Premier League Predictions

Ok so I might be a bit late with posting my predictions for the forthcoming season. It has been a tougher year to call from previous years for me. Without further or do, here are my 2011/2012 Premier League predictions.

Top 5

1. Manchester United -  I cannot bet against United regaining the title. The summer additions have strengthened the squad greatly and are set to become key fixtures in the United squad for many years to come. Ashley Young made the jump to a top 4 club after excelling at Aston Villa for many years. Phil Jones was brought as Sir Alex Ferguson started to look at future replacements for Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. David De Gea was an interesting selection to replace Edwin Van Der Saar but could turn out to be a master stroke given his young age, potential ability and early pedigree he has displayed for both Spain u21s and Atletico Madrid. Expect the likes of Chris Smalling, Fabio, Rafael and Jonny Evans to kick on even further after showing early promise in their youthful United careers. Midfield seems to still be a talking point amongst most fans but United showed last year they have a strong enough midfield to at least get far in both the English and European competitions. The performance of Nani last season, showed he has finally arrived on the world class stage and the return of Antonio Valencia helped United at the business end of last season. I also expect Wayne Rooney to get close to an individual league award after the way he finished the 2010/2011 Premier League season. The introduction of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck back into the team should also give United even more depth at important positions of central midfield and striker.  United to seal league title number 20 for me.

2. Manchester City -  I think this is the year that City elevate themselves into serious title contenders. The Non-City fans will be expecting City to win the league and will see not winning the title as a failure season but City fans seem to be a bit more rational and realistic with their season predictions of their team.  However, this season might be a bit too early for them to bring home the league championship but the summer acquisitions of Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri have given them another genuine match-winner to go with the likes of Carlos Tevez and David Silva. Keeping Tevez was important but the signing of Aguero almost made him expendable. Look for them two, along with Silva to be the main forwards that spearhead City's charge this year. The Nasri signing was almost needless in my view given the amount of talent that already play in the positions that he will occupy. Surely his signing spells the end for maybe Mario Balotelli or Adam Johnson. Expect the Champions league to be a learning curve this year for City, but I do not expect it to affect their league form with their big squad they currently have. Should be an exciting year for City fans to finally see their team challenging on all fronts after so many years in the wilderness.

3. Chelsea -  It will be interesting to see how new manager Andre Villas-Boas settles in at Chelsea. Roman Abramovich will expect Villas-Boas to hit the ground running and provide instant success to Chelsea. Abramovic has taken "irrational chairman" to a whole new level since Jose Mourinho left Chelsea in 2007. He needs to give Andre Villas-Boas time to put his own stamp on this Chelsea team, that lets be honest still has a Mourinho-feel to it.  Chelsea have quietly made a big splash in the transfer window so far and in signing Juan Mata have brought in a player that oozes creativity and is youthful. If they persist with their pursuit of Luka Modric, then I would consider putting them 2nd on my predictions should they bring him in. Romelu Lukaku looks to be a type of Didier Drogba replacement. He still looks raw, like you would expect at the age of 18 but could be used in domestic cup campaigns to become acclimated to the demands of the English game.Also, surely Fernando Torres will hit the ground running this year after a torrid start to life as a Chelsea player in the second half of last season. He is too god not to succeed at Chelsea. Unfortunately, I think this year might just be a bit too soon for Andre Villas-Boas to wrestle the title away from the clutches of Manchester United. Although I do expect them to be a force in Europe, where I think Villas-Boas will feel more at home, especially in his first year as Chelsea manager.

4. Liverpool -  I have Liverpool in this position, more by default than anything really. The return of Kenny Dalglish along with the signing of Luis Suarez has reinvigorated Anfield and brought a sense of optimism and excitement that has been non-existent at Liverpool during the past few years. Suarez is the type of player that will draw in big crowds and vault a team to that next level. The signings of Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll raised eyebrows, certainly they did with me due to their big transfer fees they both commanded. Furthermore with Aquilani coming back, I thought the central midfield was not in need of a lot of improvement in order to break into the top 4 again. Carroll will probably turn out to be a good signing but for £35million, surely there were players out there that represent better value for money at the time. The signing of Charlie Adam, seems to have taken Raul Meireles out the starting XI which is a shame, as I thought Meireles was excellent from when Kenny took over in January. Looking at their squad, there is no reason why Liverpool cannot take 4th and restore Champions League football back to Anfield.

5. Arsenal -  I was actually tempted to put Tottenham in this position but decided to stick with Arsenal on the premonition that Arsene Wenger will spend big on players to bring in as replacements for the departed Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. It was a bitter blow for Arsenal to finally lose Fabregas, despite being prepared that it will happen for the last few years. Nasri was a very good player but nowhere near as important as Fabregas, but losing them at the same time will worry Arsenal fans.On a positive note, it seems Wojciech Szczesny looks the real deal at Goalkeeper and should flourish for years. the defence needs strengthening, however I am not in the group that suggests they need another world class centre half as I expect Laurent Koscielny to warm to the role of being a centre back in English football. They could get another full back in to cope with the sales of Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Eboue just to provide more depth. Expect Jack Wilshere to  become the "face" of the Arsenal midfield and with Aaron Ramsey they should be a partnership for years. Still it would not hurt to bring in a world class midfielder to play alongside them. Up front, Robin Van Persie is up there with the most talented forward players in Europe but struggles to stay fit, Gervinho looks a very good signing early doors. Arsenal need to be active from now until September 1st to stay with the likes of United, City, Chelsea and Liverpool for me.

Bottom 3

18. Wigan -  This could be the year Wigan are finally relegated from the Premier League. It has been a tremendous achievement from Wigan, who are regarded as the smallest market team in the league to stay in the top flight for seven seasons. I think Roberto Martinez will become a quality manager but his reluctance to change his "continental" style of playing could be his downfall this year. The sale of Charles N'Zogbia was imminent but when you seen transfer fees flying round this summer, £9million for N'Zogbia seems a bit cheap and the fact no real replacement has been brought in must leave Wigan fans full of skepticism. Ben Watson and James McCarthy have emerged in the midfield as very good technical players that could ply their trade at bigger clubs but defence seems a weak point for Wigan still.

19. Norwich -  Norwich are back in the Premier League after being relegated at the end of the 2004/2005 season. Looking at their summer signings, none of them have any Premier League pedigree and that worries me for their chance of survival. Similar to Wigan, they have a fantastic young manager in Paul Lambert, that will get the best out of his squad but whether that is good enough I am not sure. I fail to see any real talent in the team but sure Norwich fans would grill me on that one. Away form will be key as always as good home form usually is not good enough to survive in the league (unless you're Fulham).Ultimately I think this season might be just a bit too much for them but should not undo the great work Lambert has done at Norwich in such a short space of time.

20. Swansea -  I had no trouble in picking Swansea to finish bottom of the league. You have to applaud them for the way their play and how they will stick to their morals of playing attacking football, but in reality it never works for the promoted teams in the premier league. I fail to see any real steeliness in the team for if games get bogged down and scrappy. Like Norwich, picking up points in away games is imperative but I just cannot see it happening. The signings lack any real inspiration, I mean Wayne Routledge has been poor in the Premier League yet has been given another chance and it just dumbfounds me. Brendan Rodgers seems to be relying on the players that got them to the top flight to be talented enough to hold their own this season. it is risky business as always but good luck to them. Might be in the minority here but I think it would be great if a Welsh team became established in the Premier League.

Overachievers: Aston Villa -  Aston Villa finished 9th last season it was turned out to be a below-par year for them. The departures of both Ashley Young and Stewart Downing will be felt but signing N'Zogbia was a great piece of business, don't expect him to be a assist provider that crosses the ball frequently like Downing and Young but can chip in with the goals and will play an important role. The signing of Shay Given (see below) was a fantastic buy for Brad Friedel. I think they can get near 5th-6th this year with the team they have but need to sort of their consistency problems that were rife last year.

Underachievers: Sunderland - I had a problem in picking a team for this bit but plunged for Sunderland in the end. Looking at Fulham who finished 8th last year, I thought they punched way above their weight under Mark Hughes but felt Sunderland who finished 10th could do a lot better. This year they have purchased some real quality in Sebastian Larsson, Craig Gardner, John O'Shea and Wes Brown to name a few. But one common denominator is still there from last season.... Steve Bruce. Now Bruce for me is an ok manager, even good for a mid table, low end club but for  team that has potential Europe aspirations, I am not sure he can take them to that level. Seemed lost and bereft of ideas when Sunderland endured their horrific slump last year. Time will tell if I am right or not.

Signing of the Season: Shay Given -  It was a great bit of business by Villa to bring in Shay Given, a proven, quality goalkeeper to replace Brad Friedel. He will win them an extra 10-15 points this year I think and still has a few good years left in him. Seems a snip at just £3.5million.

Worst Signing of the Season: Jordan Henderson - Henderson was brought in for for around £20million and for that fee you would expect instant results regardless of how old you are.I just do not see star-quality in Henderson and would be very surprised if he made a big impact at Liverpool this year. Expect him to be overshadowed by their other signings. Could become good in the future, but for me not this year.

Player of the Year: Wayne Rooney - This pick was based on the reasoning that I think United will win the league and if Rooney carries on his form from January onwards from last season, then he will be United's best player and come close to winning players' player award or the football writers one. I can see Rooney hitting the 20 goal mark in the league and also dishing out a few assists as well. He can do it all, he is United's most important player by quite some distance.