Premier League Preview: Tottenham

Last Season: 6th

Pre-Season Prediction: 6th - A better season in store providing that Levy keeps himself as far away from the action as possible.

In a backhanded way, it's pretty impressive how far Tottenham have come that a season with 69 points and European football once again has been looked at as such a disappointment. Albeit, last year was a shambles. Villas-Boas wasn't having a terrible season but was playing some dreadfully dull stuff whilst his successor, Tim Sherwood, had a fairly solid short reign with a more interesting but naive style of play (as well as a terrible dress sense. Gillet anyone?) The Europa League was again an unrewarding distraction and the summer spending binge turned out to be an almost wholly catastrophic failure but all of that aside it was not as bad as it could have been.

Spurs have been careful to ensure they did not replicate the mistakes of last year, keeping their business quiet but intelligent. A player exchange has seen Ben Davies and Michel Vorm join from Swansea with Sigurdsson going in the opposite direction. The only other signing has been the much unknown English centre-back Eric Dier who has been plying his trade abroad at Sporting throughout his career thus-far. Aside from this they have, so far, lost more or less none of their first team squad and will perhaps be seeking to see if they can get a better second season out of any of their signings from last summer.

In that sense, some players from last year may almost feel like a new signing. Erik Lamela and Etienne Capoue in particular spent large portions of last season through injury and will be looking to prove themselves this year. That is not to say some more investment is not needed. Adebayor, Soldado and Kane have all proven themselves unreliable and a potent striker is needed with Bony on the cards. Spurs also seem interested in both Rodriguez and Schneiderlin but a deal is looking increasingly unlikely this transfer window. On paper though, Spurs do not necessarily need any more players as they have decent squad depth. Now they just need to hope Pochettino can get them all fully firing.

So far his record at the helm has been unbeaten after a healthy pre-season coupled with an opening day victory against West Ham which will see the fans feeling fairly happy with the start he has made. Albeit the 1-0 victory against the Hammers was fairly lucky but in some ways, a scrappy victory is a great way to start the season because it can only get better from there. Perhaps the highlight has been the marvelous pre-season form of their most expensive signing, Erik Lamela, and hopefully he can replicate it in the League.

It's a bit of a difficult one predicting Tottenham. Everything is pointing towards an improvement this season but then where do they go because I also don't see them eclipsing the teams above them. A quiet improvement coupled with a period of stability may be the perfect platform for a launch at the top four again next season, because it looks unlikely this year. Reducing the number of goals conceded and pushing ahead of Everton should be the main objectives, especially considering the Toffee's are back in Europe as well. Expect a quiet but positive season on the whole for Spurs.

Key Man: Hugo Lloris - The sole player to have appeared in every minute of the Premier League from the Tottenham squad, Lloris is a world class goalkeeper and provides a huge amount of stability behind a still wayward defense. He is prone to the odd error due to his sweeper-keeper tendencies but is undoubtedly one of the very top goalkeepers in the world, let alone the League. With rumours of him wanting Champions League football, Spurs may have to savour what could be their last season with the French international.

One to Watch: Erik Lamela - It may seem a very predictable choice but that is because there are simply a lot of eyes on the Argentine. Still the most expensive player in Tottenham's history, he has a lot to prove after a series of disappointing performances before spending much of the second half injured with a back injury. However, Lamela will no doubt see his first season in North London as a learning curve and will be hoping it is a case of second time lucky. With a decent pre-season under his belt and having significantly bulked up from when he first arrived expect Lamela to be an eye-catching player for Spurs. Eventually.

Best Signing: Eric Dier - Defense has been a problem at White Hart Lane for a few years now and is still not necessarily one that has been solved in the short term. Yet the signings of the 20-year-old pair Ben Davies and Eric Dier have certainly gone some way towards assuring a long-term stability. Dier looked competent alongside Kaboul against West Ham and will have pleased fans with his last minute winner. Whether he will start every week is another question once the full team is fit again but he has certainly injected a renewed sense of optimism into this back line.

Premier League Preview: Swansea City

Last Season: 12th

Pre-Season Prediction: 10th - Without the added pressure of the Europa League, Swansea are in for an easier season. Will certainly have been pleased to emerge as the dominant Welsh club.

Swansea City made their European debut last year and, although they obviously enjoyed it, suffered as a result in the League. Only once did the Swans win back-to-back matches and, although they were never right in the thick of the relegation battle, they were hovering dangerously close towards the back end of the season and will be keen to ensure that this doesn't happen again. With Laudrup long gone, all eyes will be on club legend Garry Monk this year. Monk was handed a full managerial contract after keeping the side up last season and will be eager to impress as the League's current youngest manager.

Monk's first test has been managing the squad through the transfer window and has suffered with the loss of a number of important squad players. Both Michel Vorm and Ben Davies departed to Spurs whilst Chico and Pablo Hernandez also left to play in Qatar. Michu has also travelled to Napoli on loan after a disappointing season. Monk has acted quickly to replace these departed players, with Fabianski replacing Vorm and Sigurdsson returning for Hernandez. Ashley Williams will return to the starting line-up in place of Ben Davies whilst Marvin Emnes and Bafetimbi Gomis provide an injection of power to the front line. Jefferson Montero is a new addition on the wing and will provide a huge boost of pace.

That said, Monk's side still has a number of gaps yet to fill. Another defensive midfielder to slot into his 4-2-3-1 formation is vital. The Swans also look somewhat light at the back and could use another defender or two to provide plenty of protection for Fabianski. Their main aim before the end of the transfer window though, will be to ensure they keep hold of talisman striker Wilfried Bony. Bony netted 25 in all competitions in his debut season and is on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs. Monk has to ensure he is still there when the window slams shut.

Form has been difficult to come by in pre-season for the Swans, with three victories in seven mirrored by three losses and also a draw. Some solid results against Reading and Plymouth were compounded by losses to Villareal and Bournemouth although Monk will not mind so much after a marvellous opening day victory against Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United. Monk guided his team to a 2-1 victory which will give the team heaps of confidence as they progress in the coming weeks.

Swansea's early victory already proves that they will be more of a force than last year. Without their mid-week travels around Europe they will be fresher and with their summer acquisitions will be more of a danger going forward. Monk is obviously learning all the time and it will be intersting to see how he copes should Swansea go on a bad run, but all the signs seem to be pointing towards a return to their form from a couple of years ago. One thing I would almost guarantee is that we will not see Swansea near the relegation zone.

Key Man: Wilfried Bony - The important of the Ivorian cannot be overstated as he is a clinical goal-scoring machine. Questions are always asked of strikers with big figures arriving from Holland after the failures of the likes of Alfonso Alves and Majeta Kezman but Bony answered them superbly, growing throughout the season to eventually net 16 League goals. In a free-flowing offensive system such as Swansea's, Bony should profit again for a second season, and if he stays then do not be surprised to see him eclipse this mark.

One to Watch: Jefferson Montero - The Ecuadorian is a new arrival at the Liberty Stadium but has already shown has capabilities after coming off of the bench to terrorise Phil Jones against Manchester United on Saturday.  The left-winger has blistering pace and has demonstrated it fully both in pre-season and on Saturday but will need to bring more than that to his game if he is to be a success. Pace is one thing but the Ecuadorian needs to prove he has a good football brain to go with it if he is to really make a name for himself in the Premier League.

Best Signing: Bafetimbi Gomis - The powerful Frenchman may find himself with a pivotal job to play in the south of Wales should his Ivorian strike partner depart but for now will be feeling relaxed as the current back-up striker. With ten goals or more in each of his last eight seasons, Gomis is a potent finisher with a fairly clean injury record and has been eagerly anticipated now by Premier League fans for a number of years after his on-off transfer to Newcastle. If he gets a run in the first team then do not be surprised to see him rustling the back of the opposition net.