Pep Guardiola has but once more led Metropolis via a calendar 12 months that followers of a sure classic might by no means have imagined.
Again in Could, Metropolis gained the Premier League for a report fourth season in a row. No aspect in English soccer historical past had ever gained the top-flight greater than three years back-to-back.
It was the seventeenth main honour of a glowing Metropolis profession for our boss, with the 18th following a couple of months later after we beat Manchester United to win the Group Defend.
Metropolis have now gained six of the final eight Premier League titles in an period of dominance of English soccer, whereas the second half of the 12 months noticed us have fun particular awards together with an historic Ballon d’Or success for Rodri.
Over the approaching days on mancity.com and our official app, we’ll look again in any respect the important thing moments throughout males’s, ladies’s and age-group soccer that made 2024 one other one to recollect.
Right here we’ll undergo the final 12 months from our males’s workforce’s perspective…
January
2023 was in contrast to any calendar 12 months we’ve ever beforehand skilled, however the begin of 2024 meant extra trophies to hunt.
We started with a house thrashing of Huddersfield City within the FA Cup third spherical.
After that, it was again to the Premier League and a fiercely contested night at Newcastle United, the place it regarded possible that Metropolis would possibly lose till Kevin ’s second-half introduction turned the sport on its head in essentially the most dramatic trend.
The Belgian scored our equaliser earlier than supplying for the damage time winner.
A winter break adopted earlier than we rounded out the month with a cushty 3-1 win at residence towards Burnley.
Off the pitch, the continuing awards season continued to recognise Metropolis’s unbelievable 2023.
was named FIFA Greatest Males’s Coach and was known as FIFA Greatest Males’s Goalkeeper, whereas six gamers have been all chosen within the FIFPRO Males’s World XI; , John , , Kevin , Silva and .
We additionally dominated the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, profitable six of the main honours.
Outcomes: Three wins
February
The second month of the 12 months noticed actually transfer up a gear as Metropolis put a profitable run collectively and piled the strain on leaders Arsenal.
It started with our Academy graduate hitting his second profession hat-trick to win the sport at Brentford earlier than proved the distinction towards a cussed Everton a couple of days later.
Our solely slight set again within the month got here in a draw with Chelsea – with Rodri needing to energy residence a late equaliser.
Two 1-0 victories adopted with Haaland and Foden taking us previous Brentford and Bournemouth respectively.
Outdoors of the Premier League, we took a 3-1 victory out of the primary leg of our Spherical of 16 Champions League conflict with FC Copenhagen earlier than Haaland netted an outstanding 5 as we thrashed Luton City 6-2 within the FA Cup.
Outcomes: Six wins, one draw
March
For some time, it regarded like Metropolis’s March was going to get off to the worst attainable begin.
Manchester United have been inexplicably forward on the Etihad regardless of Metropolis dominating all the ball.
That was till two particular objectives turned it round to win the 192nd Manchester derby and make it the primary time we now have come from behind to beat them within the Premier League.
We backed that up with our tenth successive Champions League win and a thirtieth residence sport unbeaten in a 3-1 defeat of Copenhagen.
Then, the ultimate version of Jurgen Klopp v within the Premier League noticed Liverpool and Metropolis share the spoils at Anfield.
Silva’s brace towards Newcastle took us to the FA Cup semi-finals earlier than a rearguard Arsenal show on the Etihad ensured a colorless goalless draw.
The Gunners left the Etihad believing they’d the higher hand within the title race, however they failed to contemplate the winners they have been up towards.
Outcomes: Three wins, two attracts
April
With any slip up within the Premier League now prone to show pricey, Metropolis as a substitute gained all 5 matches in April.
First we thrashed Aston Villa thanks to a different particular Foden show, then it was Kevin ’s flip to take centre stage towards Crystal Palace – changing into the 18th man to succeed in 100 Metropolis objectives and the primary midfielder to take action since Colin Bell.
A 5-1 residence win over Luton City, 4-0 thrashing of Brighton on the south coast and battling 2-0 defeat of Nottingham Forest had Arsenal sweating.
Within the Champions League, it was penalty shootout heartbreak towards Actual Madrid. After a 3-3 basic within the Spanish capital, we dominated proceedings in Manchester with out discovering a approach to seal the win.
Nonetheless, we bounced again from that exhausting and emotional evening by beating Chelsea within the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley just some days later.
Silva, who had missed within the shootout towards Actual, proved the match winner on a proud day for .
Outcomes: Six wins, two attracts
Could
Historical past made. Once more.
began a decisive month off with a hat-trick towards his favorite opponents Wolves.
We then put 4 previous Fulham on a sunny day in west London to go away us two wins from the title.
Nonetheless, to seal that we must do one thing we’d by no means finished earlier than. Win a league match on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The two-0 scoreline solely tells a fraction of the story, with making a pivotal block together with his proper boot to disclaim Heung min-Son a sure leveller simply earlier than we grabbed our second.
After navigating the acute rigidity of that evening, we cruised previous West Ham on the ultimate day to get an almighty celebration began. For the primary time ever in English soccer, a workforce had gained the top-flight 4 years in a row.
Even the next week’s FA Cup remaining defeat to Manchester United couldn’t dampen the spirits of all who turned out for one more particular parade on the streets of Manchester.
Within the midst of all that, it was a particular month for as he gained the FWA Footballer of the Yr, Etihad Participant of the Yr and Premier League Participant of the Season.
Outcomes: 4 wins, one defeat
June
With gamers both on vacation or with their nationwide sides, it was a uncommon quiet month for Manchester Metropolis.
Nonetheless, we have been once more essentially the most represented membership at EURO 2024 with 14 of our senior squad chosen to play for his or her nation on the event.
July
Rodri earned his first main private accolade of 2024 by being topped the Greatest Participant at EURO 2024 for his position in driving Spain to glory in Germany.
In the meantime, we have been making ready for the brand new marketing campaign with the addition of Brazilian winger after a particular season for shock Champions League qualifiers Girona.
That occurred earlier than ’s squad set off for a pre-season tour of the US, the place a younger workforce misplaced entertaining video games towards Celtic and AC Milan earlier than a draw with Barcelona was adopted by penalties.
August
After wrapping up the US Tour with a victory over Chelsea, a younger Metropolis aspect claimed a penalties win over Manchester United within the Group Defend at Wembley.
Issues might hardly have began higher for Metropolis within the Premier League, with three wins from three.
raced onto seven Premier League objectives with a neat end within the opener towards Chelsea earlier than hat-tricks towards Ipswich City and West Ham.
The key switch information in August noticed our adored former membership captain Ilkay return to Metropolis after a 12 months at Barcelona.
There was additionally extra to have fun on an awards entrance, with profitable PFA Gamers’ Participant of the Yr for his 2023/24 exploits and Foden, Rodri, Walker and Haaland being named within the Workforce of the Yr.
Outcomes: Three wins, one draw
September
A Haaland brace in a house conflict with Brentford stored up our 100% report within the Premier League earlier than a cagey encounter with Inter opened up the model new Champions League period.
Haaland then put Metropolis up early in a vital sport with Arsenal earlier than Mikel Arteta’s workforce got here from behind to steer.
With our guests holding on for expensive life, it was as much as John to drive residence a stoppage time equaliser and ship the Etihad wild.
The key blow in that sport had in reality come a couple of minutes after our opener, when Rodri went down clutching his leg.
It instantly regarded uncomfortable for our midfield metronome however it will be nearly every week earlier than would affirm he could be out for the season.
Watford’s go to within the Carabao Cup simply two days later meant a reshuffling of the pack and debut for 16-year-old as we gained 2-1.
Outcomes: Two wins, three attracts
October
Metropolis’s unbeaten Premier League begin continued in October – beating Fulham, Wolves and Southampton to make sure one other nine-point haul within the month.
That doesn’t inform the entire story after all. Firstly, Fulham threatened our aim commonly in our 3-2 win on the Etihad earlier than we fell behind at Wolves and wanted a really, very late John header to assert all three factors.
The decisive second within the Southampton sport got here earlier than it had actually settled down, with Haaland forcing residence the winner within the fifth minute.
Whereas it wasn’t Metropolis at our free-flowing greatest, it was a workforce that was nonetheless grinding out the outcomes required.
Within the Champions League, we thrashed two of the league part’s strugglers in Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague.
Our remaining task of the month was a Carabao Cup journey to Spurs in what proved our first aggressive defeat of the brand new time period.
Nonetheless, there was nonetheless loads of optimistic sentiment afterwards, with children like and Nico O’Reilly pushing a vastly extra skilled aspect proper to the very finish.
Outcomes: 5 wins, one defeat
November
A month to overlook for this distinctive workforce.
Our membership report Premier League unbeaten run got here to an finish at Bournemouth on the second day of the month, regardless of ’s header and a late push for an equaliser.
Then got here a fast begin at Sporting CP earlier than the wheels got here off both aspect of half-time and the Portuguese champions ran out 4-1 winners.
One other robust begin at Brighton was turned on its head late on earlier than our first residence Premier League defeat in additional than two years towards Spurs.
The month ended with Feyenoord getting back from 3-0 down on the Etihad to rescue some extent within the Champions League.
Outcomes: One draw, 4 defeats
December
With seven Premier League video games and a Champions League journey to take care of, December was at all times going to be a gruelling month.
It was a combined one for ‘s aspect, steadying the ship with victory towards Nottingham Forest on the 4 December and a draw at Crystal Palace a couple of days later.
Nonetheless, a painful run of three successive defeats adopted towards Juventus, Manchester United and Aston Villa as we struggled with damage points all through the squad.
A house draw with Everton and win at Leicester Metropolis put a smile on faces throughout the festive interval as our unbelievable supervisor reached 500 video games in command of the membership.
After eight and a half years of unimaginable success with Pep in cost, followers will nonetheless be seeking to 2025 with hope regardless of a tough couple of months.
Outcomes: Two wins, two attracts, 4 defeats