Last year Chelsea were well behind schedule and Liverpool had an annus horribilis, perhaps normal after two very good seasons. City are vastly superior on all fronts, especially when it comes to Team performance. They are better than the sum of the parts, United are not. Remember all the times we played badly in the first half and let in goals to all teams? There is a reason why this happens, but we have an excellent team capable of winning games when adrenaline takes over and so-called pre-match analysis are thrown out the window.
I find it highly unlikely that both Liverpool and Chelsea struggle like this again, I think Chelsea with their top manager and strong squad will be the closest to City. Liverpool is a strange one, but if van Dijk finds his former level it will naturally bring them up the table with ease. I also think Mane will have a much better season.
As for United, I would put my money on 4th, we just lack the gameplan and cohesion that only a top manager can bring. Why would we suddenly change this just because two new players arrive? As said, we are not better than the sum of all parts, so 3-4th would be expected until a top manager is introduced. We could have 2008 Barcelona playing, but without the structure and gameplan it’s not going to show on the pitch.
I see a lot of people talking about as title winners, but that is exceptionally deluded. We surely have the players and squad, but we do not have the manager for it. Some will attack that notion, but let’s review in about 10 months instead. We also lack power in the middle, you don’t win the CL or Premier League with the obvious gap we have in the middle. This can change of course, the window is still open for business.