IT IS often said that the hardest part of winning the Premier League is retaining it the following year. The drive, hunger and motivation to go again is difficult to replicate. Not to mention you now have a massive target on your back as everyone raises their game for the champions.

But with that being said, Manchester City have little excuse for another poor title defence — if you can call it that.

Their summer transfer window was quiet by their standards. The team didn’t need an overhaul but one or two quality additions to keep the squad on its toes were needed.

Eliaquim Mangala was signed from Porto for £32 million and looked out of his depth all season. His teammate Fernando was also brought in for £12m and did OK but City needed more than that.

Frank Lampard came in on a six-month loan from New York City, who are owned by City vice-president Ferran Soriano.

Many believed that it was highly convenient that Lampard joined the MLS club only to end up back in the Premier League but with the US season starting later, it made sense for Lampard to stay in England.

But problems arose when the former Chelsea midfielder scored on his debut, against Chelsea, and proved that he still had what it took to play at the highest level.

All of a sudden, the six month loan was extended until the end of the season which caused outrage in the States.

Supporters of the newly-formed club had purchased season tickets on the expectation that Lampard would be there.

The club had paraded him as a key player but bowed down to pressure from their parent club and allowed him to miss their opening fixtures.

Ironically, the midfielder spent most of the season on the bench. Used in a cameo role, Lampard failed to live up to the high standards he had set at Chelsea.

Factor in the shocking decline of captain Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero’s constant injuries and Yaya Toure going missing for large parts of the season the champions failed to keep up with the pace Chelsea set in the second half of the season.

On New Year’s Day both sides were joint top, tied on points and goal difference. Come the end of the month, Chelsea had opened up a five point lead.

But after defeats to Liverpool, Burnley, Crystal Palace and neighbours Manchester United, City were sitting in fourth, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea and were wondering if they would be in the Champions League the following season.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini was under extreme pressure to keep his job and there was talk that academy manager Patrick Viera would take the reins until the end of the season.

Fortunately for the former Real Madrid manager, United collapsed and allowed them to surge up the table back into second.

Though they finished the season eight points behind the league winners, it was a very poor season by their standards.

Knocked out of the Carling Cup by a young Newcastle team, the FA Cup by Championship side Middlesbrough and the Champions League once again by eventual winners Barcelona the Citizens finished the season empty handed.

Pellegrini managed to keep hold of his job, party because Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola is unavailable, but he is on borrowed time.

Raheem Sterling was spoken about at the end of the season as a possible addition to an ageing squad but Liverpool have rebuffed their initial efforts to sign the winger.

But from what was on display at the City of Manchester Stadium last season, it may be time to rip this team apart and start again with a younger and more hungry batch of players.