Season 20,075 Preview Lineups are listed right to left where applicableAS PeravovaKits: Home &
AwayManager: Jana Bauer |
Stadium: Tensari (20,000)
Starting Eleven (4-5-1): Alexander Schulz; Doreen Frey, Angelika Frei, Franziska Weisz, Kevin Zweig; Sven Gottschalk, Kristian Farber, Lena Bürger, Thomas Friedman, Lena Pfeiffer; Thorsten Urner
For the first time in nearly a decade, Peravova is back into the top tier of Vanorian football, though I would say that they are in a far worse shape than they were the last time that they were up in the Premiership. That being said, the Vyintanese have been having human players in their youth academy for ages and so that may prove to be a valuable boon for the club as the league continues to try to feel out how to transition to the new conditions of the Eternal Empire. Though I still think that Peravova simply does not have enough to stay up in the top tier.
AC ValanariKits: Home &
AwayManager: Sigrid Olstad |
Stadium: Duran Palace (51,000)
Starting XI (4-4-2 diamond): Thea Lind; Joachim Sørbø, Lukas Martinussen, Mathias Håland, Aleksandra Landro; Even Haugan; Sofia Sundal, Viljar Aase; Vilde Næss; Sara Haugum, Michael Jensen
Some will wonder if Valanari will retain the moniker of the Young Blues now that they have been forced to move on from their elven players, like the rest of the nation, and will be using whatever human players that they can get to sign. That aside, the squad performed quite well last season, finishing at a tidy tenth place finish, though they would have liked to see their strike force grab a few more goals, with the side barely averaging over a single goal a game. Fortunately their defensive unit is fairly solid from what was shown last season, with Mathias Håland being particularly impressive, such that the national team is looking his direction. If that strike force can pop in a few more goals this season, they may well challenge for a UICA spot.
Club ESFKits: Home &
AwayManager: Håvard Chaudhry |
Stadium: Donna Cathedral (60,000)
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Aron Langørgen; Jostein Tvete, Emil Sandbakken, Gabriel Rønning,
Kirsten Galley; Sofie Gleditsch, Marius Stiansen, Victoria Huynh; Kasper Fosse; Elias Mathiesen,
Russell McGeouch
The Blues did not fare well last season as a very leaky defensive unit had them fighting off relegation for the majority of the season and it is hard to think that just three seasons ago that they were up into the top four and playing in the UICA. McGeouch needs to show a bit more of presence in the front if the team is to climb back into midtable and what people are used to from them, but the bite really needs to come from the backline that looked lost at times. Perhaps a second season will have Galley look more comfortable but last season it seemed as if the fullback had a hard time handling the pressure of the games week in and week out, as well as the pace that the teams of the Premiership have on hand. While not all the defensive woes was their fault, their performance really needs to raise if they want to keep the starting position.
Club ValanoraKits: Home &
AwayManager: Tiril Markussen |
Stadium: Tiradir (30,000)
Starting XI (4-4-2): Amund Mørk; Nicholas Nguyen, Jørgen Vik, Hermine Larsen, Thelma Volden; Elvira Holter, Tobias Nyvoll, Agnes Ali, Carl Skoglund; Daniel Mjåland, Abdullahi Danielsen
The Warriors managed to take advantage of the chaos that was last season and found a way to sneak into the top half of the table and with little in the way of fanfare, I expect them to repeat the process though their backline could definitely use some better performances if they are to ensure another top half campaign. Last season Danielsen was about to keep the team afloat with a fifteen goal season, but it is not a certain thing that they will be able to repeat that performance. Larsen and Vik have to do a lot better or the Warriors could see themselves in the relegation fight that no one wants to see, while if they improve the club could be fighting for a top 5 position and a spot in the UICA.
FC CapriKits: Home &
AwayManager: René Abendroth |
Stadium: Hatire Memorial (60,000)
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Michael Norberg; Herman Söderberg, Edgar Sundström, Abbe Fredriksson,
Corryn Tallant;
Beibhinn Harlech, Florian Gruenewald, Eliza Hellström ;
Yuki Hatsune;
Linn-Katrin Hairenbyrne,
Sue Hackett
The last two seasons has seen the invest of the Typhoon into the Cosumarite Hairenbyrne pay off, as the side has been able to maintain their top five presence and for awhile even put a scare into the Flames and Rockers in the vying for the title. Overall, the squad seems to be fairly well built though it could use another strong prescence in the backline to really solidfy their status as a title contender. However the problem is that the fans of the Typhoon have come to love and expect the side to have full attacking flair, which they have had, but with Hackett getting up there in years, there is a chance that the Typhoon have kept her as the primary starter for one season too many.
Gladerial UnitedKits: Home &
AwayManager: Ruben Skuland |
Stadium: The White Fortress (70,000)
Starting XI (4-4-2): Erik Andersen; Maria Lind, Benjamin Dahl, Emilia Neteland, Synne Pedersen; Ola Rogstad, Amanda Braathen, Preben Paulsen, Malene Hansen; Ruth Lindhjem,
Conan Hawkine
Four seasons now the Twilight have defied all expectations and maintained a top flight status despite all signs saying that they should be on the way back down to the second tier. With the reshuffling of the league structure and no more playoff to have to worry about, the Twilight should be calm in that their spot is likely secured, if only just by the slimmest of margins, though last campaign did see them finish a comfortable seven points off fourteenth and thirteen above the drop. The Twilight have decided to take a chance on a veteran Brenecia striker in Conan Hawkine, hoping to bolster their attacking prowess to maybe move up further into the table, though the fans of the club would say that they money would have been better invested in some better defenders.
Hondo FCKits: Home &
AwayManager: Tobias Nilssen |
Stadium: Raynor Memorial (40,000)
Starting XI (3-3-1-3): Agnes Stenberg; Mia Fallet, Mona Selmer, Line Rønning;
Máirín Wakefield, Mathias Jakobsen,
Patrick Rafferty;
Angelo Farías;
Lucy Curren, Adrian Lunde, Emil Oppedal
The Owls had a bit of a slip last season, falling all the way to fifth place, though the question really is how did they manage not to finish higher with their impressive offensive and defensive record overall. The squad seems to be one that either has a feast of has famine, as when they score, they score in bunches or they do not score at all. Perhaps this is a sign of Lucy Curren coming back down for the tantalizing heights of her initial landing in Valanora and back to what those back in Schottia expected from her. It might be a make or break season for several of their foreign based players as they are all entering the twilight of their careers, as anything less than a title challenge will likely see a mass selling off in the next window.
Ibini FCKits: Home &
AwayManager: Marit Engvik |
Stadium: Metropolis (39,000)
Starting XI (4-4-2): Brynjar Eide;
Joseph Curtin, Oliver Davies,
Deneb Xilbohim,
Sheila Greaves; Leonora Forsberg,
Iñaki Martón,
Tiffany Elam, Yusuf Norberg; Allandren Fresco,
Pierre Casseres
The spirits are higher than normal for the Islanders as the team is one of the few that still has an elven player and the lineup is full of solid players from top to bottom. This Islander squad should give Mar Sara and Raynor City a heavy run for their money when it comes to the title race, with Fresco looking to show that elite elven experience in spades. The Valladar Casseres should lift some of that burden off of Fresco, while Martón adds a bit of grit that was missing from the middle of the park, making the squad quite well rounded. If there is a weakness, it is the keeper position, but with good goalkeepers so hard to come by in the transfer window, they will have to make due with young Eide and hope he starts to improve as he gets experience.
Mar Sara FCKits: Home,
Away, &
ThirdManager: Jens Dahlberg |
Stadium: Artani (74,000)
Starting XI (4-4-2): Andreas Kronstad;
Lucjusz Stef,
Aililath Nerenn,
Seve Vásquez,
Tamara Glavan; Vanessa Stormo, Leon Berg, Frida Jacobsen, Ingvild Thorsen; Marie Skaar, Samuel Strømnes
Back to back seasons of finishing just off the pace has to be quite frustrating for the Mar Sara faithful as they have to ask what more that they can do to finally topple United's run of dominance in the league. All across the lineup there is a good to great player lacing up the boots for them, they have suberb facilities, and quite passionate fans that fill out the Artani every single home match. If the Flames are going to topple United, it needs to be this season, with Stef and Nerenn both on the wrong side of thirty, and they will not be able to count on them to provide one of the best defenses in the league for that much longer, as the Flames did boost the second best defensive record last season.
Raynor City UnitedKits: Home,
Away, &
ThirdManager: Didrik Gjedrem |
Stadium: The Battleground (78,000)
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Macron Abbott; Iben Fjørtoft,
Corella da Silva,
Torbjörn Jorgensen,
Alexandra Saravakos;
Jainsly Anselm,
Timi'sala Koarena, Ilglerdiriel Lithvathar;
Cristian Arango;
Tájö Çíânflöné,
Nacho
Macron Abbott and Nacho have been nothing short of amazing and living up to and beyond all expectations of them when the Rockers were able to snap them up two seasons ago, helping lift the side to another pair of titles and looking quite dangerous in the ICCs as well. However as good as the squad is, the middle of the park is a little long in the tooth and that might just been a problem, with both Koarena and Arango over thirty. The ageless wonder of Lithvathar continues to fly up and down the flanks, though there have been talks that the winger has been looking lethargic and meloncholy lately, with some saying that she is feeling depressed after the departure of all her friends and family in the Calling. Maybe it is not, since on paper this United side should be able to run away with the league, but there does appear to be a few cracks here and there that the rest of the league might be able to take advantage of, especially given the amount of competitions that the Rockers will be having to compete in next season after winning the Cup as well.
Rolalas FCKits: Home &
AwayManager: Ine Skogen |
Stadium: The West Wall (41,000)
Starting XI (3-4-3): Julia Taylor;
Cuthbert Ottaway, Thea Nesse, Erik Tesfay; Melissa Heggernes, Filip Andersen, Wilhelm Trøen, Juliane Uthaugl; Emilie Heier, Mathias Skau, Emma Nygård
The capital continues to have the most influence over the Premiership with Rolalas maintaining their stay and keeping the count of capital clubs at three of the sixteen slots, though they will no doubt be making Jaime Kuu disappointed with their lack of offensive output last season despite their three striker system. That the Starblaydi's first managed club has managed to keep itself as a steady top tier side, even if it does sometimes yo-yo into the second tier, has to have made him proud, but for the fans at home, they would like it if the side managed to try and push forward rather than rest on their laurels. The goals for the fans is a top ten finish and there is enough talent here to that, but the side will need to find a way to get more points on the road and turn The West Wall into more of fortress that points are nearly a guarantee for them when playing at home.
Samarga UnitedKits: Home &
AwayManager: Caitlin Potter |
Stadium: Meadow Park (18,000)
Starting XI (4-4-2): Stephanie Freytag; Jennifer Loewe, Katrin Engel, Ulrich Schmid, Juliane Boehm; Andreas Friedman, Declan Lord, Christian Weisz, Jonas Kluge; Lewis Stanley, Chloe Barber
No one will ever accuse Samarga United of having very pretty matches, but then no one has ever said that effective tactics have to be beautiful to watch, as evidenced by Samarga's ugly but effective defensive effort last season that saw them nearly claw their way into the UICA with a completely unbelievable sixth placed finish. The Vyintanese outfit ensures that the island continues to have more than just Ibini as its main representative, however the club has little in the way to attract any of the good players, and thus has to resort to the sort of tactics that make it even more unlikely to get more fans or technically skilled players to join their team, sort of a catch 22. That being said, while I do think Samarga is likely to fall back to reality, it should not be a heavy drop, and a finish somewhere around tenth seems likely with teams still going to have a hard time to break down their steel wall defensive line.
SC RinaldiKits: Home &
AwayManager: Aurora Bye |
Stadium: The Beachfront (43,000)
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Jakob Stensrud; Eva Fotland, Lauritz Soltvedt,
Deonte Fretwell, Johan Steen;
Pascal Kilgallon, Henrik Elmi, Lars Strand;
Camilla Priest;
Alyssa Souter,
Fionn Lynch
Lynch and Souter really need to step up their games if they want to keep this partnership that they have had going on for the last two seasons, as they are simply not netting enough goals at a consistent pace that would warrant keeping them as a striker partnership. While a midtable finish last season was nothing to scoff at, the Gunners are used to being in and around the top of the table, not merely being content with midtable mediocrity, as they do also have a handful of Premiership titles to their name. Adding the Eastfielder national team hopeful to sure up the backline might be a good move but it could be fruitless if the attacking talent doesn't find a way to get a few more chances and convert them every match.
Soldarian FCKits: Home,
Away, &
ThirdManager: Carmen Bugge |
Stadium: Hellgate (54,000)
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Samuel Nygård;
Issac Catessic,
Garwyn Varney, Lukas Jørgensen,
Sherry Thames;
Jagger Parsa, Gabriel Bakken, Eskil Ramberg; Ole Johansen;
Ted Dolanukitainen,
Keled Petheô
With a rather lethargic showing last season, the Soldars hit the market in order to try and get back into UICA contention, with the signing of Mercedini national team defender Issac Catessic and Cosumarite striker Ted "Nuke" Doluanukitainen. The signings are said to be a boost to the club and given the fans some renewed up that the squad can begin to compete with their capital city rivals once more. There is some concern about how much quality that the likes of Catessic and Varney actually have, as Mercedini is not exactly a major power in world football, but the Soldars have little right to be picky after finishing twelfth last season. If the squad can rely on something though, it is Keled Petheô, as the Pasargan striker has had double digit goals the last three seasons and should be fit to get that sort of tally again if Nuke lives up to their billing.
Straightdale FCKits: Home &
AwayManager: Elvira Ness |
Stadium: Red Fence (39,000)
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Frida Brandvik; Olav Grønvold, Andreas Håpnes, Lina Farah, Ask Hansen; Jakob Brattli, Adrian Aasen, Sander Hagen; Jon Hansen; Mina Løkken, Ingrid Morken
The Knights are who we thought they were, a once mighty club that has been relegated to something of a yo-yo club and with no real direction for getting out of the current predicament that they find themselves. Like most of the other lower end table teams of the Premiership, the squad needs fresh ideas and to quit holding serve with their mostly domestic based lineup, even if it means going into even more defensive than what they typically are known for. Something has to change if the Knights are to become a mainstay in the top tier once more.
Wexax UnitedKits: Home &
AwayManager: Mia Aarø |
Stadium: Castle de Mot (49,000)
Starting XI (4-4-2): Mariell Jensen;
Karen Gourlay,
Perla Sierra, Vilde Flatebø, Camilla Nilsen; Philip Johansen, Simon Berget,
Naldaboa,
Dallas Keighran; Vebjørn Evjen, Jonas Hella
Things have not gone according to plan for Wexax the last few seasons and it is perplexing as to figure out exactly where things have gone wrong and how to fix them. In a desperate move just to get something changed, the squad has changed to a 4-4-2 to try and get better results or shake up the roster, though I am not sure that will be the remedy that cures what ails the Hammers, as they just simply seem to be lacking something and have become the very definition of mediocrity as the squad is currently composed.
Predicted Finish1: Raynor City United
2: Mar Sara FC
3: Hondo FC
4: Ibini FC
5: FC Capri
6: Soldarian FC
7: Club Valanora
8: Wexax United
9: SC Rinaldi
10: AC Valanari
11: Samarga United
12: Gladerial United
13: Rolalas FC
14: Club ESF
15: Straightdale FC
16: AS Peravova