Preview
It's here. The 2013/2014 title winning season is set to begin and the tears of David Moyes are set to roll down his wrinkling cheeks. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, after all, we do have thirty-eight agonising ninety minutes of football to fix our eyes on before we can slump in our sofas and relax for the summer once more.
The summer of 2012 seems well and truly behind us. A fresh 'holistic' approach has been adopted and City have been the sleeping giant among the transfer related hype of the summer. Business has been done early and our Chilean Godfather has done a delightful job in settling the squad and keeping us out of the limelight.
Pre-season was erratic, but the flickers of brilliance we saw in our dismantling of Milan provide promise for the new season. Negredo's strength, Navas's speed, Ferna's composure and Jovetic's creative flair are all welcome additions to our tiring squad and although they're not the biggest names in Europe, they want to play for Manchester City.
Newcastle's shambolic start to the summer has been somewhat calmed. Yohan 'Kebab' and Hatem Ben 'Afri' miraculously remain at the club and the stupidity of Joe Kinnear has all but disappeared from the media. The French flight has been supplemented by Loic Remy and the team I tipped for relegation in June should now be safe.
But that won't save them from an absolute pounding on Monday night. Pellegrini's men not only have the fans to please, they also have the memory of City legend Bert Trautmann to honour. The German stopper literally risked his life for the club and metaphorically speaking, the fans will expect Vinny and co. to do the same on the 19th. The Magpies have never won at the Etihad and I fully expect their torrid record to continue.
If the blues are going to run away with the title this season, they need to develop a ruthlessness. Mancini enjoyed putting eleven men behind the ball whenever we scored a goal and quite frankly, I'm not prepared to tolerate that again. Our forward line is capable of frightening any European defence; we can bully Newcastle's.
4-0
Line-Up
Choosing City's line-up this season will be like choosing your favourite child. We have plenty of exciting colours in the palette, but which eleven will Manuel Pellegrini pick to paint his masterpiece?
Great things come in twos and that's certainly the case for City this year. Micah/Zaba, Ferna/Rodwell, Navas/Milner, Jovetic/Nasri, Negredo/Dzeko - they all supply us with mouthwatering options.
Pellegrini has a task on his hands, but with injuries in mind, this would be my starting eleven.
Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Navas, Silva, Jovetic, Dzeko.
Key Men
Edin Dzeko
After watching the Bosnian in pre-season, you feel it has to be his year. Mancini's style of play never suited Dzeko and the addition of width is going to suit him. For me, he can contend for the Golden Boot award.
Hatem Ben Arfa
With his injury troubles seemingly behind him, Ben Arfa will be instrumental in Newcastle's 2013/2014 season. His pace and ability to dribble is second to none and I can see him linking up with Remy brilliantly.
