English Premier League: Which Teams Will Make the Top 10 Next Season?

There is still a long time before the 2011/2012 English Premier League season begins, but it's never too early to begin to preview it. The transfer window is slowly picking up its pace and many clubs have already made big signings. Nonetheless, most EPL teams have been fairly reluctant to spill out cash so soon. There is still plenty of time for managers to make transfers that will impact their team's standing and performance next season.

Here's a list of the top 10 EPL teams next season: 

(This article is not meant to preview the Top Four teams in England, but instead, the remaining six spots.)

The Top Four

This is somewhat difficult to call. I feel that the two Manchester teams are certainly going to be there, as well as Chelsea. But that final spot is up for grabs. It could be attained by Arsenal, Tottenham, or Liverpool, but I'm going with the Gunners. Until now, the transfer window hasn't been superb for Arsenal, but I still feel that they have enough quality to obtain a Champions League spot. 

Here are the top four, in no particular order:

Manchester City

Chelsea

Manchester United

Arsenal

Fifth Place: Tottenham

Last season, Tottenham competed in the Champions League for the first time ever. They qualified by finishing fourth during the 2009/2010 campaign and were awarded a playoff spot against Swiss side Young Boys.

However, it seemed that Champions League play wasn't to be, as Spurs were losing 3-0 after 30 minutes in Switzerland. The game turned around after that, and at the end of the Second Leg in London, Tottenham easily made it to the Group Stage with a 6-3 aggregate victory.

Since that game, Spurs haven't looked back. They qualified first in Group A, in front of Champions Inter Milan, Twente, and Werder Bremen. Their great Champions League form continued with a round of 16 victory against AC Milan. Their underdog run was finally crushed by a rampant Madrid side, who beat Spurs 5-0 over two legs (partly due to Heurelho Gomes blunders).

While Tottenham's European display was admirable, the North Londoners would have hoped for better domestic play. Tottenham finished fifth in the EPL, meaning that they would only qualify for the Europa League.       

Arsenal and Tottenham will compete for fourth place in the EPL. Once again, I believe that it will be Spurs who lose the battle. But this time, I bet they will be battling their North London rivals for fourth place, and not Manchester City.

Sixth Place: Liverpool

It is hard to see Liverpool performing worse than they did last season. After a disastrous first half of the season (by their standards), Liverpool hired Kenny Dalglish. Even after playing much better in the second part of the campaign, the Reds ended the season in sixth place and didn't qualify for any European competition. 

Many people believe that Liverpool can compete for Champions League football. They will try to do so with a fourth place finish, but I feel that it will take a little bit more time before they actually obtain a Champions League spot. The Merseysiders will finish sixth once again, but unlike last time, they will receive a Europa League spot (sixth place will get it instead of FA Cup).

Seventh Place: Sunderland

Sunderland F.C. finished the 2010/2011 Premier League in 10th place. However, for the majority of the season, it looked like the Black Cats would finish in a Europa League spot. But in February, results started going against them and it appeared that Sunderland might have a relegation battle ahead. Fortunately for Steve Bruce's side, that was not to be, as the team ended in 10th place.

A lot of people were disappointed with Sunderland's end-of-season displays and believe that the team aren't good enough to compete in Europe. But I disagree. Sunderland showed great strength and skill last campaign and I expect them to do even better in the upcoming season. Their 3-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last November showed how great Sunderland can be.

They have also been superb in the transfer window. They sold Jordan Henderson to Liverpool for $32 million and used that money wisely with purchases of the highly-rated Conor Wickham, Craig Gardner, and Manchester United duo John O'Shea and Wes Brown. The future is bright for Sunderland, and a seventh place finish would be superb for the Black Cats.

Eighth Place: Newcastle United

Newcastle were one of the three promoted sides last season, and they finished the 2010/2011 EPL campaign in 12th place. The team, guided by captain Kevin Nolan, were never in danger of being relegated and should be proud of their displays last season. The sale of striker Andy Caroll didn't have an apparent negative effect on the side, and Newcastle finished the season with a laudable 56 goals.

My inclusion of Newcastle United in the top 10 may be surprising to many. Moving up from 12th to eighth in just one year is extremely difficult. However, I feel that the Magpies will be able to defy all expectations and be a superb team next season. The additions of Yohan Cabaye (from Lille), Demba Ba, and Sylvain Marveaux (from Rennes) will make the team stronger and will help cover the loss of Kevin Nolan, who moved to West Ham last month.

Ninth Place: Everton

Everton had a bizarre 2010/2011 EPL campaign. For much of the season, the Toffees hovered near the relegation zone. However, their season picked up in February and led Everton to a seventh place finish. Despite a great end to the campaign, the season was a disappointment. Everton once again were unable to qualify for European competition and they didn't perform well in either domestic cup (League Cup and FA Cup).   

Everton are considered a top-10 EPL side these days. They are a team that always pushes for a Champions League spot but very rarely achieves it. Usually, they are in the Europa League/UEFA Cup, but they will be without it for the upcoming season (like they were last campaign). I don't see Everton changing that, and a ninth place finish seems about correct for the Toffees next season.

10th Place: Fulham

Fulham, like Everton, didn't have a good first half of last season. As of week 19, Fulham were sitting in 17th place. But results starting going the Cottagers' way, and the team finished eighth.

This was a highly successful season for Fulham, even though the campaign didn't include European competition. The Craven Cottage faithful will nonetheless experience Europa League play next season, as Fulham qualified through the UEFA Fair Play Award. The only drawback to this qualification is that competitive play has already restarted for the Cottagers. On June 30th, Fulham entered the First Qualifying Round. They beat Faroe Islands side NSI Ruvanik 3-0 on aggregate.

I don't think Fulham will have a better finish next season, but I believe they will play more consistently. They shouldn't be anywhere near the relegation zone. The Cottagers have plenty of quality but will probably look at the bigger clubs for loans. 10th place seems about right for Fulham.

Overview

That's my list of the top 10. It's more like an EPL standings prediction for fifth place through 10th, though, as I feel that predicting the top four places is premature. At the end of the day, it may be too early to make any predictions for the English Premier League. For all we know, one of the newly promoted sides could break into this list. However, I feel that these are the most likely teams to finish in next season's top half.