Barclays Premier League guide (Part 1)
By: Ben Coley, Chris Hammer,(SL)
The new Barclays Premier League season starts on Saturday and our team-by-team guide has a verdict on every club.
Our team of experts at Sportinglife.com
have looked ahead to the new campaign and offer views and predictions on the months ahead.
There is sure to be plenty of twists and turns so get ready for the big kick-off by reading on right now...
ARSENAL
Manager: Arsene Wenger
Last season: Fourth
Major ins: Yaya Sanogo (Auxerre, free).
Major outs: Chuks Aneke (Crewe, loan), Andrey Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg, free), Francis Coquelin (Frieburg, loan), Denilson (Sao Paulo, free), Johan Djourou (Hamburg, loan), Craig Eastmond (Colchester, free), Gervinho (Roma, undisclosed), Vito Mannone (Sunderland, undisclosed), Jernade Meade (Swansea, free), Ignasi Miquel (Leicester, loan), Andre Santos (Flamengo, free), Sebastien Squillaci (released), Sanchez Watt (Colchester, free).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 10/1, top-four finish 8/13, relegation 1000/1.
The Sportinglife.com view - Ben Coley
This is a big season for Arsenal.
The debate around their policy decisions will run and run just as the on-going trophy drought will eventually end, but whichever way one looks at the upcoming campaign it's difficult to come to a conclusion other than this is where talking needs to stop and results arrive.
Of course, this isn't because Arsenal have majorly strengthened - indeed, at the time of writing the opposite is true - but that their rivals have questions to answer. Be it the brand new regimes in Manchester or the Special One's return to Chelsea, each of the sides who've proved much too good for the Gunners in recent years has to cope with transition even if, as is the case with Chelsea, the common consensus is that change is for the better.
For Arsenal to take advantage they need Jack Wilshere to play at least 30 Premier League games because in him they have the luxury of a genuinely world-class player who is playing for the club he's supported from childhood. He's the team's real leader and along with Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta gives Arsenal a core that even their superiors would admire.
At the back, it'll be interesting to see if Thomas Vermaelen can work his way back into the team having been rightly dropped for some extremely poor displays last season, notably in the 2-1 defeat to Spurs at White Hart Lane which threatened to condemn Arsenal to the Europa League. This remains an area of weakness for Arsenal despite the continued excellence of Laurent Koscielny. Only he and Kieran Gibbs look good enough to play for any side in the division and the decline of Bacary Sagna has also been cause for alarm, especially with Carl Jenkinson perhaps another season away from being good enough to pin down a regular starting spot.
Clearly, Arsenal need strengthening in attack, too. Olivier Giroud can and will do better - he could surprise a few if asked to lead the line - but the feeling is he'll be playing second fiddle to a more illustrious name come the end of the transfer window. If that replacement can score upwards of 20 goals, Wilshere, Cazorla and Arteta can stay fit, Theo Walcott can continue his rate of improvement and a new defender or two arrives at the Emirates, Arsenal will have a genuine chance to win the title, but on balance they're likely to fall short on at least one of those levels.
So, how best to approach Arsenal from a betting perspective? Well, I do think 20s about Cazorla in the top assists betting represents good each-way value. Clearly this market is just about as competitive as ever, but Cazorla was third last year despite the fact that Arsenal lacked a top-class striker. If Luis Suarez comes in then this price will look huge as it's about right as things stand, even if we don't allow for Giroud improving and Walcott finding more opportunities through the middle.
For those wanting a banker, backing Arsenal to finish in the top four looks solid. Whatever happens come September 3, Arsenal should have enough in the locker to again finish in the four and I reckon they have a shout of getting inside the top three.
Our verdict: Fourth The Gunners have the quality to once again secure a top-four spot.
ASTON VILLA
Manager: Paul Lambert
Last season: 15th
Major ins: Leandro Bacuna (FC Groningen, undisclosed), Nicklas Helenius (Aalborg, undisclosed), Antonio Luna (Sevilla, undisclosed), Jores Okore (FC Nordsjaelland, undisclosed), Jed Steer (Norwich, undisclosed), Aleksandar Tonev (Lech Poznan, undisclosed).
Major outs: Graham Burke (Shrewsbury, loan), Richard Dunne (QPR, free), Brett Holman (released), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest, free), Jean Makoun (Rennes, undisclosed), Andy Marshall (released), Stiliyan Petrov (retired), Derrick Williams (Bristol City, free).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 2000/1, top-four finish 150/1, relegation 7/1.
The Sportinglife.com view - Chris Hammer
Aston Villa spent much of last season battling frantically to avoid relegation before a late charge of five wins and two draws in their final 10 games saw them end up 15th and five points above the drop zone.
This campaign should be far more comfortable for Paul Lambert, who came under increasing pressure throughout a difficult first six months in the Villa Park hot seat only to eventually prove the doubters wrong, and the Scot will now be looking towards the top half of the table.
Not only does his young squad head into the new season with renewed confidence following their strong finish but they are boosted by Christian Benteke's decision to sign a new contract despite having handed in a transfer request at the start of the summer.
The big Belgium international was one of the stars of the Premier League last season, scoring 23 goals in all competitions and you'd think he's only going to get even better with the benefit of a year's experience behind him - history shows that's often the case with foreign strikers.
It's therefore no surprise to see him priced at no bigger than 4/11 to be the club's top scorer and surely only a bad injury will prevent him scooping that particular accolade.
At the other end of the pitch, Villa's fragile defence was one of the worst in the top flight last season, shipping 69 goals, so Lambert has brought in Spanish youngster Antonio Luna from Sevilla as well as Denmark international Jores Okore to help strengthen things up at the back.
Villa's other signings so far - striker Nicklas Helenius, midfield duo Leandro Bacuna and Aleksandar Tonev plus goalkeeper Jed Steer - are also all in their early 20s so it's clear Lambert is a manager building for a long-term future.
Some will doubt whether these non-household names will help them achieve a top-10 finish but let's not forget the rising talents already in their squad such as Matt Lowton and Andreas Weimann, who will both be expected to go from strength to strength.
Our verdict: Ninth Expect improvement from Paul Lambert's men this season.
CARDIFF CITY
Manager: Malky Mackay
Last season: Championship champions (promoted)
Major ins: John Brayford (Derby, undisclosed), Steven Caulker (Tottenham, undisclosed), Andreas Cornelius (FC Copenhagen, undisclosed), Gary Medel (Sevilla, undisclosed), Simon Moore (Brentford, undisclosed).
Major outs: Heidar Helguson (released), Nat Jarvis (released), Stephen McPhail (released).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 5000/1, top-four finish 300/1, relegation 7/4.
The Sportinglife.com view - David John
In the last 21 years, just eight winners of the Championship have been immediately relegated back from whence they came so the odds are in favour of the Bluebirds retaining their status at the end of the season.
There certainly seems to be plenty of optimism in south Wales with a long-standing debt set to be sorted in a new deal for the club involving Sam Hammam, while two mouth-watering fixtures in the top flight against fierce rivals Swansea will be hugely anticipated.
Veteran Craig Bellamy is positive Cardiff will stay up and rightly makes the point that not being overawed on the big days will be key. Key fixtures against middle-tier teams will be vital but avoiding wallopings from some of the division's elite can ensure vital confidence does not ebb away.
The layers believe they are best equipped of the promoted teams at this stage to retain their position - 7/4 for the drop with Hull and Crystal Palace odds-on - but that still leaves them in the front-running trio to fill the relegation berths.
Manager Malky Mackay has increased competition at the back with the arrival of the promising Steven Caulker from Spurs in addition to Derby's John Brayford and the record-signing of midfielder Gary Medel from Sevilla has created excitement.
Imposing centre forward Andreas Cornelius is a Denmark international and another fresh arrival at just 20-years-old. He will have something to prove at this level but Mackay has seen enough from him to splash out £8.5million to FC Copenhagen. It will be a steep learning curve but he should learn plenty from the wily Bellamy and is 3/1 with Sky Bet to top the Welshmen's scoring charts.
This is a settled side with a decent manager and an excellent fan base so all-in-all they do have the appearance of a team that will be better than just being involved from day one in the relegation scrap.
They do have an element of the unknown on their side as a newly promoted team and if the self-belief remains intact, they look more than capable of providing a surprise or two along the way to staying in the section.
Our verdict: 15th Summer transfer business is impressive and can help the Bluebirds build on winning the Championship last term.
CHELSEA
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Last season: Third
Major ins: Cristian Cuevas (O'Higgins, undisclosed), Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen, undisclosed), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham, free), Marco van Ginkel (Vitesse Arnhem, undisclosed).
Major outs: Patrick Bamford (MK Dons, loan), Yossi Benayoun (released), Billy Clifford (Yeovil, loan), Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid, loan), Cristian Cuevas (Vitesse Arnhem, loan), Paulo Ferreira (released), Todd Kane (Blackburn, loan), Milan Lalkovic (Walsall, loan), Florent Malouda (Trabzonspor, free), Marko Marin (Sevilla, loan), Oriol Romeu (Valencia, loan), George Saville (Brentford, loan), Ross Turnbull (Doncaster, free), Patrick van Aanholt (Vitesse Arnhem, loan).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 9/4, top-four finish 1/12, relegation 2000/1.
The Sportinglife.com view - David John
Rafa Benitez guided Chelsea to more Premier League points than in their previous two seasons, two major cup finals - winning one - but still his tenure remained one of the most unpopular in recent times at Stamford Bridge.
So one of the year's worst-kept secrets duly became a reality as Jose Mourinho was installed by owner Roman Abramovich for a second spell in charge as the Russian goes in search of the dual Holy Grail - a domestic championship and the Champions League.
It is understandable that bookmakers immediately took action and Chelsea are now no bigger than 5/2 for the Premier League crown with expectations elevated that Mourinho will immediately set about bringing back the glory years of 2004 and 2005 when he delivered the championship on successive occasions.
He is sure to relish the rivalry with the two Manchester clubs - who themselves are undergoing change with new management structures - but Mourinho has already cleverly taken the heat off his side a little by claiming they lack the experience currently compared to United and City - in fact he suggested it could be up to two years before his new-look side start to deliver silverware.
He does have the evergreen Petr Cech, Frank Lampard and John Terry to call upon while the blossoming talent of Eden Hazard, David Luiz and Oscar should thrive under his tutelage - who knows, he may even be able to get Fernando Torres to recapture his very best form.
The latter was top scorer at the club in all competitions in 2012/13 but has drifted to 20/1 for the Golden Boot - there were times last year he would not have won a Wellington boot but his price could just tempt some punters.
The Spaniard remains a prized asset and there is little doubt he has the quality around him to create chances. It is up to Mourinho to relight the fire that made him arguably the most dangerous striker on the planet in his time at Liverpool.
Chelsea have more than enough about them to return to the summit of English football and there could be quite a party at Stamford Bridge when the campaign comes to an end.
Our verdict: Champions Jose Mourinho can bring the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge.
CRYSTAL PALACE
Manager: Ian Holloway
Last season: Fifth in the Championship (promoted via the play-offs)
Major ins: Jose Campana (Sevilla, undisclosed), Stephen Dobie (Brighton, undisclosed), Dwight Gayle (Peterborough, undisclosed), Elliot Grandin (Blackpool, free), Kevin Phillips (Blackpool, free), Jerome Thomas (West Brom, free).
Major outs: Jason Banton (MK Dons, loan), Jermaine Easter (Millwall, undisclosed), Alex Marrow (Blackburn, undisclosed), Andre Moritz (Bolton, free).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 10000/1, top-four finish 500/1, relegation 8/15.
The Sportinglife.com view - David John
Palace booked their place back in the big time after winning the play-off final in May against Watford but it is set to be a quick return to the Sky Bet Championship.
They are 8/15 with Sky Bet to go down and a squad that lacks any depth of real quality has a huge amount on their plate to muster enough points for a fighting chance.
The Eagles have cashed in on class act Wilfried Zaha, while likely targets Carlton Cole and Dan Gosling have both turned down a move to south London - it highlights the task Ian Holloway will have attracting players to Selhurst Park.
Arsenal and West Ham flop Marouane Chamakh has agreed a deal with the club but did he show anything with his previous employers to suggest he will net a vital 15-20 league goals? I didn't think so either.
The charismatic Holloway earned plenty of plaudits in the first half of his Premier League season with Blackpool but then the wheels came off badly as the Tangerines plunged into trouble and back down a division. Holloway's motivational credentials are not in question but he simply does not have the quality to work with this time around.
He will have to cope for a considerable period without the prowess up front of 30-goal hitman Glenn Murray after he suffered a nasty knee injury in the play-offs so the onus looks likely to rest with the resilient Kevin Phillips in front of goal at 40-years-old.
The unproven Dwight Gayle will get a chance after a meteoric rise from non-league football via Peterborough but will have little time to adjust to his new surroundings and needs to have a Christian Benteke-like effect for his side.
Our verdict: 20th (relegated) There just isn't enough quality in the Palace squad.
EVERTON
Manager: Roberto Martinez
Last season: Sixth
Major ins: Antolin Alcaraz (Wigan, free), Gerard Deulofeu (Barcelona, loan), Arouna Kone (Wigan, undisclosed), Joel Robles (Atletico Madrid, undisclosed).
Major outs: Jake Bidwell (Brentford, undisclosed), Thomas Hitzlsperger (released), Conor McAleny (Brentford, loan), Jan Mucha (released), Phil Neville (retired).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 300/1, top-four finish 22/1, relegation 25/1.
The Sportinglife.com view - Andy Schooler
Assessing the season ahead for Everton is really about asking one question - where do the Blues go, post-David Moyes? After last season's impressive sixth-place finish, down the table seems the most likely answer.
How far though? Although they were backed, to an extent, for relegation when Moyes left for Manchester United, the bookies still have them as favourites without the 'big six' - that's last season's top five plus Liverpool. You may well have been wondering.
That may change if both Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini depart before the transfer deadline but even then the slump would surely go only so deep. If you fancy the Toffees to struggle, a bottom-half finish at 9/2 is the way to go rather than the 33/1 about them going down.
Without their star pair, plenty of quality would still remain. Phil Jagielka remains one of the best central defenders in the league, Steven Pienaar and Kevin Mirallas can mesmerise opponents from wide or central positions and up front Arouna Kone is a good addition and may help Nikica Jelavic rediscover the lethal form he showed in 2011/12. That's if he can keep Victor Anichebe, who enjoyed an impressive second half of last season, out of the team.
Indeed if new boss Roberto Martinez keeps hold of Baines and Fellaini then maybe Everton will continue to compete with more resourceful clubs. While there has been plenty of talk about Martinez being a lucky boy to walk into a job like this just weeks after taking Wigan down, the fact is this squad is much better than any he had at the DW Stadium, in particular the defence, a word often thrown in the Spaniard's face when the quality of his management is up for discussion.
Talk of the Champions League at his introductory press conference may well have been fanciful, but Everton should be OK, backed up by a strong home record which now reads one loss in 23 league games. No other team had a better figure in their home defeats column last term.
As for bets surrounding them, the aforementioned Mirallas may offer some value in the top club goalscorer market.
The tricky Belgian scored six league goals in 23 starts last season when he became an instant hit with the fans. He can certainly finish - being top scorer in the Greek league in 2011/12 is further evidence of that - and with no superstar striker around, the goals at Goodison again look set to be shared around.
It often doesn't take many to win this market - Fellaini with 11 did so last term - and Mirallas, who missed a significant part of last season due to injury, appears to have that figure in his sights. Throw in the fact that someone else will be needed on penalties if Baines departs and 5/1 with Sky Bet is tempting.
Our verdict: Seventh More of the same despite a change in manager.
FULHAM
Manager: Martin Jol
Last season: 12th
Major ins: Fernando Amorebieta (Athletic Bilbao, free), Derek Boateng (Dnipro, free), Ange-Freddy Plumain (Lens, free), Sasha Riether (Cologne, undisclosed), Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma, undisclosed), Abel Taarabt (QPR, loan).
Major outs: Chris Baird (released), Dan Burn (Birmingham, loan), Simon Davies (released), Mahamadou Diarra (released), Mladen Petric (released), Mark Schwarzer (Chelsea, free) Csaba Somogyi (released), Ryan Williams (Oxford, loan).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 2000/1, top-four finish 200/1, relegation 6/1.
The Sportinglife.com view - Ben Linfoot
Martin Jol's side ensured their Premier League safety by the end of March last season, which was a good job considering they lost six of their seven matches before their final-day win away at Swansea.
Of course, it can be argued they took their foot off the gas with little to play for, but alarming runs such as that one are why the Cottagers are as short as 4/1 for relegation.
I don't think Fulham will have to worry about the drop this season, though. There were some positives to take from last season - Dimitar Berbatov's 15 goals and their best points return away from home since 2004 to name but two.
Berbatov is a key man again and how Fulham perform depends on the consistency of the talented Bulgarian. If he chips in with 15 goals again, the safety of mid-table should be within their reach.
We've seen it time and time again in the Premier League that the difference between those that go down and those that stay in the division is a player that regularly gets goals. Berbatov is that man for Fulham and his talent alone can keep them up.
But how far can he take them? The Cottagers had the look of a one-man team last season and their signings don't inspire us to back them to do anything but avoid relegation - but they are a miserly 1/12 to stay up.
They are 2/7 to finish in the bottom half which should happen but the price doesn't create much excitement.
Our verdict: 13th Another mid-table finish just below halfway expected.
HULL CITY
Manager: Steve Bruce
Last season: Second in the Championship (promoted)
Major ins: George Boyd (Peterborough, undisclosed), Curtis Davies (Birmingham, undisclosed), Ahmed Elmohamady (Sunderland, undisclosed), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan, free), Danny Graham (Sunderland, loan), Steve Harper (Newcastle, loan), Allan McGregor (Besiktas, undisclosed), Yannick Sagbo (Evian, undisclosed).
Major outs: Sonny Bradley (Portsmouth, free), Tom Cairney (Blackburn, loan), Mark Cullen (Luton, free), Andy Dawson (Scunthorpe, free), Jamie Devitt (Chesterfield, free), Daniel East (Portsmouth, free), Corry Evans (Blackburn, undisclosed), Jack Hobbs (Nottingham Forest, loan), Paul McKenna (released), Seyi Olofinjana (released), Mark Oxley (Oldham, loan), Jay Simpson (released).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 7500/1, top-four finish 300/1, relegation 4/6.
The Sportinglife.com view - Chris Hammer
Unsurprisingly, Premier League new boys Hull are among the favourites for an instant return to the Championship and there won't be many non-Tigers supporters expecting them to survive.
Steve Bruce's men clinched the second automatic promotion spot ahead of Watford on the most dramatic of final days but if the bookies are to be believed, those memories of celebration will soon be forgotten during a long hard struggle to beat the drop.
Hull's 'problem' last season was their lack of a genuine goalscorer as none of their squad managed to reach double figures and while this underlines how their success was built around a real team effort, it obviously won't be as easy to share the goals around in the top flight as well as keeping it tight at the back.
Bruce has so far bolstered his strikeforce by bringing in Yannick Sagbo from French club Evian and Sunderland flop Danny Graham on loan, as well as sealing the transfer of George Boyd, who scored four goals after joining them on a temporary basis in February.
However, it's doubtful whether any of these players will be a revelation for a club who managed just 61 goals in 46 games last season and I can't really see them getting even close to safety come what may.
As previously inferred, it won't take many goals to be Hull's top scorer so you might be interested in Sky Bet's 6/1 available about Sone Aluko winning that particular prize considering he managed six in 24 appearances last season - which was three less than Robert Koren who managed nine in 42.
Our verdict: 19th (relegated) A quick return to the Sky Bet Championship for the Tigers.
LIVERPOOL
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Last season: Seventh
Major ins: Luis Alberto (Sevilla, undisclosed), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo, undisclosed), Simon Mignolet (Sunderland, undisclosed), Kolo Toure (Manchester City, free).
Major outs: Krisztian Adorjan (FC Groningen, loan), Jamie Carragher (retired), Andy Carroll (West Ham, undisclosed), Conor Coady (Sheffield United, loan), Peter Gulasci (Red Bull Salzburg, free), Henoc Mukendi (Partick Thistle, loan), Michael Ngoo (Yeovil, loan), Pepe Reina (Napoli, loan), Jack Robinson (Blackpool, loan), Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea, £5million), Jay Spearing (Bolton, undisclosed), Suso (Almeria, loan), Danny Wilson (Hearts, free).
Sky Bet's odds: Winner 33/1, top-four finish 9/4, relegation 250/1.
The Sportinglife.com view - Ben Linfoot
Liverpool improved last season under Brendan Rodgers by nine points and a place and a similar sort of progression will be the aim again this campaign.
Whether they will have to try to achieve such things with or without Luis Suarez is the big question, though the feeling is the Uruguayan will get his own way and engineer a move away from Anfield.
Such a scenario wouldn't necessarily harm the Reds. They played some of their best football last season when Suarez was banned and in Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge they have two players capable of filling his boots as the 'spark' in attack.
Clearly, though, Liverpool's chances of getting in the top four, the Holy Grail to them, would greatly increase if their best player were to remain at the club. But top quotes of around 9/4 to achieve this goal don't appeal.
The problem for Liverpool is there are five teams with better players and deeper squads and if they can break in amongst that lot it will be an achievement.
Overall, a good season is in store. In the league it's very easy to see them finishing fifth or sixth, while their best chance of any sort of success will be in the cups.
Our verdict: Sixth One spot higher this season for the Reds.
(To be continued)