The Manchester Metropolis Season Preview 2025/26 is right here: are the Sky Blues heading again to the summit as soon as extra?
FourFourTwo’s Manchester Metropolis Season Preview
FFT’s view
The Plan
Return to dominance. Manchester Metropolis had been extensively tipped final time period to increase their unprecedented 4 consecutive top-flight English titles to an equally unprecedented 5 – then they completed third, some 13 factors behind the champions.
LAST SEASON
PREMIER LEAGUE third
FA CUP Runners-up
LEAGUE CUP Fourth Spherical
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Play-off Spherical
TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Erling Haaland (31)
Early exits within the League Cup and Champions League, then a shock FA Cup ultimate defeat to Crystal Palace, left Pep Guardiola with out main silverware for the primary time since 2016/17, his first season in England. So, in his tenth season, his sole goal is to guide a closely revamped squad again to glory. It can require an enormous enchancment on 9 league defeats in 2024-25 – greater than they’d had within the two earlier campaigns put collectively.
The Coach
Together with his contract quickly about to run out and rumours that he could also be trying to name it a day in England, Pep Guardiola – ranked at no.5 in FourFourTwo’s record of the best managers ever – then misplaced 4 video games on the spin final autumn. Fortunately, Metropolis followers had been rejoicing when it was shortly confirmed he had prolonged his deal till 2027.
Key Participant
Erling Haaland hit 31 objectives in all competitions final season with out anybody actually noticing. Even when not at his greatest, the Norwegian ensures objectives on the highest degree, and with 85 in three Premier League seasons, aged 25 and signed as much as 2034, he’ll have Alan Shearer fearful.
Lesson From Final 12 months
Rodri is irreplaceable. The Spanish midfielder’s significance to Pep’s machine was already well-known – he final featured in a league defeat in February 2023, in opposition to Spurs – however his true value was put below a highlight final time period.
FFT’S SEASON PREVIEW
This preview initially appeared in FourFourTwo’s Season Preview problem which went on sale in July, accessible right here with free supply
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner performed simply 68 minutes of Premier League soccer earlier than rupturing an ACL in opposition to Arsenal, and Metropolis laboured in his absence, struggling a run of 9 defeats in 12 video games in all competitions. His long-awaited return in Might – a win, clearly, in opposition to Bournemouth – was trigger for celebration, though one other damage within the profligate defeat by Al Hilal on the Membership World Cup raised additional doubts in regards to the Ballon d’Or holder’s long-term sturdiness.
The Temper
Overlook 2024/25 – additional spending, on the again of January’s £180m trolley sprint, has introduced optimism for a brand new period. Becoming a member of Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez and Vitor Reis are new(er) boys Tijjani Reijnders and Rayans Cherki and Ait-Nouri. Their transient: deliver the great occasions again to the blue half of Manchester. Who wants Kevin De Bruyne anyway?
One To Watch
After profitable the triple crown of Participant of the 12 months awards (PFA, FWA, Premier League) in 2023/24, Phil Foden blamed accidents and burnout for final yr’s “irritating” follow-up. He has some extent to show forward of the 2026 World Cup.
Most Probably To…
Hibernate till spring.
Metropolis’s late gallop is as conventional as Michael Buble at Christmas. Even with out a title tilt to give attention to, they completed with 10 video games unbeaten to safe Champions League qualification.
Least Probably To…
See you in courtroom. The listening to into alleged breaches of the Premier League monetary guidelines completed on the finish of 2024, however on the time of writing, there was nonetheless no verdict.
FFT Verdict
2ND Membership World Cup hangovers, Rodri’s health and Pep’s use of latest toy Cherki are among the many unknowns.
The Quantity Cruncher
Fan View
Can Metropolis actually wrestle the title again from free-spending Liverpool? We requested Lloyd Scragg for a view from the stands…
Final season was our worst below Pep, for positive.
This season will likely be totally different as a result of after 24 months of inaction, we have now lastly hit the refresh button on the squad. We needs to be lots higher out of possession now we’ve dramatically lowered the squad’s common age.
Look out for Oscar Bobb. He’s 22 now, however 2024/25 ought to have been his breakthrough season; we hope he has higher luck with accidents this yr.
Our most underrated participant is Nathan Ake.
The energetic participant I’d like to have again is Aymeric Laporte – very underrated and nonetheless a high participant.
I’m least trying ahead to enjoying Spurs. Our bogey crew simply employed Thomas Frank, arguably Metropolis’s #1 bogey supervisor.
The factor my membership actually will get proper is fan protests. My private spotlight of final season was seeing Metropolis followers collectively assemble and organise just a few very well-attended protests – which has already resulted in some vital reforms.
The one change I’d make can be to scrap the brand new 10-game ‘private attendance’ rule for all season ticket holders. It’s a draconian and counterintuitive rule that wholly ignores the realities of contemporary life and football-scheduling!
The opposition participant I’d love right here is Tino Livramento of Newcastle.
A social media account to comply with is @theskybluetimes, for excellent written evaluation on Metropolis.
We’ll end 1st, I believe.
This preview initially appeared in FourFourTwo’s Season Preview problem which went on sale in July, accessible right here with free supply
