Premier League preview: Guardiola unleashes Man City 2.0

Spanish coach has a squad to die for but how will his remodelled defence fare this season?

 

Manchester City are most people's favourites for the Premier League title, but their first season under Pep Guardiola was a curious affair. They started like a train, but soon came off the rails as their much-vaunted manager suffered the worst run of results of his career.

In the end City finished third, producing some scintillating football along the way. But Guardiola didn't have the impact some had expected and his refusal to adapt to the demands of the Premier League or accept criticism of his team prompted some hostility.
After a busy transfer window what will Guardiola's side serve up this season?

A philosophical dilemma

"Pep Guardiola's challenge can be crystallised into a simple question: will the manager allow Manchester City to defend this season?" says Jamie Jackson of The Guardian.
"The prime error was an unbending emphasis on attack that meant Guardiola expected all opposition to be snuffed out via ball retention and the notion City should score more no matter how many were conceded."
His solution this summer has been slightly counterintuitive, signing three attacking full-backs and a new goalkeeper while leaving the problem area of central defence untouched.
That means much will depend on Vincent Kompany, whose days at City looked numbered last season, plus John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, neither of whom have convinced.
"Despite the £156.2m spend to rebuild the defence, the question remains: how much of the nitty-gritty of preventing goals will City's rearguard be able to do?" says Jackson.
And how much notice will Guardiola take of any criticism that comes his way if the same problems emerge this season?
"Guardiola has given the distinct impression that he is not wildly impressed with English football culture, almost an air of disdain at times, and behind the scenes City have seen him be intense, irritable and demanding," says Matt Dickinson of The Times.
"Expectations are loaded on Guardiola who, after his first season grappling with a new league and new squad, will provide a fascinating study as he seeks to remind us why he arrived with such fanfare and glittering reputation."

The good news

"If Guardiola can find the right combination at the back, there is no reason why City can't win the league," says the Daily Mirror. "There are very few squads in Europe that can compete with their options going forward.
"This season, Guardiola has to pick his front line from Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus. Not too shabby.
"He then has the impossible task of working the likes of Yaya Toure, Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan into the line-up. Guardiola's problem might just be the fact that there is no way he can play everybody in their preferred positions."
Those new full-backs will be key says Charlie Nicholas of Sky Sports. The "pace and power" of the new arrivals mean that opponents are "going to get squeezed from every angle", he says.
"This team will just create so many chances, and once they get on a roll, with a pretty decent start, I can see them bulldozing teams," he says.

Prediction

City are the favourites and Guardiola will face some "pointed questions" if his side fail to establish themselves as "English football's dominant force", says Dickinson of the Times.
Martin Keown of the Daily Mail and Nicholas of Sky both predict the title will go to the Etihad and so do the experts from the Guardian and the BBC.