--- title: "Opposition View: Manchester City" canonical: "https://readeverton.com/opposition-view-manchester-city/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Rhodri Cannon" section: "Other" published: "2015-08-21T11:17:03Z" modified: "2015-08-21T11:35:58Z" --- # Opposition View: Manchester City Ahead of Everton’s huge clash with Manchester City on Sunday, we caught up with Read Manchester City editor Josh Lawless for some insight on Kompany and co. *1. Give us your assessment of Manchester City’s pre-season/season up to now. Where have you improved from last season? Where do you expect to finish?* Pre-season is always a strange one really. Many believe that it’s more about match rhythm than performance and so I think that’s applicable to our pre-season campaign. It was mixed with wins over inferior opposition bu also included tough games against Real Madrid and then Stuttgart, who provided City with a real tough test with their high-energy style. There was lots of concern from our first half display against Stuttgart where we found ourselves 4-0 down and regularly pulled apart. But it seems to me as though we have really upped our game since then, in terms of preparation and intensity. We eased past West Brom with a 3-0 win and blitzed last season’s champions Chelsea by the same margin. We seem more balanced and have had a near-perfect start. I genuinely believe that the Chelsea win proves we a better equipped for the task at hand this season and could pip Chelsea to the title. *2. Thoughts on Manuel Pellegrini?* ![Alex Livesey/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readeverton.com/readeverton/2015/08/484222662.jpg) I, like many City fans, am a big fan of Pellegrini and the way he goes about his job. He’s the ideal character for a big job, keeping the headlines off the pitch rather than what happens behind the scenes. And to his credit he’s also a great coach. The team struggled collectively for large parts of 2014/15 but I’m happy that we’ve stuck with him and handed him a new deal to quash the Guardiola talk. He’s already tweaked things tactically and we look fresher this time around. *3. City have already made a few waves in the transfer market. What do you make of their new signings and what other business do they need to do?* It’s turning into a fairly impressive window for the club. Much of the emphasis on the Sterling signing was placed on his price tag but I think he is an entirely necessary addition. Delph provides an another option in midfield and will fill the void left by James Milner and possibly Lampard too. Patrick Roberts and Enes Unal are being bought for the future whereas the recent addition of Otamendi is an exciting one, strengthening the squad even further. Kevin De Bruyne would be the icing on the cake. 4\. *How do you view Everton?* There was a time where Everton were an absolute pain to play against, especially at Goodison. For a good few years we always struggled and were always outdone, with Cahill or Fellaini enjoying playing against us. But in more recent years we’ve got a pretty good record against Everton and despite the quality you possess with Barkley, Lukaku, McCarthy and co, we should look to make it three wins out of three. *5. How do you expect Everton to do this season?* I expect Everton to improve on last season’s disappointment and get closer to the level reached in Martinez’s first season at the helm. With a couple more additions, I think they could finish in the top five/six. *6. What do you make of Roberto Martinez?* ![Chris Brunskill/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readeverton.com/readeverton/2015/08/4833892901.jpg) Martinez is a really talented coach, with bright ideas and an admirable approach to football. He’s assembled a nice team at Everton and is an advocate of promoting youth players into the first-team picture, which I like a lot. He is definitely the right man for Everton at the moment. *7. Which 3 Everton players would you take back to the Etihad given the chance?* I’m not sure how much football they’d get in our side but if I had to pick it would probably be the trio of Barkley, McCarthy and Stones. *8.Which City players should Everton be wary of on Sunday?* ![Alex Livesey/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readeverton.com/readeverton/2015/08/4842339181.jpg) Aguero is the best striker in the league and could have had about five against Chelsea but for some inspired goalkeeping and bad fortune. He’ll be looking to kick on, as will David Silva, who looks better than ever in his favoured role. I’m not sure whether Nicolas Otamendi will start the game, but it will certainly be worth keeping an eye on him. *9. And who will away fans fear in a blue shirt?* Lukaku is always a threat against us and Barkley has looked sharp in the new campaign, so I’m hoping those two have a quiet game. Ex-United man Cleverley is surely bound to score against us. *10. Likely City team and score prediction?* City team: Hart, Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Yaya, Nasri, Silva, Sterling, Aguero. 2-1 City.