Grading Pep Guardiola’s debut season at Manchester City

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In his very own words, Pep Guardiola believes that he could have been sacked if he were at another club this season. Expectations were high when the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager arrived, but his season ended becoming the first of his career without a trophy to his name and only the second without a league title.

Guardiola has received plenty of criticism this season in his maiden campaign in England, but has shown signs that the building blocks are in place for improvement next season, so how does his campaign rate?

Successes

The Citizens got off to a blistering start with six straight wins in the Premier League and blew away almost anyone who came before them. They also ended the campaign well, with an eight game unbeaten streak in the Premier League. When on form, few could stand in the way of the Etihad outfit.

Finally, City also showed their ability to mix it with the very best on the European stage as they beat Guardiola’s former club Barcelona in the Champions League group stage. After years of humiliation up against the big boys of Europe, the win was a milestone at the Etihad.

In Gabriel Jesus, Guardiola also appears to have unearthed a real gem in one of the most exciting young players in the Premier League. Few strikers in world football could displace Sergio Aguero, but Jesus is one of the few who may be able to do just that.

Failures

Jesus was one of few successes in the transfer market though, and the failure of Claudio Bravo in his debut season will mark Guardiola’s first campaign at the club. The Chilean wasn’t even first choice for much of the season after a woeful start, and question marks were also raised over John Stones’ value after his big money move.

Failure to get beyond the last 16 of the Champions League will always be classed as negative, and it was the first time that Guardiola has fallen short at this stage in his career. With a two goal advantage heading to Monaco, defeat in the principality was a humiliating lesson for the side that they had to turn up and could not afford their defensive frailties.

One of the biggest criticisms of the City head coach this season has been his squad rotation, which has seemingly disrupted the momentum of his team. Whilst a key part of his tactics in Spain and Germany, the quality of the weaker English sides has tested the policy and caused teething problems for the Catalan.

Verdict – 5/10

It’s clear that the Manchester City project is a work in progress for Guardiola, and with a big number of key players possibly on the way out this summer, it could be a pivotal transfer window. Expected to be the title favourites by many this season, a challenge will be the very least expected in 2017/18 and improvements will also be expected in the Champions League. It has been far from a good first season for Guardiola, probably the worst in his managerial career to date, but it is the start to a new project which may not yield positive results for some time yet.

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