3. Manchester City FC
Pep Guardiola’s arrival has definitely increased Manchester City’s pulling power as players like John Stones have been increasingly rumoured to look to the Etihad Stadium as an option, but rumours aside, the squad he inherited from Manuel Pellegrini is already very well-stocked.
Injuries to key players played a role in a disappointing campaign last season, but the team was still able to win the League Cup. The new manager will be expected to bring the best out of the expensively-assembled team he has inherited, but he has already added to the team he had before. Gundogan will almost surely come in to replace Fernandinho or Fernando whilst Nolito will be vying for a spot with the young Raheem Sterling.
With the defence proving especially vulnerable to captain Vincent Kompany’s absence, it will be very important for them to add another strong player at the back. Tiki-taka’s success will be tested thoroughly in the all-action Premier League and any weakness at the back is hopefully going to be absorbed by the sheer amount of possession they have.
Guardiola’s preference for a system with few strikers will most probably enshrine the mercurial Aguero in his place, so the other attackers will most likely serve as backup. That just adds to their flexibility and impact off the bench, making this City squad quite fearsome.
