Predictions for the forthcoming season

Pre season has come and gone, and now a new Premier League season is upon us. Manchester City go into the new season as reigning champions, whereas Chelsea and Manchester United would be looking to snatch the Premier League crown away from the blue half of Manchester. Reading, Southampton and West Ham all earned promotion back into England's top tier, and all 3 will have ambitions of maintaining their Premier League status come the end of the season. With the first round of games already been played, and some indications of how the Premier League season may turn out, I will predict how I think the Premier League will unfold this season.

Predicted league positions:

1st - Manchester United

Van Persie and Man United will be looking to retain the
Premiership trophy and win their 20th English league title 

Ferguson has been impressive in the transfer window this summer, bringing in the likes of Kagawa and Van Persie. Boosted by Kagawa’s creativity and Van Persie’s finishing expertise, these additions will provide the Reds with the firepower needed to edge out title challengers Chelsea and Manchester City and finish as champions.

2nd - Chelsea
Roberto Di Matteo steadied a sinking ship towards the end of the season, guiding Chelsea to FA cup and Champions league glory. With Hazard, Oscar and Marin joining, Chelsea will undoubtedly come close to winning the Premier League crown. However, it is not enough to topple Manchester United, and it will also not be enough to outdo Manchester City unless another major signing is made.

3rd - Manchester City
For me, City have not bolstered their team as much as they need to. Chelsea and United have spent big in order to wrestle the title off City, and a lack of fresh blood for The Citizens can only end in disappointment.

4th - Arsenal
Losing Van Persie to United and potentially Alex Song to Barcelona is a massive blow, but Arsenal fans will be content with the arrivals of Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla to compensate. Cazorla looked very promising in Arsenal’s opener against Sunderland, and I think the replacements are just enough to maintain their regular spot in the top 4.

5th - Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers will be looking to rekindle Liverpool's
glory days and take them back to the top of English football

The instalment of Brendan Rodgers as manager will boost all those connected with Liverpool, and I think they'll thrive under his guidance. They've looked promising in pre season, having accustomed to Brendan Rodgers' Tika Taka style of football rapidly. Despite their shock 3-0 defeat to West Brom, I think they will improve their league position from last year, but not enough to break back into the top 4.

6th - Tottenham Hotspur
Redknapp and Modric's departures are a bitter pill to swallow for Spurs fans. They were integral figures for Tottenham, and the failure to retain their services will be detrimental to the clubs fortunes. Appointing Andre Villas-Boas as manager is also a massive risk, and this risk in my opinion will not pay off for them.

7th - Newcastle
Alan Pardew worked miracles at Newcastle last season, but I do not expect miracles of that scale to occur again. No major arrivals have sparked discontent amongst senior figures at the club, and this could spell a mini slip down the table from to last year.

8th - Everton
David Moyes has consistently led Everton to a solid mid table finish year after year, and expect nothing other then the norm this time round. The Merseysiders can only benefit from the £12 million spent on injury-prone youngster Jack Rodwell, and the money received from that transfer has also led to the acquisition of talented Belgian striker, Kevin Miralles.

9th - Aston Villa
Villa have struggled in recent years, firstly under Houllier and then with Alex Mcleish. But with Paul Lambert at the helm and Darren Bent returning to full fitness after missing much of last season, I see Villa re-establishing themselves as a top half team once again.

Dembele will be a key player for Fulham this
season

10th - Fulham
Fulham have impressed me over the last couple of years, and I expect them to finish in a solid position once again this year. Losing Dempsey could be a blow, but the quality in the ranks with Ruiz, Dembele and new addition Mladen Petric is enough to see them finish comfortably once again.

11th - Sunderland
Martin O'Neill replaced Steve Bruce last year and the results immediately changed for the better, only for them to decline once again towards the end of the season. He's a good manager, but I don't see Sunderland breaking through for a top half finish this season.

12th - Stoke
Tony Pulis and his men have become Premier League regulars, with many thanks to their route 1 style football. Peter Crouch is vital for his teams play, and if he plays well, then Stoke will avoid relegation with considerable ease for the 5th straight season.

13th - Wigan
Roberto Martinez and his men always seem lethargic at the start of the season and have previously been on the wrong end of some absolute hammerings, only to miraculously survive in the closing games. However, I see Wigan breaking out of this bad habit and having a reasonably comfortable season without relegation being a distinct possibility.

14th - Reading
Reading threatened to make the step back up to the Premiership 2 seasons ago only to be denied by Swansea in the playoff final, but there was no denying them last season. Brian McDermott has built a good squad, who should have no problems staying up in their return back to the top flight.

15th - Swansea

Michu celebrates scoring twice on his debut for
Swansea against QPR

I was really worried for Swansea. Rodgers left. Allen left. Sigurdsson didn't sign, and Sinclair wanted to leave. This wasn’t how Swansea wanted to prepare for their second season in the top flight, but new manager Michael Laudrup has decided to keep their passing philosophy, something that served them so well last season. He also managed to secure the services of Michu, someone who really impressed me in their 5-0 demolishing of QPR.

16th - West Ham
The Hammers only just made promotion last season, but they return with a slightly stronger team then they left with. Alladyce knows how to stay in this division, and he'll use this knowledge to keep the Hammers afloat and safely away from danger.

17th - West Brom
Hodgson’s exit led to Steve Clarke taking the reigns at Albion. His lack of managerial experience is worrying, and I think this inexperience may well be harmful in West Brom's bid for survival. However they looked impressive in their opening 3-0 win over Liverpool, and this indicates that they may survive once again this season.

18th - QPR
QPR flirted with relegation last season, but survived by the skin of their teeth on that dramatic final day. QPR have quality in the likes of Cisse and Hoillet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had a nervy and unsuccessful season in retaining their Premier League status.

19th - Southampton
The Saints arrive back in the Premiership following 2 back to back promotions, which would give them huge confidence in the season to come. However, in my opinion their team lacks strength in depth and Premier League quality, and I think they'll make a swift return back to the Championship.

Chris Hughton may not be able to save Norwich
from relegation this season

20th - Norwich
Norwich have lost Paul Lambert, the manager who masterminded 2 back to back promotions 2 seasons ago. A lot of teams struggle from 'second season syndrome,' and the loss of Lambert makes suffering from this much more likely for Norwich. Their 5-0 hammering at Fulham further compounds this theory, and I think they’re a certainty for the drop.

Predicted winners:
Premier League: Manchester United
Carling Cup: Arsenal
FA Cup: Manchester United
Championship: Bolton
League 1: Sheffield United
League 2: Wycombe

Champions League: Real Madrid
Europa League: Liverpool

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
La Liga: Barcelona
Ligue 1: PSG
Serie A: Juventus
SPL: Celtic

So that is that, my predictions for this season. At the end of the season I will produce another article, based on these predictions and how many I guessed right. If you have any comments or simply just want to share your views, feel free to either comment on this article or contact me on twitter: @JamesStroud1995 - Thank you for reading.