Mourinho can lead Chelsea to title- Alan Shearer (Football Post by My Brother)

This is my little brothers first
guest post. His name is
Haseeb and he's 18!

BY HASEEB WAHEED With the eagerly anticipated return of the Barclays Premier League this weekend, many pundits have dubbed this the season of intense competition, fierce battles and an agonisingly close shave to lifting the prestigious trophy. That being said, can Chelsea really win the title with the wonders of Jose Mourinho which everyone is so adamant about? Who’s got what it takes to challenge the customary contenders? Which teams will be fighting for Premier League survival?

At the close of the opening weekend of the new season, those pre-season worries and fleeting comments seemed to have gathered substance. No matter what Arsene Wenger says or does, his team are in dire need of some players and the boss really needs to spend big money. He has tried. He has failed. Luis Gustavo, Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez have all gone by so quickly. I remember those Arsenal fans who previously claimed ‘money can’t buy class.’ Ironically that is exactly what they’re trying to so with £40m + bids. However, names like Suarez won’t step into a team that give a lacklustre 1-3 performance against an Aston Villa side who were the butt of a heavy defeat many a time last season. It seems like to buy class you not only need money, you need to have a classy side too.

The trophy every team
is eyeing up

As for the title, Arsenal won’t be challenging – they’ll be lucky to get top 4! Now that my little rant about Arsenal’s expected demise is over - the same goes for Liverpool – they've got a developing squad but this season is too early for the possibility of glory filled Champions League nights – Europa league will have to suffice.

My top 4 consists of Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd and Spurs. Manchester City have brought in a host of new, top quality players but as we've seen with the likes of Sunderland and Cardiff on the opening day, new signings aren't always an immediate success. Sometimes it’s those contract extensions (Benteke!) Although Chelsea have been somewhat subdued in the transfer market, the world should never underestimate the impact the return of ‘the happy one’ can have on the Stamford Bridge outfit.  Lampard’s got his shooting boots on, Terry’s regained confidence and if Lukaku lives up to the hype then there’s a new Drogba in town.

However, much of the title race will be dependent on the new managers. Pellegrini made his mark in Spanish football with Malaga, after having a disappointing season with Real Madrid, but this by any stretch of the imagination is no guarantee that he will succeed at City. On the red side of Manchester, David Moyes has been thrown into the spotlight quite quickly and only time will tell if he’s capable of managing a world-class club.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho 

As for the ‘top 4’ contenders, the usual lot will be up there – Everton, Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal will all be vying for a top 4 finish but don’t be surprised if the likes of West Brom, Aston Villa, Norwich, Southampton and Swansea are up there too. They've all done excellent business in the market and have come on leaps and bounds from the previous year.

It’s hard to predict who’ll be in the Championship come next season with the unpredictable likes of Sunderland and stoke, but it’s got to be the newcomers who face the drop. They’ve all deepened their squads but the Premier league may prove a little too much for them to handle.

Taking everything into account, my predictions are as follows:

Top Four: 1.Chelsea  2.Man City  3.Man Utd  4.Spurs (possibly only with Bale!)

Challengers: 5.Liverpool  6.Arsenal  7.Swansea  8.Everton (other notable mentions: Norwich, West Brom, West Ham)

Bottom Three: 18.Stoke  19.Palace  20.Hull

Of course, my words should be completely disregarded if Hull come swooping in with a £100m offer for Bale, Arsenal manage to Land Suarez, Ronaldo returns to United or Mourinho somehow loses his managerial touch and ‘love’ for his ‘home’ at Stamford Bridge.

But one thing’s for certain. Expect shocks - lots of shocks!