Manchester City Season Review: Pep Guardiola and Co. Face Harshest Reality Check
Manchester City ended the 2023-24 Premier League season as champions after coming out on top in another fierce battle with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who finished two points behind City.
The Cityzens, as usual, arrived in the 2024-25 season full of confidence. Despite missing out on the FA Cup, EFL Carabao Cup, and Champions League, they clinched the Premier League title for a fourth consecutive season, becoming the first side in the 135-year history of English football to do so.
Pep Guardiola’s belief in a fifth straight title only grew stronger after City won their first three matches of the season. He declared:
“Pre-season is over, today officially. The real season starts after the international break.”
This statement was meant to strike fear into their closest rivals, Liverpool and Arsenal, as City racked up nine goals and nine points in their opening three games. However, what followed over the next seven months was a dramatic collapse.
The Rodri Injury
After logging over 10,000 minutes across two seasons, Rodri had publicly expressed concerns about player fatigue and even hinted at a potential players’ strike to protest the congested match schedule.
The reigning Ballon d’Or winner was ever-present on Guardiola’s side. His importance was evident in statistics: City lost only 11% of the 102 matches Rodri played in (6 defeats), compared to 24% without him.
Losing him for the rest of the season, just three weeks after Guardiola’s chilling warning, felt like poetic justice. While Pep spoke of “finding a solution as a team,” City looked visibly lost without Rodri’s leadership and coordination.
The Collapse
By the end of December, City had won just 2 of their last 14 matches and plummeted to 5th in the table—14 points behind eventual winners Liverpool.
After a 2-0 win over Leicester City, Guardiola admitted City were out of the title race and pleaded for reinforcements in the January transfer window.
“I thought central defenders would be fit all season, but we have struggled – holding midfield and central defenders, we need help”.
He wasn’t wrong. Ruben Dias missed 19 matches, while ever-present Manuel Akanji was out for 87 days, missing 15 games.
Despite spending over €210 million on new signings, including forward Omar Marmoush, midfielder Nico Gonzalez, and defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, City’s struggles continued. They were eliminated 6-3 by Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 32 and knocked out early from the Carabao Cup by Tottenham.
It Could Be Worse For Pep and Co.
A 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final means Guardiola ends the season without a major trophy for the first time since his debut campaign in 2016–17, unless City win the FIFA Club World Cup.
City’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League also took a major hit with a 0-0 draw against Southampton. Wins for Chelsea and Aston Villa pushed City down to 6th, outside the UCL spots.
A City Revival for next season
In January, it was revealed that Guardiola and his wife, Cristina Serra, had separated after he allegedly delayed informing her about his contract renewal. The situation reportedly impacted Pep’s focus. However, Goal reports that the couple have recently reconciled, and Pep has frequently flown to Spain to visit her.
Ahead of the FA Cup loss, Erling Haaland openly questioned his teammates’ hunger to succeed after surrendering the title to Liverpool. Having signed a 9.5-year extension, Haaland is set to lead alongside Rodri, with inconsistent young talents like Jeremy Doku and Savinho surrounding them.
With veterans like Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva expected to depart, City are being linked with creative reinforcements like Morgan Gibbs-White and Florian Wirtz.
Historically, every time City missed out on a title under Guardiola—like in 2019-20—they bounced back stronger. Fans will be hoping for another such comeback in the 2025-26 season.
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