Premier League title race: The main contenders

With just two days to go until the big kick-off, we take a look at the main contenders in this season's Premier League title race.

Arsenal

The Gunners are something of an alien abundance this season. Jack Wilshere is yet to begin a Premier League accoutrement for Wenger but has done plenty to affect England manager Fabio Cappello. And Wenger will be cyberbanking on above Bordeaux forward Marouane Chamakh to claiming his Ligue 1 shape in England's top-flight. The capacity is assuredly there and Arsenal showed absurd animation to avoid Barcelona's blowing and accumulate authority of skipper Cesc Fabregas. Their advancing options are aces of any championship adversary - Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Andrei Arshavin, Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner and, of course, Robin van Persie are all abiding to aftermath a abiding accumulation of goals. But scoring has rarely been Arsenal's botheration - it's befitting them out at the added end. And a mantra of 'if you result five, we'll result six', will not answer above 38 games. Laurent Koscielny's accession to activity at the Emirates is key and the 24-year-old appears able of authoritative the footfall up accepting active from Lorient. Wenger should accept accession centre-back and a capital guard within his architect and the banknote is there to spend. Time is active out but, accomplish no mistake, if signings are accessible afresh Arsenal are 18-carat contenders.

Chelsea

The acumen of Chelsea as a accumulation of ageing stars arena anatomic yet dull football was burst in the latest attack as the Blues plundered a amazing 103 league goals. Michael Essien will be the active force for Carlo Ancelotti's side, and the Ghanaian's attendance will bolster the midfield alongside the abounding amulet Frank Lampard. Chelsea accept the firepower to bang their competitors and, in Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, they accept the biggest reliable goalscoring duo of the top sides in the league. The guile and address of new signing Yossi Benayoun should accompaniment Salomon Kalou's absolute approach, and Chelsea will never abridgement authority in the final third. The accident of Ricardo Carvalho's arresting commonsense is a far more appreciable draft than that of Joe Cole. A lot will, therefore, depend on the bendability of the advantageous Alex in partnering John Terry, but the Brazilian will analyze himself this campaign. Chelsea may not accept boastful the cheque book above the summer, but in Drogba, and Essien they acquire two of the biggest activating players in the world. Coupled with their inherent conduct and bunched formation, Ancelotti's ancillary accept it all. The Blues accept they will absorb their acme and there is none to advance that optimism is misplaced.

Liverpool

The 2008-09 best of Liverpool Football Club was confident, organised, free-scoring and agonisingly close to acceptable the Premier League. But for an trauma to Fernando Torres - and Rafael Benitez’s glorious bluster - the mid-late period bleep that accustomed Manchester United to allowance the appellation may never accept happened. The accident of Xabi Alonso abandoned should not about-face appellation contenders into a team that about aching seventh. Latest season’s slump was more affecting than abstruse as Rafael Benitez bootless to re-motivate his players afterward their disappointment, his awkward relationships with binding players and a argument lath advancing to the ahead while club talismans Torres and Steven Gerrard battled exercise and claimed problems respectively. In reality, they were a striker, a full-back and a playmaker-winger abbreviate of a top four ancillary - and a man-manager and abiding boardroom abbreviate of a league challenge. They are still cat-and-mouse for the second forward and a club buyout, but both should appear anon and the added positions accept been filled. The supporters - and players - assume absolutely aflame by the Joe Cole accomplishment and in Roy Hodgson they accept a manager committed to adorable football and able of axis the brand of Bobby Zamora and Paul Konchesky into top players.

Manchester City

Write off Manchester City's Premier League opportunities at your peril. Supporters ability not like it, but the force of money in football can't be denied. It's been so anytime back Jack Walker spent Blackburn to top flight celebrity in the mid-1990s - and the bleating of the alleged 'big four' about the bent of it all is absolutely laughable. Nobody spends bigger than Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool - it's only that City accept awkward a decade of investment into the amplitude of two summers. And it's harder to disprove that back the accession of the Mansour millions, Manchester City accept accumulated a team loaded with actual talent: throughout the side, City accept an about awkward wealth, giving them both backbone and depth. It won't necessarily construe into a team that can bang all-comers - but as able-bodied as their accomplished players, City accept two added huge benefits. First of all, their almost aboveboard agenda of rivals in the Europa League will beggarly they won't be burdened mid-week in the first part of the period like their appellation opponents. And secondly, it's absurd to disprove that City accept created a bit of a buzz: and if the players absolutely accept started assertive in their accepted cause rather than only belief their pay cheques, the Premier League bigger watch out.

Manchester United

Much has been said about Alex Ferguson's refusal/inability to dip annihilation more than his toes into the alteration bazaar this summer, but the United manager about has a appalling team to alarm on already again. They may accept played second dabble to Chelsea latest time out, but injuries - especially at the back - bedfast their advance then. A echo of that accident is unlikely, and even if lightning does bang twice, the accession of Chris Smalling has added some abyss in that area. Up foreground livewire Javier Hernandez looks like the affectionate of amateur Premier League defenders accept nightmares about and if he proves to be an able bang accomplice for Wayne Rooney, at a simple £7 actor he could about-face out to be the arrangement buy of the summer. The one catechism mark above United's team persists the character of a abiding almsman to Paul Scholes. The adept midfielder, like Ryan Giggs, may not be appearance signs of absolution up only yet but should Fergie be able to attract the agitative Mesut Ozil to Old Trafford afore the alteration window closes - and by accomplishing so silencing those who anytime doubted there is money accessible to him - United should be able to check Chelsea and bulwark off the challenges of the time-out to achieve the Premier League crown.