Five in Five 2013/14 season preview: The key player

Part one and two can be found here and here but today we take a look at who the key player will be for City in 2013/14.

Suffering Bruin: This is the season where we find out if Sergio Aguero is a superstar or just a good player. Part of me thinks he explodes with a much more open pitch thanks to the new signings, the new system and the overall new stress on offense courtesy of Mr. Mancrush; a 30-goal season, says part of me. But another part of me worries that because he takes more punishment than any striker in the league (just take a dive every now and again, ‘kay?) we've already seen the best of Sergio Aguero.

kmoney2405: Oh, now this is tough. There are so many players that will be key to our success this season like David Silva, Edin Dzeko (yes, I said Dzeko), Samir Nasri, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, to name a few. But, I think Aguero is the most important key to our success. He was very injury prone last season, and still is, so his health will determine the goal rate this season. If he is unable to play, I don't think Dzeko will be able to consistently give us the performances that Aguero can, and that is no knock on Dzeko.

sonics097: I think the key is going to be Yaya Toure. He is a fantastic player, obviously, but when he doesn't play well, City don't play well. I think we can get by generally when some of the other stars in the squad don't play well, but with Yaya being the center of things and playing arguably the most important role, he will be the key. With the addition of Fernandinho and a hopefully healthy Jack Rodwell, there should be more opportunities to rest Yaya when necessary and keep him fresh and in optimal condition/form for the whole season.

lafaitele: Key player for the season is going to be Yaya. I think that he's the reason we went and bought the players that we did. He's 30, and a few years left at the top of his game. In that window, the bosses wanted to be able to compete for titles on multiple fronts. That's my reasoning for why we bought slightly older players like Fernandinho, Navas, and Negredo. They want to win now, with Yaya as the key man. He will run our team this season. For a man who averages a pass per minute (making him one of the top passers in all the top leagues in Europe), he'll be more important this season than ever. As he goes, so does the team. If he's locked in and driven, everyone will follow.

Harkiano: The usual suspects stand out really, Hart, Kompany, Toure, Silva, Aguero and also now Navas because of the variety his style of play will offer. For me though, as is so often the case David Silva will be the main man. When he is on song and playing well, City play well. Hopefully the added flair and creativity within the squad will ease some of the burden on him so he can become even more influential than he has been previously.

Zac MacPhee: I'm tempted to say Hart because he wasn't very good last season and didn't renew confidence in the preseason, but I just think it has to be Fernandinho. I thought the worst City performances last season came during (and because of) Yaya's worst performances. In the past, City's transitional phase has been far too reliant on Yaya to carry the ball from the defensive to the offensive phase of play. In the title winning year, this wasn't as much of a problem as Yaya was in tremendous form all year, but last year it became a significant worry as his performances were continually inconsistent and underwhelming. Fernandinho changes all of this. Equally capable of carrying the ball in that transitional phase and bodying off opponents in midfield, the Brazilian brings the quality that will allow Yaya to do less - which will ultimately bring the best out of him.

Danny Pugsley: With the addition of Fernandinho and potential breakout eason from Jack Rodwell Yaya Toure could have a huge impact in 2013/14 as this should see him afforded more attacking licence. However, after a dip in 2012/13, largely due to injury, and with Carlos Tevez's goals having gone to Serie A Sergio Aguero could be key in City rebounding from the drop in chance conversion a year ago.

shuddertothink: Running late. Fernandinho is a tempting pick but I'll go with Aguero. City really missed his goal scoring and the threat he provides and the fear he instills in opposition defenses. A return to full fitness and form should see City increase their goal tally. Aguero is the perfect foil to either of the big beasts who will start alongside him.