Manchester City are title favourites says Martin Demichelis
Monday 10 August 2015 23:27, UK
Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis believes his side are favourites to regain the Premier League title, reports Sky Sports News HQ's James Cooper.
It has been a summer of mixed emotions for the Argentinian defender.
Live Ford Monday Night Football
On the field, he and his compatriots made it to the final of the Copa America, only to be defeated by hosts Chile on penalties, while off it he married his long-time partner in Buenos Aires before returning to his Cheshire home to prepare for his third season in English football.
What those preparations have not involved this pre-season is any match action. Demichelis is one of four members of Manuel Pellegrini's squad who were given three-and-a-half weeks rest after the Copa America and have undergone a separate regime ahead of the return of the Premier League.
A sign of just how important the 33-year-old has become to the side is the award he picked up this week at the club's now traditional pre-season celebration CityLive.
Demichelis played more minutes on the pitch than any other City player last season but, after surrendering the Premier League crown to Chelsea, is determined to bring the trophy back to the blue side of Manchester.
His grasp of English is certainly improving but, speaking with the aid of a translator back stage at Manchester Central, he told me: "There are tough teams every year involved in the fight and what we want to do is beat them so we know that teams such as Chelsea, United and Arsenal are going to be there.
"We will fight against them and our intention is to win, yes, we are favourites."
Demichelis proved his quality and his credentials in his first season at the Etihad.
After a difficult start he became a popular and key component of Pellegrini's squad, going on to win the Premier League and League Cup in his first season in England.
As another campaign beckons, with an opening game at the Hawthorns against West Brom, he is tipping his defensive team-mate Eliaquim Mangala to blossom in the months ahead after an uncertain start to his Manchester City career.
"It is normal that he had this first season but he is young, he has the qualities and he will have chances to grow up," he said.
"I felt in the same way when I went from Argentina to Bayern Munich where sometimes you have good games and sometimes they weren't as good.
"He has the capabilities to keep improving and to do so over a sustained period of time, he'll keep playing in important games and I think he'll do great."
Another player Demichelis believes will make a major impression on Manchester’s footballing landscape, albeit on the red side of town, is a former Bayern Munich team-mate who signed for United this summer, Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The pair spent six years playing alongside one another in Germany, winning four League titles, and Demichelis even named his son Bastian.
So what about the transition from the Bundesliga to the Premier League for the former Bayern midfield general who is hoping to become an Old Trafford idol?
"It's true that maybe the two leagues have similarities but I don’t think he needs time because he’s a great player anyway," Demichelis said.
"He grew up in a club where he knew he needed to win every game he played so I’m sure he’ll be up for the challenge. He’s proved himself over the years; he’s one of the best midfielders in the world both for Bayern and the national team.
"He's a very good friend and I wish him the best, of course, until we face him but he's a great player."
City boss Manuel Pellegrini, who has now signed a one-year extension to his deal at the club, told me that his players were "hungry and angry" after finishing eight points behind Chelsea in last year's race for the Premier League crown and it is a sentiment that the defender who followed him from Malaga to Manchester, via Madrid, fully supports.
"We left in a way we didn’t like, we could have made it, we weren’t as regular as we were in the previous season," he said.
"We have the quality and we are a good squad and we want to bring all this energy back onto the pitch this season."
And it is this season that is at the forefront of Demichelis’ thoughts as he embarks on what could be his final campaign in England.
He signed a one-year extension to his Manchester City deal in March this year but certainly does not want to talk, publicly, about where he will be this time next year and what he will be doing.
"I'd say that the Premier League is one of the most difficult leagues but also one of the most attractive leagues at the same time," Demichelis said.
"Any team can beat any team, there aren’t big differences between the big and the small teams. I’m happy to play here, I’ve had two years which I’m happy about now I have the third to enjoy myself. I love my job. I love this game."
And like his Argentinian team-mates Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis is loved by the Manchester City faithful.
And it may well be that it is his exploits in the season ahead that will determine just what the future holds for the man who has won league titles in Argentina, Germany and England.
Watch Manchester City's Premier League clash at West Brom on Monday Night Football, with live coverage underway on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm.
