Manchester City’s season is over. Pep Guardiola has finally left the club after a decade in charge and gave it his all until the very end as the Blues won both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
The Champions League was the big disappointment, with a top-eight finish spoiled by a predictable defeat again at the hands of Real Madrid in the last-16. City also fell short in the Premier League, but while they will have regrets over a few matches they will also be happy to have pushed Arsenal into the final week.
City’s players have been marked every match in the Manchester Evening News and readers have had their say as well. Looking back on the campaign as a whole, here is the verdict on how the squad that finished the season in Manchester have fared.
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Donnarumma: Some big saves – with his most notable at Liverpool away – and he steadied the ship at a critical moment when he joined, but he also showed issues with distribution and defending set-pieces as well as picking up far too many yellow cards. 7
Trafford: A frustrating season for him as his return to City didn’t go anything like he expected. The Spurs game was worrying but he shrugged off personal disappointment to play a key role in winning two cups, enhancing his reputation and earning a World Cup spot. 7
Nunes: A year when Nunes finally accepted his role at right-back and improved significantly as a result, becoming one of City’s most consistent and most reliable players. There has been the odd moment but generally Nunes has been very good and City all the better when he plays. 8
Lewis: Started the season with a bang at Wolves and signed a new contract soon after but it was swiftly downhill and hasn’t recovered. His only league start after August was the dismal defeat to United in January before one last game on the final day. 4
Khusanov: Looked promising as a right-back for a week in September and then went from strength to strength on his return to the team in January. Still a work in progress but there is so much to work with. 8
Dias: Rarely missed a game in the first half of the season, overplayed in part because of his leadership abilities, yet injuries meant he was not seen much after January and he spent the last two months watching Guehi and Khusanov play ahead of him. 6
Stones: A fan favourite, he contributed in the cups but another strange injury meant the trust for Guardiola disappeared and he barely played after the first third of the season. 5
Guehi: Instantly calmed a boat that was rocking when he joined in January. He showed his class and earned rave reviews from Guardiola and coaches but still goes into next season with plenty to prove. 7
Ake: Another defender who was rarely used, albeit Ake was trusted more than Stones and started some big games such as the Carabao Cup final. He was excellent whenever he played, it just wasn’t enough for his liking or City’s. 6
Alleyne: A crazy season that started at Watford and then saw him parachuted into a Premier League debut after just a day of training. He performed admirably, even if he had a bad week against United and Bodo/Glimt. 6
Gvardiol: Enjoyed most of his playing time at centre-back this season and it seemed to work very well before his season effectively ended with a big injury in January. He showed on his return just how much he adds to the team in both boxes. 7
O’Reilly: After breaking into the team in the FA Cup late last season, O’Reilly looked to barely break sweat as he played his way into being one of City’s best players. He will be a big part of the team’s future. 9
Ait-Nouri: Did okay in his first season without really commanding a place in the team. He had an injury and was absent with AFCON duty but also found himself shut out by O’Reilly at left-back. 6
Rodri: Too disjointed with injuries at the start of the season but hit his stride between January and April to put City in the driving seat for the title race. His continuing fitness issues should be a concern. 7
Kovacic: One of three choices Guardiola had for the holding role this season, he was injured for far too much of it and City were worse off as a result. 5
Gonzalez: The weirdest season in the squad. When he got injured in early January he had been the most important player and would have earned a 9/10 but the faith in him completely disappeared and some big conversations are now needed this summer. 6
Silva: What a player. What a leader. The wise old head of this new City team, marshalling the midfield and protecting the defence while keeping standards up across the week. A final year to savour for someone ageing like the finest Portuguese wine. 9
Reijnders: A dream debut, and then not enough returns after that. Reijnders seemed to struggle to find his place in a team that itself changed over the season, and he needs to offer more if he wants more game time. 6
Foden: Similar to Gonzalez and Dias in that he was overplayed and then ended up being underplayed. Foden never stopped trying in the final months but what he has on the pitch at his best wasn’t close to being there. 7
Savinho: Guardiola said at the Club World Cup that he will be a fantastic player once he improves in the final third but how many games can City give him to do that? He got plenty of chances to impress but wasn’t effective enough. 5
Semenyo: A dream start to his City career and finished the season with the winner in the FA Cup final and the last goal of the Guardiola era. Needs to stay sharp in the final third but can play multiple positions and win his team games. 7
Cherki: Fits and starts early on but his consistency and effectiveness grew, and he was exceptional for a month in the run-in. Standout numbers for his first year in English football and he is young enough to get better. 8
Doku: A terrific year, definitely one of the top City players. He is assisting Haaland more and also winning games on his own, with opposition plans to double mark him allowing him to set O’Reilly free as well. 8
Marmoush: Having been so good when he joined City in the second half of last season, there were very few fond memories of this one. He struggled on the wing and didn’t do enough with the opportunities he did get to put zero pressure on Haaland up front. 4
Haaland: He dropped off badly during the winter months but it does feel like his FORTY-SEVEN goal involvements have been underappreciated. He was unbelievable early in the season and then found his form again for the big games in the run-in. 9
GUARDIOLA: Never before have we had a manager rating but there have been a few requests and he’s leaving so sod it. An ultimately exceptional year that brought the best out of his squad and earned more trophies, but there were a few head-scratching team selections in that pivotal spell in March that proved disastrous to their Champions League and Premier League hopes. 9
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