Why Manchester City Will Be Chelsea's Biggest Rivals in 2013-14

Chelsea are heading into the 2013-14 season as the favourites to win the Premier League title. The return of Jose Mourinho has lifted the mood at the club and has restored faith in their ability to challenge for major honours, but Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has other ideas.

Nicholas Godden of Goal.com has reported that the Chilean tactician believes his squad, bolstered by the addition of £90 million of talent this summer, is the best in the Premier League.

They certainly have greater strength in depth throughout the squad. Chelsea have plenty of options in their attacking midfield, but injuries to two centre-halves could potentially give Mourinho a major headache. Pellegrini’s defensive cover is a lot stronger, and overall his squad has more proven talent than Chelsea’s youngsters provide.

The sky-blue half of Manchester also have an easier start to the season than their rivals. Chelsea have to travel to Manchester United and Tottenham before the end of September, while City only have the visit of the crosstown rivals to contend with in the same time frame.

Although City's preseason form has not been as spectacular as Chelsea’s five wins in six matches, Pellegrini will have been buoyed by their performance in the 5-3 win over AC Milan. Their 50-percent record will have highlighted the areas that need work before the start of the season proper, and the amount of hype surrounding Chelsea will allow City to get on with their preparations in relative peace.

It would be easy for Chelsea to get carried away on a wave of positivity and become complacent, giving City an advantage in what is likely to be a far more competitive Premier League season. However unlikely it is that Mourinho would allow such a lapse, the Blues should be wary of City to avoid ending up in the same situation as United found themselves in in 2012.