In the post-mortem following Chelsea's surrender of the title, most of the blame was put down to a host of external factors beyond Jose Mourinho's control . . . an injury list from the trenches and Roman Abramovich's odd reasoning to pick a corrosive row. However, perhaps even more costly was Mourinho's own decision to change a winning formula. In order to accommodate Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko, he switched from his cultivated 4-3-3 to a forced 4-4-2 midfield diamond. Robbing Chelsea of their rhythm and attacking thrust, its damage could be seen in the number of narrow wins and home draws. In a rare admission of personal failure . . . without attributing to blame to himself of course . . . Mourinho conceded as much on the club's recent trip to LA.

"I want better results and to be more entertaining. I hope not to play with the diamond unless I need to do it for some reason. Basically we want to play with wingers. We will work our 4-3-3 with wingers, of course, and we will change with a diamond to a 4-4-2 with wingers."

No doubting the theme of that soundbite . . .Chelsea will have their width back. In doing so, Mourinho will also return the side's most devastating . . . and attractive . . . weapon. It's no coincidence the best football of his reign came on the rare occasions when he had both Arjen Robben and Damien Duff fit . . .

notably that roaring 4-2 win over Barcelona in February 2005. Though the manager may finally have lost patience with Robben, the switch provides definite places for the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips and new signing Florent Malouda as well as the appearance of much more depth to the squad. Whatever happens, it's unlikely Manchester United's goal difference will be so important this year.

CAN LIVERPOOL FINALLY PUT UP A CONCRETE TITLE CHALLENGE?

For all the recent posturing by Steven Gerrard and Rick Parry that Liverpool's long wait for the title could finally end, Rafael Benitez's side must first prove they are capable of staging a lasting fight for it, let alone actually win one.

Because, in the 17 years since the club won their 18th title, Liverpool have only been involved in one. That clearly wasn't under Benitez and it wasn't even under Gerard Houllier.

It was back in 1997, when Roy Evans's team infamously finished fourth in a two-horse race. For, every time Liverpool have even hinted they might be capable of a run, they have either fallen away by November or collapsed after March.

And it's a trend that . . . so far . . . has shown no signs of ending under Benitez. Ironically, the very problem now could be Benitez's perceived solution. At Valencia, one of his principal managerial dogmas was that, through squad rotation, his team would be at peak fitness and form by the vital last two months of the season. And the statistics vindicated him, resulting in two titles. Crucially however, they already had a reasonable base of results from the start of the season.

With Liverpool, that so far hasn't happened. Benitez's frequently high summer turnover of players has left his sides lacking in cohesion in the early months, particularly in attack. While this summer the transfer activity has been even higher, the quality of intake has been too. For Benitez's sake it's crucial they quickly show their adaptability. If they can stay in touch by November then, despite the inconvenient timing, they will be more than halfway there. Then, however, they'll face an even more challenging question . . . whether they can close the deal.

WHO WILL BE THE MOST UPWARDLY MOBILE OF THE NEW MIDDLE CLASS?

Among the various mini-leagues within the Premier League, the only one that frequently promises excitement until the final day is the battle for sixth . . . and this season promises to be tighter than ever. The huge amount of television money and foreign investment has created a burgeoning bourgeoisie in the division, with as many as 10 clubs realistically hoping to claim supremacy. And the majority, of course, have spent heavily to do so, most notably with the reconstruction work going on at Newcastle and Manchester City.

However, as Tottenham have shown in escaping the mid-table maelstrom, the key to doing so is stability. The most likely proponents of those qualities are, ironically, the teams that have been most frugal . . . Blackburn Rovers and Everton. Cautiously building squads over the course of two or three seasons, both Mark Hughes and David Moyes have fashioned resolute sides who are incredibly tough to beat. With Sam Allardyce and Sven Goran Eriksson still trying to find a mould for their sides, and the likes of Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth so erratic, they could yet be craving consistency rather than cash.

WILL ROY KEANE'S STRUGGLES IN THE TRANSFER MARKET HARM SUNDERLAND'S SEASON?

One of Keane's mantras has always been that a good manager takes control of every minor detail. Unfortunately for him, the most important regarding his team this summer has been one completely beyond his control . . . their location. A cold north-eastern city still recovering from Thatcherism's aftermath isn't high on your average Scarface -emulating footballer's list of preferred destinations. As such, Keane has had to downgrade his targets, while over the Wear there's been a downsizing of expectation . . . as well as the creeping fear of a swift return to the Championship.

For all the worry, a month before Sunderland were promoted and Keane even entertained the thought of purchases like Leighton Baines, he admitted that, having watched most of the sides in the Premier League, he frequently thought "we'd take them". And though most have now augmented their squads with the name players Sunderland supporters crave, it's not always a tactic that works. Despite his travails, Keane has retained a distinct policy with his signings . . .young, quick and hungry players such as Paul McShane. And he has already displayed a Martin O'Neill-style knack for galvanising and raising their game. One thing is for certain, even if Keane's side do find themselves struggling, they'll be better prepared for the fight than most.