New Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said today he believes on paper Manchester City should be the favorites to win the Premier League this season.
Without beating around the bush, Pellegrini said at the club’s season launch party, “I think we have the best squad in England. We bought four important players, we already had a very good team and with these four players I think we improved a lot. We hope that from the first match against Newcastle at home we will start winning, and we will try to bring another trophy here”
It’s a bold statement, but one backed by a single number – £90 million ($139.6 million). The club has spent around that amount to improve the squad, bringing in the likes of Stevan Jovetic, Jesus Navas, Fernandinho, and Alvaro Negredo.
Pellegrini will look to improve on last season’s disappointing second-place finish, which saw then-manager Roberto Mancini lose his job. It was not disappointing necessarily due to the place of finish, but at the margin by which cross-town rivals Manchester United ran away with the title.
The club also lost the FA Cup final to relegated Wigan, possibly the straw that broke the camel’s back for Mancini.
City defender and last season’s player of the year Pablo Zabaleta didn’t go as far as his boss, but still backed up the notion that anything less than a title is disappointing. “”I can guarantee to everyone that we have been working really hard in pre-season and we are very hungry for more trophies, and we aim to win something this season” said Zabaleta.
If Pellegrini had his way, City would be handed the trophy already. But that’s why they play the games! Do you agree with him? Or should a squad like Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, or someone else be the favorites to win it all?
