Not for the first time, Manchester City put together a measly defence of their Premier League crown last season.
What made that so surprising was the fact that much of the squad at Manuel Pellegrini's disposal had also won the title back in 2012, so the disappointment can not be put down to a lack of experience in that department.
Now, the pressure is on to mount a serious challenge, as well as finally making their mark in the Champions League.
Can Pellegrini and his players live up to those demands? Here, Sports Mole assesses whether or not the Citizens have what it takes.
In
Enes Unal (Bursaspor), David Faupala (Lens), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Patrick Roberts (Fulham)
Out
Scott Sinclair (Aston Villa), James Milner (Liverpool), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Angelino (New York City, season-long loan), Micah Richards (Aston Villa), Karim Rekik (Marseille), Stevan Jovetic (Inter Milan), Edin Dzeko (Roma)
Last season - 2nd
Manager - Manuel Pellegrini
© Getty Images
Managers may be sacked all too hastily in this day and age, but the fact that Pellegrini has remained in his position is a major surprise. Last season his team finished eight points behind champions Chelsea, were knocked out of the Champions League at the first knockout round stage, and exited the domestic cups at home to Newcastle United and Middlesbrough. In short, it was a largely miserable campaign for the Chilean.
To the shock of many, the 61-year-old has been retained. He has also been backed financially, with Raheem Sterling arriving for just shy of £50m. Taking all of that into consideration, he will be expected to deliver trophies this time around. His trophy record was not the greatest before arriving in England, but having won the Premier League and League Cup since then, he's shown that he is capable of leading teams to success.
Key Player - Sergio Aguero
Quite where City would have been without the Argentine last term doesn't really bear thinking about. He may have missed a six-week period over Christmas through injury, but his 26 goals made him the Premier League's leading goalscorer while his eight assists could not be bettered by any of his teammates.
On his day, there are perhaps no better strikers in world football than Aguero, who at the age of 27 should be hitting his peak years - a worrying prospect for opposition defenders. While his clinical touch in front of goal is what most people tend to admire, it's his movement off the ball that truly catches the eye. If Aguero can play the majority of his side's matches this term, they will have a very good chance of regaining the title.
© Getty Images
Possible starting lineup
Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy; Toure, Fernando, Silva, Nasri, Sterling; Aguero
First game: West Bromwich Albion (A), Full fixture list
Sports Mole says
While having a centre-forward of Aguero's quality always helps, he cannot do it all on his own. Last season City's other strikers - Edin Dzeko, Stevan Jovetic and Wilfried Bony weighed in with four, five and two goals respectively. Granted, David Silva and Yaya Toure both reached double figures, but more is needed from Bony, with the other two strikers having departed. Goals will also be expected of English-record signing Sterling.
What was also disappointing in 2014-15 was the form shown by Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, both of whom have been key players since their arrivals. Assuming that they can rediscover their displays of previous campaigns, coupled with help for Aguero, City should be in contention. However, whether they have enough to wrestle the title away from Chelsea seems unlikely at this present moment in time.
Prediction - 3rd
Liam Apicella
