Arsenal

Last Season: Third

Key Player: That Sanchez bloke is alright. But the key player for the Gunners may well turn out to be Petr Cech. A truly great keeper for the first time in ages, one who’ll steady and organise the defence in front of him.

What To Watch For: A flurry of sumptuous attacking moves outta midfield. Slick passing and clever running. Maybe even some goals. Arsenal fans are full of hope that this could be the year. Hmm.

Key Question: Well, is it? Is this the year?

2015/16 Prediction: Fourth, but to be honest the top four are interchangeable.

Aston Villa

Last Season: Seventeenth

Key Player: Christian Bente… on no, wait. Fabian De… umm, Tom Cleverl… hmm. Uh-oh.

What To Watch For: Tim Sherwood’s got a decent record at taking over mid-season, first with Spurs post-AVB now with Villa post-Lambert/Keane. Let’s see how goes with a full campaign to run, seeing as his main trick is to fix other people’s mistakes with his inspirational speeches. Not to mention having lost some key figures.

Key Question: Will this team be even meagrely capable of scoring goals? (Whatchu got, Jordan Ayew?)

2015/16 Prediction: Fifteenth, just scraping through.

Bournemouth

Last Season: Promoted

Key Player: A lot depends on whether Callum Wilson can keep his goal scoring exploits up at this level. He could be the Danny Ings/Charlie Austin of this season.

What To Watch For: This is a team that got promoted in glorious fashion, winning plenty of fans with their style of play and their fairytale redemption story (relegation, administration, etc.). They’ll still be one of the favourites for the drop but it makes them fun in the meantime.

Key Question: Is there any chance of Eddie Howe getting sacked? Asking on behalf of a Mr ‘Arry Redknapp is all.

2015/16 Prediction: A fairytale sixteenth place.

Chelsea

Last Season: Champions

Key Player: John Bloody Terry. He’s shown zero signs of it yet, but if the old dog starts aging then all of a sudden Chelsea’s immaculate defence becomes vulnerable. Are you trusting Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma?

What To Watch For: Expertly parked buses coupled with great flowing attacks. People call them boring but counter argument = Eden Hazard. Also the human matinee that is Jose Mourinho.

Key Question: Only minor tweaks to the team while challengers like City and United have been handing over blank cheques. Have they done enough to hold them all off?

2015/16 Prediction: Second, see Arsenal.

Crystal Palace

Last Season: Tenth

Key Player: How in the hell did Crystal Palace manage to get Yohan Cabaye? Alan Pardew counts for something, but damn.

What To Watch For: Pards reckons that, fit and healthy, Palace can compete with anyone outside the top four. That thought is enticing enough in its own right, let alone coming from him. And most of all because… it might be true!

Key Question: This Patrick Bamford lad. On loan from Chelsea. Is he the real deal?

2015/16 Prediction: Tenth. Love what they’ve done.

Everton

Last Season: Eleventh

Key Player: Romelu Lukaku. He’s gotta score most of their goals, simple as that.

What To Watch For: Roberto Martinez has really dug his heels in with regards to holding on to his best talent, keeping the likes of Leighton Baines, John Stones, Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley around. There’s a solid team in there and no reason they won’t be fighting for Europe.

Key Question: What happens if they have another start like last season, will Martinez be for the hook?

2015/16 Prediction: Backing Bobby Martinez here, sixth place.

Leicester City

Last Season: Fourteenth

Key Player: Esteban Cambiasso. On account of he doesn’t play for them anymore. That’s a massive hole left in that midfield.

What To Watch For: Signs of hope. Heroic late relegation escapes are mythical in the Premier League, but unfortunately they’re hard to repeat. Especially without significant overhauls. They do have a good core of strikers though, if one catches fire then things could be all good.

Key Question: Better or worse without Big Bully Nige? It’s up to you, Mr Ranieri.

2015/16 Prediction: Nineteenth. Good riddance.

Liverpool

Last Season: Sixth

Key Player: James Milner. He’s gotta go far and beyond the usual new signing hype coz he’s replacing Stevie G. Should do a solid job of it too, great player.

What To Watch For: The plight of Lord Brendan, the overreactions of the fans (in both directions) and the general fascination with never walking alone. Mario Balotelli’s still there, btw.

Key Question: Who’s creating all the goals that Benteke’s expected to score? And can they keep them out at the other end?

2015/16 Prediction: Seventh. Sorry, scousers, but you still need a defence.

Manchester City

Last Season: Second

Key Player: Sergio Aguero is pretty much he best striker in the Premier League, one of the top five in the world. People who say that England doesn’t attract world class talent need only look at this fella play.

What To Watch For: The Greek tragedy that performs each game night within the depths of Manuel Pellegrini’s eyes.

Key Question: Vincent and Yaya, how you boys feeling this season?

2015/16 Prediction: First, see Arsenal.

Manchester United

Last Season: Fourth

Key Player: Wayne Rooney. He’ll be leading the line on his own, he’d better score at least 20 goals (WC says: He will).

What To Watch For: The midfield should be far more stable, guys are getting used to what LVG is demanding of them and dudes like Memphis Depay, James Wilson and Andreas Pereira are ready to explode. They should be a much more fun team to watch this time around.

Key Question: Are Jones and Smalling ready for the step up or is there another defender on the way?

2015/16 Prediction: Third, see Arsenal.

Newcastle United

Last Season: Fifteenth

Key Player: Jack Colback was the only player that John Carver didn’t blame for losing to Leicester in May. However it’s Moussa Sissoko whose fates in midfield tend to reflect the team’s outcome. Georginio Wijnaldum should be a handy addition to that part of the field also.

What To Watch For: The ball has dropped for owner Mike Ashley. He’s hired Steve McClaren to manage and he’s letting some money go in the interests of the club. Fans are demanding ambition, it seems like he’s finally showing some.

Key Question: Mike Williamson and Fabio Coloccini represent a pretty old and slow defence, but they’re fixing that with 21 year old Jamaal Lascelles as well as Chancel Mbemba. The question is: how old is Mbemba?

2015/16 Prediction: Ninth. Between McLaren and some exciting signings, this could be a good year.

Norwich City

Last Season: Promoted (via playoff)

Key Player: Nathan Redmond is a true young gun winger. He could be the source of plenty of this side’s creativity. Credit to Bradley Johnson too, who scored 15 goals from midfield in the Champo last season.

What To Watch For: Their prodigious 34 year old Scottish manager Alex Neil. He’s won 17 of his 25 games in charge. Plus he’s got a squad with a lot of Premier League experience from two seasons ago (when they were relegated), a squad that was overqualified for the Championship but could struggle again in the Prem. Or maybe not, it’s not a strategy that gets to be tested out very often.

Key Question: Is it another loop of the yo-yo coming for the Canaries?

2015/16 Prediction: Eighteenth. Prove me wrong.

Southampton

Last Season: Seventh

Key Player: After Morgan Schneiderlin’s last couple of seasons, Jordy Clasie has some big boots to fill. But the dude was hand-picked to replace him, so they’re clearly banking.

What To Watch For: One of the smartest run teams in England. The Saints are clever in the transfer market and committed to youth development as well. They play some quality football too, even when it seems like the start from scratch every year.

Key Question: Yet another summer spent losing players to Liverpool and Man Utd. Will they strike gold again with their new replacements?

2015/16 Prediction: A solid, consolidating eighth place.

Stoke City

Last Season: Ninth

Key Player: Jack Butland has some pressure on his shoulders taking over for Asmir Begovic, one of the better PL keepers of the last half decade. There’s a job as the England number two in it for him if he does well though.

What To Watch For: Charlie Adam’s roulette wheel passes/shots. Red stands for a perfect pass, black for a ball that ends up in the stands and green/zero is for a goal from halfway. Traditionally Stoke midweek is the place to go to see culture die, too.

Key Question: Is there a limit to how well Stoke can do with Mark Hughes in charge?

2015/16 Prediction: A comfortable but unflattering fourteenth place.

Sunderland

Last Season: Sixteenth

Key Player: Jack Rodwell’s form could have a lot to do with whether or not Sunderland can steer clear of the bottom three. Last season wasn’t great for him, but injuries and suspensions made it tough. This time, maybe?

What To Watch For: Well… Dick Advocaat seems like a nice bloke.

Key Question: Will there be three teams bad enough that Sunderland can finish above them? (WC says: Probably.)

2015/16 Prediction: Seventeenth by a hair. Would not be shocked if they go down.

Swansea

Last Season: Eighth

Key Player: Swansea have a superb leader and captain in Ashley Williams. In another life he’d have played for a Champions League side.

What To Watch For: The best English manager in the Premier League (according to the league table). Shout out to Garry Monk. Also Bafetimbi Gomis’ hair. And Jonjo Shelvey’s eerie lack of hair.

Key Question: Will the lack of European footy this season (ironically) enable a sustained challenge for European footy?

2015/16 Prediction: Eleventh. Slight reversion to the mean.

Tottenham Hotspur

Last Season: Fifth

Key Player: Well without a doubt it’s Mr Harry Hotspur. If Harry Kane can show that last season wasn’t just a flash in the pan then he can inspire this side to something decent. A European run? A top four challenge? After rejecting Manchester United, he’s the closest thing to a messiah that Spurs have known in decades.

What To Watch For: Pochettino’s done well to overhaul their muddy defence but he’s still stuck with a crowded midfield and only one trustable striker. He’s proven he’s a quality manager, now it’s a matter of cleaning up the leftovers of four years of Redknapp, one and a half of Andre Villas-Boas and a little Tim Sherwood on top of that. Expectations could be moving targets.

Key Question: What happens if Harry Hotspur isn’t scoring?

2015/16 Prediction: Fifth again for the sake of a nice story. Here’s to Harry.

Watford

Last Season: Promoted

Key Player: Troy Deeney. For all the same reasons as Callum Wilson (Bournemouth), except he’s almost five years older.

What To Watch For: The promoted sides have all gone with different strategies. Watford’s is to spend big on new players and hope they can gel together in time to earn 35-40 points and survival. Right now it looks like a mess. A few early wins and that’ll change in a hurry.

Key Question: Can they possibly stay up when their first choice keeper is Heurelho Gomes?

2015/16 Prediction: Nope. Twentieth.

West Bromwich Albion

Last Season: Thirteenth

Key Player: Joleon Lescott remains a wonderful defender. Between him, Darren Fletcher, Chris Brunt and one or two others, this team lacks nothing for leadership.

What To Watch For: The Pulis Effect. It’s not about signing new players, it’s about getting the best out of the ones that are there with a brutal pre-season and some hard coaching. It’s worked everywhere else that Tony’s gone so far in his career. (Btw, the whole ‘not signing players’ is more to do with ownership issues than anything).

Key Question: If Saido Berahino leaves… then what?

2015/16 Prediction: Thirteenth. Could sneak higher.

West Ham United

Last Season: Twelfth

Key Player: Let’s see what Dimitri Payet can offer. The Hammers desperately need some class in the middle of the park, Mark Noble can only do so much. Getting Alex Song back would ease this enormously.

What To Watch For: This is a team desperate to do well. In fact, they have to. With a new stadium next year, the Hammers’ financial future depends on a decent season here. They’ve dumped Sam Allardyce for that reason, bringing in Slaven Bilic to try open the ceiling a bit.

Key Question: Slaven Bilic is guaranteed to be fun… but will he pay off?

2015/16 Prediction: Twelfth as a team in transition.