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Premier League Season Preview: Manchester City

Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas, David Silva, Alvaro Negredo, Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko; and Manuel Pellegrini as their manager – is it really any wonder Manchester City won the Premier League last time out?

If anything, City should never lose a match given that they have a squad that could possibly rival those of either Real Madrid or Barcelona. And to add to this worrisome reading (for rival supporters), The Citizens have added Bacary Sagna to their considerable ranks.

Manchester City should once again end the coming season at the league’s summit as they have all the attributes necessary to stake a claim for their third title in four seasons: excellent balance between defense and attack; a healthy blend of youthful talent and title-winning experience; and amazing strength in depth that suggests players coming off the bench are very nearly as good as those coming off the pitch.

Manuel Pellegrini managed to claim a Premier League title at the first time of asking, though he’ll also be the first to admit that the only thing harder than claiming your first crown, is winning a second – more so when aiming to do so on the trot. And in doing so, he’s accomplished a feat not many are capable of – managing a boot room full of the world’s greatest talent and the egos that travel with them. I may stand corrected, but I am of the opinion that Roberto Mancini failed to manage their immense collective talent effectively, and that may have led to his sacking in 2013.

Where Mancini fell short, Pellegrini has excelled to the tune of 102 goals scored over 38 league matches. That equates to just shy of three goals per game, with only Liverpool coming close having scored one goal fewer.

Over 90 of those goals were either scored or created between Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko; and factoring in that Sagna enjoys a frequent foray downfield, we are certain to see more of the same in the coming league campaign.

Please click on the following link to catch the rest of this column, comment and vote: http://ruffgrain.com/2014/07/30/premier-league-season-preview-manchester-city/

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