Yeah, I feel the new City, United and Chelsea managers will need a season to settle in.

I'm going for Spurs. I thought they were generally excellent last season and have made a couple of astute buys during the summer. The best thing they have going for them is continuity - same manager, roughly the same squad only now with more confidence and experience.

Arsenal to be the exact same as always.

Liverpool will have a decent season and put up a challenge for a top four spot, but will ultimately fall just short.

Leicester will have another good season. I can see the CL affecting their league form later this year, leaving them unlikely to retain their crown, but this may prove a catalyst for an added focus on the cup competitions. Wouldn't surprise me to see them lift the league cup or FA Cup, they're still a very fine side.

I think West Ham might struggle a bit in their new stadium.

1. Spurs
2. United
3. City
4. Arsenal
5. Chelsea
6. Liverpool
7. Leicester
8. West Ham
9. Everton

I'm going for:-

1. Man Utd
2. Man City
3. Chelsea
4. Spurs
5. Arsenal
6. Liverpool
7. West Ham
8. Leicester

Man City
Tottenham
Chelsea
Liverpool
Man united
Arsenal
Everton
Leicester

I think City or Chelsea will win it. Tottenham, no chance, they blew it last season and they won't find themselves in that position again.

Bloody hell you don't have much confidence in us do you?

Is that your pessimistic side coming out??

Personally I see City's defence (if they don't improve it) being their downfall.
Still relying on Kompany is just not good enough for a club with their ambitions, he should be put out to pasture now, "thanks for the memories, but you just cannot stay fit enough for our liking" kind of thing.

We should know about such things, as we had Hargreaves who was seemingly consistently injured, so there is a bit of speaking from experience about injury prone top level players here.

City's other defenders (even with the possible Stones capture) do not inspire any confidence whatsoever, so for me that is where points will be dropped, and enough so that they don't win the league.

My predictions are as follows (based on Pogba arriving before the start of the season):-

1) Spurs (they have added a quality backup, or rotational option to Kane, which is what I thought that they were lacking last season).
2) Man Utd (Jose and Ed had had a great transfer window, but I don't want to jinx things by predicting that we will win it).
3) Man City (still great going forward, but their defence will cost them)
4) Liverpool (Klopp knows his system, and he has brought in some very good players).
5) Chelsea (still a bit of an adjustment for the new manager, I expect them to be higher the following season).
6) Arsenal (the lack of defensive cover will hurt them big time I think).
7) West Ham (they will do well in their first season at their new stadium I think).
8) Leicester (a fair bit of a comedown for the reigning champions, but all fairytales have to come to an end sometime).

He's predicted us coming one place lower than you did.

1) City
2) United
3) Chelsea
4) Arsenal
5) Spurs
6) Liverpool
7) Leicester
8) West Ham

Exactly. No idea what he's on about.

I wanted to predict us being first, but I really didn't want to jinx things, and then for us to not win it.

I wouldn't knock Spurs out the top 4, they have one vital factor - a settled team who all know each other, worth a lot.

United looks like they will be topped up with big, big name players, now that could be good for them, but big names and big money doesn't always get the desired results in the PL. Some players have crashed and burned due to the (media, fans) expectation hanging round their necks, we will have to wait and see, I don't see them 'walking' the league though as some think they will.

City and Arsenal will always be thereabouts, that's almost carved in stone.

Chelsea and Liverpool are the ones to watch for though, neither are in Europe this season, both have very good managers. IF they stay relatively injury free, I really do think Klopp will get us into Europe next season, Chelsea are stinging from a bad season, so I expect them to push hard too.

To call it? Can't really, but all the above will be up there - with maybe another shock entry from an unexpected team.

What else is new.

Huh??

Why the need for such a comment??

Should be self-explanatory.

This 100% ^^

We're scoring goals and Eden is looking razor sharp but our defence is a big concern.

I expect Conte and Pep to take a season to settle into a new League.

It's United's to lose, imo with the experienced PL Manager they have and the money they have spent.

Not really, as I have backed up what I have said with reasons as to why I think each team will or might finish in certain positions.

Jim predicted we'd come third, an improvement on last year and one place lower than you predicted and yet you responded with either mock incredulity or sheer idiocy, claiming he has little confidence in us and claiming that it was his pessimistic side talking as though he'd predicted some huge disaster such as us getting relegated or Trump winning the US election.

I don't think city will win it. Still think they are too weak in the full back and Centre back positions and it takes more than one window to fix that squad.

As a neutral it's great to go into another season where it seems so up for grabs

Fair enough, I don't quite think City have enough in the defensive side to win a league title, but then again, maybe they will go down the Keegan, we will score more than we let in route this season?



I am in agreement with you here.

I'm doubtful that Guardiola is going to adopt principles employed by Kevin Keegan.


One of which is that you won't predict United to finish top incase you jinx them.
Not much of a reason for forming a view and less so when expressed in a neutrals thread.

The Keegan thing was just an expression on how pretty poor their defense is currently, I don't think that they will actually play as they did under him previously.

That's fine, as long as we know you won't take every comparison literally when made by others.

i think you should worry about your own defense first!

None of the defences from the top teams look overly clever, with the possible exception of Spurs.

its ok spending £100,000,000 on a player, but its no good if you dont have a decent back 4

I'm quite happy with our defensive options.