6 days ago
34
Manchester City are determined to prove that they have not been overtaken in the Premier League and they are still setting some trends
Are Manchester City done? Is there still chapters of this once-great empire to be written that aren't simply decline and fall?
That has been the story for Pep Guardiola and his squad for the last nine months. A spectacular loss of form amid a gruelling injury crisis forced the Blues to ask themselves some tough questions as Liverpool waltzed to the Premier League title.
Despite determined efforts on the pitch and £275m spent since January in transfer windows, those questions are still unanswered. Guardiola's side start the new season as third-favourites for the first time in what feels like forever and that does not feel unfair.
A manager who has won it all in the game must show that he is still at the cutting edge, getting the best out of players who are all either in the same position or in the early years of their careers determined to show that a big move to City can see them fulfil their potential.
How well everyone does will also determine how the departing Txiki Begiristain and newly-arrived Hugo Viana are judged for their recruitment in a year where the club have spent emphatically to try to recover ground on their rivals.
Looking around the Premier League, Guardiola and City can at least be satisfied by the decisions that other clubs are taking.
United have become the latest club to install a leadership group rather than having one captain - a decision that made some scoff when Guardiola first did it at the Etihad but has since been widely copied - and are also the latest club to be buying a No.9.
Sesko has already had comparisons to Erling Haaland and not just because they have both played at RB Leipzig, and continues the recent desire from the bigger clubs to have what are seen as traditional centre-forwards in their team.
It feels like a long time ago since City won two Premier League titles under Guardiola without a striker and Roberto Firmino was trumpeted on Merseyside as the best false nine around.
Darwin Nunez arrived at Anfield when Haaland came to City, and as he prepares to leave after achieving a fraction of what the Norwegian has Liverpool are considering breaking another transfer record to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle. Down in North London, Arsenal have paid £64m in the hope that Viktor Gyokeres will be the No.9 that has been held as the missing piece of their puzzle for years.
All of these deals should make City's rivals more dangerous, but also show that at least in terms of team profile clubs are moving closer to the Blues rather than further away from them. That won't stop Guardiola and his players from being bested, but as long as they are relevant enough for their ideas to be picked up on there can be confidence that the gap back to the top is not insurmountable.
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.
English (US) ·