The Fall of Two Giants? Why I'm Worried About Man City and the Boston Celtics

Man City

I'm writing this post on 21 August, and the Premier League is starting today. I grew up watching Man City play every weekend in the Premier League, those nighttime games in Singapore where Sterling would miss open goals, Aguero would score from anywhere and everywhere, and Kevin De Bruyne would play with 20/20 vision.

However, this is the first season where I'm genuinely terrified and have no expectations. This is the first season without Pep, without veterans, and without club legends anymore. Our Ballon d'Or winner Rodri left for Barcelona, and Bernardo Silva, KDB, John Stones, and Ake have all left. That iconic treble-winning Champions League team only has Haaland and Grealish left.

This team, on paper, doesn't scare anyone anymore. Yes, we have Haaland, Doku, and Semenyo, but there are no superstars on the team except Haaland and Donnarumma.

Enzo Maresca is taking over Manchester City, and I have no idea how he will do. I think my biggest concern is that if we do horribly this season, Haaland will leave, and if he leaves, there's no coming back. Hope is not entirely lost, but it all depends on players who have consistency issues performing massively. Foden and Grealish can't start the season off weak. Elliot Anderson has to make an impact quickly, and Rayan Cherki has to be the creative outlet once again, because we are lacking in that department.

Not only that, our signings this season have been horrendous. Getting rid of Marmoush, Savinho, and Reijnders was kind of stupid because we don't have any backups. Marmoush was a decent backup. Savinho, I understand, because he has no output. But Reijnders only played one season; he didn't even prove himself.

This is the first year where I don't have any expectations. If we finish fourth, I think I'll be happy with that. If we win the Premier League, I might be a little surprised. However, Enzo Maresca has a really tough job because this is no longer Pep's team. All the players from that era have left, and now it's up to Maresca.

He needs to cook in the remaining transfer window, figure out a system, and get some results. If not, the downfall of Man City might start.

Boston Celtics

Growing up, I never followed the NBA. However, after moving to Boston, I started supporting the Boston Celtics, and for three years now, I can proudly say I will support this team for eternity.

It's funny how, in sports, everything can drastically change in one year. Two years ago, we were NBA champions. Then Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles, and we lost Jrue, Porzingis, Horford, and now Jaylen Brown.

Again, similar to Man City, this new Celtics team doesn't scare me. I mean, JT has a lot to prove as he is now the star player. We have a 38-year-old Paul George, who might struggle with injuries and consistency; Derrick White, who is still an elite championship guard; Mike Conley, another 38-year-old player who has experience but shouldn't be a starter; Payton Pritchard, an amazing player who has to perform massively given the lack of talent in the squad; and Mitchell Robinson, who needs to be a great lob threat and make some free throws.

The reason why Celtics fans are pissed, scared, and not enthusiastic about the future is that we don't have a future. We don't have a game plan. Getting rid of Jaylen Brown for Paul George and making them a title-contending team is stupid. The team lacks stars who are in their prime. The team lacks championship DNA. How are they supposed to go against the 76ers, Knicks, Spurs, Thunder, etc., when all their rosters are stacked?

I personally don't see how the Boston Celtics will win a championship when last season, we lost to the 76ers because we lived and died by the three, and we had JT and JB. I'm concerned. The future does not look good, and our only savior is JT having an MVP-caliber year.