Premier League Pre-Season Ranking

Pre-Season Ranking: Top 5

• #1. Chelsea - with the return of the Special One and the re-instatement of the old guard led by John Terry and Frank Lampard, Chelsea fans expect to be leading the charge this season. They will need to address their striking problem with Torres and Ba shooting blanks most of the way last season. Lukaku may be the dark horse if their troubles continue, Jose is not shy when it comes to making changes.

• #2. Manchester United. It really doesn't matter if they lose Wayne Rooney or not, he's no longer that relevant to the club's standing. They are ranked #2 simply because they've lost that one advantage that ensured success - Sir Alex. Having RVP should be good enough for second place.

• #3. Manchester City. Manuel Pellegrini, Jesus Navas and Fernandinho will not be enough to pushed City back to the title. On the contrary, look for them to fall back one step from last year as the new manager adjusts to his new environments.

• #4. Arsenal. Every year, the 'Doctore' Arsene Wenger finds a way to prove that Arsenal has not lost it's biggest asset - himself. This year will not be different. The Professor will find a way to stay in contention. For once, it doesn't look like he would be losing any major players, so that should bode well for player morale and fan confidence

• #5. Liverpool. Liverpool looked very good in the second half of last season with the addition of Daniel Sturridge and Phillip Coutinho. Brendan Rogers, has also done well to add to that with Spaniards Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas. With or without Suarez, Liverpool will come within distance of Champions League this season. Not good enough for 4th, but 5th is certainly achievable.