How the Top 6 are shaping up heading into the new Premier League season

Manchester City

The lines between genius and of worry

Having landed their most prized asset till date, Manchester City and current manager Pep Guardiola found out just how hard the Premier League jigsaw puzzle is to complete. Despite finding the winning formula under former managers Mancini and Pellegrini, City have been made to rehaul their squad under Guardiola.

The multi Champions League winning manager has been tasked with elevating City to the highest echelons of European football and has dug deep into City's coffers to ensure his side hit the ground running in the new season.

Pep garnered six wins out of six at the start of last season before his side began faltering in the race for the title. Having shown glimpses of Pep's style of play, City held on to third place which would have got 'Pep fired' if it were Barcelona or Munich, according to City manager's own admission.

But Pep hasn't wasted much time in the summer. He has cleared the old folk in the form of Pablo Zabaleta, Aleksandar Kolarov, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and recruited new soldiers in Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Danilo and Ederson.

Having dramatically reduced the average age, Pep has shown an eye for the future but his disposal of Joe Hart and Kalechi Iheanacho has left a lot of questions unanswered when it comes to the usage of City's 'world class academy'.

Under Pep, City will look to thrive in possession and their new recruitments are steps in that very direction. With oodles of technical ability on the pitch, City have enough firepower to ensure they are in the thick of goals but their defence is still questionable.

A lot of Pep's success may hinge on how long his captain Vincent Kompany can stay fit but there's no doubting that Pep is desperately seeking the right formula on England's hallowed football grounds.