Premier League predictions: Who will win the title and finish in the top four?

The Premier League is back!

Liverpool are back on their perch (finally), Manchester City have a point to prove, Manchester United are belatedly ready to move on from the Fergie era, Chelsea have signed just about everyone, Arsenal are planning a parade for the Charity Shield and Tottenham are releasing a DVD… of their new documentary series.

So who will win this season’s edition? And who will finish in the top four? We asked our team of writers for their predictions ahead of the Premier League’s grand return.

The Premier League is notoriously difficult to defend and a quiet summer on the transfer front doesn’t bode well for a Liverpool team which may unconsciously relax after ending that 30-year wait for a title. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola isn’t hanging around to finish second and even if his overthinking always ruins things in Europe, his track record reveals he wins league titles more often than losing them.

Behind them it’s a chasing pack of four for two places with Manchester United looking best placed to come third. There’s a lot of holes in their squad, there’s big questions over their recruitment strategy, but their attack is absolutely sensational and with a midfield now boasting Donny van de Beek as well as Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, they will steamroller through a lot of teams. There are questions over whether Chelsea can effectively integrate so many new players but through sheer force of talent they should finish higher than Arsenal or Spurs.

Huge signing sprees don’t always work out, but Chelsea should have enough quality to join Liverpool and Manchester City in the top four, while it’s likely to be between Manchester United and Spurs for the fourth spot. If Jose Mourinho keeps his head then the north London team have a bit more about them, but it’s Mourinho so the clever money will be on United. Arsenal are Arsenal, so will impress in bursts but will have to perform above themselves to show enough consistency to challenge the league’s best. Challenges will come from outside that group, but none will be sustained.

Almost all my colleagues have plumped for Manchester City and Liverpool as their top two. But City are weaker than last season, when they lost nine league games, and Liverpool’s momentum flagged desperately as the season wore on. And that’s why Chelsea can swoop in. Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech are outrageously good signings. Sure, Thiago Silva may not be Peak Thiago Silva, but he’s an improvement at centre-back, as is Ben Chilwell at left-back. If N’Golo Kante can rediscover his best self, all the ingredients are there for a title charge. So don't listen to Marcus below...

Chelsea have tried to change too much too soon with a manager whose body of evidence for tactical acumen is sparse. Fitting Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Kai Havertz and the rest of a top-heavy squad into a tactical system that accentuates their strengths and masks their weaknesses would prove a challenge for the most tactically-minded of coaches; there is little evidence to suggest that's an area in which Lampard excels. Throw into the mix the fact there will be very little training ground coaching possible in this truncated season and Chelsea are well out of the running.

With that in mind, continuity will be the bedrock to success this season. Hence, Liverpool’s lack of movement in the transfer window could prove an advantage – they have a well-oiled team whereby everyone knows their role, so they are good a bet to retain their title as long as they can sustain their intensity. City’s excellence going forward will have them pushing Liverpool but their systematic defensive frailties could undermine them in a title race – that if it follows previous seasons – the smallest of infractions will prove costly. One or two unexpected losses and that is a title challenge fatally undermined. United’s improved defensive performance at the back end of last season – if carried through to this – should see them into third via their wealth of attacking options while Jose Mourinho can’t countenance anything but top four.

Manchester City will not only regain the Premier League title, they will do so by a comfortable margin. Pep Guardiola has already benefited from some serious business in the transfer market with the arrivals of Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres. The signings were swift, decisive and demonstrated that the club knew exactly what was required. Guardiola has been rightly chastised following the Champions League defeat to Lyon, but he and his players will respond in a big way. Liverpool will finish second, Chelsea will come in third and Manchester United will assume an underwhelming fourth place.

Liverpool and City are a foregone conclusion and, to be honest, I can’t see things changing. Chelsea and United are investing intelligently and they are going to keep a gap between themselves and the chasing pack. Chelsea are obviously a risk because they’re bringing in so many players but you have to think this is going to work rather than implode.

Chelsea have what it takes to win the Premier League this season and I think it will happen. They have had the best transfer window and boast the most exciting squad in the Premier League which looks to be an ideal blend of youth and experience.

City are a weaker team than they were at the start of last season when they finished second. David Silva's title-winning experience and quality will be sorely missed, question marks will still linger over who should be the starting striker and an inadequate revamp of central defence will all culminate, in my eyes, into a second-place finish. Side-note: Ferran Torres may well have lots of potential, but he is no Leroy Sane right now. Liverpool will suffer burnout and have insufficient backup should any of their front three get injured at some point (which is very likely) in a crammed season. A more stable, confident Arsenal side will show enough quality to finish fourth.

Have Manchester City done enough to fix their defensive issues to ensure they are not going to lose as many games (nine!!) as they did last season? Not for me. They might still blow most teams away but unless they sign another centre-back I can’t plump for them over Liverpool, who might not hit the 99-point mark again but still look strong all over the pitch. Chelsea should be the best of the chasing pack followed by Arsenal, who are having a good transfer window so far.

It’s so hard to predict a top four - it is any season, but this season especially as some teams have bolstered while others are running out of steam. At the time of writing City haven’t signed Kalidou Koulibaly (who in my opinion would be the catalyst for Pep), and Liverpool haven’t signed Thiago (who in my opinion would rejuvenate a slowing gegenpress). Whereas Chelsea have their money back and have been using it. But before anyone plays, no team looks a certainty for the title.

Manchester City will take back the title as long as Sergio Aguero and Aymeric Laporte stay fit. Pep Guardiola must have major ambitions to stay with a club for a fifth season, and I’m expecting a ruthless and sadly uncontested charge to the title. A tired-looking Liverpool will struggle to do it all over again but will edge Chelsea to second all the same. As for the Blues, an exciting and erratic new side will delight fans on their way to third. Arsenal will steal fourth as a parting gift from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

This might be based on little more than a hunch, but something tells me Frank Lampard will struggle to forge a winning team out of all the players he has been handed this summer and Chelsea’s defence will cost them a top four place.

I'm plumping for Manchester City for the title as I believe that playing with reduced capacities has the potential to gravely affect Liverpool, while actually benefiting City's superstars. As fantastic as Klopp's side were last term, they could well run out of puff, having had a quiet summer too. Chelsea's spending should see them into the top four, despite Lampard's naivety, while Arsenal have a degree of momentum after winning the FA Cup and claiming some wins over big teams in the summer.