The 2019/20 season ended on a disappointing note for Manchester City and the Sky Blues will be hoping to comeback stronger this season.
Though they had some silverware in the form of the Carabao Cup, City would classify this past season as a failure. They lost their Premier League title to Liverpool, were knocked out of the FA Cup by eventual winners Arsenal and fell 3-1 to Lyon in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Pep Guardiola will have a point to prove this year, and he will want to show the world, again, why he is considered one of the best managers on the planet. More than losing the Premier League, it was the manner in which they conceded that was most disappointing. They ended the season 18 points behind Liverpool and the first order of business is going to be how do you reduce that difference.
On the transfer front, City have already made moves to address areas where they need reinforcements. Having lost Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich, they have chosen Valencia winger Ferran Torres to boost their options on the wing.
As for defence they have brought in a talented young centre back in Nathan Ake from Bournemouth. The transfer window still has some time remaining so they could further strengthen the squad. While Lionel Messi is not going to happen, they have been strongly linked with Kalidou Koulibaly.
The departure of long-serving David Silva will deprive Pep of a player with a ton of experience, but he’ll be hoping that other leaders can emerge. If there’s one trophy the owners of Manchester City want, it is the Champions League of course, but a quarterfinal loss to Lyon last month left them gasping for answers. Fans will be hoping that 20/21 will be the year that City finally get their hands on the trophy.
Being competitive in four competitions can be tough for any team but if there is one squad that can handle this workload, it is City. They have some of the best players in the Premier League in the form of Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero. Also, Pep has shown that he has what it takes to be successful and win trophies in England.
If they can stick to their strengths and not try to get too creative or too cute, there is no reason why they can’t go far again in the UCL competition.
Domestically, Liverpool will have to be wary of a City team that will be looking for revenge this PL term. Let us hope, for the sake of neutrals everywhere, we have a closer title race this season.
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