Guardian picks Chelsea to finish 3rd

[Blue Armour 4,286]

It largely depends on how much City have improved....United are stronger than last season...Anyone who thinks Liverpool, Arsenal or Tottenham will displace Chelsea from top 4 hasn't been following pre-season or is simply deluded.

As long as we don't suffer a miserable slump like we did last season, I''d go for a top two finish...Rotating the squad members is key for that, and I just hope pre-season is an indication that AVB will do just that

Consistency, rather than periods of dominance, is what it takes to win the EPL imo....

In the end football is unpredictable...The only thing I enjoyed last season was how the pundits kept making fools of themselves

[OReillyD36 311]

I football was that predictable I'd be rich

[Blue In Green 86]

My prediction: Chelsea will finish anywhere from 1st to 20th in the PL this upcoming season.

[Randall 315]

Optimistic.

[BLionheart 516]

Man city won't win fuck !!!

They will remain an average team because they have an average manager , not a real threat , not yet.

Man utd are hot favorites for me , specially if they manage to get Snieder . last year they outplayed the rest , they have improved ,added some very exciting players and we are the same old squad .

Our key to winning the league is signing a very good winger , Modric will be a good addition to our midfield but top priority should be a winger right now , will be very disappointed to have another year of Anelka,Kalou and Malouda ,

[dodojojo 510]

Malouda would be okay if he'd just stay wide and stop thinking he's some scoring extraordinaire. Why must he always end up in the middle of the pitch and letting fly 30 yard shots? He would make the team so much better by providing the much needed width.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

I think 3rd is about right with the current squad. Drogba/Torres firing would push for 1st/2nd. Add in a playmaker and someone on the right, then Chelsea are favorites.

This.

About City in the CL, I think they REALY lack of leaders. I mean they need more players with experience.

They wont get too far(Semi-final) without any along with Toure and Tevez if he stays.

[GodZola 630]

Man utd are hot favorites for me , specially if they manage to get Snieder . last year they outplayed the rest , they have improved ,added some very exciting players and we are the same old squad .

Actually BLionheart, Utd got lucky on many occasions last season that helped them win the title, their away form was atrocious so I wouldn't go as far to say they outplayed the rest but finished top of the pile because their home form got them there.

However I concur with you that they are worthy favourites & adding Sniejder will move them up another level. They have strengthened their squad after winning the title - something we failed to do before the start of last season (Ramires aside) instead we got rid of 2 quality players in Carvalho & Ballack which didn't do our campaign any favours but things could of been different if we had signed a couple of decent players & keeping those 2.

City & Utd have improved their squads after a successful season, something we did when we won back to back titles under Jose. I think we all know that we need a player with vision & a couple of wingers with pace but even bringing in 1 of those 3 looks optimistic.

That said I'm glad we our being written off & probably with some vindication but the pressure is then on our rivals. We are looking like a team that's hungry again that looks more like a collective unit instead of a team of individuals. Our defence was the best in the league again last season incredibly but we struggled to create & score goals. So for me if we can get that diamond in the middle of the park we will push City & Utd all the way next season.

[Kostas 1,468]

..United are stronger than ever...

I just can't agree with that. They may have improved over what was the simply worst ManUtd side in over 10 years.

[robdog 2,084]

I think 3rd is about right with the current squad. Drogba/Torres firing would push for 1st/2nd. Add in a playmaker and someone on the right, then Chelsea are favorites.

Only if the playmaker can adapt to Chelsea's style immediately. That sorta stuff takes time. Remember Ramires???

[BlueLion. 21,491]

At this moment in time, 3rd is an accurate prediction. City and United are far stronger than us presently in terms of squad depth, but thankfully our first XI remains the best in the league... when fully fit and firing.

[Guest justin_3d]

Look at the bright side. Not being favorites is good for us.

I remember last season when a lot of people already had us elect champions and to win the CL.....

So it's always good to have some pressure of.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Agreed. However our own estimations of our chances will no doubt rise again, like they did when Villas-Boas first came in and tales of Falcao, Hulk, Modric and Pastore filled us with hope. One or two signings may also see the media reassess our chances.

[Tortilla9 390]

Its ONLY pre-season but I've seen United and City play on their little American adventure. United has looked good tbh. City has looked ehhhh. Some halves decent, some awful, some good. That's just based on pre-season games only. I'm not sold on City except for David Silva who is a little genius out there.

[Kieran. 6,317]

I'd be pleased with 3rd and a CL trophy.

[Tortilla9 390]

I'd be pleased with 3rd and a CL trophy.

I think so would Roman. Don't know why or how to explain it but I think winning the PL is more likely than winning the CL.

[Kieran. 6,317]

I think so would Roman. Don't know why or how to explain it but I think winning the PL is more likely than winning the CL.

I want John Terry to hoist that trophy more than anything.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Fair prediction.

With City being a team now (well, they should be anyway) they will push for the title. Man United will always be up there too. I think we'll get 2nd at least though.