Manchester City 2021-22 Premier League Preview
Can City retain their crown?
Bookmaker Paddy Power
Odds: 4/6 odds taken 1730 GMT, Thursday 17 June
Manchester City enter the 2021-22 Premier League season as the bookies’ favourites to retain their title. The Citizens dominated the Premier League last term, racking up an impressive 86 points along the way.
With one or two big signings expected to happen this summer, Man City are sure to be a force to be reckoned with once again next term. In our in-depth preview, we take a look at City’s chances of retaining their crown in the 2021-22 season.
2021-22 Premier League Bets at Paddy Power
Table of Contents
- 1 2020-21 Review: Rampant City ease to title
- 2 Man City 2021-22 Fixtures: Trip to Spurs on opening weekend
- 3 Man City Transfer News: Will any big stars move to the Etihad?
- 4 Who Are City’s Biggest Challengers: Will Liverpool make a comeback?
- 5 Liverpool Preview: Reds to bounce back?
- 6 Manchester United Preview: Will Ole’s boys bridge the gap?
- 7 Chelsea Preview: Tuchel to build on last season’s success?
- 8 Man City players to watch out for in the 2021-22 season: Will Foden shine again?
- 9 Our Manchester City Predictions: Guardiola’s superstars to retain their crown
2020-21 Review: Rampant City ease to title
2020-21 was a unique season, with the campaign not getting underway until September. Man City were sluggish at the start, winning just three of their opening eight, which was Pep Guardiola’s worst start to a season since becoming a manager. In the early weeks, City were beaten 5-2 at home by Leicester City, lost 2-0 at Tottenham Hotspur, and drew with Leeds United, West Ham United and Liverpool.
On 21st November, Pep’s boys were beaten 2-0 by Jose Mourinho’s Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It was a lacklustre performance and bad result on the day, but the defeat in the capital proved to be a pivotal point in their season. They went on to beat Burnley 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium in their next Premier League match, which was the start of a 19-game undefeated run in the league.
City went on a staggering run, winning 17 and drawing two of 19 Premier League matches to fire themselves to the top of the table. With the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool going backwards, Man City took control of the Premier League. They went unbeaten from late November to early March, with rivals Manchester United getting the better of them to end their run at 19.
Man City had an indifferent finish, losing three of their last seven league games, but the title was all sewn up by then. The Manchester giants also won the EFL Cup, beating Tottenham at Wembley Stadium in April. However, they lost to Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in the semi-final of the Emirates FA Cup and in the final of the UEFA Champions League.
The club were given a whole host of awards at the end of the season. Guardiola was named Manager of the Season, Ruben Dias won the Premier League Player of the Season, and Phil Foden took home the Young Player of the Season award. Six City players were named in the PFA Team of the Year.
Man City 2021-22 Fixtures: Trip to Spurs on opening weekend
Man City’s 2021-22 Premier League season gets underway with a tough trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 14th August. Prior to that, City take on Leicester, last season’s FA Cup winners, in the 2021 FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium.
The Citizens travel to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea in late September. Tuchel’s Blues beat Man City three times in three separate competitions at the back end of last season. The first Manchester derby of the campaign will be played at Old Trafford on 6th November. Man City’s PL season ends with a home game against Aston Villa on 22nd May 2022.
- Man City have won the Premier League five times
- City won 15 games in a row in last season’s PL
- Ederson kept 19 Premier League clean sheets last term
- The Manchester club have been champions of England on seven occasions
Man City Transfer News: Will any big stars move to the Etihad?
With Sergio Aguero moving on, Man City will be on the lookout for a new striker this summer. After arriving at the Etihad back in 2011, Aguero went on to become a City legend, helping the club to five Premier League titles with a hatful of goals. Replacing the Argentine goal-machine will not be an easy task.
As is often the case in the close season, Man City have been linked with big-money moves for a number of world-class superstars. Harry Kane could be making the move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, with City the current 11/8 favourites to land the England captain’s signature. Man City have also been linked with the likes of Erling Haaland and Danny Ings.
Who Are City’s Biggest Challengers: Will Liverpool make a comeback?
Man City are the pre-season favourites, but Pep’s boys might not have it all their own way in the 2021-22 season. Liverpool could make a comeback under Jurgen Klopp, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has slowly but surely improved his Man United side. Chelsea will also want to be top dogs in England again after winning the Champions League and reaching the final of the FA Cup last term.
Liverpool Preview: Reds to bounce back?
Liverpool and Man City were involved in a stunning tussle for the Premier League title in the 2018-19 season, with City pipping the Reds to the trophy by just one point. Between them, Man City and Liverpool racked up a staggering 195 points. The following season, Liverpool won the title on 99 points.
After two seasons of utter brilliance, Liverpool struggled to live up to those dizzy heights last term. They were in a decent position to challenge for the title at the end of the year, but the Merseysiders made a woeful start to 2021, which cost them dearly in the end.
Liverpool ended up finishing a whopping 17 points behind Man City. However, a late flourish saw them finish in third and secure Champions League football. Can the Reds get back to being title contenders this season? The bookies have them priced at 5/1.
Manchester United Preview: Will Ole’s boys bridge the gap?
Man United had a good season under Solskjaer last time around. They may have finished miles behind their rivals in terms of the title race, but the red team from Manchester were certainly the best of the rest. United ended on 74 points after 21 wins, 11 draws and six defeats. They went the entire campaign unbeaten away from home.
Ole is set to bolster his squad in the summer, as Man United look to close on the gap on their neighbours. At the time of writing, only Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool are available at shorter odds to win the league, with Paddy Power offering 9/1 for Man United to win their first title post-Alex Ferguson. The Red Devils could be the team to watch out for in the 2021-22 campaign.
Chelsea Preview: Tuchel to build on last season’s success?
Seeing how Chelsea build on last season could be one of the most fascinating facets of the 2021-22 Premier League season. Apart from a couple of iffy results here and there, Tuchel worked wonders in his first six months at Stamford Bridge. After finishing runners-up to Leicester in the FA Cup, Chelsea shocked Europe by beating Man City in the 2021 Champions League final in Porto.
Despite a loss at Villa Park on the final day, Chelsea snuck into the Champions League places by finishing in fourth. With a full season in charge, can Tuchel take the Blues to Premier League glory? They are the second favourites with the bookies before a ball has been kicked, with Paddy Power offering just 9/2.
Man City players to watch out for in the 2021-22 season: Will Foden shine again?
Phil Foden has now established himself in Man City and England’s team after a stunning rise to fame at the Etihad. When Guardiola said that City already have a direct replacement for David Silva in Foden, not many people believed the Spaniard, but the young Englishmen is now a vital cog in City’s machine.
As we mentioned, Foden was named the Premier League Young Player of the Year last term, and the attacker will no doubt have another fine campaign at the Etihad in 2021-22.
Ruben Dias settled into life at Man City with incredible aplomb. The defender put in several Man of the Match displays in his first year in England, being named Premier League Player of the Season at the end of the campaign. Dias was also named in the PFA Team of the Year. The Portuguese is set to go from strength to strength while under Guardiola’s tutelage.
Our Manchester City Predictions: Guardiola’s superstars to retain their crown
Judging by how dominant Man City were last term, the current champions will be the team to beat in the Premier League this season. United can build under Solskjaer, while Liverpool and Chelsea could be Man City’s closest challengers.
However, the champions have the best squad in the Premier League, which could be bolstered even more before the 2021-22 season kicks off. If they do manage to add Harry Kane to their ranks, City’s firepower will be the envy of all other 19 clubs.
Retaining the Premier League trophy will be No. 1 priority for Pep, but he would love to finally win the Champions League, especially after missing out at the final hurdle last term. With such a formidable squad, the Manchester outfit will no doubt be strong in the domestic cup competitions once again, also.
We are anticipating another thrilling season in the Premier League, but we also fancy Man City to keep hold of their title and win the PL for a sixth time. Paddy Power have City priced at 4/6 to lift the trophy.
