Championship Hangover: What Is Going Wrong With Treble Contenders This Season

Introduction

Just a few months ago, City conquered global football.

By winning the Treble, Pep Guardiola’s side has already proved that they are the best! In the English Premier League and the Champions League, they have shown consistency and by far the best byproducts of football.

The secret behind their success?

Well, who can underestimate the prominence of Pep Guardiola?

A specimen of a great coach and an example of a deep passion for footballing tactics. He is not just the master of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, but he was the prime successful manager for Spanish giant Barcelona.

When he joined Manchester City as a coach in 2016, he took the team as a project to future success. And now we all can see the supremacy the team is showing to other teams.

However, after going through a dream season in 2022-23 with the Treble, 2023-24 is not going so great for City.

Treble hangover?

Considering last season’s incredible success with the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, it was a dream but tough to conquer, and they did it. However, believe it or not, the hangover of too much is there.

It extracts a lot from the players emotionally and physically. If you follow the soccer schedule or look properly at the current games, you will see that. Last year’s top performers are inconsistent this season.

Reasons Behind The Poor Form Of Manchester City In 2023-24

Manchester City, the reigning champions of the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, has been struggling to maintain its dominance in the 2023-24 season.

Despite their incredible success with the Treble in the previous season, the team’s performance this season could have been better, leaving fans and pundits wondering what is going wrong with the Treble contenders.

Here, we will try to explore the reasons behind Manchester City’s poor form in the ongoing season, including injuries, financial charges, and defensive issues that affect them by losing leads and opponents being bolder.

Injuries

De Bruyne’s recurring hamstring problem has certainly been a cause for concern for Manchester City, as it has sidelined him once again this season. This injury has troubled him for the final months of last season, and it seems to be a persistent issue that needs to be addressed.

Additionally, there have been other injuries within the team line that have made it difficult for City to maintain consistency in their performances.

These injuries have disrupted the team’s balance and have forced Guardiola to rotate his squad.

It’s never easy to cope with injuries, but City will have to find a way to manage their squad effectively if they want to get back to winning ways.

Financial Charges

The Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City for alleged breaches of financial rules is a cause for concern for the club.

The investigation reportedly involves over 100 alleged breaches, including providing inaccurate information, player and manager remuneration, and UEFA financial rules.

The Premier League has also accused City of not fully cooperating with investigations. The outcome of the investigation remains to be seen, as well as how it will affect the club’s future.

Conceding Goals

City’s defensive performance this season has been a matter of concern for the fans. The team has conceded 18 goals in the first 20 games of the season, which is a significant increase compared to last season’s performance of conceding only 0.87 goals per game.

This is a considerable difference and may be due to various reasons like injuries, tactical changes, and opposition teams being more aggressive.

Moreover, it is interesting to note that City has conceded 17 goals in their first 15 Premier League matches, which is the first time since the 2009-10 season. This indicates that some underlying issues may need to be addressed by the team’s management and coaching staff.

Losing Leads

It’s true that Manchester City has lost leads and gone behind several times this season, which is not something that their fans are used to seeing from the team that won the title last season.

However, despite these setbacks, the team is still one of the top contenders for the Premier League title this season, and their fans remain hopeful that they will bounce back and continue their winning streak.

No, Rodri, No Points

It’s hard to say if Rodri is Manchester City’s most important player. A team’s success depends on the collective efforts of all players. However, it’s evident that Rodri was a crucial figure in the team. His absence has been felt in the games that he has missed this season.

With four games missed due to suspension, City has lost all of them without the Spanish midfielder. His contribution to the team’s success last season was incredible. Especially scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final, cannot be overlooked.

Nonetheless, it’s important to note that City has other important players like Erling Haaland and Éderson, who play vital roles in the team’s success.

Left-Back Issues

It’s true that Manchester City has been struggling with the left-back position this season. The departure of Oleksandr Zinchenko, João Cancelo, and Benjamin Mendy in the summer transfer window has left the squad without a reliable left-back.

Moreover, the departure of Aymeric Laporte, who played as a left-back at times, has made things even more challenging. Guardiola will have to come up with a solution soon to fill this gap in the squad.

Poor Summer Transfers

Despite a successful £52 million signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, they have failed to keep quality players like Ilkay Gündogan and João Cancelo in the team.

This is a big back draw for them this season. While De Bruyne was absent due to injury, these players could have made a significant impact on the team.

City Building A New Premier League Reputation

Despite these challenges, City is still one of the top contenders for the Premier League title this season. They have placed themselves in the 2nd position comfortably after the return of De Bruyne.

Perhaps this blip was temporary!

Considering the 3-2 win against Newcastle, they set a new trend of coming back in the 2nd half! Well, this is not new for them, but they are doing it again and again.

Their fans are hopeful that they will overcome these obstacles and continue their winning streak.