Arsenal

After waiting nine years to win a trophy, the Gunners finally destroyed their demons to secure both the FA Cup and the Community Shield in quick succession. Breaking the shackles which have weighed heavily on previous squads may prove the vital difference for Arsenal this year, who possess the personnel to challenge seriously for the title (and maintain it). In addition, the signing of Alexis Sanchez, who impressed during the World Cup for Chile, reinforces the idea that the London club are finally prepared to consistently spend money on marquee signings, something which fans have been yearning for in the past few seasons. Sanchez has raw pace, skill and strength – posing a real danger going forward and due to his spell at Barcelona, knows the type of style that Arsenal like to play meaning it shouldn’t take long for him to settle in.

The Gunner’s main strength comes in the central-defending partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, who are extremely solid and reliable. Calum Chambers, brought during the summer from Southampton, will be a great addition to their defence both in the present and in the future whilst the French defender Mathieu Debuchy, will add depth in the right-back position. Arsenal’s problem comes when key players get injured, which is so often the case. Last season they lost Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott at crucial stages stalling their brilliant start to the campaign and cannot afford to have a similar occurrence this time round. A table measuring the number of days lost to injury puts Arsenal at the peak having lost 1,716 days compared to their title rivals Chelsea (556 days), Manchester City (978 days) and Liverpool (997 days), all of whom had significantly smaller figures. Unfortunately injuries are inevitable, however considering Arsenal’s injury concerns have been a mainstay for quite a few years now it can’t just be down to rotten luck. Wenger has promised change though and the appointment of World Cup winning fitness coach Shad Forsythe, who worked with the German national team during Brazil, is a definite step in the right direction.

Arsenal plays some of the most attractive football in the Premier League and during the summer have made great additions to the squad. If their best players like Ramsey, Walcott and Sanchez can keep themselves injury-free and play without fear having already won silverware, then it could be their season to win the league. But we say this every year and somehow the Gunners always slip up so don’t be surprised if Arsenal fall painfully short. Verdict: 3rd

Aston Villa

Some people will be surprised to see Paul Lambert still managing Villa after last season, but uncertainties at boardroom level have meant that Lambert has kept his position whilst Randy Lerner focuses on selling the club. It does mean that if the team start the season off poorly though that Lambert would most likely be the first name on the dismissed list as fan’s patience is already precariously low. The squad lacks direction and is full of players alienated by the manager who are ‘too old’. Darren Bent, Shay Given and Charles N’Zogbia have played little part and need to be sold if Lambert views their services as unworthy so that the team can move on and make space for new additions. The signings of Philippe Senderos, Joe Cole, Kieran Richardson and Aly Cissokho are decent but nothing to get the fan’s excited about. Most promising is the appointment of Roy Keane as Lambert’s assistant, who brings some much needed fire to a lacklustre setup and would be the bookies’ favourite if Lambert was sacked.

Last season Villa had the fewest league scorers (10) and was too reliant on star player Christian Benteke, who is currently injured and could miss the first few months of the new season. They need to spread the goal burden otherwise they could struggle to score goals whilst Benteke is still recovering. Joe Cole should contribute some but what Villa need is for Andreas Weimann and Gabriel Agbonlahor to increase their measly nine-goal combined contribution to ease the pressure. With five successive games against top-six opposition in September and October though, it’s going to be very difficult and Aston Villa could be bottom going into November if they don’t pick up valuable points in their first three games. Predict Lambert to be gone before Christmas and Keano to spark a fight to save Villa from relegation to the Championship. Verdict: 16th

Burnley

Maybe not many people’s favourites to secure promotion last season but Sean Dyche’s side were extremely impressive as they finished second with a points tally worthy of winning the league if it hadn’t been for the formidable Leicester City. The strike partnership of Danny Ings and Sam Vokes proved fruitful with just over forty goals between the pair last season but with Vokes recovering from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament the striker will be out till Christmas, so other players must fill his void. New signings Marvin Sordell and Lukas Jutkiewicz should be capable and with Premier League experience in Matt Taylor and Steven Reid, who were also bought during the summer, Burnley have the squad to potentially avoid relegation.

The Clarets posted the best defence in the Championship and will need their back to keep its shape even more now as they come under fire from higher quality players. If there were any obvious weaknesses it would be the team’s ball retention and possession statistics, which will need to be better if Dyche wants his team to have a higher pressing game. Burnley would not be able to sustain their desired style of football if they spend 70% of their time chasing the ball. And with Chelsea and Manchester United in their first three games, the Clarets have one of the hardest introductions to Premier League football. To avoid relegation the team will need to take advantage of periods where they won’t face top-six opposition but unfortunately it could be a step too far the Lancashire club. Verdict: 19th

Chelsea

There’s a growing sense of optimism around Stamford Bridge despite last season’s lack of trophies. During the transfer market Chelsea have been astute, quick and extremely successful, obtaining players that strengthen their very few weaknesses. Most notably is the £32 million purchase of Diego Costa from La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, which should end their striker woes. Although Costa had a disappointing World Cup, the Brazilian-turned-Spaniard lit up the Spanish League with 35 goals and will be a strong presence up top for Chelsea. In addition the return of ‘King’ Drogba will be an indispensable asset on the bench. Continuing the Atletico theme, left-back Filipe Luís also joined Costa from the Spanish champions replacing Ashley Cole who joined Roma on a free transfer. And who can forget the £30 million signing of Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona, the perfect player to pull the strings in midfield in front of Serbian Nemanja Matic.

One thing that most teams will envy is the sheer depth that Chelsea’s squad has, which will be essential considering the demanding schedule. However, defensive midfield is arguably the only position where there isn’t a clear back-up so the Blues cannot afford for Matic, who was instrumental after signing in January, to get injured unless they bring in quality possible replacement before the transfer window closes. The team has numerous strengths from the rock-solid defence to the quick counter-attacking play in Hazard, Schurrle and Oscar. But if sides sit back, Mourinho’s squad lack imagination and struggle to break teams down, effectively playing Chelsea at their own game. It’s still tough to see past the London club winning the league however. Verdict: 1st

Crystal Palace

A tale of two halves for Crystal Palace last campaign; after eleven games they were joint-bottom and looked certain to drop down, but the appointment of Tony Pulis kick-started a comeback which resulted in a surprising 11th-place finish. So where next? Fans will want the club to consolidate their mid-table position before looking to aim further afield. To do this Pulis needs to implement a more proactive style of play as the team arguably rode their luck at times last year. Even though the direct, solid approach benefited Stoke for a few seasons and guided Palace to safety, the South Londoners cannot afford to become predictable. Wingers Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie offered a quick way from defence to attack down the wings, hitting teams on the break, but with a possession average of just 37% the squad must keep hold of the ball better and learn to build up passages.

One major problem is the lack of threat up front as Palace registered a dismal 33 goals, only relegated Cardiff City and Norwich scored less. Cameron Jerome, Marouane Chamakh and Glenn Murray scored eight goals between them which is unacceptable if you want to contend in the Premier League. Dwight Gayle and Puncheon fared better with eight and seven goals respectively but Palace could do with a more clinical presence. It’s hoped new signing Fraizer Campbell will be the answer however the jury is out on that one. Positively the mental strength gained from last season will be invaluable and could give Palace the edge over other mid-table teams. Verdict: 12th