Posted by Branham Biggers

Balotelli.  Tevez.  Bellamy.  Adebayor.  Santa Cruz.  Mancini.  I wondered how in the world all of these egos could co-exist at one club, and why in the world would that club want to put up with all of the drama that would accompany this lot.  Then it hit me.  Brilliant.  Manchester City is actually targeting a new demographic of fan:  the 18-49 year old female viewers in the United States, as two of the longest running Soap Operas in television history have been cancelled by ABC.  "One Life to Live" and "All My Children" have been shown TV's version of a red card, but never fear, there will be more twists, turns, laughs, tears and rocky relationships at the Eastlands this year than any soap opera could provide! 

Joking aside, Manchester City fans are teeming with optimism entering the 2011-2012 campaign.  Last season was mission accomplished.  The trophy drought was halted with the winning of the FA Cup, and the ultimate prize of the Champion's League was obtained with a third place league finish.  Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi group have the deep pockets to splash the cash, and the pieces have been put in place to make a run at the Barclay's Premier League crown this time around. 


Players In: Sergio Aguero-ST (Atletico Madrid)  Costel Pantilimon-GK (FC Timisoara) Stefan Savic-CB (Partizan Belgrade) Gael Clichy-LB (Arsenal)

Players Out: Michael Johnson-CB (Leicester City, Loan) Jerome Boateng-RB (Bayern Munich) Jo-ST (Internacional) Shay Given-GK (Aston Villa)

Rumored In: Just about every big name footballer on the planet, but the ones with some traction are Samir Nasri-CM (Arsenal) or Wesley Sneijder-CM (Inter)

Rumored Out: It's no secret that Emmanuel Adebayor (Real Madrid) Craig Bellamy (Cardiff) and Roque Santa Cruz are not in Mancini's plans for the season, so City might have to find a team willing to take them on loan.  But the biggest question of all is the status of 2011 captain Carlos Tevez, who kissed the Man City badge last year during a campaign that saw him tie for the Golden Boot with 20 goals in the league.  Can Mancini make nice, or will Tevez be off to Inter Milan?


Key Players:  Joe Hart-GK (Can Hart continue to improve and mature, as last season saw him rise to the number one spot for both club and country.)  Vincent Kompany-CB (The Belgian will need to be the stalwart that he has shown in the past, and be the leader that City needs, now that he has been given the captain's armband.  No more mistakes like the one that led to Nani's winner in the Community Shield.)  David Silva-F (The Spanish playmaker will need to do exactly that, as that is the one area that City do not have much depth.  They posses a ton of brawn and strength in the midfield with De Jong, Toure and Barry, but in order to break down opposing defenses, Silva will be required to thread passes and supply the attack.)  Mario Balotelli-ST (There is no question as to the talent this young Italian possesses, but there are a million questions surrounding his mental make up.  If Roberto Mancini can somehow keep Mario calm, the sky is the limit.)  Sergio Aguero-ST (The son-in-law of one of the all-time greats, Diego Maradona, joins the Blues this year, and could provide a boatload of goals, depending on how quickly he adjusts to the Premier League.  His arrival is of added importance if Tevez ultimately departs.)


Snapshots: A few quick facts about all things Manchester City:
Club was founded in 1880 as St. Marks, and became Manchester City in 1894.
Song of Choice:  "Blue Moon"
Owners:  Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi Investment Group.
Stadium:  City of Manchester Stadium, known as "Eastlands"
League Titles:  2 ('37, '68)
FA Cup Titles:  5
League Cups:  2
Community Shields:  3
European Cup-Winners Cup: 1 (1970)


All the ingredients make for what could be a fantastic season this year for Manchester City.  With the expectations of the fans, and those of the owners, nothing short of a serious push for the League Title and a strong European run in the Champions League will be tolerated.  Even Soap Operas have happy endings from time to time, and this could be the year of the Blue Moon Rising.  Can City survive the drama?  Unlike the two unfortunate soap operas, there is no chance City will be cancelled this year!  Stay tuned for all the drama.

My prediction:  City finish 2nd in the league (Close, but not quite), and make the quarter-finals of the Champions League.


Thanks for checking this out, and I'd love to hear your predictions as well.  Don't forget to follow me on twitter:  @branhambiggers