2024-25 season – Things I’m looking forward to seeing.

We might still have a full month before we kick a ball in the Premier League and, therefore, a chance for more changes and other things to look forward to but, for now at least; here’s what’s been on my mind (perhaps yours too?) about the season ahead.

Please note that if you have kindly left a comment, I am not ignoring it and have tried / will try to reply. However, Blogger is having another wobble and it's currently not letting me do so once again... 🙄 

Here’s what’s on my-particular ‘looking forward to seeing’ list (in no specific order – just as they came to mind):

·         Seeing more of Oscar Bobb. However, there is now SO much competition in the wing department (Bobb, Doku, Grealish, Hamilton & Savinho in surname alphabetic order) that it will be interesting to see who gets selected the most or in the two major competitions at least.

I mentioned Micah Hamilton there and, of course, he only very-briefly broke through to the first team last season, making just two appearances but where he really did show us, in an away Champions League fixture, just what he can do; producing, as he did, a 9/10 performance that night. He's the same age as new signing, Savinho, and so I’m guessing that he’ll be hoping to see some first team domestic cup action at least. And so…

·         …with plenty of wing rotation possible, we should see a lot of exciting, energetic wing-play this season; whichever combination we use at any one moment in time. In fact, I think we’re going to see a bit of a tactical change this season, or a different ‘switch to’ option at least; using less of the slow build-up, midfield possession tactic and employing more fast-action flank attacks to get the ball into the box.

Pep has been known to do this before to great effect – I recall being in awe watching his Bayern Munich side which was not only blessed with fantastic midfield players but also had the devastatingly-good pairing of Franck Ribery & Arjen Robben running the touchlines.

With last season’s signing, Jeremy Doku, being joined by summer signing Savinho, along with a central midfield that’s a year older; I can envisage this tweak or full evolution taking place for 2024-25 campaign. Time will tell if my ‘spider sense’ is working correctly or not…

·         Sticking with the wing theme for a moment, I think we’re going to see a far, far better Jack Grealish this season. I hope so anyway. Of course, with everything I’ve just said, he most definitely HAS to ‘up his game’ with the competition for a left-wing slot being as high as it is now.

But, if you didn’t know, Jack apparently spent most of his long summer break abroad training hard before being the first, or one of the first, to come back to the Etihad Campus earlier than he was asked to. If he follows up that clear message to his manager with performances that we KNOW is in him (we saw it in one excellent, second half of the 2022-23 season) then…wow. 🤞

·         Seeing an amazing and consistent Erling Haaland. If the anticipation I’m feeling about him is matched by trepidation opposing defenders might be experiencing about an Erling Haaland who has had a full summer’s rest & preparation time; we could well be seeing a fair few defenders needing counselling before the season is out. As part of his time off / preparations in the summer, the Norwegian international striker has been chopping logs in some mountainous region and sitting on a rock in the middle of a stream meditating. Of course he did – how very Erling Haaland…

·         Staying with our striking department, I hope to see Julian Alvarez wearing a City shirt this season. In fact, I hope to see a HAPPY Julian Alvarez wearing a City shirt this season. If there’s any truth in the phrase, ‘There’s no smoke without fire’, then there’s been a lot of smouldering embers surrounding the World and Copa America Cup winner over the summer with regards to him wanting a move away in order to get more minutes…and that’s despite him seeing far more game time last season than the previous.

I get it – when he’s sat on the bench he’s no doubt looking at ‘one Erling Halland’ in the central striker position that he wants to be occupying; either on his own or by sharing with the Norwegian. Show me a striker in the world as good as Julian is who wouldn’t be sat there perhaps thinking, ‘How on EARTH am I going to move this monster?’

However, if, when the Argentine eventually returns to M11, we don’t see him on the pitch for some considerable time after our big kick off on Sunday 18^th August, I would hate for City fans to fret or perhaps feel sympathy that Julian’s frustrations have been fully justified; possibly sparking further rumours that he is an ‘unhappy chappy’. In the last 2 years alone, this 24-year-old has played to the very end of a World Cup in the middle of a season; finished that long, long 2022-23 campaign, started another season not long afterwards, played more games for us than ever before, played in the Copa America until its conclusion on 15^th July and has NOW been shipped off to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games FFS!

·         Seeing our incredible midfield talisman, Kevin De Bruyne, bow out in style.

·         Seeing these allegations against us finally done & dusted ASAP (it starts in November); hoping they don’t affect matters ‘on the pitch’ and, of course, that we come out of it relatively unscathed.

·         Seeing John Stones have a far less injury prone season than last.

·         Seeing Matheus Nunes have a far better season; hoping he can tune into Pep’s wavelength of how he wants him to fit into our side.

·         Seeing a solution to defensive midfield cover, so that Rodri avoids burnout.

·         Winning 5 Premier League titles in a row.

Thank you, as always, for taking the time to click on and then read my ramblings.

Solidarity