'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Manchester City were utterly dominant in their Premier League title win last season, setting and breaking a plethora of Premier League records including: most points in a Premier League season (100), most goals scored in a single Premier League season (109), largest goal difference (79), most victories in a Premier League season (32), most away victories in a single season (16), most away points (50), most points ahead of second (19), most consecutive victories (20) and most passes completed in a game (943).
With the new season kicking off on August 11 and the transfer window in full gear, most of the big clubs in England will be looking to usurp City from their throne. New coaches like Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri will be seeking to make an instant impact, while league veterans Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino will attempt to redeem their glory.
The tactical versatility of coaches and quality of players signed in this transfer window means we might witness one of the most competitive league runs in history, but I believe the Cityzens will see out the challenges and retain the title they won so emphatically last season.
Here are three reasons why Manchester City may retain the Premier League title.
#3 Most of their rivals haven't strengthened significantly
The gulf in class between Manchester City and other Premier League teams last season was glaringly obvious for all to see. They finished the season 19 points ahead of Manchester United in second place, while Arsenal (63pts) in sixth were closer to bottom placed West Brom (31pts) than they were to City in first (100pts). So dominant were Man City that the title race was effectively over in February.
They obliterated all and sundry who played against them, outthinking, outrunning, outsmarting and outpassing their opponents into submission, as the Premier League witnessed a brand of football never seen before. Their dominance was not limited to the mid-table and bottom teams, as their immediate big team rivals also bore the brunt of their supremacy.
The manner in which the top clubs surrendered the league title fight meant that they should have made the requisite changes in playing personnel and beefed up areas of weaknesses from last season. However, with less than three weeks to the commencement of the new season, that is not the case as most of the problems of last season still remain and the clubs haven't made a strong attempt to rectify them.
Manchester United have made two significant signings in Fred and Diego Dalot, and though they are both impressive and can strengthen the team, there are still problems from last season yet to be redressed.
Mourinho has shown to have a distinct distrust in Luke Shaw at left back, and though the converted Ashley Young has impressed, at 33 years, he has lost the pace required of a modern full back, and his World Cup performance shows that he doesn't have the requisite stamina to last the course of a full campaign. Also, with Bailly's fitness concerns and the unreliability of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, the Red Devils still have problems to deal with in the center of defense and no signing as of yet has been made to address that.
Chelsea are entering a new phase following Sarri's appointment and have added former Napoli Italian international Jorginho to their ranks, but the Blues have a lot of uncertainty concerning the future of key players including Kante, Willian, Courtouis and Eden Hazard who have all been linked with a transfer away from the club.
Only Liverpool have adequately upgraded their squad, strengthening areas of weaknesses while City have been understandably relatively quiet in the market, only bringing in Algerian international Riyad Mahrez for a club record fee.
#2 They have the largest squad depth in the Premier League
One of the most crucial criterion in becoming league champions is having a strong squad depth. The Premier League takes place over nine months, from August through May, including a grueling and congested Christmas period where clubs play as much as three matches in the space of six days.
As the league matchdays begin to pile up in addition to Cup games and European ties, fatigue is bound to set in for players, as the debilitating fixture schedule begins to take its toll on the body.
Rotations would have to be made to preserve key players' freshness towards the business end of the season. This is where squad depth comes in, as the quality of the bench would be a determinant factor in whether the club achieves its objective of winning the league or not. A strong bench is also needed as a Plan B for when things go south during a match, it can give the coach viable alternatives to shake things up and change the course of a game.
No Premier League club has the quality of Manchester City's starting eleven, the difference in class is even more obvious when we look at their bench compared to other teams. Manchester City have an abundance of talent in their starting lineup, with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Kyle Walker, Ben Mendy, David Silva being among the world's best in their positions.
Guardiola also has the luxury of turning to exceptional players like Bernardo Silva, Sergio Aguero, Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez on the bench to rotate his first team players or change the tempo and direction of a game.
Liverpool have significantly strengthened their first team, buying players to solve areas of weaknesses, but their bench is nowhere close to that of Man City. The same can be said about Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham and when it gets to the nitty gritty period of the Premier League, it could be what sets the Cityzens apart from the rest of the chasing pack.
#1 Stability and consistency from last season
Two of the big six clubs in the EPL have new coaches coming in, so the players of Chelsea and Arsenal will need sometime to adapt to the new tactics, ideas and 'philosophies' of the new manager. New first team signings at Manchester United and Liverpool might also need sometime to gel with their new teammates and adjust to the club's surroundings.
At Manchester City, however, the situation is different. Majority of the first team players have been together with Pep for the last two seasons and have gotten used to his methods, training patterns and tactics. They have also bonded with their teammates, as two years of constant training and playing together means they are innately familiar with the playing styles and techniques of their colleagues.
Relatively few additions to their team means that the adjustment issues associated with new players won't be too much of a problem for Manchester City and could see them retain the league title they won so emphatically last season.
