Breakdown, Preview and Predictions for Manchester City's 2012-13 Season

Manchester City captured their first league championship since the 1967-68 season and the team's stacked squad will certainly challenge for another English Premier League title in 2012-13.

Roberto Mancini's tactics and Sheikh Mansour's pockets have turned City into a powerhouse, and the team has spectacular talent all over the pitch.

The roster was virtually untouched over the summer, and Mancini's men will be back to torch Premiership defenses once again this year. The team's talented attack will analyzed as part of my final EPL preview.

Here is a breakdown of the defending EPL champions' upcoming campaign. 

Transfers In, Transfers out

Transfers In	Transfers Out
Jack Rodwell	Vladimir Weiss
	Greg Cunningham
	Owen Hargreaves
	Stuart Taylor
	Wayne Bridge (Loan)

Key Additions

Jack Rodwell

Rodwell is a bright young talent with the potential to be a dominant defensive center midfielder in the future. He is an excellent tackler and smooth passer. 

The 21-year-old struggled to stay on the pitch last season due to injury, but his inclusion in the lineup will not be crucial for Manchester City. If he is fit and healthy, he will be used on occasion. If he isn't, the team will be fine with the players they used in the middle this past year. 

Rodwell cost £12 million and was well worth the investment. He has plenty of upside and if he plays to his potential, he will be a nice addition to the squad.

This was a quiet summer for City, and it is difficult to blame them for standing pat as they already have a remarkable amount of top-class players on the roster.

It is worth noting that Emmanuel Adebayor is back in Manchester after a loan to Tottenham, but Roberto Mancini has said in no uncertain terms that the striker will not see the field for City, according to ESPN's Richard Jolly. 

Key Departures

None of the departed Manchester City players had a significant role in last season's success.

Vladamir Weiss, Greg Cunningham and Wayne Bridge have all spent multiple seasons on loan at other clubs. 

Stuart Taylor was an expendable reserve goalkeeper and Owen Hargreaves has sadly been unable to shake the injury bug in recent years.

With the exception of the occasional appearance of Rodwell, the Blues' personnel will be identical to last season. 

Biggest Matches and Full Schedule

The full Manchester City schedule is available via the team's website. Here are the must-see matches. 

Vs. Manchester United, Saturday, December 8

Typical taunts from Manchester United supporters touched on City's lack of trophies, and the Blues were able to respond this past season.

The club's supporters would love nothing more than an early-season victory over their hated neighbors in this derby. This would help prove that the balance of power in Manchester may be undergoing a more permanent shift.

City's recent rise to prominence makes this matchup the marquee event during the Premier League season and it simply cannot be missed.

Vs. Chelsea, Saturday, February 23

City splits their two league meetings with Chelsea last season, and summer signings in London will ensure that the team is even tougher to beat this year.

Roberto Di Matteo's defensive tactics will be tested against Manchester City's talented attack, and this clash of styles will produce a thrilling contest.

Chelsea will want to prove themselves as a legitimate contender for the title, and they will desperately want to defeat the reigning champions as the final stretch of the season draws nearer. This battle between Premier League titans is sure to entertain. 

At Manchester United, Saturday, April 6

Football fans are fortunate that the two Manchester clubs will put on an encore performance a few months after their first league matchup.

With the end of season creeping up quickly by the time the league's top two teams meet again, the pressure on both sides to perform will be suffocating. The teams seem to be extremely evenly matched, and their point totals are likely to reflect this.

This match may be the deciding factor over which side is able to stay strong enough through the end of the season and take the title. 

Key Players

David Silva

The midfield maestro is driving force behind Manchester City's heralded attack.

The Spaniard is exceptionally skilled with a rare ability to make pinpoint passes through the defense in the attacking third of the field. Silva recorded six goals and a Premier League-high 15 assists this past season. 

He is versatile enough to attack from either side or right up the middle of the defense. His constant movement and incredible vision is the single biggest reason that City's attack is so dangerous.

Sergio Aguero

Aguero's 23 goals this past season was more than any other player besides Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. He also was a productive playmaker, recording eight assists.

He thrived as a withdrawn striker, which allowed him to drop back toward the midfield and carry the ball at defenders. With pace, quickness, skill and a low center of gravity, the Argentinian is nearly impossible to dispossess.

At just 24 years old, he is sure to continue and possibly increase his stellar production this next season and for many more in the future.

Yaya Toure

Vincent Kompany definitely deserves recognition for the role he played last season and his importance to the team going forward, but failing to highlight Toure would be a travesty.

Few center midfielders can impact a match in as many ways as the 29-year-old Ivorian. His height and athleticism make him a capable defender, while his vision and skill make him a dangerous distributor. 

He has a complete skill set and can truly take over the middle of the pitch. His six goals, six assists and 90.5 passing percentage this past season, as noted by Whoscored.com, kept the midfield stable and strong all year. 

Strengths

Defensive Consistency

Manchester City had the stingiest defense in the league this past season, conceding just 29 goals. All four players along the back line—as well as goalkeeper Joe Hart—were remarkably consistent.

Vincent Kompany captained the team and was rock solid at the back. Joleon Lescott lined up beside the skipper and also performed admirably. Both players were disciplined in their defensive duties and were capable distributors to the midfield.

On the outside, both Micah Richards and Gael Clichy were able to threaten their counterparts when going forward, while also performing their defensive duties at a high level. Richards finished the season with five assists while Clichy recorded four. 

On the rare occasion that the back line did break down, Hart was often there to bail them out with a spectacular save. He had several top-class performances this past season and looks set to continue his fine form.

Individual Skill

The talent on Manchester City's team is truly frightening.

Among the first-choice players, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure are all incredibly capable as both scorers and distributors. They are extremely dangerous with the ball at their feet and always capable of taking a defender on and beating him in embarrassing fashion.

Then there's the host of talented players who Roberto Mancini can use as reserves. Carlos Tevez' re-emergence at the end of the season reminded the football world how dangerous of an attacker he can be. Mario Balotelli showed off his talents at Euro 2012, and Edin Dzeko is far too lethal of a striker to be the odd man out. 

There is a mind-boggling amount of skill among the attacking players, and that is why the team had the most potent attack in the EPL, in addition to the best defense. 

Weaknesses

Attacking from a Wide Position

While David Silva and Samir Nasri are exceptionally talented players, neither is a traditional winger with the pace to spread out a defense and attack up the touchline. City does not have a player like this, as Adam Johnson has failed to perform consistently when coming off the bench. 

Due to the lack of a player who draws attention on the outside, opposing midfielders can easily collapse into the the space in front of their own goal. The Blues are far too vulnerable against lesser teams who can proficiently pack the midfield and wait for opportunities on the counterattack. 

This weakness led to stretches where City's remarkably talented attackers were strangely ineffective. It also ultimately led to 1-0 losses to inferior teams like Everton and Sunderland. 

While the team's attack was effective for the vast majority of the season, the blueprint for containing their attack has been established and it may cause them to drop points in games that they should be winning. 

Away Form

City lost just five English Premier League matches and tied the same amount. Four of the five draws were away from Etihad Stadium and every defeat came away from Manchester.

Obviously, the team was stellar at home, finishing the season with an 18-0-1 record. However, the team tied with Manchester United on points and took the title due to their superior goal differential. If they had tightened up their form on the road, the tiebreaker would not have been necessary.

The experience of a thrilling title run has been added to the players' résumés, and the team should be more mature this season.

With this maturity, Roberto Mancini must hope that the players can be more consistent when traveling for league matches. 

Prediction for 2012-13

Wins: 28

Losses: 4

Draws: 6

Points: 90

Place: 2nd

Manchester City has an incredibly talented squad, but a few of the midtable teams will be able to earn positive results by playing what many consider a negative style of football. In addition, Manchester United's summer signings and intense desire to recapture the title will ensure that City does not sweep its archrival in league matches again.

In Europe, City will finally shake things up in the knockout stages. This side is comparable in talent to any team in the world with the possible exceptions of Barcelona and Real Madrid. However, inexperience in Champions League matches will lead to a quarterfinal exit.

City and United are markedly better than the rest of the competition in the Premier League and the Manchester clubs will fiercely battle for English supremacy. It will be an entertaining fight this season and for many more to come, but City will not be able to land the knockout punch in this round.

They will fall just short of consecutive league championships as United takes the title.