Arsenal
The massive boost for Arsenal this summer was the news that Thierry Henry is staying. If ever the phrase "one man team" belonged to a side in the Premiership it would be Henry for Arsenal. The guy oozes class and is also a bit of a favourite down at Fratton Park too! (When he has finished scoring against us.) The trouble with Arsenal this season is their loss of key and experienced players in Campbell, Bergkamp and Pires and it will be up to the promising Senderos, fiery but talented Robin van Persie and Czech Republic star Tomas Rosicky to fill their boots respectively. Arsenal do have plenty of talent elsewhere on the pitch but the likes of Hleb and Adebayor will need to improve on last seasons showings if they are to command a regular starting place in the team.
The main weaknesses of Arsenal this season will be their inexperience at the back, although the vastly under-rated Kolo Toure will be a rock I think a little more time will be needed before the other promising youngsters like Eboue and Djourou can fulfill their potential. There are still question marks over Ashely Cole's future at the club too and I believe he will be a Chelsea player come the end of August leaving a void in the Arsenal back four that will be extremely difficult to fill. The other weakness Arsenal have is something that has hindered them in previous seasons: lack of a plan B. Arsenal on form are easily the best team to watch with the fast paced, flowing, attacking football they play but against the more physical sides in the league; namely Blackburn and Bolton they struggle to cope with a physical battle although Gilberto, Adebayor and Diaby might add some steel to the side when needed.
The final thing that could scupper a title challenge from Arsenal is the "new stadium curse". Derby suffered it with Pride Park, Man City also had a problem winning at home in their first season at the COMS. As unreasonable as it seems I think the unfamiliar surroundings of the Emirates Stadium will have a totally different feel to the traditional Highbury and it might take a season for players and fans alike to get used to it after so many years at the old ground. It sounds stupid but it does happen!
Key Man: Theirry Henry - Who else?
Final Prediction: 3rd - I think it's a season too early for the Gunners to pose any real threat to Chelsea but if Henry avoids injury and the likes of Fabregas, Flamini, Eboue etc. continue to develop and impress then a top four finish should easily be within the grasp of Arsene Wenger.
Aston Villa
The last two seasons you could be forgiven for mistaking Villa Park for a morgue as the way some Villa fans ranted you'd think they were going to slit their wrists in depression because for a club who are traditionally "big", being only one of four English clubs to win the European Cup, the future looked very bleak under the reign of "Deadly" Doug Ellis and relegation a certainty.
How things can change! American billionaire Randy Lerner looks certain to purify the poisoned chalice that has been in Ellis's grasp since the dawn of time despite warnings from the AV06 consortium that they will fight to make the club theirs. The bigger news is that David "They're a good bunch of lads" O'Dreary has finally walked the plank to the delight of the majority of the Villa faithful and has been replaced with someone who is held in extremely high regard by anyone who knows anything about football; Martin O'Neill. O'Neill has had a great track record at every club he has been at, mainly Leicester and Celtic and if you ask fans of these two clubs what they think of him you will probably get the same response: "God". If you needed any further proof of how good Martin O'Neill is, he made Emile Heskey an England international!
With O'Neill at the helm the cloud over the claret and blue side of Birmingham has broken up and sunny spells are forecasted ahead. Villains are now very optimistic about the coming season, with some thinking they are now capable of a top 6 finish! I would certainly disagree with that taking a look at their squad. Sorensen isn't brilliant, the back four are no more than average although if Mellberg can find his form of previous seasons and Martin Laursen can stay injury free then this would get the "goals against" tally down. Gareth Barry and Steve Davis are both quality players although James Milner will be a miss. It's up front which I believe poses the main problem for Villa with Milan Baros inconsistant and injury prone, Angel proving himself to be a one season wonder (though O'Neill could change that) and Luke Moore has a bright future ahead of him but he's still inexperienced. It's hard to see a regular goalscorer there so O'Neill will have to address this problem first.
Another positive for Villa is the array of quality youth players that are coming through. Luke Moore and Steve Davis are already products of this system who have made the grade in the first team and Gabriel Agbonlahor and Gary Cahill (thanks that wonder-volley by the way...) are coming along nicely. I think this season will be one about building for the future whilst stabilising for the time being.
Key Man: Gareth Barry - Quality left-sider who O'Neill needs to keep hold of. Can either play in midfield or full back. He would be perfect for us....
Final Prediction: 14th - Martin O'Neill should be able to galvanise a mediocre squad and add to it with sufficient funds in January. This alone should ensure Villa avoid a relegation battle in a season where Villa can start building for a positive future under new management. Consolidation this season however.
Blackburn Rovers
Mark Hughes seemed to suprise a lot of people last season by taking Blackburn to a UEFA cup spot. The added commitment of the UEFA Cup along with the exit of star man Craig Bellamy will mean achieveing the same feat is going to be very difficult.
Hughes has attempted to rebuild the forward line by replacing Craig Bellamy and Paul Dickov with Jason Roberts and Benni McCarthy. Whilst I believe Roberts will have a bigger impact than Dickov ever did for Blackburn I think there is a huge question mark over McCarthy. He's had a poor goalscoring record for Porto these last two seasons and I'm glad we didn't sign him for what would have been a huge fee. He could be a world beater but I'm tipping him to be a flop in this league although he will prove his worth in the UEFA Cup. (Watch him net a hat-trick against us on the opening day now!)
The main plus for Rovers is that key players have signed new deals. Pompey target Ryan Nelsen has signed a new deal as has the energetic Steven Reid. Rovers' success has been based on a very tough defence marshalled by Brad Friedel, a tight midfield with goal-getters on the wings in Morten Gamst and David Bentley although I think Bellamy will be missed. One problem that Hughes will have to sort out this season was the dodgy away form last season as whilst Ewood Park was a fortress, away from home they lost valuable points. If they improve this then the sky's the limit. (well, fifth place..)
Key Man: Ryan Nelsen - One of the most under-rated centre halves in the league. A commading and uncompromising figure that we were after but in truth, had next to no hope of signing.
Final Prediction: 8th - Blackburn have the base to challenge for Europe once again though much will depend on how the squad copes with UEFA cup football as well as how Benni McCarthy settles in. With their physical style of play and goals from midfield they should be able to cement a top half finish without any problem.
Bolton Wanderers
It's been a frustrating summer for Bolton fans with speculation over Sam Allardyce's future and lack of any real quality signings. It's hard to see Bolton repeating their previous top half finishes, in fact I think they will be in trouble this season. I think this season Bolton might get found out and that their direct style of play will be unproductive whilst the goals will dry up from midfield. They have lost key figures of past campaigns such as Jay-Jay Okocha and Bruno N'Gotty whilst the signing of Quinton Fortune is a big gamble considering his injury problems whilst Meite and Tal scream "Who!?"
I know that this is a very risky prediction but every season there is a suprise team that struggles and ends up getting relegated. You have to wonder how much heart Big Sam has in the job after being rejected for the England role. Add to that the possibility of the usual Bolton tactics going stale and lack of goals from the striker(s) and a defence with holes in it after the departures of N'Gotty and Jaidi and you just never know...
Key Man: Kevin Nolan - I'm suprised he hasn't been called up to the England squad yet. He gets goals and does his fair share of defensive work too. A very good player and should not be over-looked by McClaren.
Final Prediction: 18th - This isn't me trying to be controversial but every season there is a suprise team who nobody expects to be down there and out of all the teams in the league I think Bolton look the most vulnerable because of tactics that could be found out and because other key figures have left the club. I know it's a very risky prediction however and Bolton could very easily prove me wrong and do what they have been doing for the last two seasons. This prediction will either be future telling genious or utter stupidty!
Charlton Athletic
You have to wonder if Charlton fans ever get bored with their club. Every season they look like they could chase a UEFA Cup spot and yet fall down the table towards the end of the campaign. This season could be different though, for all the wrong reasons. I'll make it clear now that I think Iain Dowie is one of the most over-rated managers in England. Yes, he did well with Crystal Palace to begin with but for someone who is supposed to be a great motivator it suprised me to see Palace do so badly for a squad of their calibre last season in the Championship as well as getting thrashed by Watford in the play-offs.
Dowie will have a point to prove at Charlton now and I think it's all down to him as to how well they perform. Alan Curbishley got the best out of what I thought was a very mediocre squad last season (including two stolen results from us) and Dowie has added to it by signing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who I think could go either way for them as could Scott Carson. I don't rate Andy Reid or Djimi Traore whilst as Pompey fans we know what Amdy Faye can (or can't) do. Darren Bent also has to prove that he was no one-season wonder and that he can score more than 15 goals this season too as I believe Charlton will need them. He and Luke Young were the shining stars of a mediocre team last season so the new signings have to gel quickly and the new manager will need to get his ideas across fast to avoid a bad beginning to his new life at The Valley. If things start slowly then Charlton could well be in for a tough season.
Key Man: Darren Bent - One season wonder or the genuine article? We'll find out...
Final Prediction: 15th - Providing Bent and Hasselbaink work well then Charlton have the firepower to avoid relegation quite easily but I have my doubts over the new signings as well as the new manager and a good start is required otherwise a relegation battle beckons.
Chelsea
What can you say about the back-to-back Premiership Champions that hasn't already been said? Slate them for buying the title all you want but you can't disagree that they haven't deserved them for their work on the pitch. The only "problems" Chelsea had last season was a lack of a decent goalscorer and a dodgy left-back position as Asier Del Horno is another player to add to the list of Mourinho's failures he has signed during his spell at Stamford Bridge. The former problem has been solved with the signing of Andriy Shevchenko who should bag them at least 15 goals this season, probably more. If Chelsea eventually get their man in Ashley Cole then the latter problem will also be solved and it will be hard to find a weakness on the pitch.
But where there seems to be no weakness on the pitch, there may be slight cracks off it. Mourinho has to keep all of his superstars happy and that's already proving difficult as William Gallas has once again re-iterated his desire to leave the club. I also wonder how Jose will accomodate Lampard, Essien, Ballack, Makelele, Joe Cole, Robben and Wright-Phillips into the same midfield. I would think that "The Special One" will employ a 4-4-2 with Drogba and Shevchenko starting up front and then play a selection of those midfielders into either a flat midfield four or a diamond. Either way, it's hard to see all the midfielders being kept happy and that will be one of the bigger issues of this season for Chelsea and on the pitch matters should take care of themselves, after all they just have so much quality in every single area of the pitch (apart from left back which will almost certainly be sorted by the end of August). Who is going to stop them?
Key Man: John Terry - The England skipper is the heart and soul of Chelsea and with him in team, it's hard to see how Chelsea are going to concede a goal let alone lose in the majority of their Premiership games.
Final Prediction: 1st - Chelsea remain the team to beat and although they're not invincible and it might take time for the new players/system to get going they have so much quality it's hard to see past them winning the Premiership, unless they focus their efforts in Europe as they chase the Champions League. Either way, only a fool would bet against Chelsea not lifting a trophy this season.
Everton
Ah yes, Pompey's Premiership bogey team! The Toffee's should be renamed the Jammie Dodgers considering the amount of times they have stolen a result from us but nevertheless, David Moyes has a very good squad at his disposal this term and Evertonians will be hoping for a better season than last.
I like the signings they have made. I'm still a bit gutted that we didn't go in for Andy Johnson and him and Scummer Beattie should form a formidable partnership up front whilst the midfield has plenty of quality in it with the likes of Cahill, Arteta and Osman in there. Joeleon Lescott also looks to be an astute purchase from Wolves to go with the other tough and gritty defenders in the Everton backline whilst Tim Howard has ability in goal and will benefit from first-team football.
The only problem with Everton seems to be the inconsistancy of some of the players and occasionally the baffling decisions of manager David Moyes. I don't know why he rates Phil Neville so highly, in fact I don't know how anyone can! There's also slight question marks over the signings because as good as I think they will be what happens if Johnson was just a flash in the pan? What about if Lescott injures himself for another whole season like he did when Wolves were in the top flight? What if Howard decides to let a few goals in for fun? I still think all three signings will do very well and fit in easily with an already talented team but you can't ever be 100% sure...
Key Man: Mikel Arteta - Cahill might take most of the midfield plaudits but it's Arteta who unlocks defences with his passing and he is also a deadly free kick taker. If he stays fit he can be the key for a UEFA Cup push.
Final Prediction: 6th - Might be a bit high but as long as the squad stays fit then there's absolutely no reason why Everton shouldn't be capable of a top 6 finish with the team they have.
Fulham
Fulham continue to defy the critics season after season. Every year they are predicted to fight a relegation battle but every year they finish well clear of the relegation places and occasionally threaten to break into the top 10. Whilst I don't think they will improve on their best Premiership finish they achieved in the 03/04 season I don't see Fulham getting relegated despite the ultimate loss of Steed Malbranque.
Fulham have made a couple of decent signings in Jimmy Bullard and Franck Quedrue, the former of which will run his arse off for the cause whilst the latter should fill the gap left by Wayne Bridge. I have no idea how Zakuani and and Runstrom will fare but the main thing is that they have kept hold of Papa Bouba Diop, Luis Boa Morte, Brian McBride and Collins John. With the way Fulham like to play it was vital that Chris Coleman kept hold of these four players who can all score goals having already "lost" Malbranque (sign him up Harry!)
It's imperative that Fulham improve their woeful away form, because if Fortress Craven Cottage begins to crumble (not literally!) then Fulham will find theirselves in trouble and with a leaky defence that conceded nearly the same amount of goals as we did last season they're never going to have a comfortable ride in the Premiership.
Key Man: Luis Boa Morte - Shoulders even more of a burden to score and supply the Fulham front line without Steed Malbranque. Despite having Scummer connections he's a quality player and leads by example.
Final Prediction: 13th - Whilst the away form and defence need a lot of work Fulham have enough attacking prowess to steer them clear of the bottom three, especially at home. Could well be relegation battlers on the other hand, but we always say that!
Liverpool
For me, Liverpool look like the only side that stand any realistic chance of catching Chelsea this season. Gradually, Rafa Benitez has closed the gap on the Champions and has once again added quality to his squad in Craig Bellamy, Jermaine Pennant and Fabio Aurelio. Add them to an extremely mean defence containing Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyppiaand a very impressive midfield captained by Steven Gerrard and you have yourselves potential title challengers as long as the forward problem is sorted.
At home they are rarely beaten, although if the Kopites want to see the title lifted then they really must avoid defeats to Chelsea home and away as well as being beating by Manchester United and Arsenal who will also fancy their chances. A slow start was what cost Liverpool any hopes of the title early on last season but I fancy them to hit the ground running this time I'm just not sure if they can win away from Anfield often enough to keep the pressure on Chelsea. The scoring record of Liverpool was also poor last season but Craig Bellamy should certainly chip in with quite a few though I'm unsure the impending signing of Dirk Kuyt from Feyenoord will be the solution to the goalscoring problem. He hasn't impressed me whenever I have seen him but he does have a proven track record in Holland, mind you so did Mateja Kezman.
There are a lot of positives for the red side of Merseyside this season. A defence that rarely concedes having kept the most clean sheets in the league last season. The midfield looks very impressive with Harry Kewell beginning to show his old Leeds form, Pennant should add plenty of pace and quality delivery on the right whilst Xabi Alonso can create oppurtunities for others as well as chip in with the odd goal, Sissoko is a proper "Fuck 'em up get into 'em!" player, Luis Garcia is capable of getting goals out of nothing and Steven Gerrard speaks for himself. If the forwards fire on all cylinders then this is the best chance Liverpool have to lift the Premiership since it began in 1992.
Key Man: Steven Gerrard - The ultimate midfield player. Liverpool can cope without him but with him in the side they are a much better outfit. He just has everything. Already a Liverpool legend.
Final Prediction: 2nd - If Kuyt and Bellamy prove their worth and score bagfuls then Liverpool can push Chelsea all the way. They look like the only team who can pose any real threat to the Champions but I think they'll just fall short at the final hurdle.
Manchester City
Stuart Pearce has done well to keep the likes of Joey Barton and Micah Richards at the club. However there will be question marks over his own managerial qualities as his side plummeted down the table at the end of last season finishing a measly 15th. Pearce could have well made the signing of the summer in Didi Hamann and I think Hatem Trabelsi will also be a massive hit with the City fans as Distin looks set to leave for Middlesbrough (although rumours suggest we're still in for him!) How Dabo, Corradi and Issakson fare will remain to be seen but it was key that Pearce kept together the core of the City side that did so well for him at the start of the season.
City have goals in them with Cole and Samaras capable of scoring plenty if they stay fit. Darius Vassell should also chip in although his pace is likely to set up chances for other players. Paul Dickov will also be his usual annoying self. City have a decent squad of players now but none of them seem "Great" to me and that will probably stop City from challenging for Europe along with Pearce's questionable but likeable management methods. The away form needs sorting as it was truly awful last season but even so I don't expect City to be in any trouble at all.
Key Man: Joey Barton - All of City's play seems to go through Barton who is quickly making a big reputation on the field for himself. This could be the year that makes people really stand up and take notice.
Final Prediction: 10th - City have the makings of a squad that is good enough to finish in the top 10 now that the added steel of Hamann should stop them losing so many away games whilst Trabelsi will be a hit. I think they will fall short of a UEFA Cup spot though.
Check back later today for the second half of my Premiership Prediction article!