Preview to the 2010-2011 Barclay's Premier League Season

We're now only a week away from the start of another great season of football. The summer transfer window has been a busy one for many teams, and we'll be able to see many new faces this year. Who knows, one of these new faces could be the next great star in the Premier League. Some of these notable players are David Silva who joined Manchester City on a 24 million pound transfer from Valencia. Manchester City were very busy, as usual, since there present owner Sheik Mansour took over. City also bought Yaya Toure from Barcelona for an undisclosed fee. Arsenal made a name for themselves in the transfer window as well, signing striker Marouane Chamakh from Bordeaux. Chamakh scored 56 goals in 230 appearances fo the Bordeaux, so expect him to start along side Robin van Persie. Chelsea signed former West Ham and Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun, while Liverpool picked up Joe Cole. One of the most "hyped" new players in the Premier League is Javier Hernandez, better knows as El Chicharito to people in Mexico, where Hernandez is from. The applause Hernandez got when Manchester United played the MLS All-Stars in Houston, was easilly equal and quite possibly louder than Ryan Giggs, a Manchester United legend. Hernandez came on as a substitute, and scored in his debut in a 5-2 win for United.

The new season is wide open. There are a few teams that have a chance to win the title this year, and couple teams that could be the surprise of the year. Manchester City is one of the favorites this year, but in my mind, I don't think they'll finish in the top four. They need to realize that it takes a while for a team to "gel" together and to get them to play at their highest potential. Next year will be City's year, but this year, there are only three teams that have a chance to win the title. Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea. For Arsenal to have a chance of the title, Chamakh and van Persie need to have a chemistry up front that no other duo in the league has. With midfielders like Fabregas, Arshavin, Samir Nasri, and young Alex Song, the two up top will definitely have the service they need, their job will be to put the ball in the back of the net. The key for Chelsea is to take advantage of their easy start to the season. Chelsea's first five games are against West Brom, Wigan, Stoke, West Ham, and Blackpool. Three of the five games are at home, and if Chelsea don't take fifteen out of a possible fifteen points through their first five games, it will surely be a disappointment. Manchester United need a big year from striker Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov scored 12 goals last year for United, which is still not a bad year, but Berbatov has never really established himself at United like he did when he was at Tottenham. This could be the year. My prediction is that Manchester United will be champions this year, while Chelsea finishes second, and Arsenal finish third. Tottenham round out the top four, while Mancester City finishes fifth and Aston Villa is sixth. Everton finishes seventh, while crosstown rival Liverpool finishes eighth. The teams that go down will be Blackpool, West Brom, and Wigan.

Another great thing about a new season, is a new fantasy season. If you want to play, go to www.fantasy.premierleague.com, and in the top right corner, you will see a box saying play fantasy. Sign up, and create your team using your 100 million virtual pounds. Then, join the private AC Press Blog league with the code 330934-85557 . Good luck, and enjoy the new season.