At the start of the 2024-25 season, expectations surrounding Manchester City were the same they’ve always been: win the Premier League, grab one of the domestic cups, and try to win the Champions League. It’s standard procedure for City at this point, with a potential ‘treble’ always on the cards before each season begins. But against all the odds, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side have utterly collapsed and find themselves in the midst of a run that’s seen them win just 4 in 18 games, the worst patch of form since the Spaniard took control of the club back in 2016.
It all started back in October when City lost 2-1 to Tottenham in the EFL Cup. Since then, the Blues have been on a downward spiral that even the most die-hard of Manchester United fans couldn’t have dreamt up. City have massively struggled in the Champions League, fallen to sixth — yes, sixth — in the Premier League, and can’t seem to stop shipping goals. Pep has been on a few poor runs with City in the past, but nothing close to this — and it seems like he doesn’t have a quick fix solution.
Barring a miracle in the last half of the season, Manchester City are well and truly out of the title race. The Champions League also looks to be off the table, so the best that City fans can hope for is an FA Cup win and a top four finish, which would still mark the most disappointing campaign for Pep in his entire managerial career. But how exactly have Manchester City ended up in this strange situation to begin with? And should City fans have any long-term concerns? Let’s unpack it all.
The Reasons Behind Manchester City’s Recent Decline
When you start to look at the bigger picture, the decline of Manchester City over the past few months starts to make a little more sense. The club is currently dealing with a multitude of different problems — both on and off the field — most of which seem to be having a negative impact on the players. And if these issues can’t be resolved quickly, this season will have to go down as a complete write off for the Blues.
115 FFP Charges Looming Over the Club
Back in February 2023, it was announced by the Premier League that Manchester City had been charged with a huge 115 charges related to breaking FFP rules over a nine-year period. Despite the sheer magnitude of these charges, most fans assumed that it would all blowover (after all, City have the financial power to survive almost any legal battle you could imagine). However, the charges have refused to go away and a verdict is officially due within the next three months. What we now know is that if City are found guilty of breaking FFP rules, they will face punishment. This could range from a heavy points deduction to outright relegation from the Premier League, with industry experts gamblingpromocodes.com reporting that Manchester City currently have relegation odds of 12/1 with most bookies. Even though the odds are relatively high, there’s a genuine belief out there that City could be found guilty, which would send the football world into meltdown.
A Long List of Injuries
City have been plagued by injuries this season. Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri, Rúben Dias, Jérémy Doku, Jack Grealish, John Stones and others have all been sidelined, leading to Pep having to juggle around his starting eleven more frequently than he would have liked. Most notably, Rodri’s absence from the centre of midfield has been felt the most, so Pep will no doubt be desperate to get him back in time before the end of the season.
A Rejuvenated Liverpool Side
Before the start of the current campaign, Arsenal were the only team deemed capable of pushing Manchester City for the title. Surprisingly, though, Arteta’s men have also experienced a big dip in form this season, struggling to pick up results and seemingly falling out of the title race. This has opened up the gates for a rejuvenated Liverpool — who new manager Arne Slot has got playing some excellent football — to come in and potentially land the club’s first Premier League trophy since the 2019-2020 season. Simply put, Liverpool look unstoppable at the moment and it’s highly unlikely that anyone will be able to catch them, even if Pep is able to turn things around over the next few months.
Refusal to Make Summer Signings
Pep Guardiola is one of the greatest football managers of all time, but even he will admit that he’s his own worst enemy at times. Heading into the new season, the City hierarchy offered Pep the opportunity to start a summer revamp. However, Pep refused: “In the summertime, the club thought about doing it, and I said: ‘No, I don’t want to make any signings’. I rely on the team and I want to stay with them.” Pep’s refusal to follow the board’s initiative has come back to bite him, with his current team riddled with injuries and looking extremely sluggish. City fans can at least have some peace of mind, though, as the previously discussed big-money City rebuild will likely come this summer.
Pep’s Recent Divorce
It recently came to light that Pep Guardiola and his wife Cristina Serra are set ‘to divorce’ after 30 years of marriage together. It’s never nice to see off-field matters have a direct impact on managers and players, but it seems almost certain that this has contributed to Pep’s managerial decline since October. Hopefully for Pep and his Manchester City players, the Spaniard will be able to navigate through his off-field matters and pull through to the summer, where a club reset and rebuild can truly begin.
Summary: What’s Next for Manchester City?
It’s a season to forget for Manchester City fans, that’s for sure. Now that the halfway point has passed, it looks incredibly unlikely that City will be able to catch Liverpool, even if they somehow manage to go on an undefeated run between now and the end of the campaign. Therefore, Pep and his coaching team will likely prioritize finishing inside the top four and winning the FA Cup, both of which still remain realistic possibilities. At the same time, City will have to hope that the club isn’t found guilty of the 115 FFP charges looming over them, as this would derail the season even further and potentially signal the beginning of the end for the Blues after a near decade of dominance at the top.