Dark clouds still hang over Man City.

The biggest surprise of last season's Premier League wasn't Liverpool winning the title, but rather the disappointing decline of Manchester City.

The biggest surprise of last season's Premier League wasn't Liverpool winning the title, but rather the disappointing decline of Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola's team endured a disappointing 2024-2025 season, finishing third with just 71 points – a result far from the gold standard they had set in previous years.

Calling it the gold standard is no exaggeration, as this is Man City's lowest points total under Guardiola. The last time Man City finished below 71 points was in the 2015-16 season under Manuel Pellegrini. The following season, Pep's first, saw Man City finish third with 78 points. Since then, they have consistently finished above 80 points, with only one season below 82. Therefore, it can be said that if Man City had played to their full potential, they would have won the league last season, and Liverpool would not have been able to win with only 82 points.

What caused Man City's decline?

If one had to pick a fateful moment from last season for Man City, it would have been Rodri's serious injury on September 22nd, when City were leading Arsenal 1-0. After Rodri left the field, Man City nearly lost, and the 2-2 draw was a harbinger of dark days ahead.

The numbers don't lie. Before Rodri's injury, Man City were a winning machine, hitting four consecutive victories against Chelsea (2-0), Ipswich (4-1), West Ham (3-1), and Brentford (2-1). After Rodri's injury, Man City's form declined, winning only 17, drawing 7, and losing 9 of their remaining 33 matches. But Rodri wasn't the sole reason, nor the main one, just the most obvious one.

A less obvious reason is Pep Guardiola's problem. Behind Manchester City's success, there's always the shadow of a brilliant strategist. But Pep Guardiola, despite being hailed as one of the greatest managers of all time, is ultimately just a human being with his own personal struggles.

Last season, Guardiola was constantly in turmoil. After Guardiola decided to extend his contract with Man City in mid-November, a cold war with his wife began. At the end of November, Guardiola scratched his face during the 3-3 draw against Feyenoord. In January, his wife Cristina Serra decided to separate after more than 30 years together, including 10 years of marriage. Just at the end of that month, Guardiola reappeared with scratches on his face during Man City's 3-1 comeback victory against Club Brugge in the final group stage match of the Champions League. Clearly, Guardiola in the 2024-2025 season is no longer as sharp as before, but is struggling with his own inner turmoil.

While fans focused on Rodri and Pep, few paid attention to the crucial role of Txiki Begiristain – the architect of City's success. His decision to retire and the handover to Hugo Viana created a power vacuum and instability during the transition period. The direct consequence was that City made few significant moves in the recent winter transfer window, a time when they should have been strengthening their squad to turn things around.

The simultaneous involvement of Rodri, Pep, and Begiristain made last season for Man City chaotic, disorganized, and ultimately unsuccessful.

Will the new season resolve this mess?

Rodri's return to the pitch is undoubtedly the biggest news for City fans. However, his unimpressive performance at the FIFA Club World Cup has raised concerns. Can Rodri maintain his peak form after a serious injury?

Has Pep finally escaped the mental fog?

Football history has seen many cases of players failing to return to their former strength after major injuries. Furthermore, Rodri is 29 years old, an age when one is beginning to pass the peak of their career. Given the demanding nature of his defensive midfield role at Man City, it's unlikely we'll see Rodri shine and win the Ballon d'Or like he did last year.

Guardiola's personal problems seem to remain unresolved. At the end of April, there were reports that Guardiola and Serra were working to mend their marriage and were "ready to give their relationship a second chance." Most recently, at the end of July, Pep was seen with his family at an Oasis concert in Manchester. However, at the beginning of August, The Sun claimed their divorce was irreversible. With Man City's inconsistent performances at the FIFA Club World Cup and the shocking defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, it seems Guardiola's mental state is still not quite stable.

Regarding the architect of the deal, Hugo Viana officially took on the role of Director of Football in July. However, time constraints and pressure from Financial Fair Play regulations have meant he has only brought in four new players: Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Cherki. Not bad, but compared to their two main rivals, Liverpool and Arsenal, Man City has had a less impressive transfer window.

It's hard to expect Viana to sign anyone else because his main task for the rest of the summer is to offload players. Manchester City already have 31 first-team players. They need to sell some to reduce their wage bill and balance their finances.

This means City will have to rely on the very players who "failed" last season to regain their glory. This is no easy challenge, as rivals like Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea have all made significant progress.

In fact, with these players, Man City has been very successful in previous seasons. They only "sank" when a series of storms occurred at the end of last year. If the dark clouds are cleared and Man City are on the right track next season, surpassing the 85-point mark is within reach for Guardiola's team. The problem is that the dark clouds show no sign of dissipating at the Etihad Stadium.

Source: https://znews.vn/may-den-van-o-tren-dau-man-city-post1573656.html