Premier League starting up...4 tops again

It appears that the summer vacation and time off for the footie teams is shorter and shorter...I guess all the better for us soccer starved fans! To many out there, the true soccer season starts tomorrow with the beginning of the English Premier League (btw I like the old badge up top)...the other big leagues, Italy and Spain, start later in the summer.

So the first question, will the "big 4" remain the same? Answer...and I have been thinking about this all summer...will be yes. Second question, will all the big spending at Manchester City mean they will threaten for the title. Answer...no. Third question, will Everton or Aston Villa threaten the top 4. Answer...maybe. And finally, will Benetiz and SAF continue their war of words. Answer...ABSOLUTELY! Ok let us look at the the top 5 and some other observations before the season opener tomorrow.

#5 Aston Villa. The Villians threatened to oust Arsenal last season from the top 4 late into the year, only to lose their steam. Probably the most English of all teams they are managed by one of the Premierships best managers in Martin ONeil. The loss of Barry will be difficult to overcome, but with the likes of Agbonlahor, Carew, Freidel, Sidwell, Young etc they have enough talent to maintain aspirations of being in the top 5. I also think that Heskey will prove important in this campaign, while not the striker some thought he might become, if he can chip in double digit goals and bring some veteran leadership to the side they will perform well enough to knock on the door of the big 4.

#4 Liverpool. Ok I have never made it a secret that I think Benetiz is an overrated blowhard. And had the Reds not had 15 minutes of craziness in Athens to win the Champions League, the Spaniard would be back in his home land looking for work. I think losing Garcia will be more difficult to over come than Benetiz thinks. I realize that Benetiz brought in Aquilani from Italy to replace Garcia, but not sure how he will acclimate himself to England. I think that he still has not addressed the goal scoring issue, can Torres and Gerrard still be expected to score the bulk of the goals for the Reds? If Mascherano ends up leaving as the rumors claim, then the Reds will be in real trouble.

#3 Manchester United. Whoooaaaaa you might say, the Red Devils, winners of 3 straight titles...fall to 3rd???? Um yes. Why? You cannot lose arguably the best player in the world in Ronaldo as well as one of the games top 10 strikers and expect to win a 4th straight title. Van de Sar is out for the first part of the season. Hargreaves, yes remember him, appears closer to being forced into retirement. Giggs and Scholes are one year older. Owen? Just because you gave him the #7 shirt does not mean he is the next Best, Cantona, Beckham or Ronaldo. Michael Owen has not been the same for a very long time. Not sure if the change of scenery will make him the young prodigy we saw score one of the greatest goals in the 1998 World Cup. I think that Manchester United are in a transition season and they will drop in the table.

#2 Arsenal. I have given the Gunners a lot of thought recently. For a while I thought they would be out of the top 4...and then I will admit I read Bobby's blog on Fox Soccer and it changed my mind. Now I am not ready to crown the Gunners league winners but I think they will improve on last season and that clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United will drop. A full season of Arshavin a healthy Eduardo the lack of headache from Adebayour are the keys. Of course this ranking will change if Cesc leaves for Barca. Also, Wenger still needs to bring in some defensive and midfield help before the end of the month. In addition, Rosicky needs to come back close to 100%, Nasri needs to come back, Diaby needs to find some health potion...again a lot of other ifs, but no reason to believe most cannot come to fruition.

#1 Chelsea. Not much suspense here...but the Blues have the talent, manager, and deep pockets to regain the title. They were able to keep Terry and Drogba during the off season. Malouda looks like the Malouda from Lyon. Anelka could have a new contract to make him happy. Finally Ancelotti should bring some stability to the management role. Oh and let us not forget Shevchenko is back from ACMilan. I have a feeling the Ukrainian striker will have a nice season for the Blues. He will give some good depth up front and be a solid substitute during the season. Of course if there are any needs during the winter transfer window, we all know that Abramovich will not hesitate to splash out the cash. The Blues are too deep and talented not to regain the title this season. The one question mark is in goal, if Cech plays the way we know he can then no worries....if he plays the way he did for part of last season, they could be in trouble.

Other teams to watch -

Manchester City - How can you not keep a keen eye to the other team in Manchester. After dropping A LOT of cash this transfer season, they have, on paper, the talent to challenge anyone. However I question if there was any strategy behind the acquisitions or just...buy who you can to make us look like a contender spending. Adebayour...ok. But how will he fit with Santa Cruz and Tevez? Who will defend? Is Toure the Toure of old or the one we saw the past few months for Arsenal? The Citizens should still do better than last season, I think that Ireland will be shown as one of the best playmakers with the offensive additions he will be able to leverage.

Everton - David Moyes always has his team ready to play. Fellaini, Arteta, Cahill and a rejuvenated Saha are a solid foundation for the club. They will once again be one of the best teams in the second tier of the Premiership

Cannot believe the season starts tomorrow, I do not see anyone breaking into the top 4, but I do think that clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United will come back to the pack which should make for an interesting Premiership season.