MANCHESTER CITY PREVIEW: Pellegrini will have to find gold blend to bring silverware back to the Etihad

Club at a glance

Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Captain: Vincent Kompany
Ground: Etihad Stadium
Capacity: 47,405
Last season’s finish: 2nd
Official club website: mcfc.co.uk

Story of the summer…

New manager Manuel Pellegrini has continued the City tradition of splashing the cash, but the Chilean made his signings early. Despite an outlay of more than £90million, Pellegrini has had plenty of time to work with his new players, which could prove vital if City are to make a good start.

Manager’s main challenge…

Fulfilling Ferran Soriano’s promise. City’s chief executive said the club should win five trophies in the next five seasons, so Pellegrini will want to make a good first impression. As ever at the Etihad, there is no shortage of talent, but blending them into a winning team is the key. 

Splashing the cash: New boss Manuel Pellegrini has spent more than £90m this summer

Hiccups on horizon…

An expensively assembled squad will be difficult to keep happy. Squad rotation will become an issue but with no Carlos Tevez or Mario Balotelli, Pellegrini will have fewer dressing room egos to look after. 

First name on the team sheet…

Vincent Kompany – for all their attacking flair, City are more solid with their captain in the side.

Leader: City are a much better team when skipper Vincent Kompany plays

Youngster to watch...

Jose Angel Pozo Age: 17 Position: Forward Twitter: @joseangelpozo1

It was quite a coup on City's behalf to lure this highly-rated Spaniard from Real Madrid, where he failed to get any significant opportunities. A gifted forward with an eye for goal, Pozo scored five times in the NextGen Series.

Pre-season quote…

‘I know the past two years were not very good in the Champions League and I will try to improve that. That’s not the only thing, though, and I will try to get another Premier League title.’ – Manuel Pellegrini.

Top Tweeter

Fernandinho (@fernaoficial) - City’s new boy is a keen tweeter.

Big spenders: Fernandinho was a £30m investment from Shakhtar Donetsk

Ins: Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk, £30m), Jesus Navas (Sevilla, £15m), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla, £20.6m), Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina, £25.8m)

Outs: Carlos Tevez (Juventus, £10m), Kolo Toure (Liverpool, free), Wayne Bridge (Reading, free), Ryan McGivern (Hibernian, free), Roque Santa Cruz (Malaga, free), Karim Rekik (PSV, loan), Jeremy Helan (Sheffield Wednesday, undisclosed), Maicon (Roma, free), Reece Wabara (Doncaster, loan)

New kit

Following England's lead, Manchester City have ditched Umbro and switched to Nike in a deal worth £72m over six years.

But unlike the Three Lions and their 'German' strip, at least this kit won't be mistaken for their rivals, Manchester United, as this number is traditional sky blue with white and navy trim. Nike's kit is a conservative start but it looks great and proves sometimes simplicity is best. The one downside though is the ridiculously expensive price.

City have gone back to their roots for their new away strip. The club have chosen black to honour Gorton AFC, and have given a nod to Ardwick AFC with the two-tone style. The club was formed as St Mark’s in 1880 before becoming Gorton in 1884 and Ardwick in 1887.

It’s a sleek design and the gold trim is a nice touch. The shirt comes with a neat grandfather collar and the all-black kit is certain to be imposing for their opposition.

Kit cost: £55

Men in black: Jesus Navas sports City's black away kit

Stats from 2012-13 season...

• Manchester City made a higher percentage of short passes than any other team in the Premier League in 2012-13 (92 per cent).
• City had the best defensive record in 2012-13, conceding just 34 goals and keeping 18 clean sheets.
• They had the best tackle success in the Premier League in 2012-13, winning possession of the ball with 79.5 per cent of attempted tackles.
• Joe Hart made five errors leading directly to a goal in 2012-13, four more than he did in 2011-12.
• David Silva created a chance more frequently than any other regular player (every 24 minutes).
• Only Robin van Persie (27) and Gareth Bale (24) won more points with their goals than Edin Dzeko (15) in 2012-13.
• City were the only team to score in every home game in 2012-13.
• They scored 27 fewer league goals in 2012-13 than they did in their title winning campaign of 2011-12.

Gifted: City lured talented striker Jose Pozo (right) from Real Madrid to Manchester

Where do I buy tickets and how much do they cost?

Tickets can be bought through the official website, via phone, 0161 444 1894 or at the stadium box office, which is open 9-5 Monday to Friday. Tickets range from £32-£54.

Pre-season results

May 24 Chelsea (Busch Stadium, St Louis) - won 4-3
May 25 Chelsea (Yankee Stadium, New York) - won 5-3
July 14 Supersport (Loftus Versfeld) - lost 0-2
July 18 AmaZulu (Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban) - lost 1-2
July 24 South China (Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong - Barclays Asia Trophy) - won 1-0
July 27 Sunderland (Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong - Barclays Asia Trophy) - won 1-0
July 31 AC Milan (Allianz Arena, Munich - Audi Cup) - won 5-3
August 1 Bayern Munich/Sao Paulo (Allianz Arena, Munich - Audi Cup) - lost 1-2
August 10 Arsenal (Olympic Stadium, Helsinki) - lost 1-3

FULL PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

AUGUST

17: Newcastle United (h)

25: Cardiff City (a) - (Sky Sports, 4pm)

31: Hull City (h) - (BT Sport, 12.45pm)

SEPTEMBER

14: Stoke City (a)

22: Manchester United (h) - (Sky Sports, 4pm)

28: Aston Villa (a)

OCTOBER

5: Everton (h)

19: West Ham United (a)

27: Chelsea (a) - (Sky Sports, 1.30pm)

NOVEMBER

2: Norwich City (h)

10: Sunderland (a) - (Sky Sports, 2.05pm)

23: Tottenham Hotspur (h) - (Sky Sports, 5.30pm)

30: Swansea City (h)

DECEMBER

1: West Bromwich Albion (a)

7: Southampton (a)

14: Arsenal (h)

21: Fulham (a)

26: Liverpool (h)

28: Crystal Palace (h)

JANUARY

1: Swansea City (a)

11: Newcastle United (a)

18: Cardiff City (h)

29: Tottenham Hotspur (a)

FEBRUARY

1: Chelsea (h)

8: Norwich City (a)

12: Sunderland (h)

22: Stoke City (h)

MARCH

1: Manchester United (a)

8: Aston Villa (h)

15: Hull City (a)

22: Fulham (h)

29: Arsenal (a)

APRIL

5: Southampton (h)

12: Liverpool (a)

19: West Bromwich Albion (h)

26: Crystal Palace (a)

MAY

3: Everton (a)

11: West Ham United (h)

*Fixtures subject to change