The Guardian's predictions

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

1 - Liverpool

2 - Chelsea

3 -

4 -

5 - Arsenal

6 - Everton

7 -

8 - Villa

9 -

10 - Fulham

11 -

12 - Blackburn

13 - Bolton

14 -

15 -

16 - Burnley

17 - Birmingham

___________________________

18 -

19 -

20 - Hull

 

 

 

The rest as they come

Edited August 7, 2009 by Macca

[DJS]

They'll have Hull and Wolves in the bottom three, along with either Wigan or Stoke. Us 3rd, mancs top, City 4th.

 

Rest dont matter.

[Chili Palmer]

we'll be third with the mancs top.

[Chili Palmer]

1 - Mancs

2 - Chelsea

3 - Liverpool

4 - Man City

5 - Arsenal

6 - Everton

7 - Spurs

8 - Villa

9 - Fulham

10 - West Ham

11 - Sunderland

12 - Blackburn

13 - Bolton

14 - Stoke

15 - Wigan

16 - Burnley

17 - Birmingham

___________________________

18 - Portsmouth

19 - Wolves

20 - Hull

 

 

 

The rest as they come

 

 

Thats what I think they'll say. Obviously mine will have us and the Mancs switch

[quibs]

Why do they all think that Chelsea will automatically do well and better than us...? They still have the same ageing team. New manager that settling into new league.

[Falconhoof]

Chelsea have an excellent squad. I wouldn't be too surprised to see them win the league.

[NWR]

We have lost Ronaldo and Tevez. We still have some old players there who should rarely get a game. I see us in the top 4 but we wont win it.

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

We have lost Ronaldo and Tevez. We still have some old players there who should rarely get a game. I see us in the top 4 but we wont win it.

 

you should still be favourites.

 

I very much hope you won't do it, of course.

[Stevie H]

you should still be favourites.

 

I very much hope you won't do it, of course.

aye. chelsea have worked well this summer though. not lost anyone, added to their squad and got the manager in place early. they're worth a punt for the champions league.

[yellow jumper]

chelsea's all about how much and how quickly ancelotti gets it, they'll be good whatever, but that'll be the difference between them winning it or finishing 2nd or 3rd.

 

i have a feeling arsenal will suprise a few this season, not win it, but improve on last year.

[Rex Ham]

chelsea's all about how much and how quickly ancelotti gets it, they'll be good whatever, but that'll be the difference between them winning it or finishing 2nd or 3rd.

 

i have a feeling arsenal will suprise a few this season, not win it, but improve on last year.

 

Said exactly the same to a mate last night. If Fabregas, Van Persie & Eduardo stay fit they will be up there.

[sutty]

aye. chelsea have worked well this summer though. not lost anyone, added to their squad and got the manager in place early. they're worth a punt for the champions league.

 

 

Their key players are knocking on a bit

 

And they relay heavily on Drogba's state of mind.

[sutty]

Said exactly the same to a mate last night. If Fabregas, Van Persie & Eduardo stay fit they will be up there.

 

Centre half/centre mid still a problem.

 

I rate eduardo though

[Ostrich Man]

We have lost Ronaldo and Tevez. We still have some old players there who should rarely get a game. I see us in the top 4 but we wont win it.

I think we'll be top 2.

 

 

Hopefully No1 but...

[Swipe]

Chelsea will be strong but they (as yet) haven't done anything about getting a plan B if Drogba's not on the ball

 

I know it sounds stupid considering Anelka scored so many, but it's still Drogba that they look for every time

[John am Rhein]

1 - Liverpool

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

they're doing 2 or 3 clubs each day, so this is going to take a week or so

[surf]

Chelsea probably have the best squad now, but losing Hiddink is a big blow for them. They had Scolari, another good manager, who didn't get anything from the same players. The question for Chelsea is how long will it take Ancelotti to settle in, he's shown with Milan what an excellent manager he is.

[Hassony]

chelsea will be rubbish this season, too many big egos and an average league manager

[Sion]

he's shown with Milan what an excellent manager he is.

 

not in the league he hasn't

They've been especially poor the last few years, on a downward slide.

[Gilps]

Our one's been leaked early and they've got us finishing first.

 

Even alphabetically we're ahead of Everton

 

The following blog was published in this morning's Guardian, so we have decided to bring it forward ahead of schedule. The Everton preview blog will be published here on Friday afternoon

 

Guardian writers' prediction: 1st Odds to win league: 11-4

 

Nineteen years have passed without league title No19 and still the prediction is that this could be Liverpool's year. But now the expectation is justified at Anfield and so high, so unforgiving, that not even Xabi Alonso's departure diminishes the demand on Rafael Benítez. Regaining the mantle of England's most decorated champions from Manchester United is imperative.

 

First, however, there must be caution amid the exultation. Benítez envisaged a summer of fine-tuning his squad after the first genuine title challenge of his reign but, despite the capture of Glen Johnson and impending arrival of Alberto Aquilani, it stands diminished. Alonso represents a serious loss from the spine of a first-choice XI that ranks alongside that of any Premier League rival and several other, albeit far less influential, players have been sold to raise funds. The loss of Alonso, however, does not have to be catastrophic to Liverpool's title prospects.

 

The club will undoubtedly miss the guile, technical ability and experience of a player who responded to Benítez's attempts to sell him last summer with arguably the finest season of his five-year spell on Merseyside. Of more importance is how Benítez spends the £30m he prised out of Florentino Pérez and Real Madrid for Alonso, a player he signed for £10.7m and valued at £18m 12 months ago on account of two injury-plagued but mediocre seasons; and whether Benítez will be allowed to reinvest Alonso's full transfer fee plus other monies promised this summer.

 

It is strange that the Liverpool squad has not been bolstered when it was lack of strength in depth, plus injury to Fernando Torres, that Benítez cited as the major reasons for falling four points short of United last season. In terms of numbers the arrival of Johnson and Aquilani, for instance, is offset by the departures of Alvaro Arbeloa and Alonso to the Bernabéu.

 

There remains time for strengthening and Liverpool indicated that the sale of Alonso might prompt a flurry of activity by securing a deal for Roma's playmaker Aquilani yesterday but it is unlike Benítez to leave money in his pocket should he have any available, as has been the case this summer. Cover is required at centre-half following Sami Hyypia's free transfer to Bayer Leverkusen while quality support for Torres and Steven Gerrard up front has not arrived seven months after Robbie Keane's return to White Hart Lane.

 

Given Benítez was promised £20m to spend plus whatever he raised in sales at the start of this summer – before the owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, secured a refinancing deal that involves repaying £60m of a £290m debt over the next 12 months – the Liverpool manager must have more than £40m at his dis- posal following Alonso's move. Should Aquilani overcome his injury problems and settle instantly – a prerequisite with the title at stake – a forward of the calibre of Valencia's David Silva arrive and defensive cover in the form of Sylvain Distin, for example, be brought in, then Benítez will have achieved his summer goals and Liverpool will embark on the new campaign wiser and stronger. But only Aquilani and a cheap defender would alter that assessment and raise further question marks over the Americans' financial might.

 

It is United, not Liverpool, who have lost more to the continued lure of Real Madrid and superior Spanish tax rates this summer and Sir Alex Ferguson could not ignore the foundation for Anfield's confidence even as he sought to dismiss their title credentials this week. "The thrust of the Liverpool team is really all about Gerrard and Torres," the United manager said. "If they stay fit, it improves Liverpool's chances."

 

Liverpool found a consistency that has long eluded them in the Premier League last season, even with Gerrard and Torres starting only 14 of 38 league matches together. Captain and talismanic striker produced 30 of Liverpool's 77 league goals last term, despite Torres suffering three hamstring strains that ruled him out of 14 league games. When fit, they represent Anfield's greatest hope. Injury to Torres or Gerrard would have a severe impact on the side but that argument applies to Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford.

 

Benítez finally got the measure of his "big four" rivals last season by taking 14 points from a possible 18 against the champions, Chelsea and Arsenal. Liverpool remained unbeaten in the league at Anfield all season, although their well-documented achilles heel – the seven draws at Anfield – continues to pain their manager. It is surely where a forward of Silva's ilk comes into the reckoning.

 

Johnson, desperate to seize his second chance at a top-four club following the disappointment of Stamford Bridge, appears a fine addition to the defence, able to provide adventurous support to Dirk Kuyt on the right and sure to improve defensively under Benítez's tutelage. Ryan Babel, having earned a reprieve from his manager this summer, will have to grasp his opportunity while greater responsibility will now fall on Javier Mascherano in light of Alonso's exit.

 

The Spaniard's sale means there is no prospect of the Argentina captain being granted his coveted move to Barcelona and much rests on his response. The title, however, may rest on Benítez's next moves in the transfer market.

 

Ins: Glen Johnson (Portsmouth, £18m), Alberto Aquilani (Roma, £20m)

 

Outs: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid, £30m) Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid, £3.5m), Sebastien Leto (Panathinaikos, £1.3m), Paul Anderson (Nottingham Forest, £250,000), Sami Hyypia (Bayer Leverkusen, free), Jermaine Pennant (Espanyol, free), Jack Hobbs (Leicester, free), Astrit Ajdarevic (Leicester, free), Shane O'Connor (Ipswich, free), Ryan Flynn (Falkirk, loan), Dean Bouzanis (Wrexham, loan)

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

I'll update each day's in bold.

 

19 it is then

[Stevie H]

Liverpool found a consistency that has long eluded them in the Premier League last season, even with Gerrard and Torres starting only 14 of 38 league matches together.

still irks me that does. if they'd started 24 together we'd have won it.

[Noel Street]

a couple of points, regain the position of most decorated champions from utd?

 

pennant went to zaragoza didn't he?

 

and why the f*** do they have a quote from ferguson on us?

[John am Rhein]

and why the f*** do they have a quote from ferguson on us?

 

because he's cracking up