Premier League 2025-26 preview No 13: Manchester City

The Guardian

a day ago

Guardian writers' predicted position: 3rd (NB: this is not necessarily Will Unwin's prediction but the average of our writers' tips)
Last season: 3rd
Plenty of money, about £300m, has been spent over the past eight months to get City back on track after a disastrous season by their standards. They finished a distant third and lost the FA Cup final, leaving them trophyless. The latest crop of incomings got a brief taste of life under Pep Guardiola at the Club World Cup and all showed promise. After Rodri missed most of last season, it feels as if his fitness will decide the fate of the team. If Guardiola can get him back to his best – and keep him fit – after a horrible injury, then City can feel excited once again.
Guardiola has indicated City need to adapt to the evolution of football, having struggled with the increase in physicality and fitness that has blunted their skills. There could be a greater emphasis on dribbling past opponents to try to open up the spaces. Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Jérémy Doku and Savinho will be extremely important in a post-Kevin De Bruyne world. City struggled more than ever when it came to breaking down teams last season and Guardiola felt his team were unable to cope with the physicality of others.
It will be interesting to see who gets the nod in goal on the opening weekend. Ederson has been Guardiola's No 1 for years, but the arrival of James Trafford could change that. The Brazilian has redefined the position and Trafford, a former City academy player, is part of a new generation who followed his strategy and have attempted to replicate his ability to distribute the ball short and long. Trafford is young and not the finished article, but he has all the qualities to be a world-class goalkeeper for years to come.
At the other end, Erling Haaland will be as dangerous as always, with fitness the only question mark hanging over him after some disruptions. Unlike this time last year, Guardiola has a second striker he can all upon if needs be in Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian was integral in reigniting City's season after arriving in January and should be fully settled, giving them extra dimensions.
Pep Guardiola took last season personally, upset with himself for failing to arrest the slide and irritated by underperforming players. He will not accept a similar showing this season, especially after the sizable outlay on reshaping the squad. Guardiola overhauled his coaching staff, with the most eye-catching appointment being Jürgen Klopp's former No 2 Pep Ljinders, who joins as an assistant coach. The change in personnel will bring new ideas, something Guardiola was seeking as he sought a refresh on the pitch and in the dugout.
Those pesky charges just will not go away for Manchester City and the Premier League. It feels as if this situation has dragged on since Adam was a lad and rivals will continue to use it as a stick to beat the club with, while City plead innocence and claim a witch-hunt. No one is satisfied with the state of affairs and everyone will want finality as soon as possible because it is a constant distraction. A freeze on ticket prices brought some goodwill after lengthy criticism of the club's desire to squeeze every penny they could out of supporters.
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It is a positive that City finally have a proper left-back in Rayan Aït-Nouri, but Rayan Cherki is the more exciting acquisition. The 21-year-old has been linked with top clubs since his teenage years, but City finally got their hands on Lyon's attacking midfielder, who falls into the maverick category. He dribbles, creates and scores goals, while also possessing the ability to produce the unpredictable with the ball at his feet, and he can play in numerous positions behind a striker. It is hard to predict what he will do next, which will concern defenders. In an era when football is prescribed, Cherki can be the rule breaker.
A year ago, Oscar Bobb scored in the Community Shield to signal he was about to break out. He had enjoyed a great pre-season and Guardiola was confident in his qualities. The highly rated Bobb was the reason City were happy to part with Cole Palmer, thinking they had someone who could surpass him in their ranks. Unfortunately for Bobb, he broke a leg in training and required a lengthy rehabilitation period, taking longer than anyone expected, meaning he made three Premier League appearances, all as a substitute. There is greater competition in the positions he wants to play, but given a chance he could be a star turn.
By his own admission, 2024-25 did not live up to Phil Foden's high standards. From claiming the Professional Footballers' Association's player of the year award for the previous season, Foden dropped off dramatically. He attributed the problems on the pitch to various factors, including facing challenges 'off the pitch mentally' and it is understandable that those affected his ability to perform. The 25-year-old is a generational talent, possessing everything his manager wants in a player, and he will be desperate to show it. Given the correct freedom, he should be the man leading the latest incarnation of Guardiola's football and a new era at City.