‘Not in my lifetime’, quipped Sir Alex Ferguson, after being questioned whether United would ever head into a Manchester derby as underdogs, in September 2009.

How wrong he was. Since that famous quote, City (with the help of Pep Guardiola) have transformed the landscape of modern day English football, dominating the division, winning four of the last 5 Premier League titles. Add 2 Fa Cup triumphs, 6 League Cups and a Champions League final appearance to the ever growing collection of achievements at the Etihad and it’s fair to say the Mansour families ambition to transform the Citizen’s into a titan of world football is almost complete.

In recent years, only Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have been able to contend with Guardiola and City’s consistent class on the pitch, off the pitch, it’s a similar scenario. Both clubs boast this summers most exciting signings in young strikers Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez, suggesting both managers aren’t going to take their foot off the pedal anytime soon – if rival clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs don’t take urgent action, City and Liverpool look likely to leave the chasing pack behind once and for all disappear into the horizon.

The sale of Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal is certainly unexpected yet the fact Guardiola wasn’t afraid to drop the Brazilian and play without a striker in big games last season, coupled with the bonus of Haaland’s arrival means fans needn’t worry about losing such a high-class forward anytime soon. City haven’t had an out and out centre forward in the peak of his powers since Sergio Aguero, it’s fair to say injuries limited the Argentinian’s opportunities under Guardiola since his arrival – not that it mattered, he still left City as the clubs all time leading goal scorer in 2021.

Haaland has a big job on his hands to fill the void left by Aguero – yet he’s still only 21, and 62 goals in 67 Bundesliga games playing for a below-par Borussia Dortmund side is a frightening return. At 6ft 5, the Norwegian is a rare example of both strength and speed – he’s great in the air, wonderfully effective as a holding striker, yet lethal on the turn with no problem finding either corner, with either foot too.

There are some players who’s transition into Premier League football appear effortless, a sure-fire investment guaranteed to reap the rewards of its risk. Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Luis Suarez, and of course Aguero himself spring to mind. Expect Erling Haaland to follow suit and emulate his explosive start in Germany by beginning his career in England in statement making mood, especially when you take this city squads chance creation stats into consideration – the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden must be licking their lips.

Kevin De Bruyne was mesmeric last season. The brilliant Belgian was City’s main man, 3.6 chances created per 90 minutes in the league helped his team mates thrive in the final third, a staple of the midfielders game – yet sparkling post-festive period form helped De Bruyne hit his highest goal return yet at 15, single handedly driving City to within touching distance of the title. We’re accustom to the ridiculousness of the Belgian’s passing palette by now, but as De Bruyne settles into his prime – performance levels have peaked – with Haaland in front of him, it’s hard to see anyone else holding the award for most assists at the end of the season, but can he beat his record tally of 20?

It’s not just Haaland causing ruptures either – the low key arrival of tenacious young Argentinian Julian Alvarez adds pace and promise to a front line already boasting several world class players heading into their prime years of their career. With rumours circulating around Raheem Sterling’s future at the club, perhaps Guardiola has big plans for Alvarez, a seamless transition into life as a premier league footballer would make matters much easier for the Spanish manager if Sterling is to leave the club – after all, 13 goals and 5 assists last season is still an excellent return for the English winger – if he does fall out of favour at the Etihad, you’d understand if he felt somewhat unjust and decided to push for a move, especially given the prospect of a World Cup in November – he’d be a massive loss too. On the flip side, if he does stay, much like Kevin De Bruyne, the introduction of Haaland brings an extra body to pick out up top and could see Sterling’s assist numbers sky rocket on the wing.

A player that will definitely be missed at the Etihad is long-serving defensive midfielder Fernandinho. The Brazilian was one of the league’s best holding midfielders since his arrival from Shaktar Donetsk in 2013, and departure back home to Brazil leaves City with a gap in midfield when the ever-present Rodri is unavailable/injured. Despite a significant loss in experience, Fernandinho’s performances last season were nowhere near the usual standards set by the Brazilian after nearly 10 years playing at the highest level – Vinicius Junior tore him apart in the first leg of City’s champions league semi final against Real Madrid. Evidently, his time had come, so City fans shouldn’t be too worried with life after one of their most influential, senior players – especially given the fact his immediate replacement has already been finalised in the form of Kalvin Phillips.

Phillips is a defensive midfielder with a superb passing range and great tactical awareness. On the pitch, his style bears an alarming resemblance to a young Fernandinho – whilst he may not expect to start every week, his inclusion in the squad is still an important addition across all competitions. Having said that, City cherrypicking the best players from mid table teams to sit on their bench is awful for the competitiveness of the Premier League and is a direct consequence of the 5 subs rule. You’ll start to see a lot more top clubs hoarding players for squad depth and lesser clubs like Leeds who are now without their most important player will find it continuously tougher to sustainably compete in the league.

Undoubtedly, the gap between the best and the rest will continue to widen in the coming years, and City are certainly the very best this country has to offer – for no matter who dons the sky blue shirt on match day, so long as they have Pep Guardiola in the dugout the upper hand is there’s. A serial winner blessed with true footballing genius – the Catalonian is the most influential manager of his generation – 33 titles in 14 years as a manager is a formidable record, given he’s expected to stay at the club until at least 2025, clearly more is yet to come.

Liverpool have pushed them hard in recent seasons, last season the Red’s were playing from a different planet – yet still couldn’t keep up with City’s relentless dominance in the league. Whilst Liverpool haven’t really improved this summer, City have bought well to make petrifying adjustments to a starting eleven that was already tearing through the division. The Citizen’s will start their race for a fifth title in 6 years with a tricky test at West Ham, but a debut goal for Erling Haaland seems inevitable.

Expect a strong start as per usual from City – fixtures could mount up pre World Cup but a well-earned rest for key players missing Qatar like Ruben Diaz, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Haaland himself should see City race clear post Christmas. It wouldn’t surprise me if the chasing pack struggle to compete with Guardiola’s men after this winters World Cup tournament – the doubt for sky blue fans is still how they fair on the European stage, given Guardiola’s failure to capture the club’s first Champions League trophy.

Nevertheless, another Premier League title remains a formality. They notched 99 goals last time out, a scary return – with Haaland up top, who knows how many they’ll score this time out. Forget any final day dramatics on the closing day of this season, City should have this one wrapped up in April.

Verdict: 1st