English football : English Premier League 2009/2010 season preview

Manchester United claim record-equalling English title

Manchester United clinched a third straight Premier League title in the penultimate round of last season and match Liverpool's mark of 18 league championships. Liverpool finished the 2008/09 campaign in second place, Chelsea third and Arsenal fourth. At the opposite end of the table, West Bromwich Albion were relegated from the top flight after just one season. On a tense final day of the Premier League campaign, Sunderland and Hull City managed to stay up and Fulham claimed the final European berth in seventh place, despite all losing their crucial mactches.

• Champions and FA Cup winners: Manchester United (Champions League)
• Runners-up: Liverpool (Champions League)
• Third place and League Cup winners: Chelsea (Champions League)
• Fourth place: Arsenal ( Champions League play off round)
• Fifth place: Everton (UEFA Europa League)
• Sixth place: Aston Villa (UEFA Europa League)
• Seventh place: Fulham (UEFA Europa League)
• Relegated: Newcastle, Middlesbrough, West Brom
• Promoted: Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley.

After Sunderland's narrow escape, coach Ricky Sbragia confirmed that he was standing down. Meanwhile, one-time Newcastle great Alan Shearer failed to keep the club in the Premier League and Newcastle United were relegated along with Middlesbrough and West Brom. Meanwhile, Burnley have rewarded manager Owen Coyle with a two-year contract extension after guiding them to the Premiership through the play-offs. They will have their first taste of top-flight football since 1976 when they travel to Stoke City on August 15.

This table shows the overall number of titles for each club in English Premiership since 1889 and their league standings in the last five seasons.

Filling the Ronaldo void

Manchester United took a third consecutive Premier League title last season, but were groggy in the closing weeks. Sir Alex Ferguson's side were outclassed by Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final and suffered a further blow during the summer with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. United have accepted a world-record bid of 80 million pounds (€94m) from Real Madrid for Portuguese winger Ronaldo, while Argentinean striker Tevez opted to join Manchester City in order to obtain regular first-team football. However, even without the influence of Ronaldo, Ferguson has one of the strongest squads in the Premier League.

Manchester United might not have filled the gap left by the world's most expensive player with a world-class replacement, but Sir Alex Ferguson has the experience and the respect to carry the club into their next challenge. A lot of the pressure to fill the Ronaldo void will fall on the shoulders of Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney. The Scottish manager will be able to call on 17-year-old forward Federico Macheda, while Michael Owen will also be wearing a Manchester United shirt this season. The injury-plagued England forward was surprisingly signed by Ferguson after his contract with relegated Newcastle United expired at the end of June.

This page is introduction to the 2009/10 English Premier League season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > England page.

Carlo Ancelotti hired as Chelsea manager

Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as the new manager of Chelsea, becoming the club's fifth manager in less than two years. The 49-year-old has agreed a three-year contract worth L6.5m a year, starting July 1. He succeeds Guus Hiddink, who led Chelsea on a caretaker basis last season after the dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari. Ancelotti's eight-year tenure at Milan has ended with the coach terminating his contract a year early by mutual consent. He will become the highest-paid manager in the Premier League, but in global terms his salary is dwarfed by the L10m a year that Jose Mourinho is paid by Inter.

Ancelotti won the European Cup twice as a player with Milan in 1989 and 1990, and the UEFA Champions League twice as coach in 2003 and 2007 and perhaps that is the basic reason why he was hired by Chelsea. The Italian manager began his first day at work for the London club by announcing the signing of Russia midfielder Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow. Ancelotti also said John Terry would remain captain next season, while several key players, including Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and John Obi Mikel, extended thier contracts with the club.

This table shows the English Premier League standings for the 2008/2009 season.

Bruce to Sunderland, Martinez to Wigan

Wigan Athletic have confirmed Roberto Martinez as their new manager. The Spaniard has signed a three-year deal after leaving Swansea City. The 35-year-old is a former Wigan player who has established a reputation as an astute manager after guiding Swansea to the League One title and then within two places of the Championship play-offs in successive seasons. Martinez replaces Steve Bruce who left Wigan to take over at Sunderland. Bruce succeeds interim coach Ricky Sbragia, who stood down at the end of the season after replacing Roy Keane during a campaign in which Sunderland only escaped relegation on the final day. Bruce has signed a three-year contract.

Portsmouth confirm Al-Fahim takeover

Portsmouth have named Paul Hart as manager on a permanent basis following his successful caretaker spell at the end of last season. Hart has signed a new two-year contract at Fratton Park following the appointment of Sulaiman Al-Fahim as the club's new chairman. Portsmouth became the second Premier League club to be owned by investors from the United Arab Emirates after they confirmed a takeover led by Al-Fahim. Owner Alexander Gaydamak had announced last December he was looking for a buyer because he was unable to devote sufficient time to the club.

Can Manchester City break the Big Four?

For years now, the top four positions in the EPL have been assumed to belong to Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal, even before the campaign has begun. However, some football observers warned that Manchester City should also be considered among the favourites to claim this season's Premier League crown. Manchester City have taken their summer spending past the €100m mark after completing the signing of defender Kolo Toure and striker Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal. The Premiership's biggest spenders have an impressive forward line, which also includes Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz, also signed in the close season, plus Robinho, Craig Bellamy and Benjani Mwaruwari.

The preseason odds for the outright winner of the 2009/10 English Premier League

FA Cup finals in last five years

2005   Arsenal - Manchester United   0:0   (5:4 on penalties)
2006   Liverpool - West Ham United   3:3 (3:1 on penalties)
2007   Chelsea - Manchester United   1:0   (after extra time)
2008   Portsmouth - Cardiff City   1:0
2009   Chelsea - Everton   2:1

League Cup finals in last five years

2005   Chelsea - Liverpool   3:2   (after extra time)
2006   Manchester United - Wigan Athletic   4:0
2007   Chelsea - Arsenal   2:1
2008   Tottenham Hotspur - Chelsea   2:1
2009   Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur   0:0   (4-1 on penalties)