Manchester City: 7 Players Who Must Step Up for Sky Blues to Repeat as EPL Champ

Well, so much for the idea that Manchester City would just waltz to another Premier League championship.

Manchester United laid quietly in the weeds for much of the summer transfer period, only to lunge this week and grab the biggest prize. Robin van Persie will wear red this season, but he will do so at Sir Alex Ferguson's instruction and not for Arsene Wenger.

For that matter, snicker all you like at the ongoing drama surrounding Chelsea, but Roman Abramovich's squad is the defending Champions League winner and figures to be better off with Roberto di Matteo starting the season at the helm than they were last season, wondering for most of the year when Andre Villas-Boas would be sacked.

Roberto Mancini has his hands full with the task of defending last season's title. Here are seven key players he will need huge efforts from to fulfill that goal.

Vincent Kompany

There is no shortage of star power on the City squad, but the most important player on the team is its captain and primary defender, Kompany.

The degree to which City depends on Kompany was never more clearly demonstrated than in January of last season's campaign. Kompany was sent off against United in an FA Cup match, which triggered a four-game suspension.

Ten-man City lost that United match, then promptly lost at home to a Liverpool side that, candidly, did not belong on the pitch with them. 

When Kompany was absent, City was compelled to rely on the likes of Stefan Savic and Gael Clichy to play way over their heads...with decidedly mixed results.

Kompany must stay healthy, and stay eligible to play, for City to have reasonable chance to repeat.

Sergio Aguero

In a season where Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez (more on them shortly) grabbed so many headlines, City's leading scorer with 23 goals was Aguero.

Including, you might remember, the goal that won the title.

City needs Aguero to score goals again this season, certainly. As much City needs his goal-scoring, though, City more decidedly needs Aguero to maintain his status as a top-flight player that Mancini can count on not to go off the boil on a weekly basis.

Carlos Tevez

It was quite a season for Tevez, who, despite learning that he would never play for City again in November 2011, nonetheless assisted on Samir Nasri's game-winning tally against Chelsea in March 2012.

Sometimes, they come back.

Indeed, there was Tevez playing for City in the Community Shield this past Sunday. If you missed it, you missed the answer to the question "why does City put up with Tevez?"

Because he does things like lashing a curving rocket from the edge of the area into the top corner of the net. That's why City puts up with Tevez.

If City gets a semi-sane season from Tevez, who was an afterthought for most of the title campaign, the Premier League will surely take notice.

Yaya Toure

Strikers are fun to have around, for sure. But so is a LeBron James-esque wonder of size, strength and speed patrolling the midfield.

After Kompany, the most indispensable player on the City side is Yaya. Watching him play in midfield is rather like watching Tom Brady play quarterback or seeing Felix Hernandez pitch.  

The game just seems to slow down around Yaya, who, upon gaining possession of the ball, has an air of control that seems to dissuade opposing players from trying to take it away from him. Or even to get too close to him, for that matter.

And for good measure, when the moment gets dire, Yaya is often the man in the right place at the right time, scoring, for example, the goal that wins the FA Cup, or even the one that snatches a draw from defeat.

Mancini needs Yaya to stay fit. It is a precarious problem, because what Yaya needs is regular rest, but the side is not nearly as good without him.

Joe Hart

If there were any questions about Hart before last season started, they were all answered in the 2011-2012 season.

Every important game City played—and when you win the title on goal difference, they're pretty much all important—saw Hart standing between the posts, often steadying City's intermittently dodgy defense.

While United continues to fret over the courage of David de Gea, City enters the 2012-2013 campaign with full belief in Hart.

The only problem for Hart may be that, given how strong he was last season, improvement will be hard to come by.

Mario Balotelli

The primary difference between Balotelli and Tevez for Mancini last season was that, while Tevez was only around for about half the season, Balotelli was there all season, wreaking havoc both good and bad.

Balotelli was a lethal penalty taker all season, which is an invaluable skill for a team that draws as many penalties as City does.

But then, anyone who is capable of blowing up his own bathroom is pretty well capable of anything. Balotelli also accumulated yellow and red cards at an alarming rate. Having him on the pitch is alternately thrilling and terrifying for City and for its opponent.

Mancini needs Balotelli to decide early on whether he is going to help or hurt City this season. City would arguably be better off having Balotelli prove himself completely unreliable early on as opposed to late in the season if that is how it is ultimately going to go.

Of course, City would take another Balotelli season like the last one, the good and the bad, if it led to the same ultimate result.

David Silva

Goals are exciting, saves can be thrilling and even vital clears of opposition corners can be invigorating.

But the "did you see that?" pass might be the best part of the Beautiful Game, and no one hits the "did you see that?" pass better or more often for City than Silva.

Silva's playmaking is best compared to that of Steve Nash in basketball, or perhaps Wayne Gretzky in hockey (when he played.) Other-worldly vision, perfect pace and placement of the ball, and bereft/confused reactions from defenders are all on full display with Silva on the pitch.

Silva must stay healthy and unselfish. The latter will be easier to achieve than the former.