2015/2016 Season Preview: Manchester City

Feyi Oyefesobi- @Feymouss

Best Player: Without any doubt, Manchester City’s most important player for the upcoming season is Sergio Aguero. The Argentine has been a revelation for City since arriving four years ago, and has scored over 100 goals in total for the club. Keeping him fit throughout the season will play a big part in Manchester City’s title fight. Hopefully he can continue in the form of last season, where he finally managed to carry the Premier League Golden Boot.
Weak Links: I’m surprised Man City has not sold Clichy over the summer. Both him and Kolarov were lacklustre defensively last season, but Kolarov has more to offer going forward which is why I feel Clichy is the man to go. Clichy (who was dismissed against Barcelona, and exploited at Old Trafford) is being linked with a move to join Mancini again, hopefully City will use this opportunity to strengthen in that area before the window closes.

Some would argue that City’s whole defence as a unit is the weakness, although I disagree. Mangala should improve from his debut season, meanwhile Kompany has been training hard and will return to top form.
Manager: I still feel Manuel Pellegrini is the right man for the job, as do many City fans. He showed what he can do in domestic football, when he won the Barclays Premier League and Carling Cup in his first season at the club. Last season was a disappointment for the club, everybody from the board members to the fans are aware. A lot of this was down to the impact that financial fair play restrictions played on the clubs ability to make signings, especially when competing clubs invested heavily.

Manuel Pellegrini showed his European experience with Malaga in the Champions League, where he should’ve knocked out a very impressive Dortmund side. This is part of the reason he was brought to City, hopefully City can avoid Barcelona at the round of 16 this season to see how Manuel’s side will perform against different opposition.
Expectations: I expect the club to challenge Chelsea and bring the Premier League trophy back home. There is always the possibility of winning the FA or Carling Cup, which will always be a nice addition.

I also expect Man City to progress to the quarter finals of the Championship League for the first time, the fans will be hoping to avoid Barcelona/Madrid/Bayern.

Thoughts on transfer business: The acquisition of Raheem Sterling will prove to be one of the key signings of the season, ideally the club would’ve liked to pay less but the important thing is that the transfer was completed. Sterling has shown how much of a threat he is at top level, with 7 assists and 8 goals in last seasons premier league. Asides that he created the 3rd most chances for his players after Hazard and Silva respectively. Furthermore, he had the the 3rd most successful dribbling completion rate after Hazard and Sanchez respectively.

He’s by far the brightest English talent right now, and Man City couldn’t have gotten a more useful home grown player.

I also feel Fabian Delph is a very good player, who will surprise many.

Himself and Benteke have helped Villa avoid relegation consistently. And I feel it’s time to show what they both can do at big clubs, surrounded by big players. Patrick Roberts is one for the future, I’ve not seen much of him I must admit. But we should all keep a close eye out.

Players likely to break through- Jason Denayer had a great season on loan at Celtic last season, where he helped them hold on to the Scottish title and made 44 appearances scoring 6 goals. I watched the youngster feature twice for Belgium’s senior squad over the summer and was impressed, there was no surprise when he signed a new 5 year deal. He is exactly what Man City needs in the defence department, and can’t wait to see him feature.