PL 2018/19: How Manchester City might line up this season

Attackers: Mahrez, Aguero, Sane

Cardiff City v Manchester City - Premier League

Guardiola's options up front are amazing. All of his options would be guaranteed starters anywhere else. At Manchester City though, these players get benched. Gabriel Jesus is no more a prodigy, he is a proven goalscorer now and is the present and future of the Manchester City forward line, but at the moment, he is being outscored by his senior strike partner, Sergio Aguero. The Argentine has been in fine form for Pep and his team and has started the season on a high, scoring 2 against Chelsea in the community shield and further scoring 3 goals in first 5 games for the reigning champions. Many were starting to write off the experienced Argentine last season but he has come right back at them with his feet doing the talking on the field. Aguero will be expected to start all the major clashes in all the four major titles that the Citizens are going to battle for.

Aguero is Manchester City's all-time highest goalscorer

On the wings, the competition gets tougher. Raheem Sterling is a right footed forward who prefers playing on the right, as is preferred by his coach also. He has been in fine form and has also scored 3 goals in 5 league games, equaling the club's main goalscorer's stats in the initial stage of this season. His place in the team may come under attack, as the season varies, by the newly signed Algerian winger, Riyad Maharez. The former Leicester City man has looked good and confident while adapting to the playing style of his new coach. Given his experience and his record along with his signing fees, he is highly likely to make the starting XI in crucial matches ahead of the Englishman.

While Sterling can play on the left as well, that place was certainly owned last season by Leroy Sane. The German just missed the World Cup Squad and was left out by his club coach for the first few matches. To silence his critics and those who doubted him, Sane scored a goal inside 2 minutes of his return to Premier League football. He was a key member of the squad that won the Premier League title last season and will hope to continue being an important member of the team, albeit he has more competition this term regardless of the fact that Bernardo Silva plays on the wing or the central midfield. As the season goes on, Sane will look to solidify his place in the starting XI and attain the form that he was in during large parts of last season.

Aguero has started all but one of the 7 games, the same number of games started by Sterling. Sane has been a part of 2 games this season but will hope to play more as the season goes on, The new signing, Maharez, has started just one game, bringing to notice the competition for a starting place in the squad.