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Paul Merson has dismissed Man City’s chances of winning the Premier League title this season.
Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Merson said that he didn’t see Enzo Maresca’s side as genuine contenders even before the news that Rodri could be sold to Real Madrid, but the Spaniard’s departure may make things even more challenging:
“You’re still selling one of the best players in the world. I don’t think Man City will win the Premier League this year anyway.”
“They didn’t win it last year with the best manager in the world. They were only ever in the title race because Arsenal had a bad three weeks.”
The bookies disagree with Merson
While the former Arsenal midfielder has already written off Maresca’s men, the bookmakers deem them as second favourites to finish in top spot behind the Gunners.
The majority of betting firms have priced City at around 11/4 to win the title. Those are longer odds than the reigning champions – who have been priced as short as 6/4, but they are still given a much better chance than Liverpool (5/1), Manchester United (6/1) and Chelsea (8/1).
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How will Man City cope without Guardiola AND Rodri?
As Merson points out, though, the club has lost the “best manager in the world”, and a lot will hinge on how Maresca fills Pep Guardiola’s shoes.
It’s an unenviable task, and if Italian does get off to a slow start, there will be a lot of pressure on him.
Rodri’s exit will certainly not help Maresca’s cause either, although the additions of Elliot Anderson and (potentially) Ayyoub Bouaddi will undoubtedly soften the blow. There are plenty of question marks about the team as we embark on a new era.
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