mancityblues.com

Happy Days at City, looking forward to a bright new future, the gates to Eden are opening.

Adam Johnson, one of City's young guns was speaking after England's exit from the World Cup

"There's a big squad here now but there's also a lot of games, and everybody can't play in every game - there's Europe as well as the two cups.
We need a good squad with strong people on the bench. There will obviously be changes for different games and I'm ready for that. It's going to be exciting times. I can't wait." OS

Expectation is understandably high following three major signings in Jerome Boateng, David Silva and YaYa Toure. With the hopes of more to come, the Manager is signalling his intentions. He is aiming high, saying it's time now to deliver some trophies.

That all sounds very nice, but what will happen now? Will the team suddenly knit together into a blend of style and flair and set the league alight, or will it be same old City with bigger names? All fur coat and no knickers?

"Trumanns for Steel" believes he has the perfect XI if no more sign;

Spike's view is sensible and conservative

I think we will be indifferent up until Christmas. The fact that we have so many better players than most teams in the Prem will mean we will win a good few games and we will be around fifth again at the turn of the year, but we won't be winning games impressively and we will also draw and even lose a small number of games we really should have won.
Some people won't be happy about the quality of our football and the tactics, although others will be satisfied with the position we are in.
The fans will be split right down the middle about whether Mancini should go.

Bloovic also has concerns;

1. A big influx of new players, can Mancini get them to knit together?

2. Will the "fringe" players become frustrated and cause discontent in the dressing room?

3. Robinho - this issue needs to be be resolved before the first ball is kicked

4. Tevez - the rumours of his departure to Real Madrid are worrying.

5. The Given/Hart redux could prove a problem - will one or the other throw their proverbial toys out?

6. The apparent grudge that FIFA/Platini has against our club, and others who would dare to upset the status quo, should be considered.

Positives.

1. The players brought in (so far) fit the bill

2. Assuming a quality left-back is purchased, and a replacement for RSC - Dzeko or even Torres - arrives, the squad looks very solid in all departments.

3. The club is seemingly progressing on many fronts, and the controversies that have dogged Cook and co. appear to have been avoided in recent times.

4. As far as I'm aware, none of City's direct rivals, at least domestically, have strengthened significantly at the time of writing.

In conclusion, things look good for City for the coming season. As long-suffering City fans, no-one will get carried away with exaggerated forecasts, but here's my quick estimate of where Mancini's men will be by June 2011 -

3rd place in the Premier League - I feel that City have the resources to break into the top four this time around, perhaps at the expense of Arsenal and Spurs.

I don't see why City couldn't win the Uefa Cup. Optimistic perhaps, but there is a lot of experience related to European competition at the club now.

City should also make a decent attempt at a domestic cup, especially if players who have experience of the English game are signed (Milner and Torres being the obvious examples.)

Off the field, who knows what the future will bring? A bigger stadium is likely, and I assume that the global profile of City will be on a par with the Real Madrid's or Barca within a decade. My only concerns relating to this aspect are the relative health of the (house of cards) economy, and the continued interest of ADUG in all things Manchester City.

For my part, I feel we have come far in a relatively short space of time. It's imperative that we hold our position at least until Christmas, when the new boys will be bedded in and a recognisable shape to the team will become apparent. We can't afford, and certainly Mancini can't afford, to be seeing a hit and miss, win one draw two kind of situation. Mancini must set the team up from the start with the determination required to slog out wins when necessary, to play attractive football when possible, and to work for each other for 90 minutes. Or even 96.

No team can win every game, but City need to look as though they can, even when we lose. We must make other clubs afraid to face us, as they were at the beginning of last season, until they saw our weaknesses. Fewer unforced errors, more desire in all areas, fighting for every ball, giving and expecting no quarter. That has to be the Manchester City they face this coming season.

Last season the weaker sides saw that if they took us on - if they scrapped and made life difficult they stood a chance of a draw, and often nicked a win. That must stop. No more of Stoke's long throws bamboozling us and all that crap - just a well-prepared talented outfit that are too strong for MOST teams to handle. Then we might start to get somewhere, in fact I believe we WILL get somewhere.

Clevblue