Visit of Manchester City may provide early clues to Chelsea puzzle

LONDON : Predicting what to expect from Manchester City as the new Premier League season kicks off is simple but figuring out the jigsaw puzzle that is their opening opponents Chelsea has left fans and pundits scratching their heads.

Some clues might be on offer at Stamford Bridge on Sunday when manager Enzo Maresca picks his first competitive line-up after yet another summer of mind-boggling spending.

Around 160 million pounds ($205.10 million) has been splashed out on players such as winger Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers, midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City and goalkeeper Filip Jorgenson from Villarreal.

The list of players signed since owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly took charge of Chelsea in the middle of 2022 now stands at around 40 with a total spend of some 1.3 billion euros ($1.43 billion).

Directing a huge squad proved beyond Mauricio Pochettino for the majority of last season before an impressive end to the campaign hinted at the identity he had been seeking to forge.

But then Pochettino was replaced by Italian Maresca and Chelsea fans will hope that things fall into place quicker this time.

"It is a complete guess but I am going to be wild and say Chelsea will sneak in, in fourth place," former Chelsea player and now BBC pundit Pat Nevin told the BBC. "If you take last season as a whole, it could be anything again this time."

A visit from City, who are beginning their quest for an unprecedented fifth successive English title, will certainly focus minds at Stamford Bridge.

City have been quiet in the transfer window but their first-team squad, relatively small at 27, is tried and tested and tipped to once again set the benchmark high.

The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 4-4