Manchester City can rest easy. They don’t have to change much in order to defend their Premier League crown, they just have to stop Chelsea.
After a scintillating World Cup summer, Mancunian interests will be turned towards the world’s most lucrative league as rivals City and United gear up for what will be a massive season for both, in very different respects.
Manuel Pellegrini’s City go into this campaign basking in the glory of a second league title and steamrolling their way to a third League Cup win in March.
The challenge this year for the Citizens is to retain their title and to avert the same humiliation of Roberto Mancini, as he relinquished the title to rivals United in 2013 after their 2012 title win.
Pellegrini has done all he can this summer to achieve that goal with some shrewd acquisitions, adding greater steel in the defence with Eliaquim Mangala from Porto who is a great physical presence to go alongside skipper Vincent Kompany.
Another import from Portugal is Brazilian Fernando, who will be great cover for Yaya Toure and impressed in defensive midfield for Porto in Europe.
The strength and depth at Eastlands is astounding, especially at full-back where Aleksandar Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta will fight it out with new signing from Arsenal Bacary Sagna. In the central defence there is Martin Demichelis and Matija Nastasic to act as more than capable deputies.
Up front Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo are waiting in the wings if main man Sergio Aguero’s fitness problems re-emerge.
Pellegrini also went back to former club Malaga to bring in Argentinian keeper Willy Caballero, who will provide healthy competition for Hart as they challenge on all fronts this season.
The main advantage for City going forward this season is that there is a well-established spine in the team. With the aforementioned rock that is Kompany at the back, the power of Yaya Toure and the clinical finisher that is Aguero.
Keeping this spine in place and fit, especially Aguero, is key for City’s title hopes.
Aguero will be the main man, despite having many avenues of scoring within the side, and Pellegrini will want the Argentinian to emulate Luis Suarez last season and reach the hallowed 30 goal mark.
But the quality of his side suggests he doesn’t need to do much tinkering.
What Pellegrini does need to do is stop Chelsea and Arsenal, with the title more likely to go down south.
Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho has returned back to his bullish best and has tied up two perfect signings in Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa.
It seems that everything is slotting itself in to place at Stamford Bridge and there will be no excuse over lack of goals, with encouraging performances from Costa in pre-season. The Portuguese boss seems far more confident that he has the team to clinch his third title with the Blues.
Arsenal of course have strengthened with Alexis Sanchez and Mathieu Debuchy along with the prospect of Aaron Ramsey staying fit to play an instrumental role.
Arsenal, however, don’t have the right depth to maintain a challenge all season, something both City and Chelsea have in abundance.
Meanwhile the red side of Manchester find themselves in uncharted water.
After a disastrous season where they finished seventh, the first time since 1990 they failed to qualify for European football, a return to Champions League is the least they can expect this term.
David Moyes seemed to be overwhelmed by the gravity of the task in filling the boots of Sir Alex Ferguson and that lack of confidence filtered down to a talented set of players. He was never the right man for job.
Now with Louis van Gaal, they have a manager who has a reputation that befits the colossal responsibility of the job, the Dutchman having achieved great success with the Netherlands, German giants Bayern Munich and first of all Ajax.
Darren Fletcher and Nicky Butt have alluded to similarities of management style between the Dutchman and the legendary Scot: the Red Devils now have a manager who can command respect from his charges.
Reds fans will have looked very closely at Van Gaal with the Netherlands at the World Cup in Brazil: many will hope that he can bring Robin van Persie back to his clinical best. Then he will need to work out a way of fitting Juan Mata, new skipper Wayne Rooney and Van Persie into his system if he wants to bring success to Old Trafford.
United were on blitzing from during pre-season and encouraging signings like young Luke Shaw and Athletic Bilbao’s Ander Herrera will bolster the squad, but Van Gaal needs some more new faces.
Roy Keane and Paul Scholes have been vocal critics about the fact they need to strengthen their midfield and it is definitely the weakest link of the United set-up.
With misfit Marouane Fellaini and an out-of-sorts Michael Carrick there is a need to bring in a quality midfielder like an Angel Di Maria or an Arturo Vidal if United want to really push on and get back among the leading pack.
United securing a Champions League spot is also dependent on how rivals Liverpool recover from the loss of Luis Suarez. If Daniel Sturridge doesn’t step up to the plate, then United will be best placed to sneak in the top four.
With United’s pride taking a huge battering last season any talk of regaining the league title is over-ambitious.
The rebuilding process under another very capable manager has begun and a third or fourth place finish this term will be the perfect foundation to regain their dominance in Manchester and England.
Main image courtesy of Alex Morton/Action Images, with thanks.
