Milner: City are there to be shot at

James Milner expects it to be even tougher for Manchester City to defend the Barclays Premier League title than it was for them to win it – and feels confident the team are ready to make the step up to another level this term.

After they secured their first top-flight championship for 44 years in May in the most dramatic fashion, the task of keeping hold of the trophy begins tomorrow for City when they get their 2012-13 league campaign under way by hosting newly-promoted Southampton.