Manchester City: Premier League Season Preview

Aug 3, 2010

With the Premier League season now rapidly approaching, I have decided to take a look at each of the 20 sides that will be playing at the top level of English football during this upcoming season.

I have decided to actually go in reverse order, with Wolverhampton starting off the list and Arsenal concluding it right before the start of the Premier League season.

In the 10th installment of this series, I will look at Manchester City , which finished fifth in the Premier League last year after a late surge with Roberto Mancini in charge did not prove enough for City to make the Champions League.

Review of Last Year

After a promising start to last season, Manchester City started to fall apart after a demoralizing late 4-3 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

After registering seven straight draws, City looked like they were nearly out of contention for the Champions League until Roberto Mancini took over for lame duck manager Mark Hughes.

Under Mancini City nearly got the final Champions League berth, but a major late loss to Tottenham at home ended all hope for The Blues to get into the Champions League.

Transfers:

Incoming Players:

Alex Henshall (Swindon Town), Jerome Boateng (Hamburg), Yaya Toure (Barcelona), David Silva (Valencia), and Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio).

Departing Players:

Paul Marshall (Walsall), Martin Petrov (Bolton), Valeri Bojinov (Parma), Filip Mentel (Dundee United), David Ball (Swindon Town), Gunnar Nielsen (Tranmere Rovers), and Ryan McGivern (Walsall).

Manchester City Fixture List

All times are GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

Major Questions Going into This Season:

1. Did Manchester City buy too many transfers this summer?

With the additions of Jerome Boateng, Yaya Toure, and David Silva (among others), one must wonder if too many new faces are continuing to join the richest club in the world.

Now, there will be some real unhappy players (like Martin Petrov last season) at Eastlands this season, but how many unhappy players will there be?

2. How long will Roberto Mancini keep his job?

Last year, Mark Hughes had a really short leash to start off the season and was the second manager sacked before Christmas last season.

Will Mancini have more slack after a great season last year, or will he find himself once again concerned about his job?

3. How unified will City be this season?

Last year, City were not completely a unified side, with multiple problems inside the dressing room that turned out to be a major liability for City's Champions League chances.

Will City be able to avoid having conflicting interests and just play football, or will we see a potential row develop over playing time or another issue?

4. Will Manchester City get that Champions League berth?

With Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal all strong opponents in front of them, Manchester City certainly will have a huge fight from the three automatic Champions League qualifiers.

Add that in with Aston Villa, Liverpool, Spurs, and Everton, and one might think that Manchester City will have to make some huge leaps to get into the Champions League.

But in the end, if Man City can just play together as a team instead of as a group of talents, they will have a great chance of making the Champions League next season.

For a preview of Manchester United's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Newcastle's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Stoke City's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Sunderland's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Tottenham's Premier League season, please click here.

For a premier of West Bromwich's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of West Ham's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Wigan's Premier League season, please click here.

For a preview of Wolverhampton's Premier League season, please click here.