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Whilst many bookies have hailed the return of Jose Mourinho to Chelsea by propelling them to favourites or joint favourites for the 2013/14 title, the wise money is to still be bet on Manchester City.
Chelsea have made some good signings, and with the possibility of Wayne Rooney joining up with them they would be a formidable force. Eden Hazard was also one of the most exciting players to star in the league last season and I can only see him getting better. Juan Mata, despite fading a little in the second half of the season (though still playing well), was arguably the player of the season from August until December. The midfield and attack are not in doubt, with this side looking unstoppable at times.
However, the defence is not the best I have seen for a while. Despite Mourinho being a master of assembling concrete defences, I have my doubts. He is insisting that David Luiz is still a centre-back and not a defensive playmaker, which is either a grave mistake (as we all have seen previously) or an indication that he feels the Brazilian has not yet reached his true form defensively.
John Terry is still a fine defender, yet his aging process has got to start showing soon and I feel his main use now is at set-pieces, whether defending or attacking. Cesar Azpilicueta is clearly a very talented full-back, but is going to make mistakes due to lack of experience. The Blues have a player who could be a world-beater in 2-3 years, but alongside a questionable Luiz he could be exposed.
Manchester United, amongst other reasons for not looking like a title-winning side, may have to get used to playing under David Moyes. The changeover cannot be underrated and the side will need a season to hit league-winning form. A first FA Cup win in what seems like an age could be on the cards, but no one should be expecting them to retain their title.
Across the city, their rivals will be quietly optimistic. A squad which massively underachieved last year will be hurting from a loss of pride and improved performances should be noted following Mancini’s sacking. A squad brimming with quality from goalkeeper to attack can only have one aim: the title. All other ambitions come after. Manuel Pellegrini knows this, and although he will want to oversee a good European adventure, his squad will be used wisely to make sure that the league trophy is adorned in light-blue come May.
Joe Hart will not be allowed any room for error, with the impressive Pantilimon pushing for a starting place. Add this to a defence which is seeing the likes of Aleksander Kolarov and Micah Richards struggling to get a game and you have a solid platform to build on. On this note, Matija Nastsic will be the one to watch next season, as he began to make a claim for a first-team slot towards the end of last season.
Midfield is again very strong, with Yaya Toure and Javi Garcia being accompanied by new signing Fernandinho. The question mark remains over whether Jack Rodwell and James Milner are still capable of being good enough cover, but they aren’t exactly bad players either. Gareth Barry is yet to leave and possesses quality which could be utilised too.
In attack, there is a plethora of talent, despite Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli being allowed to leave in recent months. New signings Alvaro Negredo, Jesus Navas and Stevan Jovetic cost a cool £60m accumulatively, which indicates they are no slouches when it comes to football. They join the ranks of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and David Silva (amongst others), who have proven that they can score freely in England.
This squad is mostly in need of time to gel. Navas had some issues last season at Sevilla and struggled with away games due to home sickness, which will be a massive obstacle in a new country, however when he did play he was a key player.
Pellegrini is widely renowned in football to be something of a genius. He has extremely good win records when in charge of ‘big’ teams. For example, at Real Madrid he had a great win rate of 75% and at River Plate he hit a very respectable 66%. This is without mentioning how he took a financially struggling Malaga to within a minute of a Champions League semi-final last season.
His strengths lie in that he won’t allow his side to rest with just one tactical idea. He will have a plan B and C to rely on, which makes him so much more dangerous, considering the roster of players at his disposal.
His main weakness will obviously be adapting to the English game as he has managed very similar leagues in his career, though he is intelligent enough to have done his research. It will be a challenge, but not one that I can see him failing.
The worrying thing about Pellgrini (for fans of other clubs at least) is his ambition. Despite spending close to £100m this summer, he has been quoted in newspapers saying “The club has spent money on important players (Negredo and Jovetic), but we must remind you that last year we had Balotelli and Tevez so we had to replace two good players with another two good players.” This may be indicative of one or two future signings before September 1. It should also be worth noting that City have gotten rid of the two most temperamental players in Tevez and Balotelli, so this season could see a much more unified side emerge.
City face Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in the days following European fixtures, which could be away from home in places such as Russia, and should they progress to the knockout stage could play Manchester United (again) and Liverpool following tough European games.
This could really stretch City, meaning Pellegrini will be tested in rotating his players, whilst keeping good results coming in and not sacrificing a European dream.
Regardless of a tricky fixture list, it seems like a path has been paved for the Citizens to win a second Premier League title and the clever money would be saying it is theirs to lose.
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