Werder the clear leader in the middle division.

Get ready to set sail on the sea of compromises that is division 3.

Werder lead in 3 key stats of Def, Mid , Att and also overall. However and there is always a but, they have a weaker keeper than some. I believe though the large amount of possession and strong attack should be too big a problem for most .  Villa and Santos are closely matched. Villa more strength , less depth , great keeper / defence combo.  Santos more attacking minded , perhaps better as the season progresses.

All the way down to Stoke could survive in D2.  Man Utd are playing the strength card, but 2 or 3 injuries will bring their season crashing down. Udinese a well balanced team, also looking for a good cup run.

Borussia M and Lille should function in a similar manner. Stoke are more interesting having a weaker keeper than most.

Relegation is more difficult to judge here.  Things get problematic at less than 218.5 and usually relegation is certain less than 218.2.

That leaves 6 teams in the mix for that particular prize.

Wolfsburg lack of defence will surely be their undoing long term even with a decent keeper, they also lack depth so one or two injuries in the middle possession will falter.   Shaktar lack a defensive unit and keeper strong enough in this division and look certain relegation candidates.

Celta could easily be improved with an 87 rated keeper of which there are plenty external at the moment.  Dnipro, Sporting , Galatasaray almost identical in stats . the manager will make all the difference there.

Two runaway leaders ?

Anderlecht are far and away the best team in D2.

They would finish  top 8 in D1 and should win the league with ease.  Fellow relegated PSG should find 2^nd an easy win.

Neither side has any obvious weakness and the others don’t come close.

Also relegated from D1 Liverpool head the chasing pack.  They go for strength over depth and must avoid injuries or suspension. A similar and familiar them applies to Leverkeusen and Everton who should find the playoffs .  Southampton are the first depth side and they may need to wait for the 2^nd half of the season before making their challenge.

224.6 is the cut off though to survive in D1 so only the leaders can hope not to fall again without some kind of additional boost to their squad.

A the lower end of the table anything less than 218.5 makes relegation a likely prospect. With that in mind only Napoli and Levante look to be in serious problem as the lower end of D2 has perked up a bit this year.

Levante seem outmatched in most departments, Napoli do have some attacking prowess if used correctly.  Basel and Sevilla have balanced squads but the team just above Sevilla hope to use their keeper to save them this season.

Cup run anybody?  Schalke have the depth and two byes to assist them into the 2^nd round and a stamina boost to envy,

Chelsea top of the stats for season 14

For the new managers or those who have forgotten.

I take the average rating of the Gk, Def, Mid, Att , the lowest of the top 18 ( adjusted if needed ) and the overall average to produce the ETOT the effective total.

This then gives the predicted position.

Chelsea sit just above Barcelona, their side is better balanced and has more depth , although neither side really goes that deep. These 2 are well clear of Juventus and Arsenal . Juventus also lack depth but on any given day could challenge the top 2 as could Arsenal who are the first depth side. They need to look at the long game this season.

Bayern and Porto are the only other sides above 229, realistically the cut off for any title hopes. Bayern have the greatest depth of any team and like Arsenal may have to hope for injuries in the Barcelona or Chelsea squads.

Real Madrid and Dortmund also are well equipped for the long run and I would expect them to finish higher than their predicted position if managed well.

224 is the cut off for relegation so Tottenham , Man City and Ajax would need to do really well to even finish above the cut off. Roma may fair little better with a tragic lack of depth and an ancient keeper who is sure to drop, they may save one of their lower ranked rivals.