This may be the most competitive title race in Premier League history. Four teams - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd - have the ability to muster skill to gain points to win what promises to be an exciting competition.

Alex Ferguson's club, whom recently knocked Liverpool off "their f*%#ing perch" as England's most successful domestic club, will be gunning for their fourth title in a row, though they will be doing so having lost by far their best player.

Looking to capitalize on the Man Utd loss will be Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. Only a meagre seven points separated the top 3 last season, with Utd needing a consistent and determined effort to hold off a brilliant Liverpool team that earned more point than it had in any other Premier League season.

Liverpool go into the new season with high hopes, but the recent loss of Xabi Alonso and their overwhelming reliance on the health of their two superstars will cause fans concern. Chelsea, on the other hand, have greater depth in their title challenge, which will be led by new manager Carlo Ancelotti. Meanwhile, the oft criticized Arsenal go into the season as underdogs in the title race.

Well, let's get to it. Plain Soccer writers' top 7 and bottom 3 predictions for the upcoming season.

HU

1. Man Utd. I choose Man Utd for the simple reason of defense. Utd probably have the best defense in the football world. Carrick will step up a level to support the maturing Nani and Valencia, while Rooney and Berbatov comprise hardly the worst strike force in the business.


2. Chelsea. Chelsea go into the new season as the favourites to lift the title. They are the only team of the top 4 who did not lose any starters during the summer. With the addition of the Zhirkov, they only strengthened their squad. I found it difficult choosing between Man Utd and Chelsea as I consider the London team superb, but, with a new manager at the helm who does not have Premier League experience, think they will fall just short.


3. Liverpool. Liverpool's lack of width concerns me, as does their reliance on the fitness of Gerrard and Torres. Their title challenge, and this is certainly possible, rests on their two big guns.




4. Arsenal. It is Arsenal whom I think will be this season's top scorers. Arsenal's attacking midfield and attack is tough to criticize. Fabregas is the best passer in the league, while the outstanding Denilson will back him up in midfield. This team will control the ball against every team they play against, but it is their defense that concerns me.


5. Man City
6. Tottenham Hotspur
7. Aston Villa

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18. Birmingham City
19. Hull
20. Burnley

On relegation, I choose Hull because they have been absolutely dreadful so far in 2009. Birmingham will struggle for goals and Burnley, well let's see what they can offer in the top flight.


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Cameron

1. Chelsea.
Chelsea will be very strong. They have a very well rounded squad, although this nonsense with Carvalho underlines how they need to either keep him or find another proper partner for Terry.





2. Man U
Man U will be fine, but they won't dominate unless Anderson and Nani bring it every night, which they haven't done so far in their careers.







3. Liverpool
Liverpool still lacks width and depth. Dirk Kuyt is neither a winger nor a midfielder. The spine of their team remains terrific, though. I'm unhappy about them losing Alonso, who I thought was underrated. I guess we'll see if Lucas Leiva is the real deal this season.




4. Arsenal
Arsenal seem a little weak to me, but they still have a proper team in there, unlike City, who have 4 world-class strikers but only 1 or 2 world-class players elsewhere. I also always expect 1 or 2 Arsenal youngsters to surprise us.





5. Man City
6. Aston Villa
7. Everton

- I don't trust the health of Tottenham's central defence, and that'll badly hurt them.
- Everton will be just as they've been for the past few years; good but not very good. Their squad has been kept together for a while now, though, and that's a promising sign for this season.
- Man City will be very good, but they still lack about 4 starters to be considered for the top 4. They'll crush weak opposition, and then will be exposed against teams like Arsenal who will play keep-away.
- Villa always surpasses expectations, if you keep those expectations reasonable.

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18. Birmingham
19. Wolves
20. Burnley

I know, these relegation picks are obvious and boring, but there just isn't enough quality there, and other weak clubs (Sunderland, Stoke, Hull) have all been strengthened in the past year.

The team I'm tempted to single out for sudden problems is Wigan - they keep selling their best players, and they haven't been replacing them. Meanwhile, the bottom half of the EPL is actually fairly strong this year. The two together bode poorly for Wigan. That said, they still have players like Scharner who can hold down the fort for a year.

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So there you have it. The Plain Soccer writers' predictions for the 2009/10 Premier League season, which promises to be one competitive battle.