By Alan Hansen BBC Sport football expert

Mourinho can brush the critics off and carry on with winning the title - and he's absolutely right to do so

Chelsea were my tip for the Premiership last year - and fulfilled all the faith I had in Jose Mourinho's side.

And I have to say I am going to go for Chelsea again this season because they have everything in place for a repeat.

I expect the closest challenge to come from Manchester United, while Arsenal will need to show they can cope with the loss of captain Patrick Vieira.

Liverpool should finish fourth. I cannot see any team doing what Everton did last season and breaking through.

The reason I have such faith in Chelsea is because they have a strength in depth that is phenomenal and which cannot be matched by their rivals.

Chelsea only need to guard against losing their hunger and desire and making sure they avoid complacency.

It won't happen under Mourinho, and the crucial factor for me is that they can replace quality with quality.

If you looked for weaknesses at Chelsea last season, you would say that they did not have a prolific goalscorer.

They were the best team in the country by a mile last season and were fully deserving Premiership champions.

And they will hope to rectify their lack of that prolific goalscorer with the return of Hernan Crespo.

How he adapts to coming back to English football will be very important, while they will be hoping Didier Drogba shows more consistency this season.

Fortunately, they created so many chances and had so many other options that it didn't cost them in the Premiership.

Michael Owen appears to be available at Real Madrid and I would have thought he would have been perfect for Chelsea, but Mourinho has other options.

Ferguson's Man Utd have the class and the pedigree to be Chelsea's closest challengers

He has landed Shaun Wright-Phillips, who is a terrific talent and someone who will give them an English-type approach and is proven quality.

Wright-Phillips gets up and down, and you can imagine him giving anyone problems in the last 20 minutes.

Throw in Damien Duff and Arjen Robben and you have some variety there.

They still have the strength of men like John Terry and Frank Lampard, and that's what makes me feel they are still my favourites again this term.

I feel their biggest challengers this year will be Manchester United.

The big thing again is strength in depth. United have not won the title for two years and there is no way Sir Alex Ferguson wants to miss out again.

It is a hard thing when you have been winning and winning and then you have to rebuild a side again.

And sadly for United, some of the players brought in have not been good enough to bring the title back to Old Trafford in the last two seasons.

They just haven't been of the standard required at the top level. Eric Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson have gone.

Their problem last season was that they were battering teams and just not finishing them off.

They need to add that ruthless streak this season.

Ferguson always wants four strikers, but there is a big difference from their treble-winning season of 1999.

Liverpool's confidence will increase with their Champions League win

They had Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who could all score goals.

Now, you would only say that Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney fall into that vital category.

Alan Smith is not a prolific scorer, while Louis Saha has spent much of his time on the sidelines. This is also why they are being linked with Owen.

But they still have real class and proven pedigree. Rooney is world-class and another year older.

And they have been given a real boost by Rio Ferdinand signing a new contract.

It is not a great situation when you have a player being abused by his own fans, especially fiercely loyal United fans.

I was jeered by Scotland fans on occasion. That's not great - but there is nothing worse than getting stick off your own supporters.

Now that it has been sorted I feel United have the talent to challenge Chelsea.