We at 32 Flags are previewing every team in the English Premier League, two teams a day until the beginning of the season. Get ready as we preview your favorite team or maybe we can help you pick a team to root for if you are undecided so far. Today, we’re covering Manchester City.
Mancester City F.C.
Founded – 1894
Last Year Position – 1st place (Champions League)
Transfers In (As of 8/7) – William Caballero, Fernando, Bacary Sagna
Transfers Out (As of 8/7) – Mohammed Abu, Gareth Barry, Godsway Donyoh (Loan), Alex Henshall (Loan), Emyr Huws (Loan), Eirik Holmen Johansen (Loan), Joleon Lescott, Marcos Lopes (Loan), Alex Nimely, Costel Pantilimon, Ellis Plummer (Loan), Abdul Razak, Jack Rodwell, Reece Wabara
Projected Finish (Voted among 32 Flags staff) – 1st Place
Rivalries – Manchester Derby with Manchester United (Nov 2 and April 11)
Famous Supporters – Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Alan Carr, Aaron Rodgers, among others
I expect Manchester City to win the Premier League this season. The squad that they have is just so incredibly strong. They should have won it more comfortably last season and have reinforced some problem areas, namely defense. Manchester City’s problem has, for some time, been that they don’t have a proper defensive partner for Vincent Kompany and have never fully replaced Nigel de Jong. With the transfer of Fernando and the expected transfer of Eliaquim Mangala, City look to be solving both of these issues. Fernando is an incredibly capable defensive midfielder, who excels at breaking up the opposition’s play and generally making it unpleasant to play against him. Mangala is a very talented central defender and should be the partner for Kompany that many Manchester City fans have been calling out for for some time. These players are being added to a squad that already included Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Jesus Navas, Edin Dzeko, Samir Nasri, Fernandinho. The list goes on. That’s not taking into account that Stevan Jovetic has been on fire this preseason. Oh, did I mention that Frank Lampard is going there on loan for the first half of the season? Because he is. This squad is stacked.
This isn’t to say that they are the perfect team. Their talisman, Sergio Aguero, has been injury prone for the last year and hasn’t fully recovered yet. Their other talisman (this is a team with enough cash to have multiple talismans), Yaya Toure, is still angry about not getting a proper birthday celebration from the team (it’s May 13th). Question marks still hang over the Joe Hart’s goalkeeping ability, as he showed last year he can be prone to a mental slip up. These are all things that could dismantle the great team that has been built at the Etihad Stadium. Barring injuries and mental lapses, however, Manchester City have enough talent to field two of the best starting 11’s in the EPL. They should challenge on all fronts this season and anything less than some silverware will be seen as a major failure by the fans, the owners, and the management. They will certainly face a great challenge from Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, but they simply look the better team at this stage in the summer.
