It is now seven weeks since Man City finished the 2017/18 season with a record-breaking 100 points after swatting aside Southampton. Their rivals have since been busy strengthening their squads in a bid to catch up with Pep Guardiola’s men, but the Citizens are yet to sign anyone. That has led to grumbling among some fans that want the club to keep spending to maintain their dominance over a very competitive league. By this time last year, they had already wrapped up deals for Bernardo Silva and Ederson, sparking excitement among fans ahead of the next campaign, so some find this year’s inactivity concerning.
However, any complaints in this department seem premature. Last summer, City did most of their business in the second half of July, snapping up Kyle Walker, Danilo and Benjamin Mendy in an 11-day burst that revitalised their options at full-back. They went straight into the first team for the opener against Brighton, showing that it is not vital to conduct your transfer business early. The club’s owners have never shown anything but extreme ambition in the transfer market, and there seems no chance of them changing that strategy any time soon.
Guardiola has been backed to the hilt when it comes to transfers, and he has seemingly identified a few expensive stars to bolster his ranks. Riyad Mahrez and Jorgino are expected to join the revolution from Leicester City and Napoli respectively, and fans can expect further signings in the weeks ahead. “We made our decisions from January in terms of what the squad needs this summer,” said chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. “It will be business as usual. You've seen us operate over the last couple of years. You’ll see the same this year. We know exactly the targets Pep has identified and we will support him in the same way we supported him since he started with us.”
City’s team was magnificent last season, racking up more points than any other side I the Premiership’s history, including Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd sides, Arsenal’s Invincibles and Jose Mourinho’s first Chelsea team. But you cannot rest on your laurels and new signings give everyone a boost, while putting pressure on the existing players to maintain a high level of performance in order to avoid being dropped. City also faltered in the Champions League against Liverpool, and they need reinforcements to take a step up.
They are actually favourites to win the Champions League next season, but the main priority will be defending the Premiership. No team has successfully done that since Ferguson’s Utd a decade ago, but Man City look very well placed to pull it off. Read a review of BetDSI and check their odds, and you will see that Man City are the odds-on favourites to win the 2018/19 Premiership title. There has not been an odds-on pre-season favourite for many years, as the division is so competitive, so it shows just how highly rated they are.
Liverpool are the second favourites and they are expected to thrive this year after beating City three times in 2018. They have already been busy and ambitious in the transfer market, bolstering a side that went all the way to the Champions League final. But Liverpool’s defence still looks dodgy, and they have lacked consistency for years. Chelsea, Man Utd and Spurs will all be up for a title battle, but if City play with the sort flair, dynamism and intensity that characterised last season’s title charge, they will defend the trophy with ease and they could well land the Champions League too.