What Will Be Manchester City's Strongest Defence in the 2015/16 Season?

As Manchester City’s preseason preparations get underway in Australia ahead of the new season, Manuel Pellegrini will be focused on fine-tuning his side in order to avoid a repeat of the disappointment felt in 2014/15.

Given his side’s success in his debut year in charge, the last campaign will be seen as a step back by Pellegrini, whose own job came under serious doubt before he oversaw a six-game winning run that arrested a dreadful run of form.

A repeat simply will not do. With Pep Guardiola’s deal at Bayern Munich set to expire next summer, City’s directors would surely look to replace Pellegrini with the former Barcelona man if this season sees similar failure at the Etihad.

The signing of Raheem Sterling from Liverpool is a vital one, but much more is needed to bring City’s squad back in line with the club’s ambitions. Expect more incomings soon.

Aside from transfers, Pellegrini will be desperately looking to find the right formula in defence, an area of weakness for City at times last season. They looked unsettled and shaky way too often, with some of the division’s weaker sides allowed too much joy against the City back four.

Eliaquim Mangala was signed last summer for significant money, but a nervous start to life as a City player led to his position in the side becoming insecure. He was in and out of the team before Vincent Kompany’s injury, and poor form at the backend of the campaign saw him given an unbroken run of starts. In that six-game run, he looked far more settled, but overall, he will look back on his debut campaign in English football as a mixed one. 

Mangala was signed as a long-term partner for Kompany, but neither performed consistently well in their first year together.

Mangala struggled to adapt initially and was let down by some underperforming players alongside him, while Kompany’s form collapsed spectacularly. The Belgian, for so long the most consistently brilliant defender in English football, found himself woefully below par, too easily dragged out of position and overeager to make unnecessary challenges.

It left the 34-year-old Martin Demichelis as City’s best-performing defender by some considerable distance. He signed a new one-year deal at the club towards the end of last season and his presence will be welcome again in the coming year. He remains a calming, steadying influence, whose reading of the game and quality on the ball have seen him become one of City’s best pound-for-pound signings in recent times.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

However, given his age, he was expected to be phased out of City’s first XI plans by now. Pellegrini will want to see evidence of the Kompany-Mangala partnership developing into something solid and reliable, having been neither last season.

For that to happen, he must give them a chance to play together for a sustained period. It's a huge risk. Demichelis is the safest pair of hands in the short term, but Pellegrini knows that Kompany and Mangala are a potentially excellent pairing for the future. 

They are similar in style—proactive, aggressive defenders—but that doesn't necessarily mean they can't strike up an effective understanding, given a run of game in tandem. 

Kompany is a wonderful professional, and with a full summer of rest to refocus and return to full fitness, City will be expecting to see him back to his best in the new season. 

"

First day of training was a Manchester classic. Lots of running, lots of raining. Nice to be back still! #MCFC pic.twitter.com/Q6I6B5MDIh

— Vincent Kompany (@VincentKompany) July 7, 2015"

Pablo Zabaleta remains City’s clear first-choice right-back. Bacary Sagna was brought in last summer to provide solid cover, which he has, but the Argentinian’s place in the club’s best XI is secure.

Sagna was criticised in some quarters, but given the irregular nature of his appearances, he can consider his form of last season decent. Zabaleta, though, offers so much more going forward and is therefore a much more valuable option. 

At times, Zabaleta looked to be suffering from tiredness, which is understandable since he had been overused by City over the previous two seasons and helped Argentina to a World Cup final in the summer. This year's Copa America won't have helped, but he remains one of the most consistent defenders in City's history and a firm fan favourite. 

Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press

Left-back is a much closer call, with Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov vying for supremacy. Both are inconsistent and neither are world-class. It is Clichy, though, who offers the most and would surely be part of City's best back four. 

City may look to address the area in this transfer window, but as of yet, there’s been little speculation linking them to left-backs. Clichy is defensively much more astute than Kolarov, but the Serb offers better deliveries from wide areas. 

It is probably Clichy's pace that makes him the better choice. Pellegrini will look to set his side up to attack quickly, playing on the break at speed when necessary. Clichy, a more naturally gifted footballer than Kolarov, fits the style more comfortably. 

City's First-Choice Defence:

Zabaleta—Kompany—Mangala—Kolarov 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.