Whether City have the cohesive squad necessary to win the title and Roman Abramovich has the patience to allow the Blues' 33-year old boss to implement his attractive playing style and wrestle the title from Fergie's grasp is another article all together. However, there is little doubt that the competition to secure one of the four much coveted Champions League places will be as, if not more intense than the aforementioned title race.
Liverpool look set to tussle with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City for a top four finish and in this article I will examine each side in depth.
Tottenham Hotspur
Last season's results: 0-2 (H), 1-2 (A)
When do we face them? 18th September (A), 4th February (H)
Strengths: Spurs possess a vast array of creativity in midfield which aptly supplies a forward line full of ammunition. Speed kings Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale provide raw pace and dribbling ability on the right and left wings respectively, while Rafael Van der Vaart and Luka Modric add guile and invention to the centre of the Lilywhites' midfield.
Meanwhile, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane are all established Premier League strikers and allow boss Harry Redknapp to employ various formations up front, adding a crucial element of variation and unpredictability to their frontline. When on form all four are frightening prospects for opposition defences.
Weaknesses: Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, although capable of brilliance, is prone to costly errors and fails to fill his back four with confidence. Moreover, defensive linchpin Ledley King has suffered horrendous bad fortune with injury, meaning that their club captain is rarely available to patrol the defence and provide much-needed on-pitch leadership.
Last season: Tottenham enjoyed their first Champions League campaign last year, claiming famous victories over both AC and Inter Milan to impressively reach the last eight, before coming unstuck against Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, losing 5-0 on aggregate. In the League they pipped Liverpool to fifth place, ensuring they remain in European competition. However, the less prestigious Europa League could prove to be a poisoned chalice, with the extra demands imposed on the squad by regular Thursday night fixtures likely to affect their League form and hinder them in the fight for fourth spot.
Transfer activity: Redknapp moved quickly to snap up experienced former Liverpool keeper Brad Friedel on a free transfer after his contract with Aston Villa expired. The American penned a two-year contract and will provide formidable competition for the unreliable Gomes. However, speculation linking Luka Modric with a move to London rivals Chelsea has proved unsettling for Spurs supporters. The creative Croatian was instrumental in their midfield last season and would be sorely missed.
There have been few new arrivals so far, but Redknapp has a reputation for finalising shrewd transfer deals close to the deadline, demonstrated by the stunning capture of Rafael Van der Vaart for only £8 million two hours before last August's transfer window slammed shut.
Where will they finish? With the distraction of the Europa League and further investment required to break into the top four once again, Spurs will struggle to match last season's fifth-placed finish. 6th
Arsenal
Last season's results: 1-1 (H), 1-1 (A)
When do we face them? 20th August (A), 3rd March (H)
Strengths: Widely considered to be the best footballing team in the country, at their best Arsenal resemble Catalan kings Barcelona with their free flowing, forward thinking style of play a hallmark of Arsene Wenger's fifteen year reign. Inevitably, plenty of goals result, with only champions Manchester United bettering the Gunners' total of 72 strikes last season.
Weaknesses: The Gunners lack a trustworthy number one stopper. Wenger has experimented with Almunia, Szczensy and Fabianski yet nobody has fully convinced the fans or the manager and a top quality keeper is surely a must in the transfer window this summer. Arsenal are defensively vulnerable and have lacked a destructive midfield general in the mould of Makelele or Mascherano since the departure of Patrick Viera six years ago.
Last season: Arsenal appear to be locked in a nightmare Groundhog day scenario, with each successive campaign following a predictable pattern and only exacerbating the fans' frustration. Early promise is routinely followed by end-of-season heartbreak and yet another trophyless campaign.
A catastrophic mix-up between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny in the Carling Cup final proved to be the catalyst for last season's collapse. After losing out to Birmingham City in the Carling Cup, the London side bowed out of the Champions League to Barcelona and suffered defeat at Old Trafford in the FA Cup. Meanwhile, their title tilt fell to pieces, as the Gunners even missed out on automatic qualification for the group stages of the Champions League, ending an underwhelming fourth.
Transfer activity: Wenger has boosted his attacking options with the signing of Ivorian striker Gervinho and 18-year old winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (who was linked with a move to Anfield) from Championship side Southampton.
However, in a summer when their squad requires replenishing rather than dismantling, the focus has been on those departing the Emirates rather than those arriving. Star player Cesc Fabregas finally completed his £35 million transfer to boyhood team Barcelona recently while Samir Nasri has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City, severely damaging Arsenal's creative heartbeat.
With the fans becoming restless and pressure mounting, Wenger surely must invest in the playing squad this summer. However, even though the Gunners are one of the most financially stable clubs in the country, the stubborn Frenchman is inherently reluctant to spend cash, and remains unlikely to buck that trend any time soon.
Where will they finish? Despite their phenomenal record of reaching the group stages of the Champions League every season since 1998/1999, there is a very real possibility that the Gunners may miss out next season. 5th
Manchester City
Last season's results: 3-0 (H), 0-3 (A)
When do we face them? 27th November (H), 2nd January (A)
Strengths: City have an enviable wealth of attacking talent. Their front line is composed of a string of household names including Adebayor, Balotelli, Bellamy, Dzeko, Aguero, Santa Cruz and Tevez, allowing comprehensive cover up front. Mancini's side is built upon a strong defensive core though, with England's first choice keeper Joe Hart and robust central midfielders Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Yaya Toure sandwiching and protecting their back four. In fact, alongside Chelsea they conceded the fewest goals last season, with their net bulging on average less than once a match.
Weaknesses: The occasionally over-cautious approach adopted by manager Roberto Mancini when facing their main rivals saw City collect only five points from matches against the top four last season. The Italian's traditional 4-5-1 set up may need to be altered if the Eastlands outfit are to rack up more points in those crucial fixtures this time around. Moreover, with characters such as the moody Mario Balotelli, controversial Craig Bellamy and enigmatic Emmanuel Adebayor in the dressing room, squad unity could prove difficult to foster amongst City's pampered and overpaid prima donnas.
Last season: The owner's twin goals of Champions League qualification and a domestic trophy were met as City enjoyed their most successful campaign in years. After securing their first trophy in 35 years thanks to Yaya Toure's solitary strike versus Stoke in the FA Cup final, the Citizens clinched third place and automatic qualification for the Champions League group stages. They'll be looking to go one further this season and mount a serious bid for the Premier League title.
Transfer activity: The possible departure of club captain and modern day mercenary Carlos Tevez has dominated the headlines, as the Argentina international has been linked with a return home to South America. Although speculation has recently quietened, City fans cannot trust Tevez, who has shown a shocking lack of loyalty throughout his career. This was shown most patently when he swapped Old Trafford for Eastlands in the summer of 2009.
Nevertheless, although chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak promised a relatively quiet summer transfer window, City's squad has deepened further thanks to the financial support of owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Defenders Stefan Savic and Gael Clichy have arrived from Partizan Belgrade and Arsenal respectively for a combined total rumoured to be around £14 million, while highly rated Spanish striker Sergio Aguero was snapped up for a fee that could rise to an eye-watering £38 million. Such is City's wealth; they appear to be able to purchase players simply to deplete their rivals' squads, with a further £25 million likely to be spent to entice Arsenal to sell Samir Nasri.
If this is what City's owners describe as a 'quiet' summer than I'd hate to see what a 'loud' summer is like!
Where will they finish? Although another season may be required before they can settle as a squad and clinch the title, City are going from strength to strength and surely must be considered genuine title challengers. I certainly cannot see them failing to qualify for the Champions League. 2nd or 3rd
Conclusion: Liverpool will struggle to compete with Manchester City, who appear destined to compete for the Premier League title as their owner's massive investment may finally pay off. However, North London sides Arsenal and Spurs appear to have stalled this summer and, with a Kenny Dalglish inspired red revolutuion and several new faces arriving to bolster our squad, there is no reason why we cannot finish fourth.
YNWA
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