Manchester City's Predicted Starting XI for the 2019/20 season
Pep Guardiola's team created history by becoming the first men's team to win a domestic treble in English Football. Their run in the Premier League was perhaps the most fascinating, as Liverpool pushed them until the last day for the crown.
Despite defending his league title, Guardiola was not satisfied, because the UEFA Champions League eluded him once again. The Spaniard has not won the coveted trophy since 2011 and last season too, even for all the brilliance in his team, they were undone by a spirited Tottenham side in the Quarterfinals.
Manchester City, as such, was expected to invest heavily in the squad once again this summer, however, the Champions have made just a couple of smart additions to the team. Most notable have been the arrivals of Rodri from Atletico Madrid and Joao Cancelo from Juventus.
City have been impressive in pre-season and have already won the Community Shield after defeating Liverpool on penalties. Guardiola will have an image of his team-building in his mind and today, we take a look at Manchester City's most probable starting XI for the 2019/20 season.
Goalkeeper - Ederson
The goalkeeping department is secured at Manchester City, with Ederson narrowly missing out on the Premier League Golden Glove last season. The Brazilian is key to Pep Guardiola's style of play at City and is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. He likes to initiate attacks from the back and quite often last season, his long balls caught the opposition off guard.
Ederson found a place in the PFA Team of the year last season and should be looking forward to another stellar year between the sticks.
Left Back - Oleksandr Zinchenko
Benjamin Mendy's injury-prone time at the Etihad would have caused Pep Guardiola a lot of concerns, however, the emergence of Oleksandr Zinchenko last season has eased the Spaniard's worries. The Ukrainian will be expected to take the majority of the responsibilities once again this season, as Mendy recovers from his knee injury.
Zinchenko, even though primarily a midfielder, has looked the right fit for the left-back job last season. Pep Guardiola also has the option of utilizing young Spanish left-back Angelino, who is back with the club this summer.
Right Back - Joao Cancelo
The arrival of Joao Cancelo from Juventus on deadline day means that Kyle Walker has some serious competition for the right-back position. The Englishman does have that odd mistake on him, a reason why Pep Guardiola was desperate to bring the Portuguese to the Etihad. Cancelo is better suited to the Spaniard's tactics compared to Walker, which means that he will ultimately become the first choice for the right-back role.