Premier League Preview

Will Manchester City finish in the top 4? The answer will be a resounding no. They'll make progress on last years ninth place finish and end up somewhere around six or seven in a rotation with Villa, Tottenham, Fulham, Everton, etc. With all the money spent by Mark Hughes Manchester City is still not attracting the true difference maker players. With the exception of Robinho it's arguable that none of their top eleven could crack the top eleven at Manchester United or Chelsea. Naturally there is still time in the transfer window to make more moves but they are sorely lacking defensively and still have to prove they have the ability to win away from home. There will also be a lot of pressure on Hughes to mix together some potentially difficult personalities in Robinho, Emmanual Adebayor, Craig Bellamy, Carlos Tevez, etc. What's more likely? Hughes leads the sack race of City contend for the top four?

What player will be the story of the year in the Premier League? With Christiano Ronaldo in Madrid Wayne Rooney will step up and fulfill all expecations of greatness that he's carried since his mid-teens. He'll form a tough combination with Dimitar Berbatov and take his game to the next level as he creatively and doggedly creates chance after chance for United.

If Manchester City isn't going to contend for the top four, who will? The top four will again remain the same. Tottenham will be more consistent, Everton will be as consistent as ever and a young Aston Villa team will continue to contend. Still, in the end, the top four will remain the same with Arsenal easily holding off the fifth place club.

Who will be the breakout player this season? The breakout player of the season will be a guy who kinda sorta broke out last season, Andre Arshavin. Arsenal won't miss Adebayor all that much as Arshavin will become even more of a household name for English football fans.

What manager will be the first to go? I'm not sure there's going to be a sack race. Although Mark Hughes will be under a lot of pressure the clear obvious pick is Phil Brown. It's clear the club has had trouble attracting players this season and you wonder if his antics last year at Manchester City have played a role in that. Hull City will struggle and are a favorite to be relegated. Phil Brown will not make it through the season.

What team efficiently and rather cheaply upgraded their strike force? Due to their geographic location Sunderland is hardly a desired destination but chairman Nial Quinn and new manager Steve Bruce made a couple of nice signings, picking up Darren Bent and Frazier Campbell for the same amount that Manchester City paid for Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn. Sure Bent had a rough go at Tottenham under Harry Rednkapp including a miss that his "missus" could have made, but he was their leading scorer last year with 17 goals in all competitions. Prior to that he was a proven scorer at Ipswich and Charlton Athletic and he'll be a solid addition at Sunderland. In Campbell Sunderland gets a young player he may have had a down year last season on loan at Tottenham but impressed two years ago in the Hull battle for promotion. For a decent sum Quinn and Bruce pick up a striker who can produce now and one that is promising for the future all at a reasonable cost.

What Premier League club should have "sold the other guy"? Per Mr. Bent Tottenham should have cut their losses and got rid of Roman Pavlyuchenko and kept Bent. They still might unload the Russian and at this point if I were Harry I'd take whatever I can get for him. Save a few gimmes he produced very little during his first season at White Hart Lane other than doing a whole bunch of complaining. With the return of Crouchie, Defoe and Keane is there going to be a place for him anyway? Who needs a malcontent?

What will be the signing of the season (offensive edition)? The signing of the season will be Michael Owen. Were else can a defending champion acquire such a proven goal scorer on a free transfer? Owen will provide the additional depth for smaller EPL fixtures, the Carling Cup and the FA Cup as well as a nice change of pace off the bench for the big fixtures and the Champions League. I don't think Fergie is all that far off in pegging Owen for 25 appearances and 15 goals.

What will be the signing of the season (defensive edition)? Arsenal made a great and cost effective (10 million) move for Ajax captain Thomas Vermaelen. He'll fit right into central defense and not make the club worry one bit about the loss of Kolo Toure.

What will be the dullest team to watch this season? Without a doubt it will be Birmingham City who adopted last year and most likely adopt this year a style that makes Stoke City look like Arsenal. Whatever it takes to stay up I say.

What much maligned player will thrive this year and win the fans over? Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian with the sublime touch will form a winning partnership with Rooney and win a good number of the United fans over who prefer Carlos Tevez. The absence of Ronaldo should benefit Berbatov as much as anyone, allowing him to come up high and utilize his touch and playmaking abilities.

Who's form will cement a move to a big club? Wigan's Lee Cattermole will continue his rise in prominence and in the eyes of the England public. His throwback style and strong work rate will continue to make him one of the bigger up and comers in the league. It won't be long before he moves to a bigger club. Also I picked up for my fantasy team so I'm hoping big rewards at a low price.

What player has become so "underrated" that he's officially "rated"? One of my favorite non Aston Villa players who's hard work and clear improvement has made him the go to guy for every "underrated" Premier League player article. So at this point he's either overrated or rated but you can hardly call him underrated any more. His versatility and work rate will find him in the lineup consistently on the weekend and on many the European night.

What under-20 English player will rise to prominence this year? None other than former Leeds player Fabian Delph who will find a consistent spot in the midfield for Aston Villa and help the team move on from the Gareth Barry era. He'll prove to be more than just a YouTube legend.

Will Liverpool contend for the top spot or settle for comfortable third? It's going to be a two-horse race between Chelsea and Manchester United. The loss of Alonso and uncertainty in defense will hurt Liverpool early. The two rivals above are just too deep and too talented. Liverpool will have to settle for European success, which isn't all that bad.

What club really needs their Middle Eastern money to kick in and kick in fast? Portsmouth in the middle of a mad spending spree and waiting for the new UAE ownership group to get approval. The question is whether the group can get approved and get hold of the club in order to spend some money in the January transfer window to stave off relegation. They can't possibly expect Mark Viduka to save them. Can they?

Finally, how is the table going to look? Kind of like this:

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Aston Villa
6. Manchester City
7. Everton
8. Tottenham
9. Fulham
10. West Ham
11. Sunderland
12. Bolton
13. Stoke City
14. Wigan
15. Blackburn
16. Burnley
17. Wolves
18. Birmingham City
19. Hull City
20. Portsmouth