When Manchester City take on Wolves on Friday, something will be missing. For the first time in almost four years, Pep Guardiola's side will take to the pitch like any other ordinary Premier League team.
The gold Premier League badge they have worn on their right sleeves since May 2021 to show they are champions will be gone. It will be replaced by an ordinary blue badge, the one worn by every other team, bar one.
What Transpired
Guardiola effectively conceded that City were not going to be winning the league as far back as in November, but it does not mean it felt any less painful when Liverpool were confirmed as the new champions on Sunday, at exactly the same time that City had just beaten Nottingham Forest to reach the FA Cup final.
Many managers would have looked on
the positive side after winning a semi-final tie at Wembley, but Guardiola cut
a serious figure when asked if this season was going to turn out alright after
all.
"Nooooo... We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool. It's not good," Guardiola said. In the interests of accuracy, the gap between Liverpool and City is 21 points, but to a coach with an unquenchable thirst for winning, it might as well have been a thousand million.
Guardiola has only failed to win the league title on four occasions in
his 16 seasons as an elite manager and he will already by plotting the
reconquest.
The Superior Picture
When City failed to win the title in Guardiola's first season in charge in 2016-17, he responded by spending £214 million ($286m) on new signings, and a year later they reclaimed their crown by amassing a record 100 points, before retaining it the following year by earning another 98.
And when City lost out to Liverpool in the 2019-20 campaign, finishing 18 points off the pace, they responded by winning a record four titles in a row.
Make no mistake about it, City will be back
next season desperate to swipe the title straight out of Liverpool's hands. And
here's what they need to do to ensure the trophy only has a one-year hiatus
from the Etihad Stadium.
Did You Know
Only a year ago, City's goalkeeper situation seemed to be in perfectly good health, with Stefan Ortega proving a reliable and often brilliant back-up to Ederson.
The German was even credited
with keeping the 2024 title bid on track with his awesome save from Son
Heung-min in the penultimate game of the season against Tottenham.
But this campaign has underlined the need
for City to find not one new goalkeeper, but two. Guardiola's lack of
satisfaction with both his shot-stoppers was plain to see in January's 2-2 draw
at Brentford as, after he had dropped Ederson for the trip to west London - and
not for the first time this season, either - he was then seen at full-time
screaming in Ortega's ear, clearly furious at the way the 'keeper had conceded
two late goals.
What Next for Man City Winning the Premier League
Next Season
Manage Rodri's return Liverpool may well have won the league regardless, but there can be no question that the most pivotal moment in City's season came when Rodri tore his cruciate ligament against Arsenal in September.
The team had only lost one game with Rodri in the line-up since November 2022, but just two months after the agonising injury they were at the end of a five-game losing run which left their campaign in tatters.
By March, City had nine Premier League defeats, the joint-highest number Guardiola had ever lost as a coach in a league season.
Rodri has now returned to training and there is chance he makes his comeback before the season finishes. Guardiola, however, needs to tread cautiously when it comes to reintegrating the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner.
Rodri suffered his injury just days after warning of the threat to player welfare of playing too many matches, and City must do everything to ensure he does not get injured again.
That means rotating the player every so often and listening to him he says he needs to rest. It should also mean using him sparingly in this summer's Club World Cup, if at all.
The Spain international should feel
refreshed mentally and physically next season after so long out, and if Rodri
can stay injury-free and get some help from the next generation of players, he
can guide City back towards their crown.
Conclusion
De Bruyne's departure will free up enough
room on the wage bill to pay the salaries of both Wirtz and Gibbs-White, and
although both players would garner hefty transfer fees, they could be amortised
over a long-term period to comply with the Premier League's Profit and
Sustainability Rules.
Signing just one of these brilliant No.10s
would be a huge boost in City's bid to wrest their crown back from Liverpool,
but getting both of them could make them almost unstoppable.
