Football Season Guide

A victory over Fulham on the final day was enough for Manchester City to clinch third spot despite a below-par campaign by Pep Guardiola’s side. Rodri’s season-ending injury in September dealt a blow to the team and a poor mid-season run ruled the Sky Blues out of the title race, with Man City missing out on a top-two spot for the first time since 2016/17. The Citizens have opted for a rejuvenation of the squad, bringing in several talented players who will be the backbone of the team in this new version of Guardiola’s City. Club legends Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker departed the club, with new signings Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki being expected to quickly become starters in Guardiola’s side. That said, the Catalan coach will now oversee a transition after bringing in new blood in every position, as prodigious keeper James Trafford also joined to compete with Ederson for the spot in goal. Boasting a blend of experienced and youthful players, Guardiola has not had enough time for pre-season preparations due to the team’s unsuccessful participation in the Club World Cup earlier in the summer. Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Savinho, Cherki and Omar Marmoush: the names in Man City’s attack speak for themselves. Should they gel under Guardiola, they could terrorize opposition defences. Rodri’s injury exposed the team’s weakness in midfield. Nico Gonzalez, Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis all unsuccessfully tried to fill his void, with City signing Reijnders to beef up the position. Rodri returned to action in the Club World Cup, but it remains to be seen if he can get back to his best this season.