MANCHESTER, England: A year ago, the buzz around the Premier League was focused on the arrival in Manchester of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho as managers of City and United.
The buzz may have gone but the biggest question before the coming season remains whether two of the highest-profile managers in the world can deliver on all the hype surrounding them.
The focus may have been on Manchester last season, but the title went to the capital and the run-in was a battle between two London clubs. Third-place City finished 15 points behind champions Chelsea, with Tottenham Hotspur in second place.
Both Guardiola and Mourinho could argue that their first seasons were transitional campaigns. New faces had to settle in and the legacy players had to get used to the methods of their high-profile bosses.
Guardiola. No excuses will be accepted by success-hungry fans - silverware is now expected.
United, without a league title since 2013, certainly appear to have filled important gaps in their squad.
Romelu Lukaku looks to be the physical presence with a goal-scoring pedigree needed to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack. Sweden’s Victor Lindelof looks the ideal partner for Eric Bailly in the centre of defence and Nemanja Matic is a proven asset on the defensive side of midfield duties.
World-record signing Paul Pogba will be expected to finally deliver on his undoubted potential in a more attacking role, and while 19-year-old Marcus Rashford continues to excite as he develops.
The big question is whether Mourinho can forge a consistent starting side out of his squad after a year in which injuries hampered any attempt at continuity.
City also look stronger on paper. Brazilian Ederson is believed to be the answer to their goalkeeping troubles and Portugal’s Bernardo Silva is a classy addition to the midfield.
The full back position has been another problem area and Kyle Walker, signed from Spurs, is a clear upgrade at right back and France international Benjamin Mendy from Monaco an improvement on the opposite flank.
With exciting Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus now fit and ready, Guardiola has a second striking threat alongside Sergio Aguero to compliment the creative talents of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane. — Reuters
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