FIVE THINGS CITY FANS
CAN EXPECT AHEAD OF THE 2014/15 SEASON
It doesn’t
seem like two minutes have passed since Vincent Kompany held the blue
ribbon-clad Premier League trophy aloft in front of a rapturous crowd at the
Etihad Stadium. City had won their second league title in three years, a first
under Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini.
A successful season all round; the League triumph their second trophy
this year after they had already secured the Capital One Cup.
But now the
2014 World Cup has been and gone and the
2014/15 season is back with a bang, City will be looking to clinch a hat
trick of Premier League titles. The Blues have strengthened during the summer,
with signings Willy Cabellero, Bacary Sagna, Bruno Zuculini, Fernando, Eliaquim Mangala all
joining the Champions- and Frank Lampard on a six month loan from sister club
New York City FC.
It’s always a
mean feat trying to predict what to expect from City with the dawn of a new
season upon us, particularly with the club being so unpredictable at the best (and worst!) of times.
A new signing…in the form of Stefan
Jovetic
Despite the
fact that the Montenegrin signed for the Blues from Fiorentina for £22 million before
the start of the 2013/14 season, his debut campaign in England was plagued with
injury. The 24 year old was hotly tipped for success in the Premier League, but
was limited with game time and ended up scoring six goals in an ultimately
frustrating campaign for the striker.
But fully
rested throughout the summer and injury-free (touch wood!), Jovetic has enjoyed an electric pre-season, scoring
five goals in six appearances. He looks sharp, focused and absolutely full of
the promise of delivering what was expected of him last summer. It will be
intriguing to see how Pellegrini rotates his strike force: with Alvaro Negredo
out for three months with a broken metatarsal, the Chilean will choose between
Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and the in-form Jovetic to bag the goals for City.
With the Montenegrin looking so irresistible, Pellegrini will no doubt be
looking to see if he can continue his rich vein of form into the new Premier
League season – and beyond.
A tussle between the sticks
Much has been
said about the whole Joe Hart saga from last season. England’s number one
goalkeeper was ‘rested’ for a few games, with Costel Pantilimon stepping into
the fray until Pellegrini felt it right to introduce Hart back into the
starting line-up. Pantilimon has since been released by the club and has gone
to Sunderland, but the signing of Argentine goalkeeper Cabellero means genuine
competition for the goalkeeping spot at City.
Manager
Pellegrini has previously worked with Cabellero at Malaga, the club he was
signed from for £6 million. The 32 year old has already stated his intentions,
insisting that he is delighted to be linking up with his former manager again,
but has also joined the Blues not to settle for a place on the bench, but to challenge
Hart and provide genuine competition to be the top stopper.
Cabellero
should be at home straight away in Manchester, with his existing relationship with
Pellegrini and being surrounded by fellow countrymen Aguero, Martin Demichelis,
Pablo Zabaleta and Bruno Zuculini easing his transition from Spain. Having
featured in pre-season, it will be interesting to see if he’s a man of his word
and can mount a serious bid to overthrow Hart as City’s man between the sticks.
A winning spine
Since City
broke their trophy duct back in 2011 by winning the FA Cup, the club have stuck
with a familiar line-up. Captain Vincent Kompany has been vital in defence and
Yaya Toure crucial in midfield. Then the diminutive Argentine Aguero joined in
July 2011 and has been essential to the success of the team, providing us with
that incredible moment on May 13 2012, snatching the Premier League trophy away
from the clutches of rivals United in the final seconds of the season.
It’s having
that consistency (barring injuries)
in the line-up that has been pivotal to the on-going success at City. The
familiar spine of Kompany-Toure-Aguero, along with other fundamental players like
Zabaleta, David Silva, Dzeko and Hart, know how it feels to take the Blues from
a side competing for honours to being champions. Keeping that group of players
at the club and adding individuals in key positions has been a critical element
to the ongoing success and it's a testament to just how valuable this players are that Silva, Aguero and Kompany have all received big money, five year contracts over the summer.
Whereas last season City’s biggest title rivals
Liverpool hadn’t experienced the pressure of a title run-in, the Blues had been
there and done it all before – and won. They knew all about coming back from
behind, keeping cool heads, remaining focused and fighting until the end. That
was the difference. It could prove to be the difference yet again this season.
Yaya Toure in the sky blue shirt
Without
doubt, the biggest talking point City-wise during the summer break was Yaya
Toure. The Ivorian caused a huge stir by posting a series of cryptic tweets
post-season hinting to being unhappy due to the club allegedly forgetting his
birthday. City strongly refuted the accusations, posting a video of Toure being
presented with a birthday cake and further photographs supporting this.
Toure, aided
largely by agent Dimitry Seluk, then proceeded to say he would make a decision
about his future at City after the World Cup and promptly closed his Twitter
account. After further ramblings regarding racism and tribulations being an
African footballer, the midfielder finally put to rest all the speculation in
July by announcing that he would honour his contract and stay at the club until
2017.
The whole
palaver has been nothing but baffling after Toure enjoyed his most successful
season to date at City, scoring 20 goals from midfield. A colossal presence in
the side, he has been critical to the club’s success to date. Many fans will be
thankful the Ivorian has put an end to the bizarre saga he caused during the summer;
no player is irreplaceable, but Toure leaving would have provided Pellegrini
with a big headache and a huge void to fill. Instead, the club can now
concentrate on their title defence with him at the heart of their midfield.
More drama
As previously
mentioned, it wouldn’t be City if they did things the easy way, or as
predicted, or in any way conventional. In fact, going on past experience, it
wouldn’t be City if they had the Premier League trophy in the bag before the
final day of the season. Last season, nobody could’ve really expected the away
defeats at Cardiff and Aston Villa, although losing three points at the Stadium
of Light has almost turned into a given of recent seasons. The 2-2 draw at home
to Sunderland during the final few games proved to be an imperative point
gained rather than two dropped when at the time many Blues had given up hope of
the title.
But it’s the
twists and turns that sets City apart from the rest. The club has a history of sending
their fans on an emotional roller-coaster, from the much-maligned dark days of
the late 1990s to the journey pre-takeover and beyond. Many of the recent
commercially-attracted fans won’t be aware of just what a journey the club has
been on to get to this point, many newborn Blues will only have the stories to
listen to in disbelief of how sarcasm and self-deprecation carried a lot of
City fans through those Saturdays of defeats by Stockport County at Maine Road.
Yet the drama
has never once deserted them. It’s a relentless ride that prevents complacency
from setting in, always remembering where the club has come from to get to the
current heady days. Expect the drama to continue – always expect the
unexpected.
