Can Man City break into the Big 4?

Manchester City were pretty disappointing last season even though they had significantly reinforced the squad and they ended up missing out on the European places. That denied them the chance to lure any world-class players to the club but it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The owners decided to give another chance to Mark Hughes, who signed a couple of players that can really help the team rather than just attracting the crowds but we are yet to see if they can make a real push for the top 4 finish next season.

Maybe it is too early to judge their chances since the transfer window has only just started but the fans have every reason to hope for the good season. City look solid at the back with Shay Given in goal, and players like Dunne, Richards, Onuoha and Bridge in defence, and if they manage to bring Joleon Lescott, they will be even stronger. The midfield area has been significantly reinforced with excellent Gareth Barry, who will definitely complement Steven Ireland, probably team’s best player last season. Vincent Kompany and Nigel De Jong are also very good players and they will increase the competition for places in the centre of the park.

Robinho, Wright-Phillips, Elano (if he stays) and Petrov are all excellent wingers although they are not contributing a lot to defence. Mark Hughes has mostly deployed 4-3-3 formation last season although he is likely to switch back to 4-4-2 since new signing Roque Santa Cruz is likely to be partnered with Carlos Tevez, who is also expected to join the Eastlands club. Craig Bellamy and Brazilian Jo are also in the mix and they are definitely the players every manager could wish for. The current team look really good and I have no doubts that it will be further reinforced. City will definitely play better than last season, but I doubt they’ll be able to challenge for the top 4 finish. The only chance they have is to beat Arsenal to the fourth place, since Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea cannot be expected to drop from the Big 4.

Looking at Manchester City, everyone can see that it is not so easy to achieve a top 4 finish even if you have all the money in the world. Building a team is a process and no wonder that City are still struggling to match the best teams in England. I am pretty confident they will miss out on the Champions League place next season, but if Citizens keep up the good work, they will eventually break the Big 4 of English football.

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