Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards believes Pep Guardiola will be desperate to reclaim the Premier League title this season.
City endured a rough season last year as they missed out on the Premier League title to Liverpool, who finished 18-points clear of them.
But with the signings of Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres already this summer, it is clear the Etihad club mean business.
And Richards believes the Blues and their boss will be firing on all cylinders when they kick-off their new campaign on Monday, September 21 at Wolves.
“City's football under him has been majestic and it's puzzling how a squad packed full of world-class stars lost nine league games and ended up 18 points behind Liverpool,” the former City star told the Daily Mail.
“Guardiola will be desperate to wrestle the title back. The title race will be tighter this season.”
While Richards also believes Phil Foden has what it takes to fill the void left by David Silva.
He said: “Let's stop the talk about Foden being one for the future. This is his time, this is his season He is not here to replace the departed David Silva, he's here to write his own story.
“Foden will be playing regularly for England in 12 months. We know about his special ability and already have seen enough glimpses of it.
“I have no doubt he is ready to shine — for Pep Guardiola and Gareth Southgate.”
