Manchester City: Pep’s Men Set for Title Push
It would be fair to state that Pep Guardiola’s first season in England didn’t exactly go to plan. After an incredible start to the campaign, City struggled to inspire confidence on home soil – drawing seven of their 19 Premier League fixtures at the Etihad Stadium. In recent years, the Blues have been solid at home and sloppy away but that all changed this season and City could prosper if Pep can eradicate their Etihad struggles.
Defensively, City were a bit of a shambles last season but Guardiola has acted quickly in the summer transfer window to sort a few issues. Benfica goalkeeper Ederson Moraes will put pressure on Claudio Bravo and that can only be a positive for the Blues. The Chilean came under scrutiny for his poor performances last season and Ederson, who helped Benfica win the league and cup double by keeping 22 clean sheets, might surpass him as City’s main shot stopper.
Ederson is now the most expensive goalkeeper of all time 👀 💰 pic.twitter.com/trwAASKr1i
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 8, 2017
According to various reports, Tottenham Hotspur and England star Kyle Walker will be the next arrival at the Etihad Stadium this summer. City aren’t messing about in the transfer window; Guardiola has acted quickly and effectively to bolster the Blues squad ahead of what could be a memorable year. Journalists are predicting a mammoth summer and City could smash their club record with a £130 million spending spree.
With City, it all comes down to consistency. Guardiola’s men cannot allow complacency to affect preparation ahead of home fixtures against smaller Premier League clubs – there are no easy games in England’s top flight. If City can turn some of those draws into wins, they will take some stopping. On paper, Pep’s side and arch rivals Manchester United are a class above and both could be involved in a straight up dogfight for the title.
Despite their sub-par performances in certain fixtures last season, City fans will be confident of success in the upcoming campaign. As of June 15th, Pep’s men are valued at 3/1 to finish as champions in the football betting markets and plenty of punters will fancy the Blues to get their hands on the crown. It won’t be easy but City have the talent, the style and the experience to go all the way.
With Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva pulling the strings behind Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, City have one of the best attacking units on the planet. City notched 80 goals in 38 Premier League games last year, the third-highest total in the top flight. This time around, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Guardiola’s men top that category – especially if they continue to strengthen throughout the summer.
Winning the Premier League title is an extraordinary feat and if Guardiola thought it was going to be easy, he was very much mistaken. Now that he has a year’s worth of experience in England’s top flight under his belt, City should prosper and the Blues could run riot. It’s an exciting time to be a City fan and success will come in the next few years.