In recent years, the Premier League has been dominated by the "Big Four":  Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.  Liverpool's struggles in recent years has opened the door for a brief appearance by Tottenham, and ultimately a visit by Manchester City last season.  With Arsenal currently in disarray (some would say crisis), Manchester City look to have solidified their place in what might now be considered a "Big Three":  Man Utd, Chelsea and City.  City's big spending and recent success have brought a spot in the Champions League, an FA Cup title and a squad that is richer and deeper than any other in the league.  The recent acquisitions of Dzeko, Silva, Toure, Johnson, Aguero and others ensure that City are virtually two deep with quality International stars at every position, but no transfer may prove to have a more profound effect on the power shift at the top of the league than bringing in the French playmaker Nasri.

Not only did City bolster their squad by adding Nasri, but they drastically weakened one of the annual contenders for the league, Arsenal.  The departure of Nasri dealt a blow to Arsenal's squad, their perception to other players, their team morale and to Wenger's way of doing things.  In a matter of days, Arsenal lost two of their three best players, with former Captain Cesc Fabregas returning to the team of his youth, Barcelona, and Nasri joining City.  This leaves questions in the air surrounding the new Arsenal captain, Robin Van Persie, and just how long he might choose to stay in London.  Losing Fabregas was not a shock, as he has made it clear that his intentions were always to return to Barcelona.  But losing a young player with the quality of Nasri, to one of your main rivals, who states that he is leaving for the desire to win trophies, is something that never would have happened in years past.  This will have to make us look hard at the top of the league, and possibly realize that the power shift has indeed taken effect.

City are playing such an attractive brand of football right now, that their two most recent signings have had no problems adjusting to life in Manchester.  In his debut, Sergio Aguero scored two goals and had an assist after coming on as a sub in City's opening game, a 4-0 thrashing of Swansea City.  Nasri made his first appearance in City's third game, the 5-1 tonking of Tottenham at White Hart Lane, where Nasri created chance after chance, and finished the game with 3 assists.  Not a bad first time out for a playmaker.  Those two games sandwiched City's 3-2 win at Bolton in a very exciting contest, which means City have played three, and won three, with a combined score of 12-3.  This puts them tied at the top of the table with 9 points, only trailing Manchester United by one in goal differential.  And with Edin Dzeko currently in top form with 6 goals in those three games, including an astounding 4 against Tottenham, City are firing on all cylinders right now. Next up is Wigan after the International break, and City will continue to look for maximum points with another victory.

Another exciting front for City is their inclusion in the Champions League this season, where they were drawn into what appears to be the toughest group by far.  It will be amazing to watch this group unfold, and see if City can find a way to advance to the knockout round after competing with Bayern Munich, Villareal and Napoli.  City's squad depth and focus will certainly be challenged, and it will be of utmost importance to maintain their momentum and not take the foot off the gas as they compete in multiple competitions.  Their Champions League campaign will kick off with their first game at home at the Eastlands versus Napoli on September 14, then they will travel to play the German power Bayern Munich on September 27.

The future remains bright for Manchester City, and it's getting brighter all the time.  The shift in power is here.  The Summer of Samir has begun.



Thanks for checking this out, don't forget to follow me on twitter:  @branhambiggers


Cheers!