EPL Season Preview 2011-12: Manchester City FC

After 35 years of pure pain and agony, the blue half of Manchester had something to celebrate at the end of last campaign. In fact, they had a few significant reasons to celebrate after clinching the FA Cup and also automatic entry into the group stages of the Champions League for this season. With characters like Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez on board, Mancini never had an easy job but after achieving all their aims and aspirations as far as last season was concerned, have they evolved into an empire that should be feared by the rest of Europe’s elite?

A victorious 2010-11 campaign

A Season That Marked Their True Resurgence..

Roberto Mancini’s celebratory style at Wembley after City lifted the FA Cup spoke for the progress that has seen the club rise to prominence within a few years. Of course, it was with the endless financial backing from the mega-rich Arabians but nevertheless, Mancini did play a massive part in their successful run last campaign.

City’s bid to conquer the battle for an automatic Champions League spot for showcased by their signing of David Silva, who then became a central figure in all their success. Yaya Toure is another one that definitely deserves a mention. Frankly speaking, Mancini and co. had a rather consistent season with only a few minor blights. Perhaps, the Tevez crisis and Kolo Toure ban were the only road bumps they encountered on their path. Not forgetting Mario Balotelli odd antics, of course.

There is not much creativity in this City side but what Mancini has at his disposal is a group of solid and hardworking players. Having born fighters like Kompany and Yaya Toure was the element that made the difference for them ultimately. Roberto Mancini might not be a ‘Joga Bonito’ professor but the Italian is certainly a mastermind of tactics- impeccably proved at Eastlands last season.

That extra solidity eventually shone towards the end of the season when both Spurs and Arsenal faltered while City maintained their composure to nick that automatic Champions League spot. For them, it was a successful season and it concluded in style with a historic cup to parade.

Completed Transfers So Far

Stefan Savic: The young defender looks to be an orthodox solid defender and City scored the coup by signing him on a four year deal last month. Ironically, Savic had a 10-day trial with Arsenal last year but a permanent move failed to materialize and he joined Partizan Belgrade instead. Now, City have brought him to Eastlands and only time will tell whether he will be a success or not.

Gael Clichy: While Aleksandar Kolarov was brought in for a huge amount of fee last year, the Serbian failed to impress largely due to injuries and other issues. Kolarov is also a terrific option going forward but defensively, he wasn’t the best option that they had. Therefore, Clichy has been brought in to deal with the issue. The former Arsenal man is indeed a well-established left-back and looks to be a fantastic signing for them. Will definitely add more solidity into the team this season.

Aguero will lead City's charge this season

Sergio Aguero: With the future of Carlos Tevez yet to be decided, City acted quickly by bringing in a talented forward in the form of Sergio Aguero. The Argentine striker is capable of being rampant in attack when on song and he is also flexible enough to feature on either flanks upfront. One thing for sure though, goals and galore can be guaranteed with Aguero in their side. He is definitely a player that can change the momentum of a particular game at any time.

Pre-Season Performances

City were pretty solid in pre-season with convincing wins over Club America and Inter Milan. Their only hiccup came in a nervy 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy but otherwise, it looked encouraging for Roberto Mancini. The Community Shield defeat to United is their first defeat since pre-season started and on a overall note, they scored a total of 13 goals in six matches.

What To Expect From Manchester City This Season

As Roy Keane recently quoted, “City are the real deal now”. After years of playing second fiddle to United, the Citizens are finally growing in stature and can be regarded as potential title challengers for this season. I expect to see more activity in transfers before the window closes, including the departure of Tevez. One thing for sure though, City will be a lot stronger than the last season. With more solidity at the back and a talented forward line, Mancini certainly has bigger targets this season.

The Talisman

Yaya Toure

Tevez would have been my choice but with his future still being hotly debated, I decided to look beyond the Argentine. Next on the list has to be Yaya Toure. You can speak all you want about the creativity of David Silva or perhaps the strength of Vincent Kompany at the back. But I chose Yaya Toure because for me, he was the heartbeat of City’s midfield last season. He was transformed into an attacking midfielder last season and by all means, what a difference he has made for them…! All his explosive breakthroughs in midfield created chances and his aerial stature was a problem for opposing midfielders.

Also do not forget that it was Toure’s goal that brought City the FA Cup after a 35 years trophy drought. And I expect it to continue this season. The Community Shield match was an example of how pale City can be when Toure is off the mood but with time, his form will grow and he will be back to lead their charge once again this season.

Possible Formations

4-2-3-1

This is Mancini’s preferred formation as it uses two defensive midfielders. Barry and De Jong will most likely be doing all the dirty work down in midfield, allowing the likes of Yaya Toure and David Silva to push upfront. Sergio Aguero will also easily fit into this formation as he is capable of playing on the flanks as well. Dzeko or even Balotelli will be mostly used as the target man while Toure could be dangerous with his blazing runs on the ball.

4-1-2-2-1

This formation will allow City to parade their three strikers upfront. Dzeko will be the target man while Aguero and Balotelli will provide support through the side. Balotelli did well in City’s FA Cup final win over Stoke City while playing in this sort of formation and he could definitely employed in that situation again. Aguero as we said is capable of playing on the flanks and Milner adds pure agility into the side. This formation will enable the midfield trio of Toure, De Jong and Milner to switch positions regularly.

Realistic targets

Eastlands is currently brimming with optimism but as the season progresses, there will be a definite idea of how they should be able to portray themselves. Title challenge is currently the talk of folks over there and I don’t see anything bemusing in it. It’s perfectly justifiable considering what they have achieved over the past 12 months. Progress has been made and aspirations has to be increased to another level. It will be interesting to see how they perform in the Champions League but once again, it could be a stepping stone towards another landmark season perhaps?

Check out our other season previews:

Arsenal: Will The Gunners Finally Fire?

Manchester United: All set for a Treble

Tottenham Hotspur: Champions League Football to Return to the Lane?

Valencia CF: Time to Return to Old Glory?

Liverpool FC: Will They Walk Alone?

QPR: Underdogs or a Real Deal?