The Season 2011/12: Manchester clubs make big early impression

Premier League
Table
THE MANCHESTER clubs both made their early mark on the title race by blowing away their north London rivals in a devastating double-act.

Manchester City began the dual rout with a 5-1 win at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur as Edin Dzeko hit four to become City's second hat-trick scorer this season already.

The result left Spurs propping up the Premier League but, in keeping with history, Manchester United ensured they - and not City - would be top of the pile with an incredible eight-goal haul against sorry Arsenal.

Danny Welbeck opened the scoring for Sir Alex Ferguson's men before new goalkeeper David De Gea saved from Robin van Persie's penalty.

The Dutchman was made to pay for that miss when an Ashley Young curler and Wayne Rooney scored to put United 3-0 up.

Theo Walcott scored Arsenal's first league goal of the season on half-time to give the false impression that the Gunners were still in the game.

However, that fanciful notion was soon completely blown out the water in a six-minute spell in the middle of the second half during which Rooney scored his second while Nani and Park Ji-Sung joined in the fun.

Van Persie reduced the arrears to 6-2 but there was still time for Rooney to score his hat-trick goal from the penalty spot and for Young to score his second.

It finished 8-2 - an utter humiliation for Arsenal, and the first time the Londoners had conceded that many in a game since 1896.

Wenger, already under pressure after another quiet summer in the transfer market, has never looked more embattled in his 15 years than tonight - and with reason, too.

Arsenal sit at the wrong end of the table with just one point from three games having been comfortably beaten by Liverpool 2-0 and totally outclassed by Man United.

The Red Devils head the table with a perfect nine points and a goal difference of +10. Man City, the only other club who can boast a perfect record in the top flight, are just behind on +9.

The Manchester pair are followed by a group of four clubs on seven points. Liverpool are in third place and looked much improved on last season's showing in their wins at Arsenal and against Bolton Wanderers at home.

Chelsea are in fourth but have relied on late goals in their two victories over West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City.

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United are the other teams to have taken seven points from their opening three fixtures, the latter having enjoyed yet another win in the Tyne-Wear derby thanks to Ryan Taylor's free-kick.

At the other end of the league, Spurs are one of three teams without a point so far but, in fairness to Harry Redknapp's men, they have had to face both of those Manchester clubs.

Earlier, Spurs had made a false start with the opening match against Everton postponed on police advice following riots in the capital.

Blackburn Rovers do not have that excuse and the pressure has surely also increased on Steve Kean after the Ewood Park club lost each of their first three games to Wolves, Aston Villa and Everton.

The latest of those defeats against the Toffees came in farcical circumstances as, having missed two penalties themselves, Rovers lost to a Mikel Arteta spot-kick in the last minute.

That slice of fortune gave Everton a barely-deserved first set of points this season.

Like Blackburn, West Brom have also lost their first three games although two of these have been to Manchester United and Chelsea.

Nevertheless, the Baggies' third defeat, 1-0 at home to Stoke City, will go down as a disappointment, especially as it involved a third straight late winner.

Just outside the bottom three, Arsenal - on one point - are joined by another London club, Fulham, who have not hit the ground running despite starting their season in the Europa League qualifiers in June.

Newly-promoted clubs Swansea City and Norwich are both on two points but the Swans have worryingly yet to score. Queens Park Rangers are a point better off after an impressive 1-0 win over Everton.

Championship
Table
FOR THE top of the Championship, read the top of League One last season.

Brighton & Hove Albion have once again taken their now-familiar place at the top of the table, followed like last season closely by Southampton.

Gus Poyet's Seagulls moved into their new 22,374-capacity Amex Stadium at the start of the campaign and it is fair to say that they have settled in well with four wins and a draw from their first five league and cup games.

Brighton can travel, too, with victories in both of their opening away Championship matches so far at Cardiff City and Portsmouth.

Southampton began their season with five straight league and cup wins but lost their perfect record to pre-season favourites Leicester City in a 3-2 loss on Saturday. That result was only enough to take Sven-Goran Eriksson's slow starters up to 10th place on seven points.

Meanwhile, just like the Saints, the Foxes' East Midlands rivals Derby County had a 100% league record until this weekend when they lost 2-1 at home to Burnley.

Nevertheless, 12 points from five games is still enough for Southampton and Derby to lie in second and third place.

Unbeaten Middlesbrough are fourth, just a point behind, but it looked as if the Teessiders were going top until a late Coventry City equaliser by Lukas Jutkiewicz.

In a move that would further damage the Sky Blues, Jutkiewicz has now been targeted by Boro boss Tony Mowbray whose young side have made a good start in their push for promotion.

London pair West Ham United and Crystal Palace round off the top six, on 10 points apiece, and the former looking particularly worthy of their fancied status in a 4-1 away thrashing of Nottingham Forest.

That humbling for Steve McClaren's men at the City Ground left Forest, who have made the playoffs for the past two seasons, in 18th place amid a group of unexpectedly poor starters.

Leeds United are 19th with just four points from five games after they suffered an Ipswich Town comeback for a third league defeat already this season.

Playoff final losers Reading also lost at the weekend, 1-0 to Hull City, to stay on four points, while Martin Taylor scored a last minute goal for Watford as the third-bottom Hornets rescued a 2-2 draw against fourth-bottom Birmingham City.

The job at St Andrews for Chris Hughton looks a lot tougher than his previous assignment in the Championship at St James with Newcastle United.

Watford, though, are not a surprise to see at the wrong end of the table after the summer departure of Danny Graham to Swansea City, nor is the identity of the other two teams in the bottom three.

Second-bottom Coventry City, on two points, and rock-bottom Doncaster Rovers, on just one, were widely tipped to struggle and have not proved their doubters wrong so far.

League One
Table
THE very existence of a League club in Milton Keynes may still rankle with some football fans but the Dons have given their own fans a treat so far this season.

Sam Baldock scored a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Chesterfield before Karl Robinson's men followed that win up last weekend with a harder-fought 1-0 defeat of fellow promoted club Stevenage.

That win left the MK Dons on 13 points from five games but now Robinson and his team must deal with the chasing pack without Baldock who has flocked to West Ham United.

The worrying thing for Milton Keynes is that there are plenty of big names in the chasing pack looking ready to pounce.

Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United are also both on 13 points, in second and third place, after both enjoyed away wins at Bury and Yeovil Town respectively.

Preston North End are fourth after beating Notts County 2-0 for their third successive league win and the Lilywhites are joined on 10 points by surprise packages Tranmere Rovers and Carlisle United.

Just outside the playoff places on nine points are Uwe Rosler's Brentford, who Tranmere beat 2-0 at Griffin Park at the weekend, and last season's beaten playoff finalists Huddersfield Town.

That represents a slow start for Lee Clark's side but, with two wins and three draws, the Terriers have now extended their unbeaten league record in 2011 to 30 matches.

By contrast, at the bottom, Leyton Orient cannot pick up a point to save their lives so far this season, starting their league campaign with five successive losses.

Chesterfield have also struggled - perhaps not as much as the 6-2 drubbing in Milton Keynes suggests, but the Spireites only point has came against Stevenage, who they went up with in May.

Rochdale and Bournemouth also make an appearance in the bottom four, on two points and three points respectively, as they struggle to match last season's fine top-10 finishes so far.

Finally, Scunthorpe United are another surprising name towards the bottom as they find life back in League One tough following last season's demotion from the Championship.

The 20th-placed Iron have taken just three points all season, each of them from drawn matches.

League Two
Table
ROTHERHAM UNITED began life after Adam le Fondre in style as a 3-0 win left them top of League Two with 13 points from their first five games.

Lower league goal-scoring machine le Fondre left the Millers last week to try his hand in the Championship with Reading.

But it mattered not to Andy Scott's men who scored three second half goals without reply to end the Gills' own unbeaten start.

Rotherham are one point clear of Morecambe who have wiped away the memory of last season's struggles by winning four of their first five, including a 2-0 win at Northampton Town on Saturday.

Pre-season favourites Crawley Town are third but relinquished top spot after a 3-1 defeat at sixth-placed Cheltenham Town.

Gillingham, in fourth, and Dagenham & Redbridge, in fifth, join Crawley on 10 points. Southend United's early burst at Port Vale helped the Shrimpers to a 3-2 win and nine points, level with Cheltenham.

If Southend's current performance proves nothing else, it shows that there can be life after administration, the Roots Hall club having had a couple of rough seasons.

But Plymouth Argyle remain in the eye of the storm and a 1-0 home defeat against Crewe Alexandra did nothing to lift the gloom at Home Park.

The Pilgrims, relegated from the Championship and League One in the last two seasons, now prop up League Two with just one point from five matches.

Hereford United are only one further point better off after their 0-0 draw at Bristol Rovers left them as the only other side in the division without a win.

Crewe's sole victory over Plymouth lifted Alex to third-bottom and Paulo di Canio's Swindon Town also only on three points after Shrewsbury Town inflicted a worrying fourth successive league defeat.

Blue Square Premier
Table
GATESHEAD have made a fine start to the new season with five wins and a draw from their first six games to sit in second place on 16 points.

Led by the division's top scorer John Shaw, who already has seven goals, The Heed are only denied top-spot by Welsh club Wrexham.

Dean Saunders' Robins also have 16 points but with a better goal difference having beaten Tamworth 3-0 and Alfreton Town 4-1 inside the last week.

Kidderminster Harriers are in third place on 13 points after their August bank holiday victory over Newport County while Darlington and Tamworth are in fourth and fifth on 11 points.

York City dropped out of the playoff places after their surprise 1-0 defeat to Alfreton, a result which moved the Reds onto five points and off the bottom.

Alfreton were replaced there by Bath City who have taken just two points from six matches while Grimsby Town are second-bottom on four points as they struggle at the start of a second season outside the Football League.

Then comes newly-promoted Alfreton in the third-bottom place on five points with a whole host of other clubs including Kettering Town, Southport, Hayes & Yeading United, relegated Lincoln City, and Newport.

England whitewash India to seal number one spot

ENGLAND confirmed their status as the number one Test team in the world by completing a 4-0 whitewash against India at the Oval.

Graeme Swann took 6-106 as England won the fourth Test by an innings and eight runs, having earlier enjoyed comfortable wins at Lord's, Trent Bridge and Edgbaston.

India arrived to these shores this summer as the world's number one side, having won the One-Day World Cup in April and with a points lead in the ICC Test rankings.

But England knew at the start of the series that, after their own excellent recent run of seven series wins and a draw from their last eight, victory by two clear matches would mean they would usurp the tourists at the top.

With that motivation, it was perhaps no surprise that England began well at Lord's. After a rainy first day, Kevin Pietersen hit a magnificent 202 not out as Andrew Strauss' men made 474-8 declared.

Stuart Broad, much improved from his travails against Sri Lanka, then took 4-37 as India crumbled to 283 all out despite Rahul Dravid's 103 not out.

India had only just avoided the follow-on, and so left England with a tactical headache of when to declare in the second innings.

But, thankfully for Matt Prior, he was given time to make his own 103 not out as the hosts recovered from 62-5 and 107-6 to set India an unlikely 458 runs to win.

Unsurprisingly, with almost four sessions left, India buckled as James Anderson secured the opening win with figures of 5-65 while Broad supported with 3-57 for fine match figures of 7-94.

The second Test at Trent Bridge proved to be the pivotal Test in the series. India won the toss for the second match in a row, again asking England to bat.

This time, their choice seemed correct under cloudy skies in Nottingham as Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth took three wickets each to bowl England out for 221.

On the afternoon of day two, India had reached 267-4, already a lead of 46 runs but then came the most inspired spell of the whole series.

Broad had been under pressure coming into this campaign after his aforementioned earlier struggles but he removed the dangerous Yuvraj Singh for 62 before taking a brilliant hat-trick, accounting for Harbhajan Singh, Kumar and Dravid.

Sharma was the final wicket to fall, also to Broad, who took his Test-best 6-46, and the lead was only 67 when it seemed as if it was going to be so much more.

Buoyed by this fact, England's batsmen flourished again on days three and four as the middle order all contributed to a huge second innings score of 544.

Ian Bell made 159, Prior 73, Eoin Morgan a much-needed 70 and Pietersen 63 before India were completely ground into the dust with some entertaining tail-end batting from Tim Bresnan (90) and Broad (44).

In the face of another big chase with more than five sessions left to survive, India struggled and collapsed to 55-6.

Sachin Tendulkar, searching for his 100th Test century, and Harbhajan prevented the inevitable but eventually the tourists were all out for 158 as England won by 319 runs with a day to spare.

At Edgbaston in the third Test, England finally won the toss. But, unlike India who had failed to convert this advantage, Strauss' men went for the jugular.

Broad and Bresnan took four weeks apiece, with Anderson taking two, as the Indians fell to 224 all out shortly after tea on the first day.

Captain MS Dhoni (77) was the only player to provide much in the way of resistance and, by close of play, England were 84-0, already closing in on India's total.

Openers Strauss and Alastair Cook were in need of a contribution in this series but the latter reprised his form from last season's Ashes series Down Under on day two.

Cook batted all through the second day before eventually making 294 on the third, sharing a fourth-wicket partnership of 222 with Eoin Morgan who made 104.

Strauss had made 87, Pietersen 63 and even Bresnan contributed 53 not out before England made yet another declaration, this time on 710-7, immediately after Cook departed.

Classic scoreboard pressure left India in a hopeless position as they collapsed to 116-6 at lunch.

Once again, Dhoni (74 not out) showed some fight but, once again, England won inside four days by a massive margin of an innings and 242 runs.

When Bresnan took the final wicket of Sreesanth, England became the official number one team in the world. This huge victory made a truly fitting way in which to achieve that status.

However, perhaps the most extraordinary thing about this England side is that one innings victory per series now does not seem to be enough.

After three innings wins in the away Ashes victory, England completed the whitewash at the Oval by again only having to bat once.

That came in the first innings as Strauss and Cook survived overcast conditions to take the home side to 75-0 at the close of a curtailed first day.

The openers were out early on the second day but England were utterly dominant for the rest of it as Bell (235) and Pietersen (175) shared a third-wicket stand of 350 runs.

England eventually declared on 591-6 but, such was the weakness of the Indian attack, there was a feeling that Prior and Ravi Bopara could have probably batted for the rest of the match.

Rain had forced England's hand, though, and they had made the right choice to declare when they did, reducing India to 105-5 by the close of day three.

India showed some hitherto barely seen fight on day four, reaching 300 for the first time in seven attempts in the series, thanks mainly to the watchful batting of Dravid (146 not out).

But, the fact that the tourists made 300 and no more allowed England to enforce the follow-on and reduce India to 129-3 at stumps on the fourth day.

Day four at the Oval had been hard graft for England's bowlers but they had still succeeded in taking eight wickets in the three sessions.

The last day of the series looked as if it was going to be tough again as India reached lunch unscathed with thoughts of a hard-fought draw to finish the series.

However, that possibility proved fanciful as the England attack found its bite after the interval.

Nightwatchman Amit Mishra - with a creditable 84 - was out first and followed quickly by Tendulkar who fell just short of his landmark on 91, lbw to Bresnan.

Before those wickets, at 263-3, India had been just 29 runs short of forcing England to bat again.

But the innings victory was achieved as Suresh Raina, with a pair, Dhoni and Gautum Gambhir, both on three, RP Singh on 0 and Sreesanth on six all departed quickly.

India were 283 all out and England had won with a whole session to spare in yet another incredibly ruthless performance.

SERIES STATISTICS
Npower Test series: ENGLAND 4-0 INDIA
First Test Lord's England 474-8 dec & 269/6 dec beat India 286 & 261 by 196 runs Scorecard
Second Test Trent Bridge England 221 & 544 beat India 288 & 158 by 319 runs Scorecard
Third Test Edgbaston England 710-7 dec beat India 224 & 244 by an innings and 242 runs Scorecard
Fourth Test The Oval England 591-6 dec beat India 300 & 283 by an innings and eight runs Scorecard

ICC World Test rankings
ENGLAND 125
South Africa 118
India 117
Sri Lanka 108
Australia 100
Pakistan 93
West Indies 89
New Zealand 78
Bangladesh 8


ENGLAND: Test match series results since summer 2009
WWDWDLWDWDLWWWWWWLWDWLWWWDDWWWW
Tests P31 W20 D7 L4
Test series P9 W8 D1 L0


May 2009 England 2-0 West Indies
Jul-Aug 2009 England 2-1 Australia
Dec 2009-Jan 2010 South Africa 1-1 England
Mar 2010 Bangladesh 0-2 England
May-Jun 2010 England 2-0 Bangladesh
Jul-Aug 2010 England 3-1 Pakistan
Nov 2010-Jan 2011 Australia 1-3 England
May-Jun 2011 England 1-0 Sri Lanka
Jul-Aug 2011 England 4-0 India

The Premier League 2011/12

ARSENAL

The Gunners - Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Road, Islington, London, N5 1BU. Capacity 60,361

Last season: 4th, FA Cup Quarter finals, League Cup Runners-up, Champions League Last 16

Last major trophy: FA Cup 2005

Manager: Arsene Wenger (since October 1996)

Players In: Gervinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jon Toral, Hector Bellerin, Carl Jenkison

Players Out: Gael Clichy, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Mark Randall, Roarie Deacon, Samuel Galindo, James Shea, Thomas Cruise, Kyle Bartley, Denilson

Pre-season form: Arsenal began their pre-season by travelling to the Far East, beating the Malaysian All-Stars 4-0 before being held to a 1-1 draw against China's Hangzhou Greentown. The Gunners then beat Koln 2-1 away but could only finish third in their home tournament, the Emirates Cup, after two draws against Boca Juniors (2-2) and New York Red Bulls (1-1). Their final match, a 2-1 defeat to Benfica, also proved to be a disappointment.

Prediction: 6th

Arsenal remain standing at the same crossroads as they have been at for years - do they fall short in style or win pragmatically? Even failing dramatically may be more difficult to do this season with the inevitable departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. On a positive note, though, Robin van Persie stayed fit long enough to hit a rich vein of form in the second part of last season and perhaps he will now have a reliable partner up front in Gervinho. Nevertheless, the Gunners too often show the collective spine of a jellyfish, demonstrated perfectly when they surrendered a four-goal half time lead against Newcastle United. Arsenal face an fascinating test of their mental strength first up when they return to St James Park before a tricky Champions League qualifier against Udinese.

ASTON VILLA

The Villains - Villa Park, Trinity Road, Birmingham, B6 6HE. Capacity 42,789

Last season: 9th, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup Quarter finals, Europa League Qualifying round

Last major trophy: League Cup 1996

Manager: Alex McLeish (since June 2011)

Players In: Shay Given, Charles N'Zogbia

Players Out: Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Nigel Reo-Coker, Brad Friedel, John Carew, Harry Forrester, Moustapha Salifou, Robert Pires, Isaiah Osbourne, Arsenio Halfhuid, Durrell Berry, Ellis Deeney, Calum Flanagan

Pre-season form: Controversial appointment Alex McLeish hardly won over his detractors in pre-season after Villa slumped to successive 2-0 defeats to Chelsea in the Barclays Asia Trophy Final and Derby County at Pride Park. It had all begun so well with victories over Walsall (3-1) and Blackburn Rovers (1-0) but an uninspiring 1-1 draw at Braga in the last friendly has done little to improve the mood.

Prediction: 8th

Aston Villa took the unusual step of filling their latest managerial vacancy by opting for the boss of their relegated city rivals. The appointment of Alex McLeish certainly raised a few eyebrows outside of the Second City and the blood-pressure within it. The Scot was not helped by the fact that two Villa's two wing-men, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, were out the door almost as soon as he had stepped in it, though the arrival of Charles N'Zogbia should ensure chief poacher Darren Bent is not completely starved of service. Perhaps vitally, Villa play just one match against last season's top five in the first four months of the season before a tough December. And so, the unavoidable feeling is that the start will make-or-break McLeish's chances of winning over the unconvinced Villa Park faithful. 

BLACKBURN ROVERS

Rovers - Ewood Park, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4JF. Capacity 31,154

Last season: 15th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 3rd round

Last major trophy: League Cup 2002

Manager: Steve Kean (since December 2010)

Players In: David Goodwillie, Radosav Petrovic, Myles Anderson

Players Out: Phil Jones, Frank Fielding, Jason Brown, Zurab Khizanishvilli, Jordan Bowen, Michael Potts, Benjani Mwaruwari, Maceo Rigters, Aaron Doran

Pre-season form: Blackburn began their preparations with two matches on the same day as part of the squad beat Accrington Stanley 2-1 and the other half were held to a 1-1 draw by Morecambe. Rovers then travelled to the Far East to compete in the Barclays Asia Trophy but they were beaten on the first day by Aston Villa (0-1). That defeat meant Steve Kean's men competed in the third-fourth playoff which acted as a confidence booster after a 3-0 win over Kitchee. Further goals followed when Rovers travelled north of the border as they beat Kilmarnock 4-1 away.

Prediction: 17th

Steve Kean knows his team must hit the ground running this season if his position is not to come under even greater scrutiny than it already is. Shoved into the job after the Venky's Group hasty dismissal of Sam Allardyce, Kean has struggled to convince the fans  - or indeed the owners - that he is the man for the job with just six wins from 23 games. Having the Venky's as owners cannot be easy, though. Rivaling Mike Ashley for a bemusing lack of football knowledge, Allardyce was fired for failing to deliver top six football. But, during this summer, Kean has been offered just £5m to strengthen the squad while talented youngster Phil Jones has escaped to Old Trafford. Rovers won just twice in the last four months of last season and Kean simply cannot afford a similar run at the start of this campaign. The axe is being sharpened.

BOLTON WANDERERS

The Trotters - Reebok Stadium, Burnden Way, Lostock, Bolton, BL6 6JW. Capacity 28,101 

Last season: 14th, FA Cup Semi finals, League Cup 3rd round

Last major trophy: FA Cup 1958

Manager: Owen Coyle (since January 2010)

Players In: Darren Pratley, Nigel Reo-Coker, Chris Eagles, Tyrone Mears

Players Out: Ali Al-Habsi, Matthew Taylor, Danny Ward, Joey O'Brien, Johan Elmander, Sam Sheridan, Andrew Burns, Jlloyd Samuel, Tamir Cohen, Maison McGeechan, Tom Eckersley, Gavin McCann

Pre-season form: Bolton Wanderers began and ended their pre-season matches with 1-0 defeats to FC Tampa Bay and Levante at home respectively but, in between, the Trotters racked up six wins. The first of these came in the USA against Orlando SC (3-1) and Houston Dynamo (2-0) before Coyle's men returned home to beat Bradford City 4-1, Bury 2-0, Newport County 3-1 and Hereford United 3-0.

Prediction: 14th again

The table never lies, so the cliche goes, but last season's 14th-placed finish for Owen Coyle's men seemed a harsh judgement considering the improvement in style at the Reebok after the Gary Megson era. Of course, the 2010/11 Premier League table was so tight that the Trotters' five-match losing streak in their last five games was always going to cost them as they dropped to their lowest position all season after their 38th match. The real damage was done at Wembley and that 5-0 defeat to Stoke City in the FA Cup semi final and Coyle faces a tough job rebuilding confidence without last season's on-loan hot-shot Daniel Sturridge. 

CHELSEA

The Blues - Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS. Capacity 42,449

Last season: 2nd, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 3rd round, Champions League Quarter finals

Last major trophy: Premier League 2009-10 and FA Cup 2010

Manager: Andre Villas-Boas (since June 2011)

Players In: Oriol Romeu

Players Out: Yury Zhirkov, Michael Mancienne, Jeffrey Bruma, Jack Cork, Danny Philliskirk, Jan Sebek, Bobby Devyne, Anton Rodgers, Ben Sampayo, Carl Magnay, Michael Woods, Jacopo Sala, Gokhan Tore, Sam Hutchinson, Sam Walker, Nemanja Matic, Fabio Borini

Pre-season form: Chelsea went through pre-season conceding just one goal on their way to winning the Barclays Asia Trophy. The Blues began their preparations by beating Wycombe Wanderers (3-0) and Portsmouth (1-0) before heading to the Far East for victories over the Malaysian All-Stars (1-0) and Thailand All-Stars (4-0). Villas-Boas' men won the Asia Trophy by beating Kitchee 4-0 and Aston Villa 2-0 and then a trip to Scotland brought a 3-1 win over Rangers. 

Prediction: 3rd

In Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea welcome another new manager into the Stamford Bridge hot-seat amid fascination that he would have been in the same school year as his senior players, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. Despite his age of 33, Villas-Boas undoubtedly arrives with an impressive pedigree, winning the treble of the Portuguese League and Cup, and the Europa League, at Porto last season. But, nowadays, Chelsea managers either fall in love with the place like Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink or struggle with the pressure like Luis Felipe Scolari and Avram Grant. And, of course, it is in that very atmosphere that Villas-Boas must now attempt to display his authority. The age of his players presents himself with another problem... are they sprightly enough to sustain a challenge to the younger Manchester teams? It seems that much will depend on £50m man Fernando Torres, who is still just 27, but he will have to have a better campaign than last season when he scored just once in Chelsea blue.  

EVERTON

The Toffees - Goodison Park, Goodison Road, Liverpool, L4 4EL. Capacity 40,157

Last season: 7th, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup 3rd round

Last major trophy: FA Cup 1995

Manager: David Moyes (since March 2002)

Players In: Eric Dier

Players Out: James Vaughan, Iain Turner, Kieran Agard, Hope Akpan, John Nolan, Gerard Kinsella, Luke Dobie, Daniel Murphy, Craig Nathan, Lee McArdle

Pre-season form: A patchy pre-season for the Toffees who won three and lost three of their six games. Everton enjoyed wins over Bury (4-1), DC United in the USA (3-1) and Birmingham City (2-1) but suffered a trio of 1-0 defeats to Philadelphia Union, Werder Bremen and at home against Villarreal.

Prediction: 9th

Everton are the inbetweeners. No longer good enough to reprise their fourth-placed finish in 2004-05 since the rise of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, the Toffees are nonetheless generally good enough to avoid the relegation scrap. Indeed, the Merseysiders usually give the rest of the league a head start and last season was a case-in-point as David Moyes' men recorded just four wins before Christmas. Another quiet summer on the transfer front means the dependence on goals will lie once again with the likes of Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta in midfield. And, talented though they are, the lack of a reliable, injury-free striker could mean Everton struggle to match even their modest success of recent years.

FULHAM

The Cottagers - Craven Cottage, Stevenage Road, London, SW6 6HH. Capacity 25,700

Last season: 8th, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup 3rd round

Last major trophy: None

Manager: Martin Jol (since June 2011)

Players In: John Arne Riise, Marcel Gecov, Patjim Kasami, Dan Burn, Csaba Somogyi

Players Out: Jonathan Greening, Kagisho Dikgacoi, John Pantsil, Diomansy Kamara, David Stockdale, Zoltan Gera, Eddie Johnson, Matthew Saunders, Matthew Reece, Pascal Zuberbuhler

Pre-season form: Fulham have won through three Europa League ties already before the proper season has begun. First the Cottagers beat Faroe Islanders NSI Runavik 3-0 on aggregate, Northern Ireland's Crusaders 7-1 on aggregate and Croatians RNK Split 2-0 on aggregate. In the meantime, there were defeats for weaker team selections against AFC Wimbledon (0-2) and Stevenage (0-1).

Prediction: 13th

By the time Fulham finish their Premier League season with a visit to White Hart Lane in May, their campaign will have moved into its 12th month. The Cottagers started their season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Faroe Islanders NSI Runavik on 30 June - before England had even begun to thrash India at cricket. And, though the safe hands of Martin Jol should prevent a fully-blown disaster, simply the arduous length of the season will take its toll on a modest squad. 

LIVERPOOL

The Reds - Anfield, Anfield Road, Liverpool, L4 0TH. Capacity 45,276

Last season: 6th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 3rd round, Europa League 3rd round

Last major trophy: FA Cup 2006

Manager: Kenny Dalglish (since January 2011)

Players In: Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique, Alexander Doni

Players Out: Paul Konchesky, Chris Mavinga, Tom Ince, Gerado Bruna, Peter Gulacsi, Stephen Darby, Martin Hansen, Jason Banton, Deale Chamberlain, Alex Cooper, Sean Highdale, Steven Irwin, Nikola Saric, Dean Bouzanis, Milan Jovanovic

Pre-season form: Liverpool conceded three goals in each of their first four friendly matches, although they still managed to win the first two in the Far East against Guangdong (4-3) and Malaysian All-Stars (6-3). Thereafter, the Reds were embarrassed by a 3-0 defeat at Hull City before a 3-3 draw against Norwegians Valerenga. A fine 2-0 home win against Valencia will have eased some nerves.

Prediction: 4th

After two false starts in the last two campaigns, Liverpool have finally put themselves back in with a chance of challenging the top four. It has taken a costly overhaul but the Reds look to have their strongest first team since the Fernando Torres-Steven Gerrard axis was at its strongest three years ago. Up front, Luis Suarez can act as the perfect foil for Andy Carroll's more direct style while midfield has been spruced up by the signing of three British players in Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam. Against that, Gerrard is not available for the start of the campaign but the greater worry is the defence. Jose Enrique may have arrived from Newcastle in the last few hours but it will taken more than that to stop the goals from leaking as freely as they did in pre-season. That said, only Manchester United took more points than Liverpool in the second half of last season but it is now up to Kenny Dalglish's men to perform when the pressure is on from the start.

MANCHESTER CITY

The Blues - City of Manchester Stadium, SportCity, Manchester, M11 3FF. Capacity 47,405 

Last season: 3rd, FA Cup Winners, League Cup 3rd round Europa League 3rd round

Last major trophy: FA Cup 2011

Manager: Roberto Mancini (since December 2009)

Players In: Sergio Aguero, Gael Clichy, Stefan Savic, Costel Pantilimon

Players Out: Jerome Boateng, Shay Given, Jo, Felipe Caicedo, Scott Kay, Shaleum Logan, Andrew Tutte, Donal McDermott, Michael Johnson, Ryan McGivern, Ben Mee, Kieran Trippier, James Poole, Javan Vidal, Patrick Vieira, James Poole

Pre-season form: Manchester City suffered more last-gasp Manchester derby heartbreak as United came from 2-0 behind at half-time to win 3-2. That result blemished a previously unbeaten record after wins for City in North America against Club America (2-0), Vancouver Whitecaps (2-1) and Los Angeles Galaxy (7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw). Finally, there were two 3-0 wins for Roberto Mancini's men in the Dublin Super Cup against the Irish League XI and Inter Milan. 

Prediction: 2nd

Sheik Mansour finally saw some return on his multi-million pound investment in Manchester City when the Blues lifted their first major trophy for 25 years at Wembley. The FA Cup Final victory over Stoke was part of a strong City finish in which they also won five of their last six league games, overhauling Arsenal for an automatic Champions League place and only just missing out on second place from Chelsea on goal difference. The summer threatened to be derailed by wantaway Carlos Tevez but, even if Tevez still does not return, the situation has been eased by the arrival of his compatriot Sergio 'Kun' Aguero. That just leaves the ongoing quandary of whether Italian manager Roberto Mancini will actually loosen the shackles and play a second striker over a third central midfielder. For, only then, will City be truly able to match the strength of that team from Salford in terms of pounding their opponents into submission. 

MANCHESTER UNITED

The Red Devils - Old Trafford, Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester, M16 0RA. Capacity 75,797

Last season: Champions, FA Cup Semi finals, League Cup Quarter finals, Champions League Runners-up

Last major trophy: Premier League 2010/11

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson (since November 1986)

Players In: Phil Jones, Ashley Young, David De Gea, Pierlugi Gollini

Players Out: Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Bebe, Ritchie da Laet, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar, Owen Hargreaves, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Scott Wootton, Robbie Brady, Conor Devlin, Joe Dudgeon, Nicky Ajose, Robbie Brady, Gabriel Obertan, Oliver Gill

Pre-season form: Manchester United won their 19th Community Shield after man-of-the-match Nani rounded Joe Hart in the last minute for a 3-2 win having been 2-0 down. That capped an excellent pre-season for Sir Alex Ferguson's men who won all of their other matches as well against New England Revolution (4-1), Seattle Sounders (7-0), Chicago Fire (3-1), MLS All-Stars (4-0), Champions League nemesis Barcelona (2-1) and New York Cosmos (6-0) at home in Paul Scholes' testimonial. 

Prediction: Champions

Sir Alex Ferguson's insatiable desire to knock Liverpool off their perch finally came to fruition last season as Manchester United won a 19th English league title and their 13th of the Premier League era. Ominously, Ferguson already looks like rebuilding his team yet again with the relative youth of David De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young replacing retirees Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. New signing Young will provide width on the right-hand side with the evergreen Ryan Giggs continuing to supply a top-class forward line of Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and, for now, Dimitar Berbatov - who remains at the club much to Michael Owen's chagrin. In the absence of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, opposing teams can get at the defence but the attackers generally overcome any obstacle at a domestic level as displayed most recently in the Red Devils' fine comeback win in the Community Shield. Last season's margin of victory in the title race - nine points - was the biggest since Chelsea won in 2004-05. The other teams have much ground to make up and Manchester United should keep them at an arm's length to secure a record-extending 20th title. 

NEWCASTLE UNITED

The Magpies - St James Park, Barrack Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4ST. Capacity 52,143

Last season: 12th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 4th round

Last major trophy: UEFA (Fairs) Cup 1969

Manager: Alan Pardew (since December 2010)

Players In: Yohan Cabaye, Gabriel Obertan, Mehdi Abedi, Demba Ba, Sylvain Marveaux

Players Out: Kevin Nolan, Wayne Routledge, Jose Enrique, Ben Tozer, Daniel Leadbitter, Patrick McLaughlin, Kazenga Lualua, Michael Richardson, Shefki Kuqi, Sol Campbell, Nathan Evans, Andy Mogwo, Matthew Grieve

Pre-season form: It is never dull at St James Park and Newcastle have had an eventful few summer matches featuring pitch invasions, a crazy American itinerary and a waterlogged pitch. The pitch invasion was away at Darlington, a shameful episode which overshadowed a 2-0 win before a trip to the USA took in Kansas, Orlando and Columbus Crew. The Magpies looked short on goals on tour after their matches against Sporting Kansas (0-0) and SC Orlando (0-1) but finally hit the net in a 3-0 win over Columbus Crew. Keeping them out of the other end proved the problem at Leeds United in a 3-2 defeat before several first-team squad members featured in what was nominally a reserve match against Gateshead (3-1). Finally, the home friendly against Fiorentina was abandoned at 0-0 just past the hour mark after torrential summer rain had made the pitch unplayable. 

Prediction: 13th

Newcastle United might as well have relocated their headquarters to Paris this summer after the signing of no fewer than five Frenchmen. But, while the arrivals have been largely met by a disinterested Gallic shrug from the Geordie faithful, it is the departures which have determined a black mood on Tyneside. Top scorer and club captain Kevin Nolan is now back in the Championship at West Ham while Jose Enrique has joined Andy Carroll at Liverpool. Finally, Joey Barton looks set to follow that trio out of the exit door after his injudicious use of Twitter led to a complete breakdown in relations with senior management. The whole sorry mess leaves Newcastle fans once again desperately in the dark and hoping that this new French clique settles in quickly enough for owner Mike Ashley's latest gamble to pay off.

NORWICH CITY

The Canaries - Carrow Road Road, Norwich, NR1 1JE. Capacity 27,033

Last season: 2nd (promoted from the Championship), FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round

Last major trophy: League Cup 1985

Manager: Paul Lambert (since August 2009)

Players In: James Vaughan, Steve Morison, Anthony Pilkington, Elliott Bennett, Bradley Johnson, Kyle Naughton, Ritchie da Laet

Players Out: Luke Daley, Jed Steer, Ryan Oakley, Matt Gill, Jens Berthel Askou, Sam Habergham, Owain Tudur Jones

Pre-season form: Norwich began the summer with plenty of goals in their matches against local side Gorleston (7-0) and on their tour of Germany against a united Gottingen (8-0) and a Nordhausen Select XI (11-0). After the tour, the Canaries found it tougher, failing to score in two matches against Crystal Palace (0-1) and Southend United (0-0) but Paul Lambert's men made a welcome return to form in their final three matches against Coventry City (3-0), and at home to Real Zaragoza (1-1) and Parma (3-0).

Prediction: 16th

Norwich City's second successive promotion owed much to that most important aspect of sport - momentum - although there was good timing, too. Paul Lambert's men took advantage of probably the weakest Championship division for some years to finish in second on the strength of losing just twice after Christmas. In fairness, though, Norwich were the top scorers in their respective division on both promotion seasons and it will be the ability of Grant Holt, Steve Morison, Simeon Jackson and James Vaughan to put the ball in the net which is going to be deciding factor on whether the Canaries stay up or not. After all, there are not high hopes outside of East Anglia that a defence which conceded 58 goals in the Championship will consistently keep them out in the top flight. But, whatever happens, City fans will just hope to be spared a repeat of Delia Smith's cry of 'Where Are You?' That was followed, weeks later, by relegation from the Premier League after a 6-0 defeat on the final day to Fulham.

QUEENS PARK RANGERS

Rangers - Loftus Road Stadium, South Africa Road, London, W12 7PA. Capacity 19,100

Last season: 1st (promoted from the Championship), FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 1st round

Last major trophy: League Cup 1967

Manager: Neil Warnock (since March 2010)

Players In: Jay Bothroyd, Kieron Dyer, Danny Gabbidon, DJ Campbell, Brian Murphy

Players Out: Lee Brown, Angelo Balanta, Peter Ramage, Pascal Chimbonda, Gavin Mahon, Georgias Tofas, Josh Parker, Joe Oastler, Elliott Cox, Romone Rose, Niki-Lee Bulmer, Max Ehmer, Mikele Leigertwood

Pre-season form: Queens Park Rangers returned to the South West to prepare for the new season and racked up the goals against Tavistock (13-0) and Bodmin Town (7-0). In between, QPR had found it tougher going against League Two Plymouth Argyle with just a 1-0 win. A first defeat came on tour in Italy to Cesena (0-1) but Rangers recovered to win the Trofeo Bortolotti, beating Braga 1-0 and overcoming Atalanta on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Rangers completed a busy summer programme with a 4-2 win over Football League new boys Crawley Town and a 3-1 defeat at Luton Town.

Prediction: 18th

Neil Warnock has some unfinished business to do in the Premier League after he took Sheffield United down in controversial circumstances. Therefore, it must be to the Yorkshireman's huge frustration that the bookmakers list him as the 11/4 favourite to be the first Premier League manager to leave his post. Of course, managerial upheaval would be nothing new at Loftus Road - there were five different bosses in 2009/10 alone. However, the top-flight can be unforgiving to an unstable club - just ask Newcastle, Portsmouth and West Ham fans - and it would be a shame if Rangers were to botch their first Premier League season since 1995/96. The summer transfer hardly makes for thrilling reading although, clearly, Warnock will hope new signing Jay Bothroyd will link up well with the mercurial Moroccan playmaker Adel Taarabt. If nothing else, striker Bothroyd will be keen to impress at the highest level after his fleeting appearance on the international scene last year.

STOKE CITY

The Potters - Britannia Stadium, Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4EG. Capacity 27,740

Last season: 13th, FA Cup Runners up, League Cup 4th round

Last major trophy: League Cup 1972

Manager: Tony Pulis (since June 2006)

Players In: Jonathan Woodgate, Matthew Upson

Players Out: Carl Dickinson, Abdoulaye Faye, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Ibrahima Sonko, Andrew Davies, Matthew Lund, Zack Foster, Jack Harrison, Alexander Hedley, Cameron Mitchell, David Parton, Latom Wint

Pre-season form: Stoke City's main pre-season focus has been on winning their Europa League qualifier against Hajduk Split, which they did after winning both legs 1-0. Earlier preparations saw the Potters beat Austrians SV Thal (3-1), draw 1-1 away at Newport County before goal-fests against Newport YMCA (6-1) and local side Newcastle Town (6-0). There were then successive 1-0 defeats to Brentford and Aldershot before another failure to find the net in a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday, played between the two legs of the European tie.

Prediction: 7th

Last season's FA Cup finalists Stoke City have had a quiet summer so far with the arrival of just two central defenders in Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson. But it is a sign of the great progress made at the Britannia that, despite the lack of inbound movement, virtually no-one has tipped the Potters for the drop. Indeed, Stoke's squad may not be particularly flamboyant but, even affording for the distraction of Europe, it should be solid enough to record a first top-half finish in the top flight since 1980-81.

SUNDERLAND

The Black Cats - Stadium of Light, Sunderland, SR5 1SU. Capacity 48,707

Last season: 10th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 3rd round

Last major trophy: FA Cup 1973

Manager: Steve Bruce (since June 2009)

Players In: Connor Wickham, Craig Gardner, Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Ahmed Elmohamady, Wong Don-Ji, James McClean, David Vaughan, Sebastian Larsson, Keiren Westwood, Roarie Deacon, Oumare Tounkara

Players Out: Jordan Henderson, Steed Malbranque, Cristian Riveros, Nathan Luscombe, Robbie Weir, Michael Kay, Jean-Yves Mvoto, Liam Noble, Boudewijn Zenden, Dan Madden, Nathan Wilson, Michael Lamb, Andrew Harrison, David Brown, George McCartney, David Healy

Pre-season form: A patchy set of pre-season results includes just two wins in seven matches against York City (2-1) and Hartlepool United (3-1). The trip to Germany could certainly not be judged a success, results-wise, after two draws against Arminia Bielefeld (1-1) and Borussia Moenchengladbach (0-0), and a 1-0 defeat to Hannover 96. Back in Britain, the 1-0 defeat at Burnley and 0-0 draw at Hibernian were equally uninspiring.

Prediction: 11th

Sunderland have splashed the cash this summer in a fanciful bid to escape from the mid-table mire and head towards the Europa League spots. Of course, the money came from the sale of two of their most prestigious talents, Darren Bent and Jordan Henderson - but another North East owner would do well to note this policy of re-investment. If nothing else, it means the Black Cats now have a stronger squad in terms of numbers to deal with their inevitable post-Christmas slump. However, Steve Bruce still lacks a replacement for Bent as, even at £8m, 18-year-old Connor Wickham is surely one for the future. Only Wigan Athletic, Birmingham City and West Ham United scored fewer goals than Sunderland last season and it will be the same problem which holds back the Black Cats this time as well. 

SWANSEA CITY

The Swans - Liberty Stadium, Morfa, Swansea, SA1 2FA. Capacity 20,500

Last season: 3rd (promoted from the Championship via the playoffs), FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round

Last major trophy: None

Manager: Brendan Rogers (since July 2010)

Players In: Danny Graham, Leroy Lita, Michel Vorm, Wayne Routledge, Jose Moreira, Steven Caulker

Players Out: Darren Pratley, Dorus de Vries, Gorka Pintado, Sam Rose-Miles, Thomas Butler, Jamie Grimes, Albert Serran, Cedric van der Gun, Charles Kasler, Jordan Prosser, Matthew Whatley, Scott Donnelly, Yves Ma-Kalambay, Kerry Morgan

Pre-season form: While other clubs flocked around the world to play their friendlies, Swansea City stayed firmly in south Wales, playing two matches on the same day in mid-July with differing results against Neath (0-1) and Port Talbot Town (3-1). After that, the Swans beat Afan Lido 2-0 before further wins at home against Celtic (2-0) and Real Betis (1-0). 

Prediction: 19th

Swansea City made history in May by winning the Championship playoff final to become the first Welsh club to play in the Premier League but it is going to be even tougher to stay there. After all, despite the promotion, Swans boss Brendan Rogers has had to wave goodbye to two of his better performers in Fabio Borini and Darren Pratley. At least Swansea should be good to watch with pace down the flanks from Wembley hat-trick hero Scott Sinclair and Wayne Routledge who has signed from Newcastle. The tendency to over-play and not score enough has been the Swans' Achilles heel in the past, though, and the team will depend heavily on Sinclair for goals. While the former Chelsea trainee will be eager to prove his Wembley performance was not a flash in the pan, he cannot do it all on his own and it is just as hard to see the defence being as solid with the step up.  

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Spurs - White Hart Lane, Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 0AP. Capacity 36,230

Last season: 5th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 3rd round, Champions League Quarter finals

Last major trophy: League Cup 2008

Manager: Harry Redknapp (since October 2008)

Players In: Brad Friedel, Souleymane Coulibaly, Cristian Ceballos

Players Out: Jamie O'Hara, Paul Jose M'Poku, Jonathan Woodgate, Steven Caulker, Bongani Khumalo, Kyle Naughton, Nathan Byrne, Ryan Mason, Jonathan Obika, Olumide Durojaiye, Oscar Jansson, Calum Butcher

Pre-season form: Tottenham Hotspur found it tough on their annual tour of South Africa against Kaizer Chiefs (0-1) and Orlando Pirates (1-1) before Spurs got the better of the Pirates (3-0) in a re-match. Back in England, Harry Redknapp's men entertained the crowd at Brighton's new Amex Stadium in a 3-2 win before a 2-1 home victory over Athletic Bilbao. 

Prediction: 5th

When Harry Redknapp took over Tottenham Hotspur in October 2008, the London club were bottom of the league with just two points from eight games. By contrast, last season, Spurs played and beat Inter Milan and AC Milan before being given a footballing lesson by Real Madrid in the quarter finals. But, this term, Tottenham will not have the chance to reprise the real glory days after they slipped back out of the top four. Although they lost just once at home - against Wigan Athletic of all teams - they managed just one win against the four teams above them. That may have been a brilliant 3-2 comeback victory over Arsenal which will live long in the memory but it was not enough on its own. Now, with Liverpool and Manchester City stronger again, Spurs will struggle for a second time to break into the Champions League places. More worrying still, Redknapp's contract will have just one year on it by next summer when Fabio Capello intends to leave the England post.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

The Baggies - The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, B71 4LF. Capacity 26,484

Last season: 11th, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup Quarter finals

Last major trophy: FA Cup 1968

Manager: Roy Hodgson (since February 2011)

Players In: Shane Long, Gareth McAuley, Billy Jones, Ben Foster, Marton Fulop, Zoltan Gera

Players Out: Borja Valero, Scott Carson, Gianni Zuiverloon, Boaz Myhill, Chris Wood, Giles Barnes, Abdoulaye Meite, Marcus Haber, Ryan Allsop, Dean Kiely

Pre-season form: West Brom kept only one clean sheet on the way the conceding 14 goals in eight pre-season matches. Six of those goals were conceded in the USA as the Baggies enjoyed mixed results against San Jose Earthquakes (1-2), Ventura County Fusion (4-2) and Portland Timbers (3-2). Back in Britain, Roy Hodgson's men were shocked 3-0 by Rochdale before playing out a 2-2 draw at Southampton. The clean sheet came in a 1-0 win over Bristol City before another 2-2 draw against Olympiakos and another draw at home against Italian side Parma (1-1). 

Prediction: 10th

After his own personal nightmare at Liverpool, Roy Hodgson is back to doing what he does best - getting the best out of mid-table clubs with good organisation and just a bit of flair. Hodgson's appointment at the Hawthorns actually came with a bit of controversy as his predecessor Roberto di Matteo had led the Baggies back up and kept them out of the relegation zone. But the tide had turned against the Italian as only four points were taken from nine matches either side of Christmas. Hodgson steadied the ship, losing just twice from February onwards as the Baggies recorded their best-ever Premier League finish of 11th, though clean sheets remained a rarity. Indeed, West Brom managed just two shut-outs all season in the league and a reliance on Peter Odemwingie for goals up front leaves plenty of room for improvement at both ends.

WIGAN ATHLETIC

The Latics - DW Stadium, Loire Drive, Robin Park, Wigan, WN5 0UH. Capacity 25,133

Last season: 16th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup Quarter finals

Last major trophy: None

Manager: Roberto Martinez (since June 2009)

Players In: Ali Al-Habsi, David Jones

Players Out: Charles N'Zogbia, Steven Caldwell, Daniel de Ridder, Jason Koumas, Daniel Lambert, Thomas Oakes, Mike Pollit, Abian Serrano, Callum Williams, Mauro Boselli, Antonio Amaya, Joe Holt

Pre-season form: Wigan Athletic went to Sweden early in their pre-season beating Ostersunds FK 3-1. There were then two clean sheets against sides from the Middle East, Al Ain SC (0-0) and Al Ahli (2-0) before the Latics returned to Lancashire to beat Preston North End (3-1) and earn a fine 1-0 home win over Villarreal.

Prediction: 20th

Once again, Wigan Athletic defied the odds and the predictions of the doom-mongers, including your correspondent, to secure a seventh successive season of top flight football but it was another close-run thing. You cannot help but feel that Lady Luck and the Latics will go their separate ways at some point, and the departure of Charles N'Zogbia to Aston Villa only strengthens that view. N'Zogbia was the catalyst to almost all of Wigan's attacks and it is hard to see how they will manage without him. At least we will get an early sign of their capabilities - Wigan's first three fixtures this season are against the three promoted clubs.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Wolves - Molineux, Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, WV1 4QR. Capacity 29,195

Last season: 17th, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round

Last major trophy: League Cup 1980

Manager: Mick McCarthy (since July 2006)

Players In: Roger Johnson, Jamie O'Hara, Dorus de Vries

Players Out: Greg Halford, David Jones, Steven Mouyokolo, Scott Malone, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Adriano Basso, John Dunleavy, Marcus Hahnemann, Andre Landell, Nathan Rooney, Carl Ikeme, Danny Batth

Pre-season form: Wolves recovered from an early defeat at Crewe Alexandra (1-2) to remain unbeaten for the rest of the summer. There were four victories against Walsall (3-2), Celtic (2-0), Ipswich Town (2-1) and Real Zaragoza (2-0 at home), and a 1-1 draw at Notts County. 

Prediction: 15th

No team will be more relieved to be taking their place on the Premier League start-line than Wolverhampton Wanderers. Forced into having to play on Survival Sunday, Wolves incredibly found themselves 3-0 down at home at half-time against Blackburn Rovers. With results elsewhere going against them, the Molineux club were heading down with a whimper but, in a remarkable second half, Wolves pulled two goals back and Birmingham were beaten to replace Mick McCarthy's men in the bottom three. That Wolves still lost 3-2 and stayed up seemed an apt way to end a disappointing second season for the Old Gold. McCarthy encouraged his team to play in an uncompromising style but their brawn worked rarely last season. In the end, it was Lady Luck and a late run of goals from Stephen Fletcher which kept Wolves up - and the same combination will be required this season again.