English Premier League Review - 2009/2010

Michael Owen's recent transfer from Newcatle United to Manchester United was the major surprise of the close season. With Ronaldo and Tevez gone, Manchester United may find goals harder to come by than in previous seasons. The defence looks as solid as ever, however, with the team only conceding 24 goals in 38 games last season. Vidic will be missed at the start of the new campaign. United's home form will no doubt be a major asset.

Liverpool will be hoping to do better than the second place they achieved last season. Alonso will be a loss with Aquilani set to replace him in the Liverpool midfield. The team only lost two games last season, but their inability to beat weaker teams can be an issue. Liverpool were Premier League top scorers last year with 77 goals and the contributions of Gerrard and Kuyt will be crucial in this area.

Carlo Ancelotti is the new manager of Chelsea. Ancelotti is a European Champions League winner and great things are expected of him having also won 3 Italian Serie A titles. Chelsea have a relatively gentle start to the season and may be the early pace setters. Terry and Lampard will continue to be key players.

In many ways, Arsenal had a disappointing season last year and this showed up in crowd frustration. Whilst the team were well organised as ever, they sometimes lacked the killer touch in front of goal and with Adebayor gone, much will depend on the form of Arshavin. Arsenal have a host of young talent coming through and, if they shine, the team could be the surprise package for the new season.

Will any of the other teams in the Premier League be able to break into the top four this season ? Of the candidates, it will be Everton, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur who think they have the best chance.

Everton finished fifth last season. They are well managed and organised by David Moyes. There has been much speculation over the future of Joleon Lescott although Moyes has maintained that he will be staying at the club. If Everton can improve their home record, they will be well placed to move higher up the table.

Aston Villa will suffer from the transfer of Gareth Barry to Manchester City. Manager Martin O'Neill may need to increase the depth of his squad before Aston Villa can mount a serious challenge. This is not an issue facing Manchester City who have big spenders in recent weeks. Big name signings have included Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor and others. The unknown is how quickly the team will come together to realise its potential.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered from a poor start to the season last year. Spurs haven't got the easiest start to the new season, meeting three of the big four clubs in the first seven games. New signing Peter Crouch will be an interesting additional to the squad but it may be in defence that Spurs are exposed for cover.

Of the other London teams in the Premier League, Fulham and West Ham United will both be looking to build on their achievements of last year. Fulham finished a credible seventh but will do well to better this position unless they can score more goals in the Premier League. West Ham United will continue to build under Gianfranco Zola, but may struggle with the size of their squad and a lack of funds to progress to the next level.

It remains to be seen if the departure of manager Steve Bruce will have a negative impact on the prospects of Wigan Athletic. Roberto Martinez is the new manager, but appointing from lower divisions has sometimes proved to be the wrong strategy at this level. In addition, Amir Zaki, Luis Antonio Valencia, Mido and Emile Heskey have all left the Club. Stoke City did really well to finish twelfth in their first season in the Premier League and they would probably settle for a similar position this year. Dean Whitehead will prove to be a good signing for them.

Although they have a small squad at this level, Bolton Wanderers are well organised and should have enough resilience to survive although fans of Portsmouth may be more apprehensive. Pompey's finances have been the focus of recent attention although players like Sylvain Distin have remained at the Club.

Sunderland will need to improve their home record to progress, although there will be hope in the north-east that the arrival of Darren Bent will bring out the best in fellow striker Kenwyne Jones. Supporters at Hull City have been frustrated at the lack of recent signings. The key factor will be whether they can get back to winning ways early after the decline in the second half of last season.

The three clubs that were promoted to the Premier League last season did well with only West Bromwich Albion being relegated. As always, all three of the teams promoted this year will settle for first season survival.

Burnley look the most exposed. They have a small squad and limited financial resources compared to their opponents. Owen Coyle, manager, and his team also have a difficult start to the new season with games against three of the big four in the first four weeks. Birmingham City start the season at Manchester United and most observers think they will start the new campaign with a loss. However, they do have a number of players with Premier League experience which will prove invaluable.

Finally,Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking for a quick return from record signing Kevin Doyle. They will be pleased that last seasons top scorer, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake, has signed a new contract. Manager Mick McCarthy has acknowledged that staying in the Premier League will be a major achievement for the Club.