Manchester City Must Use West Brom Game as Chance to Gain Title Momentum

After the highs of last season, this one has been underwhelming for Manchester City and their fans.

Out of the UEFA Champions League at the last-16 stage after defeat to Barcelona—who looked far superior over the two legs—they're also lagging behind Chelsea in the Premier League. Add to that their two disappointing domestic cup exits, and a murky picture emerges.

Their manager, Manuel Pellegrini, has taken much of the blame, but the problems appear to run a little deeper.

Their squad needs an overhaul, with too many of their top players close to 30 and heading past their best. Youth and pace are what this side needs desperately, with players who can come in and re-energise a squad which has appeared to lack desire in recent months.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Whether some of that youth and pace can come from within remains to be seen, with the likes of Angelino, Brandon Barker and Marcos Lopes emerging as contenders for involvement in the squad next season.

City also need an injection of world-class talent, though—the kind they haven’t recruited since the Roberto Mancini era.

The club’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, will be looking to improve his performance as well.

In an interview with the Bluemoon podcast this week, Henry Winter, the chief football correspondent at The Telegraph, said if he were to grade Begiristain on the job he has done, he would give him six out of 10—a fair reflection, some would say, of the quality of his summer spending.

Given the lack of available alternatives to take over from him, it seems increasingly likely the club may stick with Pellegrini for another season, with the Chilean set to be given an opportunity to prove this season was a blip rather than anything more intensive.

It’s arguable he deserves it after the brilliance of last season, something he has seldom received enough credit for.

If Pep Guardiola was available this summer, things would very likely be different, but his contract with Bayern Munich runs until June 2016 and he recently told reporters he will fulfill his current agreement.

Carlo Ancelotti may well end up being the most attainable top-class manager, but he would represent another short-term option—not a manager who will lay the foundations for years of success. He has an excellent record in the Champions League and is capable of getting the best out a squad like City’s, but he doesn’t tick the “holistic” approach the Blues’ leadership see as so important.

What’s of the utmost importance for City and Pellegrini now is to finish this season as strongly as possible and then execute a summer of intelligent spending, addressing the problems with the makeup of the squad.

Catching Chelsea, who are six points clear having played one fewer game, seems a remote possibility, but finishing second and laying the foundations for a better campaign next season is vital.

And the game with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday provides City with the perfect chance to kickstart that process. The Baggies have predictably looked a much better side under Tony Pulis, but City are far superior and need to show it.

According to the club's website, City are without Yaya Toure, who has an Achilles problem, while James Milner and Aleksandar Kolarov are also struggling to be fit.

Speaking ahead of the game at the City Football Academy, Pellegrini said, “All the Premier League are very difficult games. For different reasons, you have five or six very strong teams. Other teams are not at that level but when you play against them, they have good players, strong players. That is the case with West Bromwich.

“Of course it is not the best moment to play because we don’t have 72 hours to recover. We must try to have an effort to have the whole team fresh. We are going to refresh the whole team mentally because it is a very hard week and physically because we don’t have enough time to prepare this game.

“It is very important to have a big game and score at the beginning. I don’t think the support of the fans depends on if we are going to score early or not. I feel the fans support us during the whole year.”

It’s been far from a vintage year for Pellegrini and his players, but finishing this season in form and performing better in the summer transfer window is imperative.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.