Premier League 2025-26 Preview No 13: Manchester City

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 3rd (NB: this is not needfully Will Unwin’s prediction but nan mean of our writers’ tips)

Last season: 3rd

Prospects

Plenty of money, astir £300m, has been spent complete nan past 8 months to get City backmost connected way aft a disastrous play by their standards. They vanished a distant 3rd and mislaid the FA Cup final, leaving them trophyless. The latest harvest of incomings sewage a little sensation of life nether Pep Guardiola astatine nan Club World Cup and each showed promise. After Rodri missed astir of past season, it feels arsenic if his fittingness will determine nan destiny of nan team. If Guardiola tin get him backmost to his champion – and support him fresh – aft a horrible injury, past City tin consciousness excited erstwhile again.

Guardiola has indicated City request to accommodate to nan improvement of football, having struggled pinch nan summation successful physicality and fittingness that has blunted their skills. There could beryllium a greater accent connected dribbling past opponents to effort to unfastened up nan spaces. Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Jérémy Doku and Savinho will beryllium highly important successful a post-Kevin De Bruyne world. City struggled much than ever erstwhile it came to breaking down teams past play and Guardiola felt his squad were incapable to header pinch nan physicality of others.

It will beryllium absorbing to spot who gets nan motion successful extremity connected nan opening weekend. Ederson has been Guardiola’s No 1 for years, but the presence of James Trafford could alteration that. The Brazilian has redefined nan position and Trafford, a erstwhile City academy player, is portion of a caller procreation who followed his strategy and person attempted to replicate his expertise to administer nan shot short and long. Trafford is young and not nan vanished article, but he has each nan qualities to beryllium a world-class goalkeeper for years to come.

At nan different end, Erling Haaland will beryllium arsenic vulnerable arsenic always, pinch fittingness nan only mobility people hanging complete him aft immoderate disruptions. Unlike this clip past year, Guardiola has a 2nd striker he tin each upon if needs beryllium successful Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian was integral successful reigniting City’s play after arriving successful January and should beryllium afloat settled, giving them other dimensions.

The manager

Pep Guardiola took past play personally, upset pinch himself for failing to apprehension nan descent and irritated by underperforming players. He will not judge a akin showing this season, particularly aft nan sizable outlay connected reshaping nan squad. Guardiola overhauled his coaching staff, pinch nan astir eye-catching assignment being Jürgen Klopp’s erstwhile No 2 Pep Ljinders, who joins arsenic an adjunct coach. The alteration successful unit will bring caller ideas, thing Guardiola was seeking arsenic he sought a refresh connected nan transportation and successful nan dugout.

Off-field picture

Those pesky charges conscionable will not spell distant for Manchester City and nan Premier League. It feels arsenic if this business has dragged connected since Adam was a lad and rivals will proceed to usage it arsenic a instrumentality to hit nan nine with, while City plead innocence and declare a witch-hunt. No 1 is satisfied pinch nan authorities of affairs and everyone will want finality arsenic soon arsenic imaginable because it is simply a changeless distraction. A frost connected summons prices brought immoderate goodwill aft lengthy disapproval of nan club’s desire to compression each penny they could retired of supporters.

Star signing

The breathtaking Rayan Cherki (left) and Jérémy Doku will person an important domiciled now Kevin De Bruyne has left. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

It is simply a affirmative that City yet person a due left-back successful Rayan Aït-Nouri, but Rayan Cherki is nan much breathtaking acquisition. The 21-year-old has been linked pinch apical clubs since his teenage years, but City yet sewage their hands connected Lyon’s attacking midfielder, who falls into nan maverick category. He dribbles, creates and scores goals, while besides possessing nan expertise to nutrient nan unpredictable pinch nan shot astatine his feet, and he tin play successful galore positions down a striker. It is difficult to foretell what he will do next, which will interest defenders. In an era erstwhile shot is prescribed, Cherki tin beryllium nan norm breaker.

Stepping up

A twelvemonth ago, Oscar Bobb scored in nan Community Shield to awesome he was astir to break out. He had enjoyed a awesome pre-season and Guardiola was assured successful his qualities. The highly rated Bobb was nan logic City were happy to portion pinch Cole Palmer, reasoning they had personification who could surpass him successful their ranks. Unfortunately for Bobb, he collapsed a limb successful training and required a lengthy rehabilitation period, taking longer than anyone expected, meaning he made 3 Premier League appearances, each arsenic a substitute. There is greater title successful nan positions he wants to play, but fixed a chance he could beryllium a prima turn.

A large play for …

By his ain admission, 2024-25 did not unrecorded up to Phil Foden’s precocious standards. From claiming nan Professional Footballers’ Association’s subordinate of nan year grant for nan erstwhile season, Foden dropped disconnected dramatically. He attributed nan problems connected nan transportation to various factors, including facing challenges “off nan transportation mentally” and it is understandable that those affected his expertise to perform. The 25-year-old is simply a generational talent, possessing everything his head wants successful a player, and he will beryllium hopeless to show it. Given nan correct freedom, he should beryllium nan man starring nan latest incarnation of Guardiola’s shot and a caller era astatine City.