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As Manchester United embark upon their quest for an unprecedented four domestic titles in a row, their closest challengers will almost certainly be the side that prevailed over penalties during last Sunday's season-opening Community Shield at Wembley.

Predictably, much has been made by the media of the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and, to a lesser extent, Carlos Tevez, from Old Trafford. Contrary to most expert opinion, I reckon United will actually end up scoring more goals than they did last season. Great player though Ronaldo undoubtedly is - the best in the world, as far as I'm concerned - it was becoming apparent that United's tactics were too predictable towards the end of the season. The Champions' League Final was the perfect example, with Ronaldo, playing as the lone striker, providing the only attacking threat, as Wayne Rooney languished on a wing and Dimitar Berbatov warmed the bench alongside Tevez. I expect Berbatov to have a much better season this time around and Rooney to flourish in his favoured 'No.10' role. The free signing of Michael Owen could turn out to be master-stroke to rival the GBP 1m capture of Eric Cantona all those years ago. Owen's no Cantona but if he stays fit, he'll score plenty of goals from the chances that his new team-mates will undoubtedly create. He looked sharp, if a tad wasteful, in the friendly against Valencia last week that was broadcast by Setanta Sports in Oz.

The main reason I'm backing United for the title, though, is the natural progress that is expected to come from the likes of Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Nani, Anderson, Darron Gibson, Jonny Evans and the Da Silva twins. The current batch of youngsters at The Shrine is the most exciting since Fergie's Fledglings made their mark fourteen seasons ago. Of the other contenders, only Arsenal, full of promising young talent themselves, can be expected to improve as much.

Chelsea's challenge will depend on how they react to Carlo Ancelotti's prompting. The initial signs are good. After being outplayed by United in the first half at Wembley, they reacted very well to some tactical changes after the break and were unlucky not to have won in regulation time. In a one-on-one contest, they'd probably fancy their chances against the champions. The question mark against them is their ability to last the distance, given almost all their top-liners, with the exception of Michael Essien, the best midfielder in the competition, are close to or over the age of 30. Add to that the fact that Essien and Didier Drogba, arguably their two most influential players, will miss a month during the African Nations' Cup in January, and suddenly, the prognosis doesn't look quite as good.

I expect Arsenal to have a much better season despite the loss of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure. If Andrei Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas remain fit, they'll challenge United and Chelsea. Eduardo and Robin van Persie are a pretty good front two and in Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, the Gunners have three highly talented youngsters who could all make a big impression.

Liverpool could face a real battle for fourth spot if Manchester City can get their act together. The Merseysiders over-achieved last season and the loss of Xabi Alonso won't help. Rafael Benitez will be hoping that Javier Mascherano, who has seemed unsettled by rumours of Barcelona coming in for him, is focused come the start of the season, In Fernando Torres, the Reds have the best forward in the league and his partnership with Steven Gerrard will be crucial. All said and done, though, they just don't have the depth to match the top three. If you need any proof of that, just compare their bench with that of the top three.

Manchester City's performances will probably provide the most intriguing aspect of the season. They seem to have signed an awful lot of strikers. Has Mark Hughes got the balance right? We'll know soon enough.

Tottenham, Everton and Villa will keep the contenders honest. Spurs should improve substantially. David Moyes and Martin O'Neill, two of the shrewder managers around, will ensure their sides don't slip too far.

It's much of a muchness after that, with Sunderland being my pick as the most improved team this season. It'll be good to have the likes of Wolves and Birmingham, with their large fan bases, back in the top flight. Burnley last played in the top division back in the mid-seventies, when I'd just started following English football. It's good to see them back too, from a purely nostalgic viewpoint.

Who are in danger of relegation? I can't see Hull City surviving if they maintain their atrocious form from the second half of last season. Beyond them it could be any two from as many as eight. Indeed, the relegation battle should be as engrossing as, if not more than, the fight for the title.

Time for predictions ...
Champions: Manchester United
Runners-up: Chelsea
Champions' League: Arsenal, Manchester City
Relegation: Hull City, Stoke City, Portsmouth

My projected favourite moment of the season: Rooney and Owen, both Evertonians as boys, combining for the former Liverpool striker to score the winner at the Kop End at Anfield.