i think the mid-table battles will be interesting though, as you can’t deny that based on talent alone City will probably be in the top 10. But with the way Villa, Everton, Tottenham, and Fulham played last year it should be good to see who is putting pressure on the last champions league spot.

I say Chelsea, Arsenal, Manu, Liverpool.

Thus, something drastic and monumental has to occur for City to make the top 4 this season, whether it is by own merits, due to a dire run of results by the top 4, or a combination of both.

Baby steps I say. Don’t forget it took Chelsea many more millions than City have spent to win the EPL (and a certain Special manager Hughes certainly isn’t even close to).

City? They’ll need a couple of weeks to get their formation working, and then you’ve got the massive ego problem. Will Robinho sit on the bench so Hughes can play Adebayor, Tevez and Santa Cruz up front? And then there’s still Bellamy and Benjani on the bench… In midfield, SWP, Barry, Ireland and Robinho looks great, but that means only two strikers (or a strange 3-4-3 formation), and neither Robinho nor SWP are known for tracking back… Still, De Jong and Kompany, Etuhu, Johnson and Petrov will be ready to pop in and get a game if they can. Defense? Kolo Toure’s a nice catch, but regardless of if they get another player or not, it’s crowded. Captain Dunne can’t really be left out, nor can Richards, and I don’t know how Ben Haim, Garrido, Bridge, Zabaleta and Onuoha are going to feel fighting to get on the bench. At least they’re not trying to buy someone to put Given on the bench, I think.

Even if Hughes somehow manages to organise them to play as a team, manages the egos and so forth… so many of them play in international sides it’s going to be a joke. Tevez, Santa Cruz, Robinho and Zabaleta going to South America. Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Benjani and Etuhu travelling to Africa.. Will all these players be able to give 100% only days after coming back from countries almost on the other side of the earth, with jet-lag, time difference and whatever temperature or climate was inflicted on them? Lucky for City, Given, SWP, Petrov, Dunne, Ben Haim, Kompany, Barry, Bellamy, De Jong and perhaps Richards, Ireland or Johnson will “only” be travelling in Europe, so they’ll probably not be too tired. Add to that the African Cup of Nations (bye-bye Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Etuhu and Benjani, hope none of you were playing an important role), and I don’t think City’s impressive squad-building will reap rewards as early as this season.

However, in two or three seasons if they manage to keep their “stars” and possibly pull in a few more, then they’ll be a force to reckon with.