MF (France)
• Willian: MF (Brazil)

Club: Arsenal FC

Last Year's Finish: 4th Place
Headcoach: Arsene Wenger (1996-present) (French)
Homeground: Emirates Stadium (60,338 capacity) at Holloway, London
History: Founded in 1886
Rivals: Tottenham Hotspur (North London Derby); Chelsea (West London Derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 98
Number of League Titles: 13 (1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2004)
Number of FA Cups: 11 (1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 17 (Runners-Up in 2006)
Superstar Players:

• Mikel Arteta (captain): MF (Spain)
• Per Mertasacker: DF (Germany)
• Mathieu Debuchy: DF (France)
• Tomas Rosicky: MF (Czech Republic)
• Lukas Podolski: FW (Germany)
• Jack Wilshire: MF (England)
• Mesut Ozil: MF (Germany)
• Theo Walcott: MF (England)
• Alexis Sanchez: FW (Chile)
• Santi Cazorla: MF (Spain)
• Calum Chambers: DF (England)
• Danny Welbeck: FW (England)

Club: Everton FC

Last Year's Finish: 5th Place
Headcoach: Roberto Martinez (2013-present) (Spanish)
Homeground: Goodison Park (39,572 capacity) in Liverpool
History: Founded in 1878 and were founding members of the first English Football League
Rivals: Liverpool (Merryside Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 112 (most in the league)
Number of League Titles: 9 (1891, 1915, 1928, 1932, 1939, 1963, 1970, 1985, 1987)
Number of FA Cups: 5 (1906, 1933, 1966, 1984, 1995)
Number of European Champions League Appearances: 0
Superstar Players:

• Phil Jagielka (Captain): DF (England)
• Tim Howard: GK (United States)
• Samuel Eto'o: FW (Cameroon)
• Arouna Kone: FW (Ivory Coast)
• Steven Naismith: MF (Scotland)
• Gareth Barry: MF (England)
• Christian Atsu: MF (Ghana)
• Leon Osman: MF (England)
• James McCarthy: MF (Ireland)
• Romelu Lukaku: FW (Belgium)
• Kevin Mirallas: FW (Belgium)

Club: Tottenham Hotspur FC

Last Year's Finish: 6th Place
Headcoach: Mauricio Pochettino (2014-present) (Argentinian)
Homeground: White Hart Lane (36,284 capacity) at Tottenham London
History: Founded in 1882
Rivals: Arsenal (North London Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 80
Number of League Titles: 2 (1951, 1961)
Number of FA Cups: 8 (1901, 1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1982, 1991)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 1
Superstar Players:

• Younes Kaboul (Captain): DF (France)
• Hugo Lloris: GK (France)
• Aaron Lennon: MF (England)
• Paulinho: MF (Brazil)
• Roberto Soldado: FW (Spain)
• Emmanuel Adebayor: FW (Togo)
• Mousa Dembele: MF (Belgium)
• Christian Eriksen: MF (Denmark)
• Benjamin Stambouli: MF (France)
• Benoit Assou-Ekotto: DF (Cameroon)

Club: Manchester United FC (My Team)

Last Year's Finish: 7th place
Headcoach: Louis Van Gaal (2014-present) (Dutch)
Homeground: Old Trafford (75,731) at Greater Manchester
History: Founded in 1878 as Newton Heath; 1902 as Manchester United
Rivals: Manchester City (Manchester derby) Liverpool (Northwest Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 90
Number of League Titles: 20 (1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013) Most in the League
Number of FA Cups: 11 (1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 19 (3 time Champions in 1968, 1999, 2008) Most in the League
Superstar Players:

• Wayne Rooney (Captain): FW (England)
• David De Gea: GK (Spain)
• Marcos Rojo: DF (Argentina)
• Angel di Maria: MF (Argentina)
• Juan Mata: MF (Spain)
• Radamel Falcao: FW (Colombia)
• Daley Blind: MF (Netherlands)
• Ashley Young: MF (England)
• Robin Van Persie: FW (Netherlands)
• Ander Herrera: MF (Spain)
• Antonio Valencia: MF (Ecuador)
• Adnan Januzaj: MF (Belgium) 

Club: Southampton FC

Last Year's Finish: 8th Place
Headcoach: Ronald Koeman (2014-present) (Dutch)
Homeground: St. Mary's Stadium (32,589 capacity) at Southampton, Hampshire
History: 1885 as St. Mary's YMA
Rivals: Portsmouth (South Coast Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 38
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 1 (1976)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Jose Fonte (Captain): DF (Portugal)
• Shane Long: FW (Ireland)
• Jay Rodriguez: FW (England)
• Toby Alderweireld: DF (Belgium)
• Ryan Bertrand: DF (England)
• Steven Davis: MF (Northern Ireland)

Club: Stoke City FC

Last Year's Finish: 9th Place
Headcoach: Mark Hughes (2013-present) (Welsh)
Homeground: Britannia Stadium (27,740) at Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
History: Founded in 1863as the Stoke Ramblers; second oldest professional club in the world; founding member of the English Football League
Rivals: West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number of Top Division Appearances: 59
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 0 (Runners-Up 2011)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Ryan Shawcross (Captain): DF (England)
• Phil Bardsley: DF (Scotland)
• Erik Pieters: MF (Netherlands)
• Peter Crouch: FW (England)
• Victor Moses: FW (Nigeria)
• Peter Odemwingie: FW (Nigeria)
• Oussama Assaidi: MF (Morocco)

Club: Newcastled United FC

Last Year's Finish: 10th Place
Headcoach: Alan Pardew (2010-present) English
Homeground: St. James Park (52,405 capacity) in Newcastle upon Tyne
History: Founded in 1892
Rivals: Sunderland (Tyne-Wear derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 84
Number of League Titles: 4 (1905, 1907, 1909, 1927)
Number of FA Cups: 6 (1910, 1924, 1932, 1951, 1952, 1955)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 2
Notable Players:

• Fabricio Colocinni (Captain): DF (Argentina)
• Papiss Cisse: FW (Senegal)
• Siem de Jong: MF (Netherlands)
• Moussa Sissoko: MF (France)
• Facunda Ferreyra: FW (Argentina)
• Cheick Tiote: FW (Ivory Coast)
• Haris Vuckic: FW (Slovenia)

Club: Crystal Palace FC

Last Year's Finish: 11th Place
Headcoach: Neil Warnock (2014-present) English
Homeground: Selhurst Park (26,255 capacity) South Norwood London
History: Founded in 1905
Rivals: Brighton & Hove Albion (M23 Derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 15
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 0 (Runners-Up 1990)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Mile Jedinak (Captain): MF (Australia)
• Wilfried Zaha: FW (Ivory Coast)
• Kevin Doyle: FW (Ireland)
• Paddy McCarthy: DF (Ireland)
• Frazier Campbell: FW (England)

Club: Swansea City AFC

Last Year's Finish: 12th Place
Headcoach: Garry Monk (2014-present) England
Homeground: Liberty Stadium (20,750 capacity) at Swansea City, South Wales
History: Founded in 1912 as Swansea Town
Rivals: Cardiff City (South Wales derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 6
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 0
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Ashley Williams (Captain): DF (Welsh)
• Tom Carroll: MF (England)
• Wilfried Bony: FW (Ivory Coast)
• Nathan Dyer: MF (England)
• Jonjo Shelvey: MF (England)

Club: West Ham United FC

Last Year's Finish: 13th Place
Headcoach: Sam Allardyce (2011-present) (English)
Homeground: The Boleyn Ground (35,016 capacity) Upton Park, East London
History: Founded in 1985 as Thames Ironworks FC; reformed in 1900 as West Ham United
Rivals: Millwall, Leyton Orient (East London Derbies)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 57
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 3 (1964, 1975, 1980)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Kevin Nolan (Captain): MF (England)
• Alex Song: MF (Cameroon)
• Carl Jenkinson: DF (England)
• Ravel Morrison: MF (England)
• Ricardo Vaz Te: FW (Portugal)
• Diafra Sakho: FW (Senegal)
• Mark Noble: MF (England)

Club: Sunderland AFC

Last Year's Finish: 14th Place
Headcoach: Gus Poyet (2013-Present) (Uruguayan)
Homeground: Stadium of Light (48,707 Capacity) at Sunderland
History: Founded in 1879 as Sunderland and the District of Teachers
Rivals: Newcastle United (Tyne-Wear Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 84
Number of League Titles: 6 (1892, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1913, 1936)
Number of FA Cups: 2 (1937, 1973)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• John O'Shea (Captain): DF (Ireland)
• Conor Wickham: FW (England)
• Steven Fletcher: FW (Scotland)
• Jozy Altidore: FW (United States)
• Ricky Alvarez: MF (Argentina)
• Santiago Vergini: DF (Argentina)

Club: Aston Villa

Last Year's Finish: 15th Place
Headcoach: Paul Lambert (2012-present) (Scottish)
Homeground: Villa Park (42,682 capacity) Birmingham
History: Founded in 1874 and original member of the first English Football League
Rivals: Birmingham City (Second City Derby)
Number of Top Division Appearances: (104)
Number of League Titles: 7 (1894, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1900, 1910, 1981)
Number of FA Cups: 7 (1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 1
Notable Players:

• Ron Vlaar (Captain): DF (Netherlands)
• Tom Cleverly: MF (England)
• Joe Cole: MF (England)
• Philippe Senderos: DF (Switzerland)
• Fabian Delph: MF (England)
• Christian Benteke: FW (Belgium)
• Aly Cissokho: DF (France)
• Carlos Sanchez: MF (Colombia)

Club: Hull City AFC

Last Year's Finish: 16th Place
Headcoach: Steve Bruce (2012-present) (English)
Homeground: KC Stadium (25,400 capacity) at Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
History: Founded in 1904
Rivals: Leeds United, Barnsley, Bradford City (Yorkshire derbies)
Number of Top Division Appearances: 4
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cups: 0 (Runners-Up in 2014)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Curtis Davies (Captain): DF (England)
• Abel Hernandez: FW (Uruguay)
• Mohammed Diame: MF (Ghana)
• Nikica Jelavic: MF (Croatia)
• Yannick Sagbo: FW (Ivory Coast)
• Gaston Ramirez: MF (Uruguay)
• Hatem Ben Arfa: MF (France)

Club: West Bromwich Albion

Last Year's Finish: 17th Place
Headcoach: Alan Irvine (2014-present) (Scottish)
Homeground: The Hawthorns (26,445 capacity) in West Bromwich
History: Founded in 1878 as the West Bromwich Strollers; founding members of the first English Football League
Rivals: Wolverhampton Wanderers (Black COuntry derby); Aston Villa
Number of Top Division Appearances:78
Number of League Titles: 1 (1920)
Number of FA Cups: 5 (1888, 1892, 1931, 1954, 1968)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Chris Brunt (Captain): MF (England)
• Jonas Olsson: DF (Sweden)
• Andre Wisdom: DF (England)
• Victor Anichebe: FW (Nigeria)
• Silvestre Varela: MF (Portugal)

Club: Leicester City FC

Last Year's Finish: 1st place in English Football League
Headcoach: Nigel Pearson (2011-present) (English)
Homeground: King Power Stadium (32,262 capacity) in Leicester
History: Founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse
Rivals: Coventry City (M69 Derby)
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 46
Number of League Titles: 0
Number of FA Cup Titles: 0 (Runners-Up 1949, 1961, 1963, 1969)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Wes Morgan (Captain): DF (Jamaica)
• Estaben Cambiasso: MF (Argentina)
• Nick Powell: MF (England)
• Leonardo Ulloa: FW (Argentina)
• Jamie Vardy: FW (England)

Club: Burnley FC

Last Year's Finish: 2nd place in English Football League
Headcoach: Sean Dyche (2012-present) (English)
Homeground: Turf Moor (21,401 capacity) in Burnley, Lancashire
History: Founded in 1882 as the Burnley Rovers; One of founding members of the English Football league
Rivals: Blackburn Rovers
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 53
Number of League Titles: 2 (1921, 1960)
Number of FA Cups: 1 (1914)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Jason Shackell (Captain): DF (England)
• Michael Keane: DF (England)
• Nathaniel Chalobah (England)

Club: Queens Park Rangers

Last Year's Finish: 4th place in English Football League
Homeground: Loftus Road Stadium (18,489) in West London
Headcoach: Harry Redknapp (2012-present as coach) (English)
History: Founded in 1882
Rivals: London derbies with Chelsea, Fulham, and Brentford
Number of Top Division League Appearances: 23
Number of League Titles: 0 (finished 2nd place in 1976)
Number of FA Cups: 0 (finished 2nd place in 1982)
Number of Champions League Appearances: 0
Notable Players:

• Clint Hill (Captain): DF (England)
• Rio Ferdinand: DF (England)
• Eduardo Vargas: FW (Chile)
• Shaun Wright Philips: MF (England)
• Niko Kranjcar: MF (Croatia)