"Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character."
-John Wooden
After following every move of City over the previous nine months, I could not believe that it would all fall apart on the last day of the season against a team that was facing relegation. The next 25 minutes did nothing to allay my sickness but as we know, everything changed in extra time. I've been following sports my entire life and I've never seen anything that comes close to the "Miracle in Manchester" (summed up brilliantly in this video). All was lost until 2 goals in 4 minutes saved City and won them the title.
Three months later and the beginning of a new season in the Premier League is upon us. What are the biggest issues standing between City and a repeat championship? Let's take a look.
1)Will City get burned for a quiet summer?
-It's well known that defending champions play with a target on their back the following season. Over the next 9 months, City will be getting their opponents "best" 38 times but did they do enough to handle this pressure? On paper, the answer is a resounding NO as City only brought in one player on transfer in a young and oft-injured Jack Rodwell. However, three summers of wild spending has created a roster that is deep at multiple positions so City should still have a successful team. United and Chelsea both had big time off seasons but will they be enough to take over City?
2)Will the real Carlos Tevez please stand up?
-Two seasons ago, Carlos Tevez tied for the league lead with 2 goals. Last season found Carlos sinking more birdie putts in Argentina than goals in England. An off-season of transfer requests followed by the legendary Munich meltdown found Roberto Mancini writing off any future of Tevez in Manchester. However, an Aguero slump and a Balotelli meltdown found Tevez making a prodigal son like comeback for the last two months of the season that proved influential in the eventual title. What to expect this year? If you listed to Carlos, big things are on the horizon (this beauty of a goal in the Community Shield would back him up) but you never can tell with volatile Tevez.
3)What about Mario?
-The Easter Sunday loss at Arsenal was the nadir of the 2011/2012 campaign. Besides an apparent season ending loss, the lowlight of this match was the sending off and subsequent suspension of Mario Baltotelli. It not only opened the door for the return of Carlos Tevez but it also signaled the apparent end of Super Mario in Manchester (as if the fireworks, bebe guns and Lamborghini antics weren't enough). They say time heals all wounds, and after setting up the title winning Aguero goal and stealing the show at Euro 2012, Mario appears to be at the top of his game. The problem? The Argentinian duo of Tevez and Aguero seem to create a log jam up front, especially if Tevez gets off to a hot start. The way Mancini handles the line up will be an interesting sub plot for the season, especially since he bungled the use of Edin Dzeko last year, who saw playing time all but disappear after a brilliant start to the season.
4)Kompany, Silva, Yaya and??
-Before the late season swoon, the lowest point of City's play on the field last season came during the absence of Yaya Toure (African Cup of Nations and the suspension) and Vincent Kompany (suspension following an FA Cup straight red against United). Without Kompany, City was left with mistake prone Stefan Savic and the team struggled. It goes without saying that having the captain on the field is of the utmost importance. In the midfield, the players surrounding David Silva and Yaya will say a lot about this team. You assume the Nasri will be there, but who else? James Milner showed signs of life last year before losing time to Gareth Barry while Adam Johnson is rumored to be going out on loan. I personally liked to see de Jong out there because his physical, defense first style gives Yaya the freedom to move further up the field which is where he is at his best. It will also be interesting to see what impact new signee Jack Rodwell will have.
So, can they do it? To go back to the John Wooden quote that started this blog, it takes a special team to repeat as champions. I know that City has the talent but the major question is, do they have the character? The presence of a captain that leads by example and players that lead by their play on the field makes me feel that City will get the job done.
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