Premier League preview: Manchester City

If you watched yesterday’s Community Shield game, you were witness to (pardon the cliché) a performance of true champions from Manchester City, who came back from a goal down, to two up. And in reality, the final score of 3-2 flattered the Champions League winners Chelsea. From start to finish, it was City who looked the better and more polished team, despite Chelsea having the advantage of being able to field marquee signing Eden Hazard. True, they did begin the second half with ten men, but Branislav Ivanovic was rightfully sent off after a studs-up challenge on Aleksandar Kolarov. The bottom line, though, is that City, despite Mancini’s whining, have a side credible enough to defend the Premier League title this season.

It was revealed minutes before kick-off that City had agreed a fee with Everton for midfielder Jack Rodwell, and that would have come as a boost to many in the camp, as they were the only top flight side till then to have not bought a player. Whether or not they need the 21 year-old England international is immaterial, given that it makes clear that Sheikh Mansour is still willing to spend money on the club. It will certainly have pacified Mancini, who till then was fuming at the club’s inability to close off deals for players, whereas his competitors United, Chelsea and most notably Arsenal, have added significantly to their ranks.

But on the basis of last night’s game, City look sharp, fit and seem to be raring to go. Investment is definitely needed to provide backup to the centre-half pairing of Lescott and Kompany. Without Kompany, City seem to lose whatever stability they possess, and it would be safe to say that without their Captain Fantastic, the Premier League would have been elusive. Daniel Agger has been touted as a potential backup, and Brian Marwood would do well to wrap up a deal for the Danish defender, who seemed in prime form for Liverpool last season, and would add a different characteristic alongside Kompany – as a marauding centre-back with a lethal left foot. The sight of a frustrated Kolo Toure throwing his Community Shield winner’s medal into the crowd will have irked the manager no small amount, and will definitely make him speed up his search for a new defender. Stefan Savic’s display will not have reassured much either.

Aleksandar Kolarov has been influential for City in the pre-season

The pre-season form of players like Aleksandar Kolarov, Nigel de Jong and Carlos Tevez will have provided all at City with a sigh of relief. All three were instrumental against Chelsea, and Kolarov in particular has flourished in a wing-back role, despite having been repeatedly linked with a move to back to Italy. And Mancini has now said that he is “very happy with Carlos (Tevez) this year”. That could only mean good news for City, and bad news for opposing defenders, as David Luiz and John Terry found out when he did this.

City would most definitely want to end up with an enhanced European reputation, preferably through the Champions League, in which they were unceremoniously dumped last season, even if it was their debut that time round. The Europa League did not provide a better experience either, as Sporting Lisbon were quick to dispatch them, despite having a far weaker side. With the experience of a first Premier League title behind them, they must now learn to straddle two competitions simultaneously. While a Champions League trophy itself might be far away, a semi-finals spot is a distinct possibility, and would truly cement their status as one of the best teams in Europe.

But it’s equally important for City to rid their ranks of dead-wood like Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, who are almost parasitic in in their current positions. City would do well to rid themselves of the two, even for a highly subsidised price.

The mind games have begun, and so has the “team to beat” merry go-round, with Mancini proclaiming United to be favourites, Roberto Di Matteo and Sir Alex Ferguson going the opposite direction and labelling City firm favourites. But deep inside, Roberto Mancini knows very well that his side have a very strong chance of becoming back-to-back league champions.