EPL: 2010-2011 English Premier League Season Preview
After a fantastic 2009-2010 Premier League in which we saw Chelsea beat out Manchester United to become the Premier League champions, the 2010-2011 Premier League season is now upon us, with tons of surprises and great plays to entertain us for the next several months.
With transfers such as David Silva, Javier Hernandez, and Christian Poulsen all now in the Premier League from different countries, there will now be even better players who will be taking up the top ranks in Europe for this season.
And now, here is my complete preview on all 20 Premier League sides, as I go from 20th place up to the winner of the Premier League, as I look at the positives and negatives of each side, key players, transfers, and a whole lot more.
So without a further wait, here is how the 2010-2011 Premier League season will shape out:
No 20 Blackpool
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Sixth in Championship; beat Nottingham Forest 6-4 on aggregate and beat Cardiff City 3-2 to clinch Championship Playoff Spot in the Premier League.
Incoming Players: Malaury Martin (AS Monaco), Ludovic Sylvestre (Mlada Boleslav), Eliot Grandin (CSKA Sofia), Chris Cathcart (Manchester United), and Chris Basham (Bolton).
Departing Players: Ben Burgess (Notts County).
Key Players: Charlie Adam, Keith Adam, and Matthew Gilks.
Positives: Blackpool will come into this Premier League campaign with nothing to lose at all. The Tangerines are truly on an all-time high right now, and they might be able to do a Hull City this season.
Also, Blackpool will have tons of people who will want Blackpool to stay up in the Premier League for future seasons.
Negatives: This Blackpool squad is one of the least talented squads in the Premier League in recent memory, as Blackpool are a Championship squad, not a Premier League squad.
This squad will not be able to stand up to a Manchester United or an Arsenal, or even a Stoke City as Blackpool don't have the skill to compete with these sides.
Even though Blackpool are a great story, sadly their Cinderella run will come to an end as they will look to get more than Derby's 11 points (an all-time record low for a Premier League side) this season.
No 19 West Bromwich Albion
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Second in Championship (earned automatic promotion into Premier League).
Incoming Players: Steven Reid (Blackburn), Pablo Ibañez (Atlético Madrid), Gabriel Sebastian Tamas (AJ Auxerre), Boaz Myhill (Hull City), and Nicky Shorey (Aston Villa).
Departing Players: Joss Labadie (Tranmere Rovers), Jonathan Greening (Fulham), Luke Daniels (Bristol Rovers), Borja Valero (Villarreal), and Marcus Haber (St. Johnstone).
Key Players: Scott Carson, Graeme Dorrans, and Roman Bednář.
Positives: After a disappointing season in 2008-2009, West Brom went back to the drawing board and have a manager in Roberto Di Matteo that is dedicated to the Baggies in their quest to stay in the top flight.
Along with that, this is a relatively young West Brom squad that truly will try their hardest to be a strong contender in the Premier League.
Negatives: West Brom find themselves as one of the weaker sides in the Premier League coming in, as there are no real "Premier League caliber players" who are on The Baggies' roster.
Also, there is the history of West Brom being a "one and done" side (almost always go down the season after they are promoted).
At the end of the day, West Brom will find themselves in the drop zone as not only will they probably get off to a bad start with such a tough away fixture list, but they also find themselves in the position that there are few likely relegation candidates that are weaker than the Baggies.
No 18 Wolverhampton
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: 15th in the Premier League
Incoming Players: Jelle Van Damme (Anderlecht), Steven Fletcher (Burnley), Steven Mouyokolo (Hull City), and Stephen Hunt (Hull City).
Departing Players: Jason Shackell (Barnsley), Mark Little (Peterborough United), Chris Iwelumo (Burnley), George Friend (Exeter City), Andrew Surman (Southampton), Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Peterborough United), Daniel Jones (Bristol), Stefan Maierhofer (MSV Duisburg), and Sam Vokes (Bristol City).
Key Players: Kevin Doyle, Marcus Hahnemann, and Steven Fletcher.
Positives: One of the new arrivals in the Premier League last season after winning the Championship, Wolverhampton were able to survive despite having an anemic 32 goal total.
And now, Wolverhampton have upgraded their attack with Steven Fletcher, and if Kevin Doyle can get his act fully together, Wolverhampton truly can have a great season.
Negatives: However, Marcus Hahnemann is now another year older (now 38 years old), and of course Wolves still did allow 56 goals last season.
Wolves also have no guarantees with their attack, as the 4-5-1 formation did not work wonders last season for Wolves after Mick McCarthy finally switched to the 4-5-1 from a 4-4-2.
Due to offensive deficiencies and the uncertainty with their defense, I see Wolverhampton going down this season, as they will not be able to survive Premier League offenses with an aging goalkeeper, and with an attack that still cannot work to its best.
No 17 Newcastle United
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: First in Championship (earned automatic spot in Premier League).
Incoming Players: James Perch (Nottingham Forest), Dan Gosling (Everton), and Sol Campbell (Arsenal).
Departing Players: None
Key Players: Fabricio Coloccini, Stephen Harper, and Andrew Carroll.
Positives: Newcastle refused to allow a stunning 2008-2009 season that saw the Toon get relegated to deter themselves from rebounding, as Newcastle absolutely dominated the Championship as they earned promotion back into the Premier League.
Of course with this, Newcastle have showed us that they are a capable side that has the ability to fight back against anyone, a huge plus for any Premier League side.
Negatives: Newcastle are not up to par of an average Premier League squad, and they of course have that relegation from 2009 still in their minds.
Along with that, Newcastle have a tricky start to their Premier League season that could see the Toon going down if they do not get at least two wins.
However, Newcastle will be able to stay up at the end of the season. They are a true Premier League squad, and will show that they deserve to be in the Premier League despite hanging around the drop zone for the majority of the season.
No 16 Wigan Athletic
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: 16th in the Premier League
Incoming Players: Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes La Plata), Ali Al Habsi (Bolton), Antolin Alcaraz (Club Brugge), James McArthur (Hamilton), and Ronnie Stam (Twente).
Departing Players: Tomasz Cywka (Derby County), Titus Bramble (Sunderland), and Jason Koumas (Cardiff City).
Key Players: Charles N'Zogbia, Kris Kirkland, and Antolin Alcaraz.
Positives: Wigan were able to put together a fantastic season last year as they beat the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal in Roberto Martinez's first season with the club as manager.
Wigan do have a player in Charles N'Zogibia who is going to become a future star one day, and Wigan also could finish in the first half of the table for the first time ever this season.
Negatives: When Wigan lost last season, they lost big. A 9-1 loss to Tottenham and a 8-0 loss to Chelsea were two fantastic examples of this as Wigan were at times a Championship-level side.
Wigan also can at time appear to be uninspired, a feature that is always a negative for any football club.
In the end, Wigan will as they always do; manage to stay up thanks to some great late-season play.
No 15 Bolton Wanderers
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: 14th in Premier League
Incoming Players: Robbie Blake (Burnley), Martin Petrov (Manchester City), Marcos Alonso (Real Madrid), and Tom Reeves (Oldham Athletic).
Departing Players: Ali Al Habsi (Wigan Athletic), Nicky Hunt (Bristol City), Ricardo Vaz Te (Panionios), and Chris Basham (Blackpool).
Key Players: Ivan Klasnic, Kevin Davies, and Gary Cahill.
Positives: Bolton are an extremely talented, young squad that will be able to continue to compete with the best after a growing year last season.
This Bolton squad looked fairly sharp as the season hit its conclusion, and they could be a surprise side this season.
Negatives: Bolton are a squad that is very young, and in the Premier League, that could turn out to be a negative more than a positive due to Bolton's lack of resources.
Bolton also need to improve on their defense (with a negative 25 goals allowed) and their offense needs to get a little stronger still.
Bolton will have a solid year this year, and will actually find themselves a spot lower than last season, but will have more points and more wins as they will be a stronger side.
No 14 West Ham United
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Finished 16th in the Premier League
Incoming Players: Thomas Hitzlsperger (Lazio), Frederic Piquionne (Lyon), Pablo Barrera (UNAM), Tal Ben-Haim (Portsmouth), and Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland).
Departing Players: Bondz Ngala (Plymouth Argyle) and Matthew Fry (Charlton Athletic).
Key Players: Robert Green, Carlton Cole, and Scott Parker.
Positives: With new ownership and a new manager in Avram Grant, West Ham are taking a new direction after a dismal season in 2009-2010.
West Ham also are putting out their name for some great players to provide leadership for a young squad, and the light at the end of the tunnel is pretty bright.
Negatives: West Ham had a terrible season last year, and did not look anywhere near a side that could finish in the top half of the table.
West Ham also were not able to have much success away from Upton Park last year, as they registered just one win away from Upton Park in the entire length of the Premier League season.
Despite the great steps taken by ownership over the last several months, West Ham are still a year away from making a real push for a European spot.
Right now, I think that they will get off to an unstable start to the season, and that will result in the Hammers fighting yet another relegation battle (but will stay up again at the end of the season).
No 13 Stoke City
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: 11th in Premier League
Incoming Players: Florent Cuvelier (Portsmouth) and Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland).
Departing Players: Nathaniel Wedderburn (Northampton Town), Andy Griffin (Reading), Steve Simonsen (Sheffield United), Diego Arismendi (Barnsley), Ibrahima Sonko (Portsmouth), Louis Moult (Bradford City), Carl Dickinson (Portsmouth), and James Beattie (Rangers).
Key Players: Matthew Etherington, Rory Delap and Thomas Sørensen.
Positives: After using the Britannia Stadium as the primary reason why they stayed up in 2008-2009, Stoke City actually gained 20 points away from home last season, a primary reason why they were able to stay up.
Also, goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen was been nothing short of spectacular for the Potters, and will help keep Stoke City as a mid-table side.
Negatives: Stoke have a real problem scoring goals, wiht Matthew Etherington leading Stoke with just five (Kenwyne Jones will help to fix that this season).
Also, Stoke are a vulnerable side to clubs that are lower than them, which has always been a huge reason why Stoke have not been able to do better in the table last year.
But despite all of this, Stoke City will have a solid season as they will finish a little lower than last year, but will be a much more formidable side.
No 12 Birmingham City
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Ninth in Premier League
Incoming Players: Ben Foster (Manchester United), Nikola Zigic (Valencia), and Enric Vallès (NAC Breda).
Departing Players: Artur Krysiak (Exeter City), Gary McSheffrey (Coventry City), Jake Jervis (Notts County), Robin Shroot (Cheltenham Town), and Colin Doyle (Coventry City).
Key Players: Ben Foster, Roger Johnson, and Barry Ferguson.
Positives: Birmingham City are a great side at home, and truly can compete with the best sides in the Premier League on any given day at home.
Birmingham City also have a great midfield that was extremely influential in the Blues' success in the Premier League last season.
Negatives: Joe Hart has now left St. Andrews, and in comes former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster, who of course is known for being extremely inconsistent.
Along with that, Birmingham City will not be able to continue their great play against the likes of Man United, Chelsea, and Arsenal (all of whom the Blues gained points against) this upcoming season without Hart in the goal.
Because of the departure of Joe Hart, I see Birmingham City falling lower than before in the table, but the Blues will still have a solid season as Foster continues to grow as a goalkeeper.
No 11 Sunderland
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: 13th in Premier League
Incoming Players: Marcos Angeleri (Estudiantes La Plata), Simon Mignolet (Sint-Truidense), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul), Ahmed Al Muhammadi (ENPPI), Titus Bramble (Wigan Athletic), Nedum Onuoha (Manchester City), and John Mensah (Lyon).
Departing Players: Roy O'Donovan (Coventry City), Lorik Cana (Galatasaray), Daryl Murphy (Celtic), Conor Hourihane (Ipswich Town), Nyron Nosworthy (Sheffield United), Oumare Tounkare (Oldham Athletic), Michael Liddle (Leyton Orient), Jean Yves Mvoto Owono (Oldham Athletic), Marton Fulop (Ipswich Town), and Kenwyne Jones (Stoke City).
Key Players: Darren Bent, Anton Ferdinand, and Craig Gordon.
Positives: With Steve Bruce in charge and Darren Bent coming off the best season of his career, Sunderland truly can be a contender in the Premier League this season.
Sunderland also had success against the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Aston Villa (among others) as they were able to contend until the end of the season.
Negatives: Craig Gordon broke his arm in training last month, and Sunderland will now be without their No. 1 goalkeeper going into the Premier League campaign (which features the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal to start off the season).
Add that in with no real help for Darren Bent on the top with Kenwyne Jones' recent transfer, and Sunderland can have some real problems scoring goals this season.
But despite these problems, Darren Bent will once again carry the load for the Black Cats as Sunderland will move up two spots in the league table to 11th.
No 10 Blackburn Rovers
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: 10th in Premier League
Incoming Player: Mame Biram Diouf (Manchester United)
Departing Players: Michael Hall (Accrington Stanley), Marcus Marshall (Rotterdam United), Steven Reid (West Bromwich), and Andy Haworth (Bury).
Key Players: Paul Robinson, Ryan Nelsen, and David Dunn.
Positives: After a slow start to the 2009-2010 Premier League season, Blackburn were able to put together a great season and were one of the hottest sides in the Premier League as the season ended.
Include in a healthy and fully committed Paul Robinson alongside a motivated side, and this really could be a great year for Blackburn.
Negatives: Blackburn of course are a smaller side that has not been able to get exactly what they wanted in the transfer market; which resulted in Blackburn making very few moves this summer.
Blackburn were also extremely inconsistent at times last year, as the Rovers conceded 55 times last year, a total that was the highest among sides in the top half of the table.
Blackburn will experience another growing year this year, as the Rovers will finish 10th as they continue to move forward.
No 9 Fulham
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: 12th in Premier League
Lost Europa League final 2-1 in extra time to Atletico Madrid.
Incoming Players: Philippe Senderos (Arsenal) and Jonathan Greening (West Bromwich).
Departing Players: Wayne Brown (Bristol Rovers), Elliot Omozusi (Leyton Orient), Stefan Payne (Gillingham), and Chris Smalling (Manchester United).
Key Players: Mark Schwarzer, Clint Dempsey, and Bobby Zamora.
Positives: Fulham were able to have a fantastic run to the Europa League final by beating the likes of Wolfsburg, Juventus, and Hamburg despite having a poor domestic campaign.
Now without the shadow of the Europa League over the Cottagers, Fulham will certainly do better this year as they solely focus on the Premier League.
Negatives: Roy Hodgson now has left Fulham and Mark Hughes is in after getting sacked by Manchester City last season, marking the end of an era in which Fulham were always motivated and overachieved.
It also appears that Mark Schwarzer will leave Fulham in the coming weeks, as he has stated that he wants to move to Arsenal.
With a manager in Mark Hughes, Fulham will have a solid season but they will not be good enough to qualify for the Europa League.
No 8 Aston Villa
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Sixth in Premier League; earned spot in 2010-2011 Europa League.
Lost Carling Cup final to Manchester United by a 2-1 score.
Eliminated from Europa League in fourth qualifying round to Rapid Wein 2-2 on away goals.
Incoming Players: None
Departing Players: Stephen O'Halloran (Coventry City) and Nicky Shorey (West Bromwich).
Key Players: James Milner, Brad Friedel, and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Positives: Aston Villa have been a consistent contender throughout the last several years, and are one of the most solid Premier League squads.
With the squad pretty much the same from last season, Aston Villa truly can compete with the best of them.
Negatives: Martin O'Neill is done as manager of Aston Villa, as he decided to resign just five days before the start of the season.
Due to this, Aston Villa will be disarray while in their Europa League qualifying campaign and we could see Aston Villa out of European qualification before the group stage.
Due to the managerial situation, Aston Villa will not be the force that they were in prior seasons, and as a result, they will just miss out on qualifying for European competition.
No 7 Everton
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Eighth in Premier League
Eliminated by Sporting Libson in Europa League Round of 32.
Incoming Players: Jermaine Beckford (Leeds United), João Silva (Clube Desportivo das Aves), Magaye Gueye (Strasbourg), and Jan Mucha (Legia Warsaw).
Departing Players: John Ruddy (Norwich City) and Lucas Jutkiewicz (Coventry City).
Key Players: Tim Howard, Steven Pienaar, and Louis Saha
Positives: Despite a slow start to their season, Everton really came on late and were truly one of the strongest sides in the Premier League at the end of the season.
Everton are always a side that are strong at the end of seasons, and for the most part, they can do pretty well in the first two months of their season while they get their act together.
Negatives: Everton always get off to terrible starts to begin their season, something the Toffee's cannot afford considering a pretty easy fixture list to start the season.
Also, the Steven Pienaar transfer speculation could divide up Everton's locker room, something Everton could do without.
At the end of the day, Everton will be able to ride a late season surge to finish with the final Europa League spot, as Everton will have an exciting season.
No 6 Tottenham Hotspur
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Fourth in Premier League; Clinched birth in UEFA Champions League fourth playoff round.
Incoming Players: None
Departing Players: Sam Cox (Barnet), Lee Butcher (Leyton Orient), David Button (Plymouth Argyle), Oscar Jansson (Northampton Town), Adel Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers), John Bostock (Hull City), Dean Parrett (Plymouth Argyle), Andros Townsend (Ipswich Town), and Ryan Glen Mason (Doncaster Rovers).
Key Players: Jermaine Defoe, Aaron Lennon, and Tom Huddlestone.
Positives: Spurs were a very motivated club under Harry Redknapp last season, as Spurs were able to hold off a strong surge from Manchester City as they got a Champions League spot.
Along with that, Spurs have a great attack with Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe, and Niko Kranjcar (among others) that can score against anyone.
Negatives: Spurs are in the Champions League, which will hurt Tottenham throughout the season as they will put that as their primary focus.
Along with that, Spurs will have to deal with a reinvigorated Manchester City that appears ready to take over Spurs Champions League spot.
In the end, Spurs Champions League birth will deny Tottenham from finishing in the top four again, but Spurs will at least get a Europa League spot this season.
No 5 Liverpool
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Seventh in Premier League; clinched birth in Third Qualifying Round of Europa League.
Finished third in Group E in UEFA Champions League (demoted to Europa League).
Lost to Atletico Madrid 2-2 on away goals in Europa League semifinal.
Incoming Players: Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton Athletic), Milan Jovanovic (Standard de Liege), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Danny Wilson (Rangers), and Christian Poulson (Juventus).
Departing Players: Mikel San Jose (Athletic Bilbao), Robbie Threlfall (Bradford City), David Martin (Milton Keynes Dons), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea), Alberto Riera (Olympiakos), and Phillip Degen (VfB Stuttgart).
Key Players: Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, and Pepe Reina.
Positives: Liverpool got rid of manager Rafa Benitez and brought in Fulham skipper Roy Hodgson for the upcoming season; a move that will play huge dividends for Liverpool in the future.
Along with that, Liverpool also got Joe Cole and Christian Poulson, and appear to finally get some new ownership after the failure of the Hicks and Moulson regime.
Negatives: Liverpool still need money, and because they failed to get into the Champions League, they will have a lot less money than years before.
Also, injuries continue to be a major problem for Liverpool, as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres both were severely bitten by the injury bug last season as Liverpool struggled.
Right now, Liverpool will be a lot better than last year and will contend to get back into the Champions League, but for right now they will have to be content with a fifth place finish as they continue to get their act together.
No 4 Manchester City
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Fifth in Premier League; Earned spot in Europa League Playoff Round.
Incoming Players: Alex Henshall (Swindon Town), Jerome Boateng (Hamburg), Yaya Toure (Barcelona), David Silva (Valencia), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio), and Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan).
Departing Players: Paul Marshall (Walsall), Martin Petrov (Bolton), Valeri Bojinov (Parma), Filip Mentel (Dundee United), David Ball (Swindon Town), Gunnar Nielsen (Tranmere Rovers), Ryan McGivern (Walsall), Kieran Trippier (Barnsley), Adam Clayton (Leeds United), Andrew Tutte (Rochdale), and Nedum Onuoha (Sunderland).
Key Players: Carlos Tevez, Shay Given, and Adam Johnson.
Positives: Manchester City are the richest club in the world, and they proved that by getting the likes of Mario Balotelli and David Silva (among others) to join their side this summer.
Also, with Roberto Mancini replacing Mark Hughes as manager at Christmas, Man City nearly played themselves into the Champions League before a late season home loss to Tottenham ended any chance for the Blues to get into the Champions League.
Negatives: With all of the stars on their roster, it has been and will be hard to appease everyone as these players look to play in every match, but will be riding the bench.
Along with Mancini on the hot seat, a new manager could really put City out of whack.
Despite all of City's problems, they are talented enough and will get into the Champions League this year, even though they are not at the same level as Arsenal, Chelsea and crosstown rival Manchester United.
No 3 Chelsea
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Won the Premier League; clinched an automatic spot in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Eliminated in Champions League round of 16 to Inter Milan 3-1 on aggregate.
Won FA Cup by 1-0 score to Portsmouth.
Incoming Players: Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool) and Ramires (Benfica).
Departing Players: Joe Cole (Liverpool), Seth Ofori-Twumasi (Peterborough United), Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen), Rhys Taylor (Crewe Alexandra), Danny Philliskirk (Oxford United), Ryan Bertrand (Nottingham Forest), Ben Gordon (Kilmarnock), Deco (Fluminense), Scott Sinclair (Swansea City), Jack Cork (Burnley) and Ricardo Carvalho (Real Madrid).
Key Players: Didier Drogba, John Terry and Petr Cech
Positives: The reigning winners of the English Double, Chelsea continue to look for more silverware this season as a great mix of old and young player converge to help the Pensioners try to win the title.
Chelsea have a ton of players that will try to make up for abysmal World Cup performances, and Chelsea will finally try to win the Champions League.
Negatives: Chelsea's squad consists of players such as Frank Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole, Yossi Benayoun, and Florent Malouda, all of whom are key players who will be 30 or older during this season, which makes age a major issue for Chelsea.
And with the sole focus on winning the Champions League this season, Chelsea's players will leave their eyes off the Premier League prize and will be focused solely on European silverware.
Due to the players' increasing ages and the Champions League, Chelsea will find themselves behind in the league early and will find themselves in third place this season as younger players will start to get used more often in the Premier League.
No 2 Arsenal
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Third in Premier League; earned automatic spot in UEFA Champions League group stage
Eliminated in quarterfinals of Champions League to Barcelona by a 6-3 score on aggregate.
Incoming Players: Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux) and Laurent Koscielny (Lorient).
Departing Players: Fran Merida Perez (Atletico Madrid), Philippe Senderos (Fulham), Luke Freeman (Yeovil Town), Luke Ayling (Yeovil Town), Francis Coquelin (Lorient), Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk), Sanchez Watt (Leeds United), and Kyle Bartley (Sheffield United).
Key Players: Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, and Robin van Persie
Positives: A young squad that was disappointed by not winning anything last season, Arsenal are back and hungrier than ever this season as some of the Gunners best players return from injury.
Also, Arsenal will have captain Cesc Fabregas staying instead of moving to Barcelona, a move that will be huge for the Gunners as the season progresses.
Negatives: Arsenal's goalkeeping situation is terrible to say the least, as Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski are two extremely inconsistent goalkeepers that were major reasons why Arsenal did not win any trophies last season.
Along with that, some Arsenal's players are not experienced enough to win the Premier League, but they certainly are talented enough to win the Premier League.
At the end of the day, Arsenal will be able to win one of the domestic cups this season and the Gunners certainly will be a great side to watch in the Premier League as they will eclipse Chelsea.
But at the end of the day, Arsenal will finish in second due to that inefficient goalkeeping, but Arsenal certainly will be the favorites to win the Premier League in 2011-2012.
No 1 Manchester United
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Final Result of 2009-2010 Season: Second in Premier League; clinched spot in group stage of UEFA Champions League.
Eliminated by Bayern Munich in Champions League quarterfinal by a 4-4 score on away goals.
Incoming Players: Javier Hernandez (Guadalajara), Chris Smalling (Fulham), and Bebe (Vitória de Guimarães).
Departing Players: Ben Foster (Birmingham City), Zoran Tosic (CSKA Moscow), Tom Heaton (Cardiff City), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover 96), Matthew James (Preston North End), David Gray (Preston North End) Cameron Stewart (Yeovil Town), Mame Biram Diouf (Blackburn), Daniel Drinkwater (Cardiff City), James Chester (Carlisle United), Tom Heaton (Cardiff City), Joshua King (Preston North End), Craig Cathcart (Blackpool), and Danny Welbeck (Sunderland).
Key Players: Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, and Edwin Van der Sar.
Positives: After missing out on winning the Premier League for a fourth consecutive season by one point, Manchester United come into this season with a new found hunger for success this season.
Along with this, Wayne Rooney is coming back from World Cup disappointment and will look to perform even better this year, and United's defense allowed the fewest goals in the league last year with
Negatives: United have major questions in the back with the eventual replacement for Edwin Van der Sar still unknown, and of course the injury concerns with Rio Ferdinand.
Along with that, no striker has effectively been able to set up with Wayne Rooney, which has hurt Manchester United's attack for the last several seasons.
But despite these problems, Manchester United are the most complete side in the Premier League and will prove that this season.
With Javier Hernandez's goalscoring ability and a side that is extremely hungry to win the Premier League again, Manchester United are my favorite to win their record-breaking 19th English first division championship and their fourth Premier League title in five seasons.
