With Pep coming into his second year in the blue side of Manchester, this Manchester City fan makes bold predictions on what to expect from the City team this season.
1. The signings will not disappoint.
The vultures are already circling and sniggering at the price tags of Pep’s signings and another season of Claudio Bravos and Nolitos just cannot happen as you must have noticed, Pep has no hair left to pull out in agony.
2. Aguero and Jesus to stay fit
Aguero has had a small battle with niggling injuries in the past while Jesus’ blistering start to his Premier League life was cruelly cut short. This season will hopefully be different and they could form quite a solid partnership upfront. If they can stay fit, one or both of them will get 20 goals or more for Manchester City. Gundogan is also another player they will be hoping can stay injury free.
3. A better defensive record
He has gotten his preferred defenders now and with Kompany returning from injury, Manchester City really should be doing a better job of defending. They kept fewer clean sheets than all the other teams in the top 8 except Liverpool who had the same number. All 10 of which were in games they dominated and won by 2 goals or more. Having chopped and changed much of his back line and hopefully that solves it.
4. Midfield Dominance
Synonymous with Pep teams, and I don’t expect anything less this season, teams will struggle to assert their dominance over Pep’s team in the midfield. Not only do they dominate in midfield but they are adept at creating chances. They created the third most chances in the league last season and they are the only club with 2 players in the top 5 for attempted through balls in the league De Bruyne 2nd and David Silva 4th
5. A new gem will be unearthed.
Wherever Pep has gone he has never been afraid to put his faith in youth. From Sergio Busquets and Pedro to Rode and Kimmich. At City it is only a matter of time before another youngster is given the chance to step up. The most obvious choice would be Phil Foden who has apparently caught the manager’s eyes drawing praise for his performances in pre season. Others who could make the step up are Tosin Adarabioyo and Brahim Diaz.
6. We’re winning the league
If the first 5 things on the list fall into place then City will win the league breaking at least one major EPL record. With a carefully assembled team and a World class manager, they should be aiming for nothing less. To quote an Arsenal fan friend of mine, “this is our year” I hope it works better for me than it does for him.
Article By: Ayoola Kelechi, @ayoola_kelechi
