Former West Ham and England manager Sam Allardyce has backed Man City to finish top of the Premier League table.
Following the comprehensive defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend, many have questioned the club’s title credentials, but speaking on the Footy Accumulators podcast, No Tippy Tappy Football, Allardyce said:
“I believe Manchester City will win the Premier League. I think Enzo Maresca will have a great first season; otherwise, he’ll be out of the door.”
Maresca is certainly under a lot of pressure to carry on Pep Guardiola’s legacy, and it remains to be seen if his team can mount a serious title challenge.
Maresca is dealing with the loss of key players
The decision to sell Rodri, and allow experienced players like Bernardo Silva and John Stones to leave in the same summer as Guardiola, means the new head coach has been dealt a real hard hand.
With the likes of Tijjani Reijnders and Nathan Ake already sold, and Savinho and Omar Marmoush potentially following suit, Maresca is having to contend with a lot of upheaval. It would be an outstanding achievement if the Italian manages to secure top spot.
Man City have to get their recruitment right
To make up for some of these departures, Director of Football Hugo Viana really needs to give Maresca some top-drawer replacements.
Maresca has reportedly been asking for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez for several weeks, but at the time of writing, the club remain reluctant to match the Argentinian international’s asking price.
Ayyoub Bouaddi is still likely to sign, but you can’t expect an 18-year-old to replace a Ballon d’Or winner like Rodri. Maresca has to be backed in the final days of the transfer window, or the new manager could be doomed to fail even before the season has really started.