How will your club fare? Phil McNulty's Premier League predictions

Time to dust off the crystal ball once more and have a crack at predicting where the 20 Premier League teams will finish this season. Having confidently announced the Premier League title was Liverpool 's to lose last season, they then lost it quite spectacularly, resulting in manager Arne Slot's dismissal. This season there are nine new managers in the top flight, making this season arguably the toughest set of predictions I've made. 1) Arsenal Last season: Champions. Having finally crossed the line to their first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal are in perfect shape to retain the crown - and I believe they will. Mikel Arteta's side have quality everywhere and will have the confidence of being champions. Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis showed they are additions of the highest quality as Arsenal dismantled Manchester City in the Community Shield. The easiest prediction of them all. 2) Manchester City Last season: 2nd. It is the start of a new era, with Enzo Maresca following arguably the greatest manager of the modern era, Pep Guardiola. Huge players and personalities have gone in the shape of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones, so there is a real sense of transition at Etihad Stadium. The Community Shield loss to Arsenal may have spooked some, but great players still remain - with the probability of more high-class signings before the season starts. £116m Elliot Anderson has already arrived and Morocco's brilliant teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi is expected to join from Lille. Most significantly of all, any side with the phenomenal Erling Haaland as its striker can never be ruled out of anything. There will be silverware. 3) Liverpool Last season: 5th. Andoni Iraola has arrived from Bournemouth to restore some order after a dismal title defence last season. The start of the post-Mohamed Salah era will not be easy and Iraola's all-out, intense style may take time to bed in, but there is still lots of quality in Liverpool 's squad and players such as Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak now know what life at Anfield is all about. If Bradley Barcola arrives from Paris St-Germain and Rio Ngumoha's rapid progress continues, Liverpool can have a good season. Young central defenders Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni are also potential stars. Spain winger Victor Munoz will provide thrust and pace. Definitely a top-four place and in contention for trophies. 4) Chelsea Last season: 10th. I can see the raised eyebrows from here, but Xabi Alonso is smart - and enjoyed Bundesliga title success at Bayer Leverkusen. He is not alone in having then been chewed up and spat out at Real Madrid. He must shape a squad that resembles a small commune and deal with a disaffected Enzo Fernandez - if indeed he remains at Chelsea - but there is real quality if he can fashion it into shape. Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix are outstanding additions while the surprise signings of veterans Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck are clearly designed to police the dressing room and set the tone. It's a bit of a punt but, without any distractions in Europe, Chelsea could do very well in the Premier League. 5) Manchester United Last season: 3rd. This is the first full season under Michael Carrick, who did so well to guide Manchester United back into the Champions League last season following the sacking of Ruben Amorim. A Champions League place and a trophy must be the aim for this season and I fully expect United to meet that challenge. Youri Tielemans is a smart, streetwise signing from Aston Villa while Andrey Santos is a player of promise from Chelsea - but United and Carrick still need more if their ultimate ambitions are to be fulfilled. There is no chance of a title challenge, but I expect United to be in the upper reaches of the Premier League. 6) Aston Villa Last season: 4th. Unai Emery's outstanding work at Aston Villa continued when they won the Europa League and he took them back into the Champions League. This brilliant strategist can never be under-estimated, but Villa's financial balancing act has led to the departures of key players Tielemans and Rogers. Heavy responsibility will lie with loan signing Alejandro Garnacho, whose career has stagnated, while hopes are high for Brazil midfielder Joao Gomes, who was signed from Wolves for £38m. Villa pulled off a real coup when they pipped Newcastle to Freiburg's 20-year-old midfielder Johan Manzambi, who was a stand-out performer for Switzer