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Steffen Schmidt - July 17, 2025
Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City nine years ago and last season marked only the second campaign in which the legendary Spanish manager failed to take the Citizens to at least one trophy.
The team reacted quickly and opted for a genuine rebuild ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, aiming to recover from the sour fall from grace.
The growth in form late in the season rescued a top-four finish and at least secured another Champions League campaign.
The Citizens finished third in the English Premier League standings, ending the campaign as many as 13 points shy of champions Liverpool.
Nevertheless, the painful and highly disappointing loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final represented the last nail in the coffin of one of the worst seasons in the last decade for Man City and their fans.
Things did not go any better in the elite continental competition as Guardiola’s men were eliminated 3-6 on aggregate at the hands of Real Madrid in the knockout round playoffs after a dismal league phase campaign.
The whole season was marked by a devastating thread of 1 win in 13 matches across competitions since late-October last year.
Guardiola needed to react promptly to such a horrendous campaign and the team’s owners indeed backed him this summer.
Summer of joy for City fans Pep Guardiola strengthened the Manchester City squad all over the place by completing some major signings in between the two seasons, including the following:
The only significant loss for the Citizens from the opposite department is Kevin De Bruyne’s departure. The Belgian playmaker did not extend his contract and will continue his career at Napoli after several magical years at Etihad Stadium. It will be very interesting to see how Guardiola will adjust to life without the Big Game Kev.
On paper, the roster looks much stronger with all the width added across the pitch. Manchester City look set for fight on multiple fronts as they now possess enough firepower to compete at the highest level in both Premier League and Champions League.
The revamped roster boosted by the return of Rodri who skipped most of last season through injury will give Guardiola much-needed stability in the centre of the pitch.
The likes of Rodri, Reijnders, and Cherki will make a deadly midfield trident as newly signed Ait-Nouri, Matheus Nunes, and Josko Gvardiol will offer tactical versatility to help Pep accommodate the opposition.
We must not forget new captain Bernardo Silva who is still very much capable of world-class performances on his day.
Expect Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, and company to have much more space to deliver in the final third in this new setup.
A healthy roster drastically bolstered by world-class signings only means one thing – Manchester City are ready to return to the throne in both Premier League and Champions League.
Whether they will live up to the ambitions depends on various factors but all the ingredients for a strong push across all competitions are there.
This group of players simply must attack trophies in every single competition.
We don’t expect Pep Guardiola to change much tactics-wise. We all know Manchester City for their standard 4-3-3 approach that can easily shift to a 3-2-4-1 hybrid variant with inverted full backs, a trend that Guardiola has brought to the Premier League.
Here is what the strongest Man City lineup would look like for the 2025/26 season:
Ederson – Nunes, Ruben Dias, Gvardiol, Ait Nouri – Rodri, Reijnders – Foden, Cherki, Marmoush – Haaland.
This lineup allows for impact subs to shine, primarily Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku, and Oscar Bobb, while the likes of Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Rico Lewis provide strong rotation options for the back line.
Punters around the globe will fancy the huge value offered by the bookmakers who price Manchester City at 4.00 odds to win the Premier League in the 2025/26 season.
The Citizens have won six of the last eight editions of the competition. The revamped squad packed with highly motivated superstars is very much capable of dethroning Liverpool and returning to the old ways of lifting domestic trophies.
Erling Haaland is 2.00 to win the league’s golden boot. While he has a great potential to become the league’s top scorer again, the odds are just not as attractive, and we would skip this market.
Finally, we really like the look of the 2.62 odds offered for Rayan Cherki to deliver 10 or more assists in the season. The Frenchman finished last season with 11 assists to his name at Lyon and he is just about to feed one of the deadliest predators in the world in the like of Erling Haaland.
Last year, City lacked creativity and composure in midfield and boy did they react by adding the likes of Cherki and Reijnders. With a healthy Rodri and fully prepared Haaland, Pep Guardiola’s outfit are ready for some big things in 2025/26. Will this new team conquer the country and Europe again?
