Premier League preview: Manchester City

Published: 09 Aug 2010 - 00:26:34

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Like the rich kid in the playground with a tower of Panini stickers for swaps, Mancini is stockpiling talent at Eastlands. Last count, there were 38 listed in the squad on the club's website and he's still afterBalotelli and Milner. Will the Italian manager need time for trial and error before finding the best balance or are City ready to challenge for the title? Can he keep his swaps from poisoning team spirit? What's with the new haircut?Has he got a new scarf? Such questions will determine his future. City slickers: Mancini has the talent - but can he coerce them to glory? Boss's toughest jobAs if picking his squad wasn't hard enough, Mancini now needs to keep his Eastland egos happy for a whole season. You can have too much of a good thing. Hiccup on horizonThere's only one thing certain at Eastlands. Mancini must deliver silverware this season, or the City managerial carousel could start in earnest. The 'horizon' in City terms is much closer than for most managers. The numbers game5 - Number of times City have played away (Tottenham) on the opening day in last five seasons 15 - Goals scored from corners last season, more than their rivals 18% - Percentage of shots converted in goals last campaign Alternative sponsorBP - A global takeover or just a waste of oil? Ins/Outs In - Yaya Toure (Barcelona, £24m, left), David Silva (Valencia, £24m), AleksandarKolarov (Lazio, £17m), Jerome Boateng (Hamburg, £10.5m) Out - Martin Petrov (Bolton, free), Valeri Bojinov (Parma, undisclosed), Javier Garrido(Lazio, undisclosed), Benjani, Sylvinho (both released) New kid on the block: David Silva is just one of a number of huge stars to arrive at Eastlands this summer Keep an eye out forAlex Tchuimeni-Nimely Age: 18 Position: Striker A prolific force, he moved up to the reserve team last year. Scored England's only goal at the Under 20 World Cup. Fan's viewRichard Symonds: Unless we get in a proven goalscorer I can't see us improving on our position from last season. Fans' websitewww.bluedays.co.uk Sportsmail's lowdown on all the Premier League teams