How Man City will look to dominate after stunning 2023 treble winning season

Manchester City enjoyed a season for the ages in 2022-23 as they became only the second English side ever to claim a treble, emulating the Manchester United Class of ‘99.

The Citizens surely have been forgiven for their slow start to the season, which saw them fall behind in the league title race before overtaking Arsenal in the final months of the season. They also failed to reach the latter stages of the Carabao Cup as they lost to a poor Southampton side relatively early, by their standards.

Several factors contributed to their performing this way at certain points in the season, but one constant remained- Erling Haaland. Regardless of the team’s form, the Norwegian striker continued to bang in goals for Pep Guardiola’s team. He broke the league’s scoring records and was named Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.

In order to achieve outstanding success last season, Guardiola had to evolve his approach to games, implementing some subtle and other not-so-subtle tweaks to get his side over the line. Players who were unhappy to remain within the group were dropped or sent to other teams, leaving only motivated players at the club.

Reshuffle

The likes of Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo fell into this category. Midway through the season, Guardiola moved to a 3-2-5 formation that made his team untouchable, introducing tweaks such as playing John Stones or 18-year-old right-back Rico Lewis in midfield or playing Bernardo Silva as a left-back on occasion. He first used the formation in the 2016-17 season, his first in charge of the club, but did not seem to have the perfect players to fulfil the roles effectively as he does now.

Following their treble win, especially the evasive UEFA Champions League win, it is normal that certain players begin to feel the need to try a different adventure away from the Etihad Stadium. This summer, captain Ilkay Gundogan left for free to play in Spain with FC Barcelona, while Riyad Mahrez is set to be announced as a new Al-Ahli player. Those who buy Man City tickets won’t begrudge these players trying a new challenge at this stage of their careers.

The likes of Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Silva and Cancelo also have uncertainties hanging over their future at the club. The manager will look to hold onto the players he deems as untouchable in the squad, such as Silva. The club have slapped a huge price tag of around £100m on the Portuguese star. Several other players at the club are not for sale this summer, with the club expected to keep most of its stars.

Since Sheikh Mansour took over Manchester City in 2008, the club has grown in leaps and bounds, attracting some of the finest footballers in the world and winning so many trophies. The 2022-23 season, which saw them win the UEFA Champions League, will surely be considered their most successful ever, despite the players not reaching their usual performance levels on a consistent basis like they have done in recent years. For context, their most recent league win was their most unconvincing in recent times, as it looked as if Arsenal were going to emerge as champions for long periods throughout the season.

The season was not all plain sailing at the Etihad Stadium as the Premier League charged the club with breaching multiple financial rules in a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018, a conclusion which was reached after a four-year investigation of the said irregularities.

The Premier League statement read: “In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4.”

The club was charged with 115 breaches of financial regulations since their takeover in 2008, leading to an angry tirade from manager Guardiola when quizzed about it in a press conference. The case remains pending as investigations are ongoing as to whether the club will be punished by a series of punishments, ranging from a points deduction to relegation from the Premier League.

Opportunity

The 2023-24 season is another opportunity for Manchester City to stamp their authority in European football, and the club is taking the opportunity of the transfer market to strengthen and inject more quality into their squad. Having lost Gundogan and Mahrez, two of the side’s most senior players, the club has signed 29-year-old Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea as a direct replacement for Gundogan. They also rivalled Arsenal for Declan Rice but were unwilling to pay the £105m fee quoted by West Ham United.

To replace Mahrez, the club is reportedly looking at two France U-21 internationals, Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki, both of whom are accomplished performers on the right wing. The club is also targeting the duo of Josko Gvardiol and Benjamin Pavard from the German Bundesliga to shore up their defence this summer, the former expected to cost a world-record fee for a defender.

The 2022-23 season saw a number of players emerge as potential superstars in the Manchester City squad, especially Argentine striker Julian Alvarez. Despite playing second-fiddle to Haaland for the entirety of the season, the young striker managed to score 17 goals for the Citizens.

He is one to look out for in the 2023-24 season as Guardiola will look to maximise his potential in the squad. Another player in the same category is City academy graduate Phil Foden. Despite being only 23, the Englishman has won the Premier League five times in his career. Most fans believe there is another level for the forward to attain in his game, and the departure of Mahrez may help him to finally reach that level.

Manchester City are on tour in Japan for preseason and have played one match, a 5-3 win against Yokohama F. Marinos. They will face European giants Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid before returning to England to play the traditional curtain-raiser, the FA Community Shield, against Arsenal.

The Citizens are aware of their success in the 2022-23 season, but know that they can still aim to emulate the legendary FC Barcelona class of 2009 which was managed by Guardiola in his first season as a professional manager. They will have to win the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Community Shield to further exert their dominance.

Guardiola will also be keen for his team to remain hungry and try to create history by winning the Premier League for a fourth successive year, a feat that has never been achieved. They will also look to kick on and win their second successive UEFA Champions League title, as well. These will be their goals for the 2023-24 season, and they will push to achieve these goals as they have always done since the arrival of Sheikh Mansour in Manchester.