Premier League 2016-17 season grades: Manchester City
By Ty Finch
Manchester City finished third in the Premier League in 2016-17, but what grade do they get for their overall performance?
Manchester City got off to a blistering start in the Premier League under new manager Pep Guardiola, winning their first six matches of the season. However, a shaky defense, injuries to key players and a new system saw the club falter, especially in the winter months. In December and January alone, City compiled four of their six losses on the season. They could be equally brilliant and frustrating to watch — often in the same match — which ultimately led them to battle for a Champions League spot rather than for the title.
The manager
Pep Guardiola ended the season without a trophy for the first time in his managerial career. That’s both a testament to his capabilities and a reason City won’t be entirely satisfied with the outcome of the 2016-17 season. As big of a club as they are, finishing in a Champions League place without a trophy will never constitute a successful season.
Guardiola has used a wide variety of formations and systems throughout his managerial career. His first year in the Premier League was no different. According to WhoScored, City have used eight different formations over the course of the season. Guardiola has switched between a back four and a back three from match to match. Sometimes, these drastic shifts have worked. Other times, they’ve been disastrous.
In big matches during the season, City have often looked listless, and most of that falls on the manager. Against the top seven in the Premier League, City won only two matches, and finished with a -8 goal difference. Included in those matches was a 4-0 loss to Everton in the middle of January. They also failed to win against relegated Middlesbrough. Some blame can be placed on the manager for the constant formation changes, which seemed to cause more problems than they solved.
Guardiola also made some big moves in the transfer market, to dubious effect. Longtime keeper Joe Hart made a loan move to Torino. Claudio Bravo was brought in to replace the Englishman, and filed to impress. Many of the other transfers fared just as poorly. Ilkay Gündogan, a £27 million signing, played in just 10 matches on the season due to chronic injuries. John Stones was Guardiola’s most expensive signing, and the youngster had an up-and-down season at center-half.
On the other hand, Leroy Sané showed signs of real promise throughout the year and will look to improve on a solid start. The real prize looks to be the 19-year-old Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian was a spark of energy when he arrived in January and would have made a bigger impact had he not been injured just a few matches into his City career. The two youngsters will likely play a larger role next season.
The players
The usual suspects largely showed up well for Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne ended up with 18 assists in the Premier League and led the team in appearances. Sergio Aguero finished with 20 goals, which is especially impressive considering he only played in 25 matches due to suspensions and injuries. David Silva continued to pull the strings in in attacking midfield.
Where City largely failed on the season were in the defensive areas and deep-lying midfield. Yaya Toure is still excellent on the ball and can pick out a pass with the best midfielders in the league, but is an absolute liability defensively. His age is catching up with him, and too often he looks similar to Per Mertesacker in terms of movement. That will need to change for City to shore up the defense next season. Fernandinho is still a useful defensive midfielder, but he needs a more mobile counterpart to really shine.
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Defensively, City need reinforcements. John Stones is still young and can improve under another year with Guardiola. Nicolás Otamendi was the most consistent center-back in the squad. He and Stones could develop a solid partnership, but the full-backs need to change. Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna are both aging and need to be replaced. Often, City used Fernandinho as a replacement right-back because of the inefficiencies of those on the squad.
A few key signings to stabilize the defense will go a long way. City are a high scoring, possession-oriented club, but need to shore up some major areas.