Safe hands
The Shrewsbury born stopper is without doubt the best keeper in the league. Unfortunately, City's failure in European football has prevented Hart's name from being categorised in the same group that the likes of Buffon, Casillas and Neuer inhabit.
Confidence has never been an issue for Joe and over-confidence has been cited as a reason for his 'dodgy' 2012/2013 campaign. However, despite a number of mistakes (most notably his butter fingers in the 1-3 loss to Southampton), England's No.1 picked up his third consecutive Golden Glove, so it's not all that bad.
With Pantillimon heading to Hull, Hart will have to welcome another competitor to his starting place between the City sticks. It's a big season for the 26 year old, but I expect him to prove he's head and shoulders above the rest once again next season. (No pun intended).
Pablo Zabaleta
Blood, sweat and tears
The man who's blood runs blue tied the knot with his second love this week, his first being Manchester, of course. The Argentine was deservedly named in the PFA team of the year and ran away with City's player of the season award after a series of whole-hearted, action packed performances for the blues last season.
Manuel Pellegrini's men are set to play with an unfamilar width next season as suggested by the recent capture of natural winger Jesus Navas which could see Zaba doing a bit more defending than attacking. Either way, we know what we're going to get from Pablo, and I doubt we'll be disappointed.
Vincent Kompany
Commandment and solidity
It's no surprise that Captain Fantastic has been targeted by a number of clubs this summer. The new rich kid on the block Monaco are said to be interested in the Belgian defender and links with Barcelona refuse to go away. Nevertheless, Vinny plans to stick with the side that he has guided to three trophies in three years with the aim of bringing more silverware to the Etihad.
It's hard to believe that our 'puny little club' owns one of the world's best centre halfs, but it's true. If it wasn't for Thiago Silva, Kompany would be number one on the list of striker's worst nightmares. Remarkably, neither were included in FIFA's world team of the year!
Matija Nastasic
An old head on young shoulders
When the 20 year old Serbian signed for City last year as part of an exchange deal involving Stefan Savic, fireworks weren't exactly being set off in response. Who would have thought that a year later the £8million man would be considered as the best young defender in European football?
Nastasic added an essential composure to the back four, especially when Vincent Kompany wasn't present, and quickly established himself as one of the most trusted centre backs in the Premier League. With him and Vinny commanding our back four next season, Hart could be in for a quiet campaign.
Gael Clichy
Pace, experience and stamina
With so many stars featuring in City's back line last season, Gael Clichy's contribution to our incredible defensive record has gone relatively unnoticed. The Frenchman may not be entirely comfortable going forward despite his blistering speed, however, he definitely knows how to defend and rarely comes second in a tackle.
Other than Ashley Cole, it's hard to name a better left back in the Premier League and the trustworthy Toulouse born boy will be just as essential in City's back four as Vinny, Nastasic and Zaba.
Jesus Navas
Blistering pace, width and an eye for a pass
It's about time City signed an out and out winger and there's not much better on the market than the son of God. The Spaniard has possibly deterred clubs from moving for him in the past by making his tendency to get home-sick public, but that doesn't mean that clubs haven't been interested.
Although Navas is known primarily for his pace, the ex-Sevilla man also knows how to thread through that perfect pass much like his fellow Spain international David Silva. City have been crying out for a natural winger for years now and Navas, who created more goalscoring chances than anyone else in Europe last season, is the perfect man to bring in.
Yaya Toure
Pace and brutal power
With Fernandinho now on board, Yaya won't be the only man in the team juggernauting his way through opposition midfields. The Ivorian's form fluctuated last year from absolute brilliance to disinterested lethargy, however, no one can deny that when Yaya turns it on, he's the best in the business.
His commitment to the club was thrown into question at the end of last season when his troublemaking agent tried all he could to earn Yaya a few more pennies, luckily for us, he signed a new four year contract in the aftermath which will keep him at the club until 2017. With a bit more effort next season, he could be the man that propels City to their next Premier League title.
Fernandinho
Box to box play and a fearsome shot
The £30m capture of Shakhtar Donetsk's Fernandinho has been met with mixed opinions. Why would City spend that amount of money on a relatively unproven 28 year old who has only been capped for his country 5 times? The reason, I hear, is because he's pretty damn good.
The Brazilian blames his lack of international caps on a Brazilian bias against the Ukrainian league and has cited his desire to play in the famous yellow shirt as the main reason for his move to England. The Ashley Cole lookalike even parted with £4m of his money to make sure the move went through and Jamie Redknapp reckons he could be 'the signing of the season'!.
David Silva
Passing perfection and pure magic
For any player, it'd be difficult to replicate the form Silva hit in City's 2011/2012 title winning campaign. He started last season with a bit of a whimper, and his happiness in Manchester was consistently questioned as his form began to slump. The Spaniard answered his critics in typical Silva fashion; with his feet on the pitch.
The second half to his season was unrecognisable to the first and he ended up knocking up a respectable 8 assists and 4 goals. With a new manager in place, especially one that speaks his language, I'd expect the Spanish magician to light up the league once again.
Isco?
Composure, outrageous skill and all round 'unbelievable tekkers'
Anyone that has been watching the U21 Championships will know that Isco is a must buy. Both us and Real Madrid have submitted a formal bid for the 21 year old and a decision on his future is imminent after he guided Spain to yet another cup on Tuesday night.
He's cited Manuel Pellegrini as his 'footballing father' and has said he would be 'happy' to follow the Chilean to his next club. Fortunately for us fans, that club is Manchester City and it's looking likely that we'll be introducing yet another Spaniard into the squad in the near future.
Sergio Aguero
Precise finishing, speed and skill
With Carlos Tevez on his way out and Edin Dzeko's future still unclear, Sergio Aguero will be leading City's line next season. His talent is undeniable, but he'll have to improve on his slightly disappointing tally of 17 goals last season to impress his new manager.
There's no doubt that Aguero is one of the most feared strikers in world football and it's likely that he'll be given a lone role up front next season to prove how good he really is.
