Allardyce reverses City title prediction after Maresca's shaky Premier League debut

Manchester City began the Enzo Maresca era with a nervy 2-1 comeback win over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on the Premier League’s opening weekend, but the three points have done little to silence doubts about their title credentials — including from one high-profile pundit who has already reversed course.

Marcus Tavernier put the visitors ahead before Josko Gvardiol equalised for City. It took a 92nd-minute Marc Guehi goal to finally seal the win and hand Maresca a winning start in his first competitive match as manager.

Sam Allardyce, who had backed City to win the league before the season began, has since changed his mind. Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, the former Premier League manager said: “I initially said Manchester City would win the title, but thinking about it a little bit more, it’s a big change of manager that they’ve had to go through. I now think Arsenal will do it.”

Allardyce added: “There’s no guarantee Arsenal win the Premier League, but there’s no challenger to them this season.”

The scale of City’s summer overhaul helps explain the shift in sentiment. Alongside the departure of Pep Guardiola, the club have lost Bernardo Silva, Rodri, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Savinho, Tijjani Reijnders and James Trafford, with only Elliot Anderson and Geronimo Rulli arriving as replacements so far.

Maresca acknowledged the upheaval before kick-off. “It’s clear that there are changes: manager, players,” he said. “We are a club that cannot wait to compete; we need to compete from day one.” He also set out his ambition for the campaign: “The target is to carry on in the same way as the last 10 to 15 years.”

Reigning champions Arsenal, meanwhile, opened their title defence with a commanding 3-0 win over Championship winners Coventry City on Friday night. Manager Mikel Arteta struck a confident tone ahead of the new season. “I feel good, different, hopefully better. I’m more excited than ever, hungrier than ever,” he said.

Asked what it takes to retain a title, Arteta pointed to consistency: “Those teams have an incredible quality, which is to maintain the standards daily at the highest level. It is an opportunity that we have. I have no question that our players have that desire and the ambition to do that.”