EXPLAINED | Why Manchester City are favourites to win Premier League title in 2023-24 season

The Premier League 2023-24 season has officially got underway in the second week of August as top English clubs have started their pursuit of silverware. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal after splashing the cash in the transfer market will be hoping to end the team’s 19-year drought while Manchester United and Liverpool will look to bring the title home yet again. However, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City remain the team to beat as they walk into the season as favourites to clinch the Premier League title for a record fourth consecutive season.

An unparalleled team composition led by Guardiola’s intelligence, backed by Sheikh Mansour’s capital investment and fans' trust, Manchester City have been one of the best football teams on the planet for the last couple of years. City’s dominance was underlined by their recent capture of the 15th trophy under Guardiola, the UEFA Super Cup win against Spanish giants Sevilla. The team has been blessed with an outrageous combination of world-class players, depth of squad, and the will to win.

Depth in the squad

While luck could be a major factor in winning a cup competition like the FA Cup and League Cup, the Premier League amounts to consistency and depth in the squad for 38 match weeks. The current European champions have the ideal replacement in every single position in the team. Erling Haaland is the most prized asset in the team, but his backup Julian Alvarez has more collection of trophies than his countryman Lionel Messi as he fits the bill for perfect Plan B.

Last season City sanctioned the exit of Joao Cancelo, one of the best defenders in the world but still lifted the treble of Premier League, FA Cup, and the Champions League, highlighting the depth in the squad. City currently have the likes of Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake as secondary defensive pair to John Stones and Ruben Dias while Stefan Ortega serves as deputy to ever-impressive Ederson in goal.

Guardiola’s experience as tactician

Ever since stamping his authority as the best football tactician with Barcelona, Pep has displayed flawless show to capture titles everywhere he has gone. Pep’s tiki-taka style of football brought Barcelona to prominence as he repeated the same trick in Germany with Bayern Munich and Manchester City in England. Since 2009, only three managers have stopped Pep from winning a league title – Jose Mourinho in 2012, Antonio Conte in 2017 and Jurgen Klopp in 2020.

The Spanish gaffer has masterminded a City side that has scored the most goals in England since 2016 and has won the league in five seasons. Pep’s man management has seen him replace club legends like Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, and David Silva with Dias, Haaland, and Bernardo Silva.

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Killer-instinct

City over the years have developed a killer-instinct DNA that has seen them win games from 0-2 down. The defending champions trailed in big games against Liverpool and Manchester United but never gave up hopes of winning at the decisive stage. Trailing Arsenal by eight points at the start of April and winning the league by five points in May was the perfect example of a killer-instinct approach.

On the other hand, opposition teams like Manchester United and Liverpool have lacked the killer instinct in them. While Arsenal were great throughout the last season, their decisive stage fumble against Southampton and Nottingham Forest cost them the league title.

Momentum

For the last few years, City have developed the habit of developing momentum at the tail end of the season. In 2022-23, the blue side of Manchester won 12 consecutive matches to seal the league title while staying focused on other competitions. The momentum has been key to their success as players like Kevin de Bryune, Haaland, and Bernardo Silva thrive under pressure. In the 2018-19 season, City won 13 consecutive matches to win the Premier League.

Haaland’s rise

While there could be multiple reasons for City’s success, the most important factor will be the number of chances Haaland pokes in front of the goal. City scored 94 goals in the Premier League last season, with Haaland scoring 36 of those. His conversion rate in front of the goal has seen City with no shortage of goals and leaving them firm favourites to win the title. If he repeats his performance along with defensive additions they could end up smoothly winning the title.

Spending power

City’s power in spending the cash in the transfer window could also see them get the ideal replacement and challenge for the Premier League prize. They have already signed Josko Gvardiol as a replacement for departing Aymeric Laporte while Mateo Kovacic is already an upgrade for the legendary İlkay Gündoğan. The spending power in the transfer market coupled with a better squad has seen them fill the void left by any injured or unavailable player. Jérémy Doku is already on his way as a replacement for Riyad Mahrez, showing City’s hunger for success.

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