Football Season Guide

Manchester City start the season as the Premier League champions and will be determined to make further progress and maintain their status as one of the best teams in the country. Manuel Pellegrini enjoyed a brilliant first season in English football as his side deservedly claimed the trophy at the end, despite some hiccups along the way. They played the best football in the country and will aim for more of the same in the coming season while making a real breakthrough in the Champions League. City’s transfer spending has had to be somewhat curbed this summer as the Financial Fair Play regulations started to hit them. They have still improved their squad with Bacary Sagna and Fernando being the most impressive signings so far. Yet, they are not expected to become automatic regulars and will be more about brining depth and cover at key areas in the squad. Frank Lampard has also joined on a loan deal for the next few months and while the move raises eyebrows, the ageing midfielder is not expected to play any significant role in the coming season. The stellar, big-money signing is expected to be French defender, Ellaquim Mangala, but his move from Porto continues to drag on. He is still likely to join before the end of August and should become a regular at the heart of defence. Yaya Toure is staying put despite his declarations earlier in the summer and City will hope to have a fit and firing Sergio Aguero after he barely played so far in 2014. Steven Jovetic has shown impressive form in preseason and may finally start to justify the big money paid for him an year ago. Overall, the squad looks strong and ready for the challenges ahead but the failure to really bolster the starting 11 from last season may prove costly as Chelsea have certainly closed the gap in that regard with their summer dealings.