With another season of the English Premier League done and dusted, what do the top six teams of the most recent campaign need to do ahead of things kicking off again in a few months?
Where they stand
What more can be said about City’s season?
Finishing with a record-breaking 100 points, the Citizens’ only losses were to Liverpool and a late-season loss to United, and they made the quarter-finals of the Champions League, once again losing to Liverpool.
Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling stood out among a team of superstars who all performed brilliantly.
This season cannot be considered anything but a smashing success, as they consistently looked like the best team in the league, and even the world.
Their success, coupled with the youth of their side means Pep Guardiola’s side could not be in a better position moving into the 2018-19 season.
What they need
There are currently no clear weaknesses in this side, however there are still areas they could improve, particularly regarding squad depth.
The defence has been much stronger this year and has plenty of depth, with Jesus and Bernardo Silva coming off the bench in attack there seems to be quality backup there too.
However, both Fernandinho and David Silva contribute to an ageing midfield and, while they might last another season or two, will need quality long-term replacements.
Furthermore, with Yaya Toure seemingly on the outer, Guardiola needs to make some midfield signings to boost the side, if not least to provide quality backup for the hectic Champions League schedule.
Besides that, Guardiola just needs to hold on to his stars, something City have the finances to do.
Where they stand
Despite missing out on the FA Cup, the red side of Manchester experienced a solid season, with improvements across the park resulting in a second-place finish (to a brilliant City team), a disappointing round of 16 loss to Sevilla in the Champions League, and significantly improved results against top teams.
While their style of play might not always be pretty, Jose Mourinho has been getting the best results since the Alex Ferguson era and the performances of David De Gea, Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba highlight the team’s quality.
However, question marks remain around a defence consisting of ageing fullbacks and inconsistent centrebacks. Furthermore, Jose’s style has drawn many critics, as highlighted by unexpected losses to teams like Sevilla, Huddersfield and Brighton.
What they need
The imperative for Mourinho is to sure up the defence, with long-term fullback replacements and a more consistent centre half being on the wishlist.
In the midfield, a more defensive-minded midfielder is required in order to release Pogba’s attacking prowess, as he is currently held back by defensive duties.
In attack, United must avoid losing their two best young talents, in Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, both of whom look to be on the outer. If they do leave (with Martial looking more likely), quality replacements must be signed.
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Where they stand
Tottenham had another solid but slightly disappointing season.
Finishing third, they were once again unable to step up to the next level and challenge for silverware, going out in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, the round of 16 in the Champions League, and failing to mount a successful title challenge.
Once again, their defence was consistently solid, however it was the performances of superstars Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen who propelled the squad forward.
However, many believe this Spurs squad to have reached their ceiling.
What they need
There are no obvious weaknesses in the Spurs squad, however transfer movement is expected, with rumours of multiple exits.
For Spurs to make the jump to the next level, Mauricio Pochettino needs to sign replacements that are not only going to be solid, but will win them silverware. In the past two years, they have bolstered their squad with decent and young players, but Daniel Levi needs to shell out the money to buy a legitimate superstar who will take them to the next level.
(Sidenote: success at the World Cup for a Spurs-dominated England side will go a long way to improving their winning mentality.)
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