Pep Guardiola had a disappointing first year in charge of Manchester City. Can he win silverware in his second season at the Etihad?
INS: Benjamin Mendy (£49.2 million, Monaco), Danilo (£26.9 million, Real Madrid), Bernardo Silva (£43 million, Monaco), Ederson (£34.7 million, Benfica), Kyle Walker (£50 million, Tottenham), Douglas Luiz (undisclosed, Vasco da Gama)
OUTS: Pablo Zabaleta (free, West Ham), Enes Unal (£12 million, Villarreal), Gael Clichy (Istanbul Basaksehir), Jesus Navas (released), Willy Caballero (free, Chelsea) Bacary Sagna (released), Billy O’Brien (released), Bruno Zuculini (undisclosed, Hellas Verona), Ellis Plummer (released), Angus Gunn (loan, Norwich), Aaron Mooy (£8 million, Huddersfield) Joe Coveney (free, Nottingham Forest) Nolito (undisclosed, Sevilla), Callum Bullock (released), Ashley Smith-Brown (loan, Hearts), Angelino (loan, NAC Breda), Bersant Celina (loan, Ipswich), Ruben Sobrino (undisclosed, Alaves), Olivier Ntcham (undisclosed, Celtic) Joe Hart (loan, West Ham)
THE STORY: Manchester City were deemed one of the favorites for the Premier League title going in to 2016-17. The arrival of Pep Guardiola in place of Manuel Pellegrini was supposed to signal City’s final ascent to European soccer royalty.
That remains the plan, but Guardiola’s first season was a sobering reminder of how far the club still have to go to be considered alongside the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and even bitter rivals Manchester United.
Instead of battling for the Premier League title, City ended up battling for fourth place with Liverpool and Arsenal, while Tottenham and Chelsea fought for first and second. The inconsistency that has plagued the Citizens since their rise to prominence was still there for all to see.
Still, it wasn’t all bad. Guardiola’s side were unplayable at times, with a fluid front five of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and, once he arrived in January, Gabriel Jesus. When City started the season with six wins in a row, averaging three goals a game, it seemed like no one could catch them.
But things started to unravel after a 2-0 loss to Tottenham at the beginning of October, and a shaky defense consistently set the Citizens back. Guardiola made headlines at the start of the season by loaning out long-time starting keeper Joe Hart and bringing in Claudio Bravo to replace him, but Bravo struggled and was later dropped for backup Willy Caballero.
Perhaps the bigger problem was his group of aging, rapidly declining full-backs, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov. It speaks volumes that all four of those players have now left the club. In their place come Kyle Walker from Tottenham, Benjamin Mendy from Monaco and Danilo from Real Madrid. All three are excellent players who can cope with the physical demands of Guardiola’s system, though it’s unclear whether they have the technical quality to step into central midfield like Philip Lahm and David Alaba did to such good effect at Bayern Munich.
The addition of Benfica goalkeeper Ederson should also make playing out from the back a lot easier. Even if he hadn’t come in, it’s hard to imagine Bravo would struggle again as badly as he did last season. Guardiola preaches such an expansive, attacking style of soccer, City will still be exposed at the back occasionally, but their summer signings significantly strengthen their greatest area of weakness. This improvement could make a telling difference in the title race.
The only real attacking addition City have made is the signing of Monaco playmaker Bernardo Silva. The Portugal international is another small but skillful attacker who should make City even more dangerous going forward than they already are. He may take some time to get up to speed with the Premier League but once he does he’ll certainly make an impact. He’ll also take some of the onus off Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva to create chances. Those two don’t exactly need help, especially with the pace of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling to stretch opposition defenses, but another attacking weapon will be valuable for a side hoping to challenge for four trophies.
The big question heading into the season is who will start up front. Aguero has been the main man at City for years, but his relationship with Guardiola seemed to become strained last season, and he was briefly replaced in the starting XI by Jesus, who scored seven goals in only 10 league appearances. After a summer in which Aguero has consistently been linked with a move away from the Etihad, there’s a real question about who will start up front for the Citizens in 2017-18.
Whatever the answer is, City have strengthened what was already a strong squad and should challenge for the league title and make a deep run in the Champions League next season. Anything less and the pressure on Guardiola will increase significantly.
KEY PLAYERS: There’s no doubt City are going to score a lot of goals. They’ve got at least five players — Sane, Sterling, Aguero, Jesus, De Bruyne — capable of scoring in double digits, but with some questions regarding the center-forward position, the key man is likely to be De Bruyne.
The Belgian was stunning last season, scoring six goals and adding 21 assists in 36 league games. His passing in the final third is arguably the best in the division, and he’s the key to unlocking Sane and Sterling. Silva remains one of the league’s best players even at 31 years old, but this is De Bruyne’s attack now.
The Citizens have so many weapons up top, however, it might not even matter if De Bruyne has a disappointing season. For that reason, the most important players for City will be defenders. In particular, Walker, Danilo and Mendy will have to adapt to the demands of their new manager quickly. And of course it wouldn’t be a Manchester City season preview if we didn’t mention the fitness of Vincent Kompany. If the captain can stay on the pitch for even half the season, City will be in very good shape.
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THE MANAGER: Guardiola’s under a lot of pressure this season. His side need to come out all guns blazing to start the season and send a message to the rest of the league. If not, the Spaniard could come under fire from City fans.
It’s clear Guardiola’s going to stick with his style of attacking, possession-based soccer, but if his side show the same vulnerability at the back as they did last season, it’s going to become harder and harder to justify.
But all the signs point toward a better season, especially with the improvements in defense. Guardiola received plenty of criticism last year, but he’s a proven winner and in charge of the most talented squad in the Premier League. With the players now presumably more comfortable with his system, expect a title challenge.
BEST CASE: Manchester City have a squad that could win a treble.
WORST CASE: The defensive problems remain, and City go another season without a trophy.