Premier League's burning questions: Take on Sport360

In short, probably not. It’s looks to be a London-themed title race with the Manchester clubs flitting in out of the picture. The issue is that below this leading quartet, nobody looks strong enough to gatecrash the party.

Can Brendan Rodgers’ summer spree pay instant dividends? It’s a big ask. Spurs have shed the forest of dead wood stockpiled by Andre Villas-Boas but they’ve fallen away post-Modric and Bale, especially with the cash generated then inexplicably frittered away by their former boss, now exiled in Russian football.

Everton were two or three wins away from usurping Arsenal in 2013-14 but have been in decline since. Stoke, Swansea or Southampton? All good sides but they’d snatch a Europa League spot from you right now.

Verdict: Expect the status quo to remain. 

Can any of the promoted teams survive?
Based purely on previous experience you’d give Norwich the best chance. They went down two years ago and surely must have learned from that.

Bournemouth, with their choir boy boss Eddie Howe, are set to be everyone’s ‘second team’ this season as they go about upsetting the odds while playing good football. The Cherries have actually made some good signings (Distin, Mings, Gradel) but you fear it will all be too much for them.

Watford could be atrocious. Their dashing Dubai aficionado boss Quique Sanchez Flores might just wish he was back sunning himself on The Palm. They are into double figures for signings, most of them virtual unknowns, and it will be a long, hard season.

The three new boys’ best hope lies in the implosion of an existing club. Step forward Leicester City whose appointment of screwball Claudio Ranieri could prove utterly catastrophic. Newcastle, West Brom and Sunderland are unlikely to be too clever with the latter at the biggest risk.

Verdict: Norwich or Bournemouth, just, staying up with Leicester slipping down.

The sack race
It’s a grim reality of the Premier League that by late November somebody will get the bullet. Given his lavish spending and woeful finish to last term, Brendan Rodgers is the favourite to win this dubious honour.

Across Liverpool’s Stanley Park there could be some early heat on Roberto Martinez given Everton’s almost incomprehensibly tough start. And, with the size of the task facing them, it will also be a rough ride for Quique and Ranieri.

If you want a left-field scenario take Manuel Pellegrini, who we all know is leaving next summer anyway. A bad run and a top-four spot in jeopardy, the Abu Dhabi axe falls and Patrick Vieira sees the season out while they wait for Pep Guardiola. Far fetched? Perhaps, perhaps not. 

Verdict: Claudio Ranieri to take his tinkering elsewhere.

Will we ever discover Louis van Gaal’s philosophy?
Almost 25 years on since the Premier League began the scatter-gun importation of foreign expertise and the English are still in awe of continental coaching.

So when Van Gaal arrived amid pomp and bombast, clutching a bullet-proof CV and emboldened by his World Cup exploits, it was like United had lured some sort of tactics Gandalf whose strategic wizardry was beyond the grasp of primal English footballing minds.

Instead we saw him grope furiously for a winning formula. Incessant changes – some cavalier, some bewildering – in the hope it would all suddenly click, while square pegs were often bludgeoned into round holes. Expensive reinforcements have arrived but United’s squad remains a little imbalanced and their boss still has much to prove.

Verdict: A philosophy? That was just a media soundbite, but United will hope there’s a method to his madness.

Top goalscorer
Sergio Aguero is the favourite with Diego Costa not far behind. Both have issues staying fit so that should keep it close.

Wayne Rooney is set to play as United’s main striker and that could see him return to the sharpness in front of goal that yielded 26 league strikes in 2009-10 and 27 in 2011-12.

Kane, Benteke, Sanchez, Lukaku, Walcott? All long shots.

Verdict: Rooney could edge ahead of the brittle Aguero.