Rundown of Manchester City’s Turbulent 2024/25 Season

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Manchester City’s 2024/25 season was nothing short of a whirlwind. From title hopes and tactical shifts to injury setbacks and late-season drama, the campaign kept fans on the edge of their seats.

The 2024/25 campaign marked City’s 130th year as a football club and their 23rd consecutive season in the Premier League. As an unprecedented four-time reigning league champions, they aimed to extend their domestic dominance while also competing in several other major tournaments. Alongside the Premier League, Man City featured in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield, and the newly formatted UEFA Champions League.

Pep Guardiola and the City board opted out of making significant changes to a squad that they felt was more than capable of taking on the challenges in the 2024/25 season. With just a few changes missing from their 2022/23 treble-winning season, the Citizens signed Savinho for £21m from French side Troyes and resigned IIkay Gundogan on a free transfer from Barcelona.

As 2023/24 Premier League Champions, Pep Guardiola’s side faced city rivals Manchester United in the 2024/25 Community Shield on August 10, 2024. A side which notably defeated the Citizens in the FA Cup finals, quenching their quest for a League double in the previous season. Manchester City beat Erik Ten Hag’s side 7-6 on penalties to claim the title for the first time since 2019 after a regular time tie of 1-1.

Pep Guardiola’s side kicked off the new League season with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge – a perfect victory against English’s top teams. Shortly after, the club was struck with a notable injury crisis, staining their decision to not recruit credible backups in the summer transfer window. Losing their talisman and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to an ACL injury in mid-September was the most impactful as the team’s form began to suffer.

Manchester City went on a 13-game unbeaten run in all competitions up to the end of October. But things quickly went downhill with a dreadful eight-week spell that included just one win, three draws, and nine losses. During this period, they were knocked out (2-1) of the EFL Cup in the fourth round by a struggling Tottenham side at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Spurs beat them again in the Premier League, this time 4-0 at the Etihad. City also lost 2-0 to Liverpool and repeatedly gave up leads including a 3-3 Champions League draw with Feyenoord after being three goals up with only 15 minutes left.

One of the few bright spots was manager Pep Guardiola signing a new two-year contract, despite the club facing 115 charges for alleged financial rule breaches and an ongoing legal case with the Premier League.

By then, City were 14 points behind leaders Liverpool, having played a game more. With their title hopes all but over and even a Champions League spot in doubt, the club spent around £180 million in January on five new players – Omar Marmoush (from E. Frankfurt – €75m), Nico González (from FC Porto – €60m), Abdukodir Khusanov (from Lens – €40m), Victor Reis (from Palmeiras – €37m), and Jums Bah (from Real Valladolid – €6m). While Kyle Walker left on loan to AC Milan after requesting a move.

Omar Marmoush stood out among the new signings, immediately making an impact by scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Newcastle. But City were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, losing 6-3 on aggregate before the last-16 stage (in the newly introduced Round of 32) for the first time in nearly 10 years.

Their poor form continued with heavy losses to Arsenal (5-1), Liverpool (2-0) and Nottingham Forest (1-0). However, hopes of winning the FA Cup grew after a 2-1 comeback win over Bournemouth in the quarterfinals, led by newly promoted academy player Nico O’Reilly.

That win kickstarted a better run of form (seven wins, one draw) from late March to early May. Pep Guardiola admitted the team still wasn’t at their best, but home comeback wins over Crystal Palace (5-2) and Aston Villa (2-1) helped keep their top-five hopes alive. Kevin De Bruyne who had played a key role in the team for the last decade later confirmed he would leave the club in the summer after 10 years.

De Bruyne’s dream of a final trophy ended in a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. This was Manchester City’s 16th loss of the season, their worst since 2008/09. They bounced back by winning their last two league games and sealed third place with a 2-0 win over Fulham, securing Champions League football for the 15th year in a row and rescuing something from a tough season.

Manchester City won 21 Premier League games this season, the second-highest total in the division. They drew eight matches, which placed them joint 11th for draws, and lost nine games, putting them 16th in that category. Offensively, City scored 72 goals, the second-most in the league, but their defense conceded 44 goals, also ranking them 16th. With 607 shots (2nd) and 18 efforts that hit the woodwork (4th), they created plenty of opportunities, yet they missed 67 big chances (8th). Their passing was outstanding, completing 22,973 passes to lead the league (1st). However, their discipline was less impressive: they collected 57 yellow cards (20th) and two red cards (11th), along with two own goals (11th).

In other areas, City’s goalkeeping and defensive work was mixed. They made 87 saves, placing them 19th, and managed only 497 tackles (20th) as a team, indicating a lower tackle count than most. At the back, they cleared the ball 587 times (20th), showing a tendency to rely on clearances rather than interceptions or tackles. Overall, the stats reflect a side that dominated possession and attacking play but sometimes struggled defensively and in converting all their chances.

Next month, Manchester City will aim to end the drought as they head to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Arsenal Planning to Add Ex-Man City Striker to Mikel Arteta’s Squad

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing ex-Manchester City and Atletico Madrid’s striker Julian Alvarez this summer.

The Gunners are in the market for a new center-forward after it became clear during the 2024/25 season that the lack of a natural striker has held them back in their pursuit of major trophies. Mikel Arteta’s side finished the 2024/25 season second in the Premier League for the third consecutive season and the first behind Liverpool after close races to Man City in the previous two. 

The North London side has drawn up a shortlist that includes Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres, but Alvarez has now emerged as a potential target. Atletico could let Alvarez go if they receive a strong offer. Arsenal are one of several clubs monitoring the situation, alongside Liverpool and Bayern Munich. Atletico are expected to ask for more than the £81 million they paid to sign him from Manchester City last summer, with a bid of around €100 million (£83 million) possibly enough to seal the deal.

New Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta, who has strong ties with Atletico, could play a key role in making the move happen.

Alvarez had a brilliant debut season in Spain, scoring 29 goals and providing six assists in 54 games. He also impressed during his time at Manchester City, often playing alongside Erling Haaland in a dual-striker system. Arteta may try to recreate that setup with Alvarez playing off Kai Havertz next season.

Despite their interest in Alvarez, Arsenal is also looking at Sesko and Gyokeres, with Sesko believed to be Arteta’s top choice and both could be available for less than the Argentine.

Get Tickets to Manchester City Games

Make sure to be part of the Live action in the forthcoming first-of-its-kind FIFA Club World Cup this June and be an early bird to next season’s games by securing fast-selling Man City Tickets today before they are all gone. See seat maps, compare prices, and secure the best seats while purchasing from a trusted Secondary ticket marketplace. Tickets are extremely limited due to overwhelming demand, but secondary marketplaces remain the go-to option for a stress-free way to secure your seat and enjoy the live matchday experience.

Manchester City will now focus on making a positive performance in the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in June. Pep Guardiola’s side will look to carry their strong end-of-season form into the competition as they aim to keep the momentum going. Get your tickets now and don’t miss out on the crowd cheering the Sky Blues to victory.

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