With the highly-anticipated new English Premier League season kicking off Saturday, CNN has taken a comprehensive look at the prospects of the “Top Five” clubs.
Chelsea are undoubtedly the team to beat after running away with the title last season, while Liverpool will be hoping its active transfer window can propel them back into the top four.
Arsenal will be buoyed by an excellent preseason and, after two years competing away from the top, Manchester United will surely expect to be battling it out at the summit once again.
Runner-up Manchester City has shown its faith in manager Manuel Pellegrini by giving him a new contract amidst reports Pep Guardiola could join next season, but will another campaign without a campaign be tolerated.
First up is reigning champion Chelsea, which has failed to win a single game in preseason — including a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley.
Jose Mourinho has already said winning the Premier League this season will be harder than last time around and will be hoping his side can improve as they welcome Swansea to Stamford Bridge Saturday.
Manchester City finished last season in second — eight points behind Chelsea. Their Chilean manager Pellegrini has splashed the cash this summer, including the $76 million British record signing of Raheem Sterling, in the hope his side can bridge that gap.
Arsenal enjoyed a resurgent second half of last season and manager Arsene Wenger will be hoping his team can start this season as well as they ended the last. The signing of Petr Cech and Wenger’s first ever victory over Mourinho in the Community Shield has given the north London side hope for the season ahead.
Completing the top four last season was Manchester United. Louis van Gaal has added Germany’s World Cup winning midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger — among others — to the squad in the hope his club can secure its first Premier League trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.
Liverpool has been by far the most active of the big clubs in the transfer window, signing no less than seven players. Manager Brendan Rogers will be hoping his new players can gel quickly and improve on last season’s disappointing sixth place.