Premier League team guide: Manchester City in the spotlight

Manchester City cemented their status as club football's strongest side with a historic Treble triumph last term.

Pep Guardiola's squad became legends by lifting the Premier League, FA Cup and an elusive Champions League crown, with Erling Haaland's freakish debut campaign parachuting the Citizens to new heights.

Now, after the celebrations have finally died down — and a summer of high-profile outgoings and incomings — they will look to repeat the feat. 

Last season: Champions

Having endured last-day drama in 2021-22, City's fifth title win in six seasons ended up being achieved with relative comfort.

That was not the case for a while, however. 

While the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea toiled last term, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal emerged as genuine contenders and had even moved eight points clear at the summit by mid-January.

But City produced one of their now notorious surges to the finish line, stringing together a 12-game winning streak to seal the trophy with three matches to spare.

Haaland's 36 league goals (52 in all competitions) rightfully saw him showered with accolades, including Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and Golden Boot.

New faces

Guardiola has never been one to stand in the way of players wishing to move on from the Etihad and two key figures have already exited this summer.

Skipper Ilkay Gundogan joined Barcelona and Riyad Mahrez sealed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, while rumours still persist about the futures of Bernardo Silva, Aymeric Laporte and Kyle Walker.

Meanwhile, two Croatians have joined the Treble winners — Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic and RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol both look excellent additions to a quality-laden squad.

One or two further arrivals look likely before the window slams shut, particularly in wide areas following the departure of five-time Premier League winner Mahrez.

One to watch: Rico Lewis

In a group crammed with superstars, Rico Lewis's emergence during 2022-23 was as surprising as it was impressive.

Handed an unexpected debut in City's second Premier League outing against Bournemouth, 18-year-old Lewis went on to rack up 23 senior appearances across all competitions.

Born in Bury, the academy product is looking to emulate fellow local hero Phil Foden and his composed performances at full-back no doubt made Guardiola's decision to loan out the unsettled Joao Cancelo significantly easier.

Clearly trusted by his manager, another stellar campaign could have the youngster knocking on the door of Gareth Southgate's England squad ahead of Euro 2024.

The boss: Pep Guardiola

There are few superlatives that have not already been sent the way of Guardiola, who continues to build further on an already assured legacy as one of the game's greatest tacticians.

While he stays in Manchester, the good times look certain to keep on rolling — and sadly for the chasing pack, the Spaniard seems content to stick around for a while longer yet.

Speaking prior to the Community Shield, he told reporters: "If the hierarchy are satisfied, I'm still satisfied. 

"I want to defend what we won and maybe at the end of the season, if I am tired, we could talk with the club — or maybe extend more."