End of the Road

Out of the Champions League and the Premier League title race, City’s season appears to be in tatters. An interesting winter window failed to stabilize the ship, as Pep faces a failed season.

Now, the iconic manager faces a challenge that he has yet to fully embrace in his career.

Manchester City entered this season as the favorites to win the Prem and had a good shot at reaching the Champions League final. By February, their season collapsed in on itself.

January’s moves attempted to patch over the glaring issues with this squad. The issue tied to these moves is that most expected them to have an impact right away. After all, the club promised they could bring immediate help.

However, these moves signaled the issue that the club is now staring directly in the face. Like with any great sporting dynasty, the end comes for all. Having avoided rebuilding his whole career, Pep faces an uncertain future.

City’s season from hell likely ends without a trophy.

With an aging and underwhelming squad, this summer necessitates a total transformation for the club.

With plenty of new signings, both from the summer and window, struggling, it’s easy to write those players off. The club needed some fresh faces, but expecting them to make up for underwhelming players was too big an ask. 

Fans hoped that the moves made this winter window would kick off a great run of play that would have pushed City back into the title race. However, this never seemed realistic. Their two big moves needed time to adapt to the Prem, making it even harder for them was the form of the squad.

Not only did they arrive in a tough league, but both players were seen as upgrades to players whose stocks have plummeted. A fascinating and lightly discussed story behind City’s fall continues to be underperforming players. 

From Jack Grealish to Rúben Dias, City features plenty of players who showed, in the past, that they could be key contributors. However, these same players regressing at this moment sent the club into a tailspin. Fans expected both Khusanov and Marmoush to come in right away to fill in for all the players underperforming.

Another storyline starting to pop up is the eventual departure of Kevin de Bruyne. City’s greatest player is now a bit player and the inability to fully replace him has left the midfield weak. Without that mercurial force, Pep relies on inconsistent players and mismatched partnerships.

Marmoush needs time to adapt to the Prem, but the lack of any other scoring threat for the Citizens hurts the Egyptian’s transition. Failing to adequately replace Alvarez, who is looking great in Spain, represents another blemish on City; by placing way too much pressure on Marmoush, the club risks ruining the player’s confidence.

City needed more than one transfer window to properly address their issues.

Having failed to deal with them for a year now, the club finds themselves with plenty of deadwood.

PHOTO: Manchester City/Facebook

For the majority of his career, Pep took over sides that were built to contend. When he first arrived in Manchester, City was nearing the stage of being a true European force.

Looking back at his previous jobs, Pep tends to leave when the job is complete. When there no longer exists room to grow essentially. At City, this team, as currently built, is pushing him into a new zone.

While City may spend like crazy in the summer, they are further behind than Liverpool in their rebuild. By nailing certain transfers and betting on the development of the squad, Liverpool turned the end of the Klopp era into a title charge. City needs to approach this summer as a reset.

Now, the question remains: how will Pep change his vision of City to save the project? The team finds itself stuck in a cycle.

Outside of Haaland, City’s bets on young talent failed for the most part. Foden and Grealish continue to disappoint, while Doku remains inconsistent. Pair that with an aging core, and you will get a squad that is stuck between eras.

Compare them to Real Madrid, who have combined young talents with the correct veteran presence. Even PSG’s moves this season show more clear thinking than City. Both clubs brought in youngsters to develop and then struck on the younger superstars to push them over the top.

This, again, requires a buy-in from the manager, which Carlo Ancelotti has for Real.

Now, Pep may have to stomach a soft rebuild to contend in the future.

Eras always come to an end, and for Pep, this era of City connection is nearing its conclusion. A path exists for the club to contend in the near future, but it requires patience.

If City try to rush this process, they may end up like the post-Messi Barça sides.

PHOTO: Manchester City/Facebook