Premier League Team Preview - Manchester City
The new season of the Premier League is approaching fast. All the teams are gearing up for the new season with new aims and hopes. Let’s take a look at high spending Manchester City (as it prepares for the 2010-2011 season of the EPL): The team has splashed approximately 75 million pounds this year, in buying four new players for the club. The team, since its takeover by an Abu Dhabi group (owner: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan) in 2008, has been labelled as the World’s Richest Club and has spent huge amounts of money over the past 2 years.
Last season, Manchester City made an impressive start to the season, winning most of their opening fixtures. However, it all went downhill after a 4-3 defeat to Manchester United away to Old Trafford. City then registered 7 back-to-back draws and many expected that it would be another failed season at Eastlands. Mark Hughes was sacked in 2009 and former Serie A hat-trick winning coach, Inter Milan’s Roberto Mancini took over. Things changed drastically under the Italian and City’s performance improved. Mancini drove the squad to almost securing a Champions League spot, but lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the dying moments of the league and therefore finished 5th.
Incoming player include Defenders Aleksandar Kolarov (from Lazio), Jerome Boateng (from Hamburg), midfielders Yaya Toure (from Barcelona) and David Silva (from Valencia). Youngster Alex Henshall also joined the club from Swindon Town. Manchester City had to release a lot of players owing to the new Premier League (home-grown players) rules. A total of 13 players need to find employment elsewhere, and City have since released Paul Marshall (to Walsall), Martin Petrov (to Bolton Wanderers), Valeri Bojinov (to Parma), David Ball (to Swindon Town) and Gunnar Nielsen (to Tranmere Rovers).
So, what can be expected from the high spending Manchester City? What would be the main questions that can be asked from City going into the new season?
Did City buy too much?
With Jerome Boateng, Yaya Toure and David Silva joining an already crowded City squad, one must be wondering that perhaps City have bought too many players. City have bought at least 7 players which are going to feature in the starting line-up, which means it’s game over for all the home-grown players and City loyals. Martin Petrov is perfect example of this, who left City and joined Bolton Wanderers this season. One has to wonder what would be the future of the home-grown City players and with the current reputation of City, the transfers are expected to keep on flowing.
Will manager Roberto Mancini still be manager next year?
Previous manager Mark Hughes was sacked before Christmas owing to a string of bad results, making him the second manager to be replaced in a matter of six months. Roberto Mancini, however, did his job well and took the side to finishing fifth. This led the club to be happy with the manager’s performance and his stay at Eastlands was extended. But the question remains, what if Mancini fails? Will he again be pondering over job security? A lot is expected from City this season, owing to the amount of depth and class in the squad, and Mancini would be looking to minimize the mistakes and atleast make it into the top four, if not securing silverware this season.
3. Will so many stars easily stick together to form a good team spirit?
Last season, the City squad found it hard to find the synergy and unification needed to be called a team rather than a group of individuals. A number of issues surfaced over the season in the dressing room, which led to disputes and in turn hampered the team’s performance. Will Mancini solve the issues and present a complete team (in every sense of the word) in front of the fans? Or will it just be another individualistic attitude at Eastlands this season? The more the stardom in a club, the more the attitude and ego clashes there are. Mancini would need to be the shepherd and resolve all matters in time for the new season.
Whatever may well be the case, Manchester City are the third favourites for lifting the coveted trophy this season. Mancini would need to bring his A-game and tactics to the club and replicate the managing skills he did which led to Inter Milan winning the Serie A three times in a row. Manchester City has the squad to lift any trophy they set their rich eyes on and can accomplish anything they want to with the quality managing skills of Roberto Mancini. It’s just a matter of getting the squad physically fit and more importantly, mentally focused on the job at hand.
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