Exactly a year back, Manchester City achieved the unattainable, 4-IN-A-ROW Premier League Champions, bettering their local rivals Manchester United who held the record with 3 titles in a row. Most fans and viewers would have expected a dominant season from City, but all they received were shocks and bizarre performances. City’s 2024-25 season was a joyous treat for their bitter rivals and nightmare for their fans.
An incredible run of history for Manchester City started in 2020. After being beaten in an incredible fashion by Liverpool, Pep Guardiola brought about a massive change within the dressing room mentality and tactical evolutions, focusing on his ideology of “Possession Dominance”. These changes paid off in a major way, with City reclaiming the summit of English Football. City also won the Carabao Cup, but fell short in the FA Cup where they were knocked out by Chelsea in the semi finals. City made it to the UCL Final, the first ever in the club’s 100 year history. Unfortunately for Pep and his men, they again fell short to Chelsea in a close final. Despite the final heartbreak, Manchester City’s season was deemed a great success for their League Title and Carabao Cup.
The 2021-22 season saw Sergio Aguero, City’s highest ever goal scorer, leave the club as a free agent after a decade. Most fans believed that it would be a major task for Guardiola to replace a centre-forward of Aguero’s calibre who guaranteed goals. Yet, City splashed over a 100 million euros for English winger Jack Grealish, which was quite a surprising move from the club. City’s attack seemed completed, though the centre forward position was considered a dilemma after Aguero’s departure and Gabriel Jesus’ form. Manchester City went into a fierce battle with Liverpool throughout the season, competing for the treble. Liverpool managed to win the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, whilst City lost the Community Shield final to Leicester City. Liverpool reached the UCL final, whereas City were knocked out by eventual champions Real Madrid in a dramatic UCL semi final, termed as the “Bernabeu Miracle”. Regardless of the constant heartbreaks, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City (93 points) successfully defended their league title by edging out Liverpool (92 points) in a cinematic final day drama. The season gained mixed responses from pundits and fans. Defending the league was a guaranteed success, but Liverpool’s quadruple bid and 2 trophies, overshadowed City’s season.
The 2022-23 season marked the arrival of top talents. City splashed another 100 million euros, to sign the hottest and most in form striker in Europe, Erling Haaland. They also managed to acquire Julian Alvarez, who went on to win the FIFA World Cup with Argentina later that year. Haaland and Alvarez were to compete for the centre forward void left after Sergio Aguero’s departure. City signed defender Manuel Akanji and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno to improve their squad depth. The club even let go a number of players- Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Olekzandr Zinchenko (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Fernandinho (Free Agent).
The season embarked on a slow start for the Citizens as they kept switching between 2nd and 5th on the points table. They lost the Community Shield to their arch nemesis Liverpool. But the case of Erling Halland was completely different. The Norwegian striker broke the record of being the fastest player to complete 3 hat-tricks since their premier league debut. A hat-trick against local rivals Manchester United made the fans believe they had the rightful heir to Aguero’s throne.
Manchester City managed to stroll through all the obstacles and win the FA Cup against Manchester United. A slip from Arsenal towards the end of the season saw City grab their 3rd straight Premier League crown. City also managed to overcome Real Madrid in the UCL semi finals, wherein they put in a generational performance of 4-0 defeating the then holders. Manchester City became 2nd English club and 8th overall to win the Treble after Rodri’s strike saw them get the better of their biggest challenge of winning the European pinnacle against Inter Milan in the final. A massive success for Pep Guardiola as he had achieved the biggest promise of his Manchester project and became the first manager ever to win 2 trebles with two different clubs. City could officially be termed as the “Best Football Club” in the world at the conclusion of this season.
The 2023-24 season saw the departure of club captain Ilkay Gundogan as a free agent. The club won their first ever UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla after a penalty shootout. Midfielder Cole Palmer, who scored City’s only goal in the final against Sevilla, was shipped off to London to sign for Chelsea. The club cashed out on Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli), Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr) and Joao Cancelo (Al Hilal) for lucrative deals. Post the departures, City acquired a number of high profile players- Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku.
The season came with higher and bigger expectations. Manchester City were expected to have a great season and continue their dominance. The club won their first ever FIFA Club World Cup, completing their trophy cabinet. The club reached a point, at which they were the holders of 5 trophies simultaneously. Their great season extended to winning the Premier League, 4-times in a row, making them the club with the most consecutive years of winning the league, bettering Manchester United’s 3-peat. Sadly for City, they crashed out in the UCL quarter-finals on penalties against Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup early on. They managed to reach the FA Cup Final, but eventually lost to Manchester United this time round. Nevertheless, it was deemed as a successful season, given City accomplished their 4th consecutive league title and earned the prestigious Club World Cup.
The 2024-25 season was highly anticipated, given the new structure and extended UCL format. Viewers wanted to know how the best clubs in the world could potentially go against each other in the biggest and longest season of European football ever. City saw the return of their experienced midfielder and former captain Ilkay Gundogan back after a season with FC Barcelona in Spain. Being the first season of such an extended period, City’s Ballon D’or winner, Rodri stated how the number of games was too high and footballers were humans and not machines. He even stated that the players were considering going on a strike if the number of matches were not adjusted. Unfortunately, Rodri tore his ACL in September and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
City thereby struggled throughout the season in all competitions and in every aspect of their game. They suffered an early exit from the Carabao Cup and were a shadow of their previous selves in the UCL as they got knocked out in the playoffs stage after finishing 22nd in the league phase. City also lost out to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final and saw Liverpool wrap up the league in April as they struggle for UCL qualification with 2 match days to play. They managed to win the Community Shield at the start of the season on penalties, but nothing could save the club from the disastrous season they faced.
A lot of people felt that City’s failures were the injuries to key players at crucial junctures of the season. A fact which can be backed by their humiliating UCL exit to Real Madrid and a 5-1 thrashing by Arsenal in February. Despite injuries, Manchester City’s struggles go beyond the field. A report in 2023 stated that key players like Bernardo Silva and Ederson wanted to leave the club, stating “City were a victim of their own success”. The simple reason being, City had achieved all their trophies and won an unprecedented treble. A number of key players aged between 25-30, believed that their contribution with City was complete and that they deserved a new and fresh challenge for the next chapter of their footballing career. Despite signing a contract extension, Bernardo Silva had a below average season. His stats might not speak the entire story, but viewers know his calibre. Club captain Kyle Walker decided to leave the club in January and signed a loan deal with AC Milan.
So what’s next for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City? Pep has already signed an extension until 2027 and is most likely to see out his contract by then. But it will be essential for City to let go of their core players as it would be great for them to have a fresh start at a prime club and achieve greater heights. With City’s main man Kevin De Bruyne leaving this year, we could see a number of players exiting. Erling Haaland has signed a fresh contract until 2034. Local lad Phil Foden had quite an underwhelming season, but the club can definitely invest in him keeping in mind his PFA award last season. Doku, Savinho and Nunes are young players along with the signings of Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov from the winter transfer. A new era and a fresh beginning awaits Pep Guardiola and the Citizens, a chapter to look out for in modern football.
Aadi's Sports Corner 
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