The Rise and Fall of Manchester City

Photo by Mylo Kaye on Unsplash

At the start of the season, most people looked at Arsenal’s failure to sign a proven striker and Liverpool’s loss of Klopp as a sign that Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City only had to turn up to win the league.

Things started well enough with the seemingly unstoppable goalscoring machine Erling Haaland rocketing to the top of the goalscoring charts again. But something has gone seriously wrong at City who have hit a loss of form that nobody saw coming.

At this stage, Liverpool’s lead at the top has seen them become odds-on favourite for the title, with Mohamed Salah overtaking Haaland for top goalscorer too.

Online betting experts discuss the rise in the popularity of anonymous sports betting, with many football fans looking at operators that offer betting without KYC checks. Improved security, competitive odds, and enticing bonuses all make this a good option, but Manchester City’s odds of around 50/1 to retain the Premiership title this season might be a bit long for even the most staunch supporters.

Manchester City’s Recent Glory Years

Looking at Manchester City’s recent fortunes, it is hard to believe that the club was in the old second division (League 1) during the 1998/99 season. However, significant investment brought the club Premier League glory in the 2011/12 season, with the club going on to win seven out of a possible eleven league titles since then.

A Champions League win in 2023 crowned the achievements of the club and manager Pep Guardiola could seemingly do no wrong. However, a recent dip in form and looming Premier League charges over the financial management of the club could sour things.

The Current City Crisis

A recent commitment from Guardiola who penned a new two-year contract came at a time when Manchester City had lost four consecutive games, the worst run during his tenure.

It was believed that this contract extension would help to boost the confidence of the team and provide stability to get things back on track. Unbelievably, the club has now been on a run of poor form that has seen them win just once in 13 games.

Starting with an EFL Cup defeat away at Tottenham, the club have since lost to Bournemouth, Sporting, Brighton, Tottenham in the league, Liverpool, Juventus, Manchester United, and Aston Villa.

Draws against Feyenoord, Crystal Palace, and Everton, and a victory against Nottingham Forest have punctuated defeats.

As Guardiola approaches his 500th game in charge of Manchester City, the players, management, and fans are desperate to get to the root of the issue and resolve issues.

Some are pointing to the fact that the team has remained largely unchanged in recent years with nine of the eleven players to have played more than 16,000 minutes under Guardiola still at the club. The ageing squad and predictable tactics are taking most of the blame, but it is still peculiar how this collapse happened so rapidly.

City now faces a run of games that they would be expected to win, and getting a run of form would boost the team’s confidence. While they are 14 points adrift of Liverpool who have a game in hand, they are just 8 points off second place and there are still a lot of games to go.

Players like De Bruyne, Rodri, and Haaland don’t go bad overnight and one unfortunate team is likely to face a City team that returns to form.

Many have been quick to put the boot into players like Haaland, but it is worth remembering that he still has 18 goals from 25 appearances this season, scoring 13 in 18 in the Premier League and 5 in 6 in the Champions League.

Haaland’s overall record for Manchester City is nothing short of phenomenal, scoring 108 goals in 123 games. At just 24 years of age and with a wealth of experience across the continent already, it is unlikely that he will be kept quiet for much longer and you would be foolish to bet against him retaining his golden boot crown.

What Lays Ahead for Pep’s Manchester City?

The festive period is always a difficult time for clubs with fixtures coming thick and fast. However, this might be a good time for Guardiola to rest some players, give others opportunities and enter the transfer market when the window opens on January 1st.

Two names already being linked with a move to Manchester during the window are Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche. The 22-year-old French winger already has three seasons of experience in Ligue 1 and is being linked with a host of Europe’s top clubs.

Another name that could make the move to Pep’s side is fellow Spaniard Dani Olmo. Olmo only moved to Barcelona during the Summer in a deal worth more than £50 million, but the Catalan giants could lose him for nothing in January due to registration issues.

However, the temporary loss of form is not the biggest concern the club faces at present. with the club charged by the Premier League on 115 counts of financial fair play failures. Everyone associated with the club will be holding their breath, waiting for the decision which is expected in March 2026.

The decision could have huge repercussions for the club depending on any sanctions the Premier League decides to take, with the possibility of a points deduction, relegation, a European ban, or a fine among the potential outcomes.

Any appeal could take months to resolve, leaving the club in serious trouble if they can’t turn things around by then.