EPL 2017/18: Five reasons why Manchester City will win the EPL this year

As the Premier League season draws near, the hype surrounding it is also at its pinnacle. Almost every top team have strengthened themselves with some wonderful signings and we are in for an absolute peach of a season.

Among them, Manchester City have spent the most and have woven a squad that is perhaps the best in their history. The Citizens have some of the best players in the country on their roster that puts them on the pedestal of potential glory.

With such a good squad, it is almost impossible to not win the Premier League title – and here are five reasons why they will the league this season.

#5 A fit Kompany

Defence, they say, wins you titles – and it is true. One would only have to look as far as the World Cups of this millennium for a testimony to that claim. It stands true in club football as well; especially in the marathon that is the league.

It isn’t a coincidence that Spurs’ best run in the Premier League has come when their defence has been led by some of the finest defenders in England – and it isn’t a coincidence that Manchester City won the league titles in the seasons where Vincent Kompany was relatively free of major injuries.

As Pep Guardiola readies his team for his second season in England, Kompany’s fitness comes as a major boost for the Catalan. The Belgian was injured for most of last season, but is back and, according to himself, feels stronger than ever.

And we all know what a fit Kompany is capable of.

#4 Best full-backs in the league

Danilo has looked good for City in the pre-season

Pep Guardiola has been criticised by many quarters for spending an astronomical amount of money on full-backs. Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo were all bought for a collective sum of around €140 million – but it seems like a good investment.

In modern day football, the full-backs play a major role in the success of a team. Teams with good full-backs often turn out to be the successful teams, just look at the two finalists of last season’s Champions League.

Full-backs these days play the role of three players simultaneously – a defender, a winger and a playmaker. As the wingers of this era are more inside-forwards than the traditional out-and-out flanker, the onus of providing a team with the necessary width falls on the shoulders of the full-backs.

And Manchester City have some of the finest ones in the league – which makes them automatic favourites for success.

#3 Best depth

Manchester City have a frightening lineup heading into the season

Over the course of history, the one thing that we have always learned is that strength in depth goes a long way in determining the outcome of a season for a club. Last season, Real Madrid had the best depth in all of Europe – and they ended up being the champions both at home and in the Champions League.

While Chelsea might not have had the depth that a league-winning team usually have, it has to be noted that Conte didn’t have the Champions League to focus on. As a result, he channelled all his attention towards the Premier League and managed the players accordingly.

Manchester City did have the depth in attack last season, but now they have quality back-ups in almost every position. And given that Guardiola isn’t finished in the transfer market yet, we can totally expect them to sign players that further increase their bench strength, making them Premier League champions in the process.

#2 Added chemistry

The chemistry between these three is fabulous

It is absolutely vital for a team to have a good understanding among the players on the pitch in order to succeed. The trigger-happy approach of Manchester City may sometimes unbalance the team, but the case is the opposite this season.

While it is true that Pep Guardiola has signed three full-backs to completely overhaul that department, the rest of the positions are untouched. Ederson is expected to take over from Claudio Bravo as the first-choice goalkeeper, but apart from that, the starting XI is pretty much the same from last season.

Bernardo Silva has been signed, but he represents more of a future David Silva replacement. As of now, having two new outfield players in the full-backs positions is more of a cheeky tweak that improves the team, rather than a major refurbishment that destabilizes the balance.

And that is going to carry them a long way forward in a gruelling season of the Premier League.

#1 Pep Guardiola factor

Pep Guardiola masterminded Barcelona's most successful period

Now, this is a man who is under pressure to perform. After spending so much money over the last two windows at the Etihad, anything less than a Premier League title would be considered as a failure on his part.

However, this is also a man who engineered the best ever team of Barcelona. Guardiola is a visionary – and that is why he needs the right players to carry out his idea. He had that at Barcelona and look what he did there.

He also had that in Germany, which resulted into Bayern Munich playing some of the finest football in their history. And now he has that at Manchester City – and when he has the players he needs to fulfil his tactical agendas, he dismantles everything that comes between him and glory.

If the pre-season friendlies are any indication, then we are in for a Pep Guardiola special this season with Manchester City playing some of the best football whilst conquering England in the least.