Manchester City Fan View: Guardiola's first season showed plenty of promise despite some damaging setbacks

Manchester City’s first season of the Pep Guardiola era has been packed full of highs and lows. Nobody could have predicted just how well Guardiola’s men would start the season. Following that, few would have predicted a season with no silverware and a 15 gap to the Premier League champions.

City started the season on fire. A stuttering, stoppage-time win on the opening day against Sunderland soon gave way to scintillating football that produced a 10 game winning streak. That was only ended by a 3-3 draw at Celtic in the Champions League.

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That opening period of the campaign was glorious. All those who said that Guardiola would struggle to adapt to English football were being forced to eat humble pie and we were able to dream of an all-conquering team. Of course, that was never realistic and we soon had to contend with a run of games where City suggested that, actually, Pep’s methods were going to take a while to bed in.

Ultimately, that has been the story of the season. When the Blues’ supremely gifted players have clicked, they have produced euphoric highs. The Manchester derby at Old Trafford is a perfect example. I’d argue that City’s first half performance in that game was as good as any produced in the Premier League all season.

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City schooled Mourinho’s United that day, rendering Old Trafford silent until a goalkeeping error brought the home side back into the game. Presumably, the Trafford crowd had been in awe of what they were seeing from their much noisier neighbours.

Another high came as City brushed aside Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium. The two clubs have met in three of the last four seasons, but this was the first time the Blues had triumphed. It was evidence of a new mentality and an example of just how good things can be when Guardiola’s ideas take root.

On the flip side, we’ve seen just how bad it can be when the boss asks players to take on ideas that they aren’t good enough for. The low point of the whole season was surely the 4-2 defeat at Leicester. The Foxes had just 13 points from 14 games prior to that fixture but made light work of Guardiola’s men, whose defending was an embarrassment.

The greatest dent to City’s season came in the Champions League. Having beaten AS Monaco 5-3 in a pulsating first-leg tie, Pep opted to attack in the second leg. His men came-up short, taking a 3-1 defeat that dumped them out of the competition in the Round of 16. He admitted after the game that he had failed to make his players believe in his idea for the game; that was a maybe a hint at the summer turnover that is to come.

One major disappointment has come in the goalkeeping department. Pep made signing a new shot stopper his priority and, in Claudio Bravo, he came up short. The Chilean has been a disaster – ‘shot stopper’ is exactly what he has not been.

Other signings, however, have worked significantly better. Leroy Sané and Gabriel Jesus are proving why they are seen as two of the most exciting young talents in the world. Ilkay Gündogan is an excellent addition to midfield if he can put his injury problems behind him next year. John Stones remains one of the most talented young defenders in the game; he could do with some time next to Vincent Kompany next season.

If anything should give us encouragement for the next season, it’s the quality of signings made so far with Guardiola at the helm. Nobody ever gets them all right, but the vast majority have proved astute. Another summer of recruiting players that fit his style should City progress significantly next year; it’s hard to imagine it will be another season with silverware.