Premier League 
/ Michael Lintorn / 02 August 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Sergio Aguero has joined from Atletico Madrid for an estimated £38 million
"Roberto Mancini is still attacked for his approach against other top teams and perceived negativity, but most of the critics who foresaw a short spell in charge for the Italian have had to backtrack."
Having shown late on last season that their depiction as Tevez FC does a disservice to many in the squad, Michael Lintorn feels that a title push is a realistic target even if he leaves...
Last season
After lasting until March in the Europa League, their failure to reach the closing stages was mildly disappointing. That though is pretty much the only fault of a fantastic campaign in which they not only achieved Champions League qualification but did so by finishing third. More importantly, an FA Cup triumph, made even sweeter by beating Manchester United on the way, ended their 35-year trophy drought.
Ins and outs
This has been Manchester City's least hectic summer since their 2008 takeover, a sign that they already have a top-quality squad. Argentine forward Sergio Aguero has been the big buy for around £38 million, joined by Arsenal left back Gael Clichy and Montenegrin defender Stefan Sevic. Patrick Vieira retired and Shay Given, Jerome Boateng and Jo have all gone, with it unclear whether Carlos Tevez [[1.44] to leave] will follow.
The manager
Roberto Mancini is still attacked for his approach against other top teams and perceived negativity, but most of the critics who foresaw a short spell in charge for the Italian have had to backtrack. Helping Mancio's cause has been a willingness to talk to the press as often as even Harry Redknapp of late, his appearances becoming increasingly entertaining viewing as his grasp of English improves.
Expectations
Another blow to the image of Mancini as Mr Cautious is his confident claim that the Blues will fight for the title. Even with doubts over Tevez's future, and this writer is in the minority who think that they should let last season's joint Premier League top scorer go, they have been backed in from [7.0] to [4.9] to finish first. Their Champions League ambition is harder to judge, with a last-16 appearance a good starting point.
Best Bet
Manchester City to be best of the rest @ [2.26] - Odds greater than evens on them outperforming all bar Manchester United and Chelsea, having done so last term, are irresistible given that they look even stronger now than they were then.
West Brom haven't lasted more than two successive years in the top tier since 1985, but Roy Hodgson has the ability to buck that trend....
If you believe the media, then Harry Redknapp is a shoo-in to become the next England manager. Dan 'The Betting Man' Fitch disagrees and thinks that Roy Hodgson could eclipse Harry's achievements this season....
Joey Barton's emergence as the hottest free signing on the market looks set to shake up the transfer window, with Arsenal and Tottenham both linked....
No comments:
Post a Comment