ContinueWith the 2012/13 Premier League season due to kick-off this weekend, we thought it might be a good idea to take a brief look at what could be in store. However, instead of offering our own opinions, we thought we'd enlist the expertise of ESPN analysts Kevin Keegan and Frank Leboeuf to give us their thoughts ahead of what will hopefully be another humdinger of a season.
Kevin Keegan
The Title Will Remain In Manchester
It will be a Manchester club who wins the title this year, but I'm going City and then United.
It looked like United were perhaps tailing away, but the signing of [Robin] van Persie tilts it right back in the balance.
City Still As Strong As Ever
They've bought Rodwell, which is an interesting signing, especially since Manchester United we supposed to be after him. They may buy another player before the deadline, but in all honesty they don't need to sign anybody, they've got so many good players.
Mancini has already got far more players than he can play at any one time and a lot of those players need to play. You've got the likes of Milner, playing for England and playing well, but still he is not guaranteed a starting place at Manchester City. That's the real strength of Man City's squad.
With the likes of Nasri, Aguero, Balotelli, there are so many choices for forwards, and plenty of defenders. They don't need to strengthen, they just need to freshen everybody up.
United Are All Out Attack
United have signed Kagawa from Dortmund. I've seen him play a few times and if he hits the road running, with the likes of Rooney, Van Persie, Young and Valencia around him he could be great.
I really don't know how Ferguson will play them all. I think Valencia might play full-back this year. He's very good there, and has played there before, so don't be surprised if he does.
Tottenham Hotspur And Newcastle Will Fancy Their Chances
Spurs and Newcastle will be the two teams most likely to get into that top four to break the monopoly.
However, I still think the top four will be City, United, Arsenal, Chelsea. The Chelsea and Arsenal bit is the big question though. It's about how they do, not in terms of how the new signings fit in, but how they will fare without Drogba, and it's the same question for Arsenal with Van Persie.
If you're Spurs and Newcastle you'd be thinking 'we just missed out last year', and I think this year they'll be on the edge of it all.
I think it's a surprise to most people that Pardew has been able to hold onto his players. They've still got to keep hold of Cabaye and Tiote. They could lose Ba and keep Cisse, or even lose Cisse and keep Ba, but Cabaye and Tiote for me are the key to Newcastle United.
Liverpool Enter A New Era, But Could Still Surprise
Liverpool are probably thinking they could sneak in somewhere. They've got a new manager and a very good squad of players on paper. The likes of Downing, Carroll, Henderson need to step up to the plate. If Allen fits in with Gerrard and they manage to keep Agger, which they've got to do, then they could even reach the top four. The key is to show more than they did last year at home.
We've seen the football Rodgers played at Swansea with players less talented that the one's he has now, and the fans will be thinking if he can play that brand of football then it could be very exciting.
Frank Leboeuf
A New Era For The Premier League
This season we start a new era in football. The two Manchesters are the favourite for the title, but there will be four or five clubs that will make sure they are not in a comfortable situation.
Tottenham will be interesting, as we will see how Andre Villas-Boas works out. In my opinion Harry Redknapp was a magician, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
With Arsenal losing Robin van Persie, but signing [Lukas] Podolski, [Olivier] Giroud and [Santi] Cazorla it will be interesting too. Chelsea and Arsenal won't want to repeat last season how they began.
Rodgers A Good Fit For Liverpool
It will be interesting to see Liverpool with a new coach. I like Brendan Rodgers, the way he sees football is exactly the way I see football. I really loved how Swansea played last season - that was absolutely fantastic. He couldn't have been a better choice for LIverpool. Rodgers is the man for them.
Giroud Will Bring A New Dimension To Arsenal
[Olivier] Giroud is a young player and we really saw his talents last year, and he certainly has potential. He is a brand new player, like [Nicolas] Anelka when he first came to Arsenal, and there is a learning process for the Premier League, some get it quickly, others need a little more time.
What he will bring is less selfishness, if you compare him to [Robin] van Persie in the way he plays. Van Persie was very focused on scoring goals and only scoring goals, whereas Giroud wants to score goals, but also creates a lot of assists.
Wenger Not Under Pressure To Win Trophies
Knowing that Van Persie wasn't going to stay, Wenger bought players very quickly so that they all start pre-season together.
There are four trophies to win in the season, but you're not the only one going for them. What I like about Arsenal and Manchester United is that you can win nothing and keep your coach.
I don't think Mr Wenger is in danger. He did what he had to do in the pre-season. We know his capabilities in bringing the best out of players, but there is no certainty about results.
Do Chelsea Need Success This Season?
Of course Chelsea wants to win another trophy, but even if they win the League Cup and the FA Cup, some will say it's not enough.
There are realistically seven teams that can win the Premier League, and you have ten teams that can win the Champions League. So the pressure is there, it will create a fantastic fight, but nothing is sure.
If Chelsea start the season very well, then Robbie [Di Matteo] has the chance to stay. Things maybe already set of Pep Guardiola to come next year or the year after, but as he did at the end of last season, if he wins trophies then Mr Abramovich will have no choice but to keep him.
The signing of three small, fast technical players at Chelsea is a sign that we [fans] have been heard by the board and the club, that we want results but we want entertainment. The combination of these players will be very interesting.
Kevin Keegan writes exclusively for ESPNFC.com, the new football website. ESPN has live coverage of the Barclays Premier League this season. For details visit: www.espn.co.uk/tv
Frank Leboeuf features on ESPN’s football debate show, ‘ESPN FC Press Pass’ and was speaking ahead of ESPN’s live coverage of the Barclays Premier League this season. For details visit: www.espn.co.uk/tv
