Manchester City | Season 2016/17 preview.

Guardiola will try to win everything!

The Citizens are the biggest favourites for winning the Premier League title, according to the bookmakers. However, it will surely be very difficult for their new manager Pep Guardiola in the most competitive league in the world, but he is very motivated to prove his skills and knowledge as a coach. Furthermore, Manchester City have a very large squad and lots of talented players, who can win every single match.

The Transfers:

To begin with, the most important transfer for Manchester City is signing the world class manager Josep Guardiola. The Spaniard has won everything at club level in football. Now, he is expected to bring European glory in Manchester City.

The manager started to build his squad and he has already bought the midfielder Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund, the winger Nolito from Celta Vigo and the young talent Oleksandr Zinchenko from the Russian team Ufa.

The German international midfielder costed £21 m. to The Citizens, but he is expected to be one of the key players for the next season. In addition, Nolito proved he is a world class forward, scoring 12 goals in the Primera Division last season and bagging a goal at the Euro 2016 for Spain. Manchester City paid £13.8 m. for the Spaniard. The third new signing, Zinchenko is only 19 years old, but he is a very talented Ukrainian player. The midfielder was even a part from the Ukrainian national team at the Euro 2016 and took part in the 3 games of his team.

Martin Demichelis was the biggest name to leave the club. The Argentinian defender was released and now he is a free agent. Demichelis took part in 20 league matches and 4 Champions League games last season.

Key Players:

Joe Hart will surely be in goal again for Manchester City. The English international goalkeeper had a good campaign, helping his club reach the semi-finals of The Champions League. The starting line-up will also include the captain Vincent Kompany (unless he is injured) and the new arrival Gundogan.

Guardiola will also probably rely on the Spaniards in City’s squad – David Silva, Jesus Navas and Nolito. Of course, the crucial part of the team will be Kevin De Bruyne, who was an essential part of the team during the last season. Moreover, the manager has the world class forward Sergio Aguero, who will be the first choice in attack.

Probable Starting XI:

• 4-2-3-1: Joe Hart; Bacary Sagna, Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi (Eliaquim Mangala), Kolarov (Zabaleta); Ilkay Gundogan (Fabian Delph), Fernandinho (Fernando); Kevin De Bruyne (Samir Nasri), David Silva (Yaya Toure), Nolito (Jesus Navas); Sergio Aguero.

The History:

Manchester City won The Premier League title twice during the last five years. The last time they did it was 2 years ago. The Citizens also became the runners-up on two occasions. So, one of Guardiola’s missions at The Etihad Stadium will be to bring the title back to Manchester.

But, the biggest dream of Manchester City’s fans is winning the Champions League. The Citizens had never been so close as in the last season, when they lost 0-1 on aggregate to Real Madrid in the semi-finals. Furthermore, Guardiola has won the Champions League on 3 occasions (1 as a player and 2 as a manager of Barcelona).

The Expectations:

The fans of Manchester City are “hungry” for trophies. They will be satisfied when the team wins everything possible! So, the expectations are that Guardiola’s players will give their best in all competitions they will take part in.

As regards to the playing style, the experts think Guardiola will try to inculcate his style in Manchester City. You all remember how the manager surprised Real Madrid, beating them 6-2, putting Lionel Messi as a false 9. We would also see his 6-second rule – in which the players have to regain possession within 6 seconds after they lose the ball. However, Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino are trying something very similar, but it’s not exactly the same.

I am so happy, we did many things we spoke about well and at the right moment, but we have to grow and get better. We have many young players in the team and you’ve seen them here. I’m satisfied with what they’ve shown me. You have to make mistakes to get better!Josep Guardiola