MANCHESTER CITY

MANAGER: PEP GUARDIOLA

ONE of the easiest subjects I had to write on during my first year with sportsmail was Pep Guardiola’s team. I kept saying they were on a par with Manchester United’s Treble winners and Arsenal’s Invincibles. We will always remember City as The Centurions. To score more than 100 goals and finish with 100 points showed how much of a class above they were. When we faced them at Stoke in March, it felt at times as if they were playing a game that was two levels above anything we could match. It was frightening. They may have ‘only’ added Riyad Mahrez during the window but the squad is so deep and has such quality that Guardiola wasn’t facing an emergency in terms of strengthening. Basically, I can’t see anything CROUCHY’S changing their dominance. The big thing for them this season will be the Champions League. They have the numbers to make changes but not dilute their quality. Granted some luck, I can see them going very close in Europe, too.

HOW WILL THEY FARE?

A CLASS above the rest. I expect them to be champions again.

MAJOR INS

Riyad Mahrez (Leicester, £60m)

MAJOR OUTS

Angus Gunn (Southampton, £13.5m) Pablo Maffeo (Stuttgart, £8.8m) Angelino (PSV, £5m) Bersant Celina (Swansea, £3m) Yaya Toure (released)