Can Manchester City win back-to-back Premier League titles?
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After winning the Premier League by a record 19 points last term, Manchester City are aiming to become the first side to retain the trophy since Manchester United in 2009.
Only seven title winners have gone onto lift the crown again 12 months later. Yet the Citizens are 7/10 to provide manager Pep Guardiola with his eighth domestic title.
Can the Sky Blues triumph again this time around? The Coral News Team investigates.
The squad
Not much has changed at City since last year. But does it really need to? The Etihad Stadium side romped the league with a squad chock full of talent. Players like Ederson, Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane will only improve for their second season in English football.
And that’s without the star-studded talent of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and the fit-again Vincent Kompany, who form a formidable spine. Add in the talismanic talents of Riyad Mahrez, who provides even more depth in the forward department, and City have more than adequate strength-in-depth to hold off their rivals once again.
The mentality
Managers past and present talk of how retaining a title is down to mentality. Only Manchester United and Chelsea have managed to win trophies back-to-back in the Premier League era.
City lacked the drive and mental fortitude to do it under Manuel Pellegrini. That shouldn’t be a problem with a relatively fresh group of players and Guardiola at the helm. The Catalan coach won the league in three consecutive seasons with both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
His approach demands nothing less than perfection, both in terms of style of play and application. That mentality will be instilled in the group ahead of the new season.
The opposition
Part of Man City’s appeal as title favourites is in the lack of viable opposition. Liverpool (7/2 for the title) are the only side that appear to have genuinely improved their squad. But even then questions remain over whether Jurgen Klopp’s philosophy can last the distance over a 38-game season.
Cross-city rivals Manchester United continue to lack inspiration under Jose Mourinho at 9/1, while Chelsea (14/1) and Tottenham Hotspur (16/1) have both underperformed in the transfer market. Arsenal, further back at 20/1, are an unknown quantity under new boss Unai Emery.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
