Pictured above: Professor Rakesh Sondhi
Chelsea may have taken the first football honours of the season
with their win over Manchester United in last Sunday's Charity
Shield, but United will win the 2009/10 Premier League while
Arsenal will fall out of the top four only to be replaced by
big-spending Manchester City or Tottenham.
These are the predictions of sports psychologist and business
strategist Professor Rakesh Sondhi, who runs the Elite Performance
Academy in Nottingham, and Gary Bailey, the former Manchester
United and England goalkeeper who is now an expert in leadership
and management.
Prof Sondhi and Gary, who runs www.lead-sport.com, have analysed
the recent performances of the top flight teams, using concepts
such as emotional intelligence, appreciative inquiry and basic
leadership skills, and has predicted who might be top of the table
in May 2010.
Prof Sondhi commented: "An expectancy ratio can be based on a
leader's most recent performance levels, which show that in the
previous season, the star performers were Roy Hodgson, Martin
O'Neill and Rafa Benitez, while Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger
performed as expected.
"The key points for the season ahead are that United should win
the league against all the odds and adversity but, because United
have lost two influential players, it could be the best chance for
Benitez to show leadership skills.
Pictured above: Ex Goalkeeper Gary Bailey
"Sir Alex will enjoy the excitement of bringing all his players
together against adversity and expectation to succeed, when the
stats and experts will be against him. Arsenal will continue
to show promise but will be overtaken by Manchester City, whose
manager, Mark Hughes, is demonstrating his class as a good
learner.
"He has spent one year working with egos, which he had not done
before and will grow as a result. But, based on performances and
expectations, I do think Phil Brown and Tony Pulis should have left
while at the top."
Prof Sondhi suggested that it will be a major challenge for Hull
and Stoke to repeat the miracle feats of last year, and questioned:
"Does a good leader bail out or continue? A great leader knows when
he has reached his limit in terms of value added."
The Elite Performance Academy is part of Prof Sondhi's BMC
Global Services consultancy, which advises businesses around the
world on strategies for growth, focusing on how people can achieve
success both individually and for their business.