Premier League predictions: Standard Sport names title winners, relegation race, first manager sacked and more | OneFootball

Our reporters stare into their crystal ball to predict the next 10 months

The new Premier League season is just days away, and with it a host of new unknowns.

Arsenal are defending champions for the first time in a generation, and will test their mettle against an array of managers new to their clubs and, for some, new to the league.

It has been even longer since Coventry were last in the top flight - will Frank Lampard continue to impress or are the Sky Blues destined to struggle with their fellow promoted clubs?

Plenty of questions to be answered over the next 10 months, and the Standard Sport football reporters, Matt Verri, Dom Smith and Sam Tabuteau, along with our sport reporters, Oli Gent and Arthur Ferridge, have had a go at predicting what is in store.

MV: With the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in transition, Arsenal are well-placed to kick on and defend their title. Bruno Guimaraes is a superb signing and will elevate Arsenal's midfield to another level. Bringing in another top forward would be ideal but the Gunners got it done last year even with a struggling attack. That does not bode well for the rest of the league.

DS: For too many consecutive years, football writers have incorrectly predicted the defending champions to win the title the following season. So why break tradition? While we haven’t seen many successful title defences in the Premier League in recent seasons, I think Arsenal will drop the fewest careless points across the campaign and it’ll be that which wins them another title.

ST: I think in a season where there is so much uncertainty surrounding so many of the traditional top six, Arsenal have the upper hand. They are the reigning champions, have the most settled squad and have added quality depth in the form of Bruno Guimaraes.

OG: After they bruised their way to a first title in 22 years, it is difficult to bet against Arsenal this year. The Gunners finally showed that they had the gall to upset the apple cart - and the neutrals - and get over the line. The monkey off the back will be a hugely welcome relief, and with the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes and perhaps more to come, Mikel Arteta’s men are the side to beat this term, with all their rivals in periods of transition.

AF: If nothing else in his short managerial career, Enzo Maresca has a penchant for a fast start. He lost only twice before Christmas with Chelsea, and almost made Leicester centurions the season before that. After the obvious blip of the Community Shield, I back him to work out the kinks and send Manchester City back to the summit.

MV: The promoted sides look set to struggle. The stats suggest it was a miracle Hull were promoted and their return to the top-flight will be short-lived. Coventry stormed the Championship but have a squad really lacking in Premier League experience and will struggle. Ipswich, though, have recruited well and Gary O'Neil might just keep them up. I think Sunderland and Fulham will both have tough seasons, and can see the Black Cats ultimately going down.

DS: It’s hard to look beyond Hull, whose promotion was a bit of a miracle in itself, given that they were actually something like the 16th best team in the Championship last season based on underlying numbers. Fellow newbies Ipswich won’t have enough either. And despite Frank Lampard’s heroics, I think Coventry could be the third. All three to come up will go straight back down.

ST: It’s quite hard to see past Hull and Ipswich being the two obvious candidates for relegation. They simply do not have strong enough squads to compete week in week out. I do, however, think Coventry will be fine. Instead I’m worried about Fulham. They have taken a big risk in hiring Arbeloa.

OG: Wolves and West Ham (and nearly Tottenham) showed last season that any team is vulnerable, no matter who you are. Those relegations bucked the trend of newly promoted sides going straight back down, but this season suggests otherwise. Frank Lampard masterminded Coventry’s Championship coronation, but questions will be asked about the quality of their squad. The same will be said about Hull, whose promotion was one of the least expected in the history of the second tier. Ipswich, meanwhile, have lost the crucial cog in their system: Kieran McKenna - and their signings do not inspire hope.

AF: Year by year it gets harder for promoted sides to keep afloat, and, with the mid-range Premier League sides stronger than ever, it will be another challenging year. Gary O'Neil has a mighty task on his hands to keep Ipswich up, as does Sergej Jakirovic at Hull. Frank Lampard may keep Coventry above water, leaving Fulham at serious risk of the drop.

Who will be the first manager sacked?

MV: It figures, then, that I'll go for Regis Le Bris as the first manager to be sent packing. There was speculation his job at Sunderland was under pressure last season, even with the club remarkably competing for European football. With a Europa League campaign to manage, and the club so far opting for a very quiet transfer window, Le Bris will do very well to last the season.

DS: Given I think those three are going down, I expect it to be one of those managers to sack theirs first, and Coventry will feel they have more loyalty to Lampard and Hull more loyalty to Sergej Jakirovic than Ipswich will to their new boss Gary O’Neil.

ST: I just can’t see Ipswich ever getting going this season and I think, in danger of being cut adrift early doors, they will pull the trigger on Gary O’Neil. Ipswich are in a difficult position because they have tried to show ambition before and it did not work for them. Money spent does not necessarily equate to success on the pitch.

OG: Oliver Glasner was not shy about his frustrations at Crystal Palace and now he walks into the fiery Evangelos Marinakis’ circus at Nottingham Forest. That is one to be monitored, but it is Alvaro Arbeloa for me. He did not pull up any trees in his short tenure at Real Madrid, but has harnessed his contacts to lure Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios to west London, while big money has been spent on Shea Charles. If Garcia fails to fire and Arbeloa cannot get his tactical ideas across, Shahid Khan could well pull the trigger.

AF: Alvaro Arbeloa has a huge amount to prove this season. His stint in the first-team at Real Madrid bordered on disastrous, and a summer spent porting his Valdebebas proteges over to west London has done little to inspire confidence. The demands of the Premier League will get the better of him.

Who will win the Golden Boot?

MV: Arsenal do not have an outstanding candidate for this race, while there are too many doubts over Alexander Isak's fitness. Joao Pedro has eight goals to his name in pre-season and should flourish with Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers either side. But Erling Haaland will do what Erling Haaland does, buoyed by a superb World Cup. Regardless of how well Man City do this season, he will score goals and lots of them.

DS: With a distinct lack of genuine contenders besides the obvious, I'm left with no option but to name him: Erling Haaland. The Manchester City striker is coming off the back of a morale-boosting goalscoring run for Norway at the World Cup. If Enzo Maresca can get the best out of him, Haaland could win it at a canter.

ST: Erling Haaland is the standout candidate for Golden Boot and with good reason. The Norwegian was on fire at the World Cup and will carry that form into the new season. I don’t think Enzo Maresca will have any issue getting a tune out of City’s attack with Haaland as his leading man.

OG: Only one man for it. Erling Haaland, for what would be a record-equalling fourth time. His long-term rival Mohamed Salah has finally departed, while Alexander Isak is still finding his feet at Anfield. The Norwegian has taken on additional leadership responsibilities with the vice-captaincy at the Etihad Stadium, and he will continue to lead by example as he claims a fourth golden boot.

AF: As ever, it is tricky to look past Erling Haaland when it comes to goalscoring. The Norwegian has done little else since taking his first steps in football and there is very little to suggest he will stop now. Regardless of whether Maresca can get the side on song, expect Haaland's name to be all over the scoresheets.