EPL Season Preview: Predicting Each Club's 2011/12 Ranking

Since Manchester United's record 19th top flight title in May, the 20 Premier League clubs have been fighting hard in the transfer market to strengthen their squads for the 2011/12 season.

The campaign gets underway this weekend and, although the transfer window doesn't close until the end of August, each side should be prepared and ready for it after completing all their preseason fixtures.

At the time of writing, over £250 million has been spent by EPL clubs this summer on new players, but which sides look like they've done enough to improve on last season's standings?

I have assessed where I believe each team will finish, and will explain my verdict for every side.

This is purely based on opinion so I would expect most readers to disagree with my predictions in some way; please comment on where you feel I am mistaken, or indeed where you agree.

Arsenal: 5th

The Gunners' fans seem to be finally losing patience with manager Arsene Wenger after six consecutive seasons without a trophy.

It looks like this could be the summer that Cesc Fabregas makes his long-awaited return to former club Barcelona, whilst left-back Gael Clichy has joined Manchester City and Samir Nasri is another player who reportedly wants to leave the club.

Young midfielders Aaron Ramsey and in particular Jack Wilshere both look like they are capable of replacing Fabregas in the centre, but at the ages of 20 and 19, respectively, is it too much to ask for them to guide the team to Champions League qualification once again?

Ivory Coast forward Gervinho has been brought in as another option; however, a lot will depend on the fitness of star striker Robin Van Persie, who scored in his last nine away league games last season. If he avoids injury throughout, Arsenal are in with a great chance of making the top four again and possibly challenging for the title.

The problem for the Gunners is that this is about as unlikely as it is that their manager will ever learn to properly address the issues in central defence and in goal; the Dutch forward is one of the most injury-prone players in the league.

Aston Villa: 8th

The appointment of Alex McLeish as manager must go down as the most unpopular decision ever at Villa Park. The man that led the club's fierce rivals Birmingham City to relegation last season has a lot to prove to the supporters before they even think about getting behind him, and so this is why their opening fixtures will be crucial.

Fulham, Blackburn and Wolves are the first three league games; they are all winnable but there is no easy game in this division. Should Villa start the campaign well, it could be the basis for a successful campaign as the club's manager and board will no longer be under as much pressure. If things don't turn out well, it could be a long, hard season for the Villains and I would not be surprised to see them slip into a relegation battle.

The departures of wingers Ashley Young and Stewart Downing will have concerned the club's fans even more; they were arguably the team's two best players last year; however, Charles N'Zogbia will be a fantastic replacement if he can reproduce his form playing for Wigan last season, whilst youngster Marc Albrighton showed a lot of promise and may feature even more prominently this campaign.

Darren Bent is a proven goalscorer at this level and, as long as he is given the service he needs, he will definitely be scoring freely once again.

Things may not all be doom and gloom at Villa Park.

Blackburn Rovers: 17th

Whilst Blackburn's owners seem to think a top-five finish is a realistic target, the clubs fans will be worrying once again about surviving in the top flight.

Their only signing so far, striker David Goodwillie from Dundee United, is a young prospect who scored 16 league goals in the SPL last season. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to carry this form into the far more competitive English Premier League.

The money the owners are supposedly making available for transfers has not been evident so far this transfer window, even after the sale of Phil Jones for a fee of around £16 million.

Should Rovers hold on to key players such as goalkeeper Paul Robinson and in particular defender Chris Samba, they may just survive, but these are certainly worrying times for the club based at Ewood Park.

Bolton Wanderers: 15th

Bolton ended up in 14th place last season despite being in the top half for much of the campaign.

Manager Owen Coyle will want to keep hold of defender Gary Cahill, who has been strongly linked with a move away from the Reebok this season, and was one of the club's best players in 2010/11.

They have already lost last season's top scorer Johan Elmander to Galatasaray, and striker Daniel Sturridge has returned to Chelsea after his successful loan spell. This leaves question marks about where the goals will come from. Captain Kevin Davies is useful up front but isn't the most prolific, so it could be down to Ivan Klasnic to score the goals. The Croatian forward has been used mostly as a substitute so far in his Bolton career, but his preseason form suggests that he could have something to offer from the start this season.

If the Trotters can get midfielder Stuart Holden back to full fitness quickly after his long-term knee injury then they may be able to build on last season. The signings of Chris Eagles, Darren Pratley, Nigel Reo-Coker and Tyrone Mears are all decent players but none are likely to push the club onto a new level.

Bolton shouldn't get sucked into a relegation battle, but if they can't keep Cahill then they may not improve on last season.

Chelsea: 1st

The sacking of Carlo Ancelotti still seems harsh after Chelsea's second place finish last season; however the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas has sparked a renewed sense of optimism around Stamford Bridge.

A 100 percent win record in the preseason suggests that the Blues have quickly adapted to the Portuguese manager's system, and he will need to get the best out of his players if they are to win trophies this campaign.

Fernando Torres' dismal start to his Chelsea career may not be forgotten any time soon, but if he can get off to a goalscoring start in Chelsea's first few games, his confidence may be boosted significantly. It is unlikely that Villas-Boas will choose to pair the Spaniard with Didier Drogba, but he is another player that he will need to try and get the best out of if Torres is unable to find his best form quickly.

In my opinion, Chelsea are a creative midfielder short of a squad capable of winning the title. John Obi Mikel should provide adequate cover for Michael Essien during the Ghanaian's long-term spell on the sidelines, while Frank Lampard will continue to score goals from midfield, but a player like Luka Modric could be the key to unlocking defences that Chelsea crave.

If signing a player of his calibre isn't possible this summer, Yossi Benayoun could become the playmaker, or even the young prospect Josh McEachran, who will surely be a first team regular in seasons to come, but I do think Chelsea need to strengthen in this area if they are to come on top come May.

Having said that, I think that they will do; if owner Roman Abramovich can't sign Modric then he may well look at signing another player in this position to do the job, meaning Chelsea could come out on top.

Everton: 7th

David Moyes' Everton have once again been unable to spend money in the transfer window and so their squad hasn't been strengthened at all.

However, the Toffees have so far been successful in keeping hold of the club's star players, including defenders Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka.

Playmaker Mikel Arteta missed much of the 2010/11 season due to injury so his presence will be a boost to a team that have had a poor start to the season for two years running.

Despite the lack of new faces, I expect Everton to start this campaign in a similar way to how they finished the last.

I don't expect them to break into the top six, however, as their lack of options up front could let them down. When Louis Saha isn't fit, Jermaine Beckford and Victor Anichebe are unlikely to be prolific so they will probably have to rely on midfielder Tim Cahill to be on form.

If Moyes is given the funds to buy a 20 goal-per-season striker, expect Everton to be challenging to break into the top six this season. If he isn't, the best they can hope for is probably to lead the rest of the table once again.

Fulham: 12th

Fulham start the season with another new manager as Martin Jol has taken over following Mark Hughes' departure.

Their fans will be delighted to see Bobby Zamora available after he missed the majority of last season with a broken leg.

Left back John Arne Riise is an exciting signing from Roma, whilst Marcel Gecov and Pajtim Kasami are more likely to be used as backups with the view that they will be more influential to the first team in years to come.

The summer has seen the departure of a number of squad players at Craven Cottage; Jonathan Greening, Zoltan Gera, Diomansy Kamara and John Paintsil have all left which is surprising when you consider how many games Fulham may have to play this season.

The Europa League campaign, which started at the end of June, could take its toll if they are to go far in the competition, so I feel a mid-table finish is most likely.

Liverpool: 4th

Liverpool's resurgence under Kenny Dalglish during the second half of last season has led many to predict that they will finish in the top four and possibly challenge for the title this campaign.

Steven Gerrard will miss the start of 2011/12 due to injury, but the signing of Charlie Adam could provide the perfect cover and Alberto Aquilani is also back from his loan spell at Juventus.

The club's two other major signings this summer have been Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson, both of whom were impressive at their clubs last season and are creative enough to provide great service to the Liverpool forwards.

It is likely that Luis Suarez will partner Andy Carroll up front; the pair were bought for a combined fee of nearly £60 million in January, but injuries limited the amount of playing time they had together.

Both are proven goalscorers and if they can form a successful partnership, Liverpool will definitely be in with a shout of qualifying for the Champions League next season by finishing in the top four. After finishing sixth last season, it is unlikely that the Reds will challenge for the title this campaign unless they strengthen their defence.

Manchester City: 3rd

After winning the FA Cup last season and qualifying for the Champions League in third place, Manchester City fans will be licking their lips at the club's chances of winning the Premier League this time around.

Roberto Mancini has built a huge squad, this summer strengthened by the arrival of Argentine forward Sergio Aguero as well as defenders Gael Clichy and Stefan Savic.

With key players David Silva and Yaya Toure now fully settled into life in Manchester, it looks like the Citizens will improve on last season's success.

One problem for Mancini will be keeping the squad's morale high. Carlos Tevez's situation is now clear to the whole world: he wants to leave but the club are unlikely to settle for anything less than a fee in excess of £40 million. Inter Milan are the favourites to secure his signature, but whether they are willing to pay such a huge amount of money remains to be seen.

If Tevez is forced to stay at Eastlands, questions will be asked about how Mancini can keep everyone happy with so many expensive forwards at the club who will be demanding playing time.

His other major problem is Balotelli; the Italian is one of the best talents in the world but seems to find a new way of getting himself into trouble each week.

With arguably the best squad in the league, Man City will almost certainly be there or thereabouts this season. It is the club's unsettled stars that could ultimately prove to be their downfall.

Manchester United: 2nd

Manchester United enter yet another season as title favourites. Despite not being at their best away from home last campaign, the Red Devils did enough to secure a record 19th top flight league title and they will be looking to make it 20 this year.

David De Gea has been brought in to replace Edwin Van Der Sar in goal. He is a young talent with lots of potential, but perhaps his Community Shield performance suggested that he still has along way to go to be as good as his predecessor at Old Trafford.

Phil Jones is another superb young talent who will be good cover in defence, whilst Ashley Young will provide stiff competition with Nani, Valencia and Giggs for places on the flanks.

Hernandez, Rooney and Berbatov are all strikers capable of scoring over 20 goals a season, so why have I not selected them as champions?

The truth is that I could have chosen United, Chelsea or Manchester City and had good reason to support my claim.

If there is one reason that I haven't gone for Sir Alex Ferguson's team, it is that I believe this is the year that they will defeat Barcelona and win the Champions League. After winning a record 19th league title, their concentration may be elsewhere as they attempt to avenge the defeats in their last two European cup finals.

Newcastle United: 16th

Newcastle fans are still waiting for the £35 million received for Andy Carroll in January to be spent.

Sylvain Marveaux and Demba Ba have both been brought in on free transfers, whilst midfielder Yohan Cabaye and winger Gabriel Obertan are the club's only other two additions so far; both fees were undisclosed but are likely to have been under £5 million each.

To make matters worse, captain Kevin Nolan has left to join West Ham and one of the club's most influential players last year, Joey Barton, has been told he can leave the club on a free transfer. The reason given for this was for his comments criticising the Newcastle board on Twitter; however, it seems that the Geordies are going some way to reducing the team's wage bill. Another key player, Jose Enrique, also seems to be on his way out of St James' Park.

Newcastle should still have the quality to stay in the division, but the board do seem to be content on ensuring survival on a budget, rather than spending the cash gained from Carroll's departure.

Norwich City: 18th

One team that would certainly be content with surviving on a budget is newly-promoted Norwich City.

Manager Paul Lambert has done a magnificent job since taking over at Carrow Road, winning back-to-back promotions in his two seasons in charge.

This season could arguably be his toughest test yet. Whilst Norwich have been active in the transfer window so far, bringing in seven players, few of them have much Premier League experience and so the success of their season is likely to be decided by whether proven Championship players, such as their captain Grant Holt, can make a quick transition into top flight football.

Lambert's record demonstrates that he is a fantastic manager and I can see Norwich fighting right until the last game, but I feel a lack of quality and experience may send them down.

Queens Park Rangers: 14th

QPR were the Championship's runaway leaders last season, although they had to wait until the end to confirm that they had been promoted after surviving a possible points deduction.

The experience of manager Neil Warnock could be vital in keeping the club in the division; however, the board have not spent much money so far in the transfer window, despite this playing a big role in how the team were promoted.

One area the team have strengthened, though, is attack. Former Blackpool striker DJ Campbell, who scored 13 Premier League goals last season, has been brought in, possibly to partner Jay Bothroyd, a signing from Cardiff City who scored 18 times in the Championship.

The club's most important player may well be Adel Taarabt. The Moroccan international, named Football League Player of the Season last year, has attracted attention from a whole host of clubs this summer, including the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea and PSG.

PSG are said to be still interested in the attacking midfielder, but if QPR can hold onto their star man they may well have a player as influential as Blackpool's Charlie Adam last season, and if he can transfer his Championship form into the Premier League they have a fantastic chance of staying up.

Stoke City: 10th

A fantastic 2010/11 campaign for Tony Pulis' side saw them finish 13th in the league and reach the FA Cup final, only to be beaten 1-0 by Manchester City at Wembley. Despite the defeat, the cup run means they will be playing Europa League football this season.

European football may mean the squad is stretched more, but defenders Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson are the club's only signings so far, although Tottenham duo Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios have both been the subject of Stoke bids.

Rory Delap's long throw-ins still cause havoc in opposition defences; however the club are now arguably more reliant on the deliveries from the flanks of Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant, usually supplying Kenwyne Jones up front.

The striker is not the most prolific; however defender Robert Huth is very much accustomed to seeing his name on the scoresheet, with six goals to his name last season.

Stoke will be as tough to beat as ever at the Britannia Stadium; expect Chelsea to be in for a rough ride in the opening weekend. If the club can sort out their away form, Tony Pulis could guide his team to new heights.

Sunderland: 9th

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has been a busy man in this summer's transfer window, signing no fewer than nine players so far.

Midfielders Steed Malbranque and Jordan Henderson have departed; however, their presence may not be missed too much as Craig Gardner, David Vaughan and Sebastian Larsson are all capable replacements and proven at this level.

Promising striker Connor Wickham is one of the best young talents in English football, whilst defenders John O'Shea and Wes Brown both come with a lot of experience in defence.

Forward Asamoah Gyan will be under pressure to add to his 10 league goals from last season as Darren Bent was sorely missed after his exit in January.

Despite the new signings, breaking into the top six is likely to be a challenge too far for Sunderland this season, although I would expect them to put pressure on Everton and Aston Villa to finish near the top of the remaining 14.

Swansea City: 20th

Swansea's excellent end to last season saw them win the playoff final against Reading and become the first Welsh team to play in the Premier League.

Young manager Brendan Rodgers faces a huge challenge to keep the Swans up, but as we saw with Blackpool last season, who came so close to surviving against all the odds, anything is possible.

Winger Scott Sinclair was the club's standout performer from the last campaign, scoring 27 goals in all competitions including a hat trick in the playoff final.

Wayne Routledge has moved to the Liberty Stadium from Newcastle. In his career so far he has performed brilliantly at Championship level but failed to carry that form into the top division; Swansea will hope this is the season that he makes his mark in the Premier League.

Leroy Lita and Danny Graham have been brought in to strengthen the attack, while Michael Vorm and Jose Moreira will compete for the number one jersey.

Similar to Norwich, the club lack players with much Premier League experience. I don't think they'll survive.

Tottenham Hotspur: 6th

Tottenham fans will desperately hope that last season's Champions League campaign was not a one-off. Last season they were unable to retain their place in the top four and so will not compete in Europe's biggest club competition this season.

Breaking back into the top four will be harder than ever, with Liverpool's resurgence and Man City's money making it an extremely difficult task.

Perhaps that is why Croatian midfielder Luka Modric is so keen to join their London rivals Chelsea. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has repeatedly told the player he isn't going anywhere, but that hasn't stopped Chelsea from continuing their pursuit of him.

Even without Modric, players like Rafael Van der Vaart and Gareth Bale should be enough to cement the club's place in the top six; however, goalkeeper Brad Friedel is the North London club's only summer signing so far.

In my opinion, Spurs are a world-class defender and forward away from a top four side, if they keep Modric. Unless manager Harry Redknapp is given the cash to strengthen his team before the transfer window closes, I can't see them improving on last season.

West Bromwich Albion: 11th

Roberto Di Matteo's sacking mid-way through last season was deemed very harsh by most; however, Roy Hodgson's reign saw the club soar to an impressive 11th place in the table.

Odemwingie's 15 league goals were vital, but his fantastic first season in England means it could be difficult for the Baggies to hang on to their star striker.

Shane Long's signing from Reading suggests that Hodgson may be preparing for Odemwingie's departure, whilst Ben Foster has been brought in on loan from Birmingham as the club's No. 1 keeper.

Gareth McAuley and Zoltan Gera among others will add to the strength in depth of the side, and I expect another good season for West Brom.

Wigan Athletic: 19th

Wigan's dramatic final day survival will live long in the memory of their supporters, but can they repeat or even improve on last season this campaign?

Roberto Martinez has set his side up playing attractive football, and has suggested that he feels the club can finish in the top half this season. It is hard not to admire Martinez's style and loyalty after he turned down a summer move Aston Villa, but this looks like a huge ask of his team.

Last season's star man Charles N'Zogbia has left the club and Wigan haven't replaced him so far in terms of signings, although if Victor Moses can continue his preseason form he may be ready to step into N'Zogbia's shoes.

Rodallega will need to be on scoring form once again, but I don't think Wigan have strengthened their team enough to improve on last season, and it may well be that they finish in the bottom three.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: 13th

Wolves were another side to enjoy final day survival last season, and I think Mick McCarthy's side have enough to steer further away from the drop zone this time around.

Defender Roger Johnson is a great signing from local rivals Birmingham, and bringing in midfielder Jamie O'Hara permanently after he was so influential during his loan move last season looks to be another good piece of business.

In Steven Fletcher and Kevin Doyle, Wolves have two proven strikers at this level and I expect the club to stay away from a relegation battle this time around.

Overall Predicted Table

1)      Chelsea

2)      Manchester United

3)      Manchester City

4)      Liverpool

5)      Arsenal

6)      Tottenham Hotspur

7)      Everton

8)      Aston Villa

9)      Sunderland

10)   Stoke City

11)   West Bromwich Albion

12)   Fulham

13)   Wolverhampton Wanderers

14)   Queens Park Rangers

15)   Bolton Wanderers

16)   Newcastle United

17)   Blackburn Rovers

18)   Norwich City

19)   Wigan Athletic

20)   Swansea City