Manchester City Aim To Hold Off Big-Spending Pretenders To Premier League Crown

08.08.2023 - 07:05 sports.ndtv.com

Manchester City begin the defence of their Premier League title away to newly-promoted Burnley on Friday as Pep Guardiola's men look to hold off an ambitious group of challengers to their crown as English champions.

Arsenal and Manchester United have spent big to try and end their long wait for a league title, while Liverpool and Chelsea are expected to bounce back from last season's disappointment.

But another transfer window of major investment by English clubs has been overshadowed by the lavish sums luring even some of the Premier League's best talent to Saudi Arabia. City still the benchmark City not only won the Premier League for a fourth time in five years last season, but completed a treble of FA Cup and the club's first ever Champions League.

Maintaining his side's hunger is the task awaiting Guardiola, but the Catalan coach is confident City will rise to the challenge of becoming the first side to ever win four consecutive English top-flight titles. "We have done it in the past, why should we not do it now?

Football Arsenal Manchester City Declan Rice Kai Havertz Mateo Kovacic Aaron Ramsdale Ilkay Gundogan Britain Croatia Saudi Arabia

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City are judged differently to other clubs on the subject of transfer spending, arguing they would be "killed" if they splashed out as much money on new signings as Chelsea have over the last 12 months.

Super Cup Success Does Not Mask Cracks In Manchester City's Facade

Manchester City's treble winners have added more silverware to their collection, but a UEFA Super Cup victory over Sevilla only exposed some cracks in Pep Guardiola's squad ahead of another demanding campaign. Sevilla had begun their campaign last weekend with a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Valencia and finished 12th in La Liga last season. But the Europa League winners should have picked up another European trophy in Athens. Youssef En-Nesyri's header powered the Spaniards into a first-half lead, but the Moroccan was guilty of missing two huge chances when one-on-one with Ederson after the break.

Arsenal launch Premier League title bid as Newcastle hit Villa for five

LONDON: Arsenal began their Premier League title challenge by beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 on Saturday as Alexander Isak scored twice in Newcastle’s 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa. After finishing second to Manchester City last season, Arsenal have splashed over £200 million ($254 million) on new signings to try and claim their first title for 20 years. Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber all made their debuts at the Emirates and Arsenal should have had a far more convincing scoreline to show for their performance.

Why Was Kick-Off Delayed For Arsenal's Premier League Game vs Nottingham Forest?

Arsenal edged out Nottingham Forest 2-1 in their Premier League opener on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners took control of the proceedings after Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka found the net in the first-half. Mikel Arteta's men, however, saw an nervy end to the match after Taiwo Awoniyi pulled one back for the visitors with just seven minutes of regulation time remaining. But, Arsenal, who finished second last season, held on to get the new season off to a perfect start.

Burnley vs Manchester City, Premier League: When And Where To Watch Live Telecast, Live Streaming

Manchester City kick-off their Premier League title defense away at newly-promoted Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. Pep Guardiola's men head into the new season on the back of Champions League-winning campaign, and hope to become the first team to win four back-to-back Premier League titles. Following the departures of Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, City have signed the Croatian duo of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic from Leipzig and Chelsea, respectively. Burnley, on the other hand, return to the top-flight of English football after winning the Championship title last year. Vincent Kompany's men aim to burst the City bubble and get their season off to a perfect start.