Manchester City go into the new season off the back of their fourth Premier League title in five years.
Not since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United have we seen a team so dominant in English football. This year, the Cityzens will bid to become the sixth team to win three consecutive English league titles.
But while they’ve been brilliant domestically, European glory continues to evade them. They seemed to be on their way to the final last season, before a dramatic late collapse allowed Real Madrid to knock them out. This time around, they’ll be hoping to finally exorcise that demon.
Here is how we think Man City will get on in the league in 2022/23. You can also check out our detailed Premier League season previews for all 20 teams.
Fixtures
City’s season began a week earlier than most. They faced Liverpool in the Community Shield over the weekend, falling to a 3-1 defeat. Their title defence starts with a tough away fixture to West Ham United. They round off August with clashes against Bournemouth (H), Newcastle United (A), Crystal Palace (H), and Nottingham Forest (H).
October is expected to be a huge month for Pep Guardiola’s men, as they have arguably their two biggest games of the season. The first Manchester derby of the season is scheduled for October 1, and travel to Anfield two weeks later.
Their visit to Old Trafford is planned for the weekend of January 14, while their reverse fixture against Liverpool will take place around the beginning of April. Their final league game of the campaign is away to Brentford.
As one of Europe’s top clubs, Man City will be hoping to compete on all four fronts this season. Should they have deep runs in all competitions, they could end up with a seriously crammed fixture list.
Manager
What more is there to say about Pep Guardiola? The Catalan has entertained us all with his unique and complex brand of football, and won plenty of trophies while doing it.
During his 14-year managerial career, the 51-year-old has won a total of 21 major trophies across spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Man City. In England, he has lifted four league titles out of a possible six, and five other domestic cups.
For as long as Guardiola is at the Etihad Stadium, City will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.
Transfer Business
As they always are, Man City have been busy in the transfer window, adding to their already incredible squad.
The headline arrival of the summer has been Erling Braut Haaland. Having been chased by almost every elite club in Europe, the Norwegian opted for his father’s former team.
This signing fills a gap that has been a concern for a couple of seasons now. Since Sergio Aguero’s decline and eventual departure, the Cityzens haven’t had an out-and-out striker. Even then, they have still been the division’s top scorers – it’s frightening to think how many they could score with a natural goalscorer in their side.
Haaland isn’t the only new face at the Etihad. England international Kalvin Phillips has also come in from Leeds United for an estimated £42 million. Meanwhile, Stefan Ortega has signed on a free transfer from Arminia Bielefeld – presumably to be a back-up for Ederson – and a deal for Brighton and Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella is also being worked on.
However, there have also been plenty of notable exits. Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus have transferred to Chelsea and Arsenal respectively. The pair have accumulated a combined total of 198 goals in the last five seasons at club level. This isn’t something that can be easily replaced.
Fernandinho ended his nine-year spell at Man City, while Oleksandr Zinchenko was sold to Arsenal. The Ukrainian’s departure could leave the club light in the left-back position, especially if they are unable to get the Cucurella deal done.
Star Player
Just take one glance at Man City’s squad. How on Earth are you meant to pick just one star player?
Haaland is the bookies’ favourite for the Golden Boot, Ruben Dias is one of the world’s best defenders, Joao Cancelo starred last term, Phil Foden continues to be one of the brightest youngsters around, Rodri has been excellent, Riyad Mahrez just enjoyed his best goalscoring season, Bernardo Silva is one of the league’s best midfielders, Jack Grealish is the most expensive signing in the history of English football.
But in amongst all those superstars, there is one man who stands out above the rest. Kevin De Bruyne seems like a fairly reliable pick to be City’s standout once again, having established himself as one of the club’s greatest ever players in recent years.
Since joining in 2015, the Belgian has won Man City Player of the Year four times and PFA Player of the Year twice. Last season was the best goalscoring campaign of his career, netting 15 in the league and 19 in all competitions.
Prediction
We have absolutely no doubt that Man City will be challenging for the title again at the very least. As of now, another two-horse race between them and Liverpool seems likely. Last year, there was only one point between them, and the title was won in the final ten minutes of the campaign.
There could be little to separate these two again. They have both brought in strikers for big money, and have also seen top players depart.
But, once again, we imagine that City will just about have the edge over the Reds. We’ve selected them to win their fifth Premier League title in six years.
Read Next: Premier League 2022/23 Season Preview.
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