One team always stands out above the rest. Last year it was Manchester United. Which one of the Premier League's finest - United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool - will top the table come May? Here's my assessment:

Liverpool: You have to say that Rafa Benitez's revolution at Liverpool has far succeeded expectations. I never believed that they would reach two Champions League Finals and win one of those. And on the evidence of the season so far I would not write them off for another crack at it.

Squad - Liverpool have by far the better squad in terms of numbers. They have at least two players per position at their disposal and all of those well capable of doing a good job. Bench players like of Yossi Benayoun and Peter Crouch would walk into most Premiership teams. Due to Rafa's questionable rotation policy, they can play every player almost 100 per-cent fit week-in week-out. That didn’t work to great effect last season as Rafa did not understand that every player (for example Steven Gerrard) should not be included.

'Liverpool have by far the better squad in terms of numbers. They have at least two players per position at their disposal'


Ability - You may be surprised but I don’t believe Liverpool's players are as gifted as Arsenal's or Manchester United's. There are obvious exceptions to the rule which are Ryan Babel, Fernando Torres, Gerrard, Xavi  Alonso and Jermaine Pennant. However most of the other players are great workers and fit well into the Liverpool system. I just wouldn’t class them as top-quality players. Take nothing away from the results they have so far. They may just become unstuck against the higher quality opposition.

Guts - Led by ferocious captain Gerrard and the fiery athlete that is Momo Sissoko, Liverpool definitely have guts and attitude in abundance. I firmly believe that when those winter nights come around Liverpool will show their mettle and carry on to lift the title.

Arsenal: The genius Arsene Wenger has produced another fabulous squad.

Squad - Not the best, possibly the worst of the four. But there are a lot of young players who, if they can stay fit, could play more than their fair share of games. There is also a lot of versatility in this squad making up for the absence of numbers, for example Alexandre Hleb, who is able to play in a variety of roles.

Ability - Best of the four, with ease. You could argue Manchester United but I will talk about them later. The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy and Tomas Rosicky enthrall the Emirates crowd and even the most biased Spurs fan would take off his or her white-tinted glasses and admit that Arsenal are the most exciting team to watch in the Premier League.

Guts - Often, in the past, Arsenal's downfall. That’s now in the past. Not apparent once this season (even against the Blackburn bullies). Not the most physically strong but they have aggression in abundance.

Chelsea: Who would think that Jose Mourinho would use one of those plastic leaf brushes to comb his hair?

Squad - Very strong in some areas, weak in others. There is an abundance of central midfielders (Michael Ballack cannot get into the team). With Michael Essien and Frank Lampard they will always have a strong spine to work with. On the other hand are there enough wingers in Florent Malouda, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole to mount a title challenge? Only injuries to key players can hold them back.

Ability - Technical ability is lacking, but it's their ruthless efficiency that gets the job done and their most gifted player, Joe Cole, doesn’t even get a chance in the team.

Guts - Michael Essien, John Terry, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard - enough said.

Manchester United: Who would have thought that Sir Alex Ferguson's title-winning team would slum to average Joe performances? They need to up their game and soon.

Squad - Pretty good. An abundance of attacking talent, good defenders and midfileders. If the season was won on paper and based around a squad, United would win the title.

Ability - Second only to Arsenal's young guns. Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are genuine world-class players capable of winning matches. Nani and Anderson have shown glimpses of quality along with most of the United players. It just isn’t working at the moment. The longer they go without picking up, the harder it will be to catch up.

Guts - They seem to have lost that which made them champions last season, the steel (which Owen Hargreaves was supposed to bring) that made them so hard to beat. I also feel that the way teams set up against United has also limited their ability to show fighting spirit as they have to break teams down with approach play rather than counter-attacking pace. The jury is out.

So it's Liverpool to win the title, purely based around the squad. They will be able to put out a competitive first 11 with many injuries and suspensions, something that Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea cannot. Arsenal will come second, United third and Chelsea fourth.