Can Manchester City be stopped?

July 21, 2023

For the fifth season in six, Manchester City are champions of England. The big financial investment put in the club and a smart manager in Pep Guardiola are paying back in big ways. The Manchester team has an additional feather in its cap; they are European champions, and completed a treble last season. These accolades come with further financial muscle and with an already big and strong team, it will take a lot to stop Manchester City.

A number of teams in the Premier League have strengthened this summer and are still looking to exploit the opportunities in the transfer window. On the contrary, Manchester City have not been in a hurry to bring in new players in the current transfer. In fact, they have seen off a number of their players, and they had a half-hearted approach to West Ham for their then skipper Declan Rice, who has since joined Arsenal in a big money move. City have already released Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer, to join Barcelona. The champions have however brought in Matteo Kovacic from Chelsea and as they aren’t expected to lose a lot of players, they seem still good to go.

Haaland Effect: Can Manchester City be stopped?

The Erling Haaland effect at Manchester City is one factor that really lifted the team last season, and all indications show the Norwegian will keep this going for long. Scoring 36 goals in the Premier League in his first season places Haaland up there alongside the biggest players to have graced the Premier League, yet he has been around for just one season. He has the power, the drive and the movement that most Premier League defenders have failed or struggled to cope with.

Only Harry Kane could get close to Haaland in terms of strikers’ quality in the Premier League, the England skipper scoring six goals less than Haaland that season. With all possibilities indicating Kane could be on his way out of the Premier League, we may wait longer to see another serious challenge on Haaland’s chase for the Golden Boot. City’s dominance at the moment is being spoken about along the same breath as Chelsea’s in Jose Mourinho’s first two seasons in England. The Blues back then were driven by Didier Drogba, a raft of top players to back him, a technically astute manager and a lot of cash flowing after Roman Abramovich’s arrival.

Similar Foundation: Can Manchester City be stopped?

The current City side is almost built on a similar foundation but the difference with the then Chelsea side is the kind of stability the manager is assured of. That makes it very tough to check the team’s dominance in the Premier League, and could even spread to Europe. Even before a ball is kicked in the new season, City stand out as favorites to win the title again and you can access straightforward England Premier League predictions for your bet on this and more on Wincomparator.

With Guardiola in charge, and his future tied to the club, he can make big calls and plan rebuilds and regeneration of his squad without much interference. This will definitely make City a very tough team to beat. Starting the season with a game against newly promoted Burnley will have City as clear favorites. They thrashed Burnley 6-0 in the FA Cup last season and an opening win will set them up well for a confident run. Can Manchester City be stopped?

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