Remember those good old times in which the battle for Manchester’s football supremacy was a bit more leveled and by a bit I mean that United was the dominant side that all fans had grown accustomed to seeing week in and week out.
Apart from that, you would have Manchester City right next to them, being just as dominant, making for their games and EPL title chase, as well as following all the scores and odds in the Premier League some of the best storylines of the English football season?
Well, while for United Fans those days of glory are long gone and not yet ready to come back, especially taking into account the dominance that Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad has brought upon not just the city of Manchester but the whole of the English football scene.
Yet, even after being favorites year in and year out to win everything and becoming perennial picks for title contention in local competitions, for Manchester City, there’s one bone left to pick before calling it a day as the best team around, winning the UEFA Champions League Title.
While we gear up for yet another season in which City will definitely be favorites to take it all, here’s our take on the three main keys that Manchester City needs to focus on in order to succeed both locally and internationally.
Local Favoritism Is One Thing, But Winning The UCL is Everything
Last season Manchester City finally was able to make it to the UEFA Champions League finals, a feat that many experts and fans were starting to believe was going to be impossible for Pep Guardiola’s team. While almost everyone, except Chelsea fans of course, believed that it would finally happen for Man City, Chelsea’s younger and hungrier squad took the finals at the end and the coveted UCL trophy home once again.
Now, City was able to double as both Premier League and Carabao Cup Champions which by all means are both great achievements. But being perennial local favorites to win local titles is not enough anymore and 2021/22 seems like it’s going to be the season where City puts all its efforts into making this upcoming season the one in which they finally lift the UCL trophy.
Experts from all around are already putting Man City as favorites to take the UCL title, over teams like PSG, Barcelona, Atletico de Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and other powerhouse teams across Europe. So will 2021/22 be the season for Pep’s boys to do it? From all looks of it, it seems like it and it’s the top priority.
Keeping A Strong and Healthy Squad Base Is Priority
If you look at Manchester City, you’ll see that they’re basically set in each one of their lines on the field. Their goal is well guarded and secured by Brazilian star goalkeeper Emerson, with a line of defenders led by two of the best center backs in all of British and European football, Ruben Dias and John Stones, and with Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo running the right and left-back flanks. On reserve, having guys like Nathan Ake, Aymeric Laporte, Oleksandr Zynchenko and Benjamin Mendy seriously doesn’t hurt one bit.
Add to that a midfield commanded by Kevin De Bruyne who will most likely be a favorite to win the award for best player in the EPL once again, as well as Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri, and Phil Foden, given that Bernardo Silva might be leaving this just keeps on getting better.
And last, a forward’s unit with Mahrez, Sterling, Torres, and Gabriel Jesus just screams dominance all over. All this team needs are to be able to stay together, avoid injury scares, and play at their best level to continue showing why they’re always considered top favorites to take everything.
Signing Kane, or Grealish, or better yet, both!
So, what does City need? Two things, perseverance and a little help from outside. Perseverance in the fact that they know they are favorites all around in every tournament they play and a little help from a couple of pivotal summer signings that definitely tip the scale in their favor.
Signing Harry Kane away from Tottenham and Jack Grealish from Aston Villa would ultimately put this team over any competition both local and international as they would be getting two of the best forward playing footballers in actuality.
It is known by everyone that both players are salivating at the chance of joining Manchester City and that City would be able to mount up one of the best, if not the best attacking side in all of English football and one of the absolute best in Europe.
Also, Man City could basically well be having the front three strikers for England’s National Team playing together week in and week out by having Kane, Grealish, and Sterling teaming up, a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Expect City to win the EPL title once again and if they’re able to boost up their squad, expect them to focus solemnly on finally winning the UCL title.