Manchester City have enjoyed the best season in their history, completing a historic treble at the weekend. The 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final saw Man City win the treble and become just the second English side to achieve such a feat after Manchester United in 1999.
It will be a season to remember for ages for Man City fans, who descended upon the city centre on Monday to celebrate the Pep Guardiola-managed side’s incredible success. Guardiola is a perfectionist, and despite a magnificent year, he will want to address a few areas to further improve his squad.
On that note, let us take a look at those three areas Man City should improve on next season.
- Replace Ilkay Gundogan
With a historic Treble-winning campaign completed, Ilkay Gundogan is mulling over what to do next—with his contract at Manchester City expiring at the end of this month. Man City are still hoping that they can convince Gundogan to sign a new contract, but with every passing day, it is becoming difficult to see the German staying at the club.
The question now remains—who will replace Gundogan if he decides to leave the club? Guardiola has the knack of identifying talents and turning them into world-beaters. Considering how important Gundogan has been for City ever since he arrived at the Etihad Stadium as Guardiola’s first signing, the Spanish tactician should be already scouring the market for his long-term replacement.
- Away form
Manchester City’s dominant second half of the season helped them to win the league title. However, the Sky Blues were not flawless and their away form could have been a big reason for the title collapse.
Against teams who finished in the top nine, Man City registered just one win—against Arsenal (home & away)—while also drawing three and losing five. They suffered defeats to Liverpool, Man United, Tottenham and Brentford (home & away), while drawing against Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Brighton.
The away form against the top nine sides is concerning, one that Guardiola must definitely address next season.
- Promote youngsters and academy players
Unlike cross-town rivals Man United, Man City doesn’t boast themselves on their culture of promoting their academy players and nurturing young talents. But over the last few years, one has witnessed the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis break into the first team under Guardiola.
The Man City academy is brimming with talents, all waiting for their chance in the senior team as they look to follow the footsteps of Foden, Lewis and Palmer. Unfortunately, the City squad is stacked with world-class players, which means some academy talents may not succeed in fulfilling their dreams.
But Guardiola and his coaching staff must continue to streamline the process of promoting youth into the first team. Shea Charles, 19, made his senior debut against Brentford in the final league game of the season, entering the field in the second half. After Charles, Joel Ndala, Adedire Mebude and Carlos Borges must be given opportunities to showcase their talents next term.
