How I think our players & manager
performed this season just gone.
Formula
How I do this, is to keep a full record-list of players and
adjust their score accordingly game-by-game and as the season progresses. I
only rate our players against either Premier League
opposition, no matter what competition that may be in, or against Champions League sides.
I need to
emphasise that this is a very fluid system. As with other seasons, some players
start well and then ‘drop-off’ whist others begin slowly and improve as the
season progresses; slowly dragging up a lowly score-rating.
Others, as you
might expect, are very ‘up & down’ and their scores move up & down the
scale accordingly; so any late season drop-off in form might make their final
rating look lower than you might expect or clearly recall, following
an-otherwise decent campaign.
Additionally, I
think it’s important to ‘factor in’, when looking at these score-ratings, how
many matches a player has participated in. For example, a fringe player might
only get 3-full and, say, 2 half games against Premier League or
European opposition but, in those fewer minutes, produces 7s & 8/10
performances, leaving him on a very creditable score of 7.5/10. On the other
hand, another player might play all but a dozen league & European matches
and despite playing largely very, very well, he may have a drop-off in form at
some point or struggle to get back to full flow after a an injury; meaning he
has more opportunity to drag his score rating down over time.
I hope that
makes sense…
Ederson
Overall, I’d say he did okay. Yeah, he doesn’t quite look
the keeper from earlier in his Manchester City career and a fair number of City
fans still question his actual shot saving ability [no-one questions his
kicking / passing and he’s managed a number of assists this season, which
sounds madness for a goalie!]. Some of those defensive question marks were on
show again earlier on in the season but I think he finished the campaign strong
and gets a 7/10 from me.
(Last season’s rating: 7.5/10)
Stefan Ortega
Similar to Ederson, in some ways; a considerable drop-off
from the previous campaign. Looked shaky and uncertain at times and that’s
despite getting more league minutes than he probably expected (12-full Premier League outings plus 12
minutes in a further game). Still a decent ‘number 2’ in my eyes and in a
season where the whole team were slightly off, so was the German. 6.5/10.
(Last season’s rating: 8/10)
Abdukodir Khusanov
Shall we just forget the opening
few seconds of his Manchester City debut? I don’t know about the lad
himself but I was trying to dig a hole and climb in it myself just after it
happened – I felt AWFUL for him. Once over that gut-wrenching moment, I
recall thinking that he will most definitely learn from that unforgettable
mistake and guess what? In a similar situation a few weeks later I clearly recall
that he just wellied the ball behind the goal to deny the opposition a shooting
chance. After that, I thought he looked good – strong, fast and it appears as
though he likes a strong tackle. As more-senior defenders started to return
from injury, the January signing went from first 11, to the bench and,
eventually, wasn’t involved in a lot of matchday squads. This seems harsh but I
was recording his score just as I’ve explained in my formular section
above. At one point and despite that starting error, the Uzbekistan
international was on 6 or even a 6.5/10. However, a couple of
not-so-good performances nudged his score down to a lowly-looking 5.5/10
from me but I have a feeling there’s a good defender ‘in there’. A player I’m
looking forward to seeing how he’ll perform in the Club World Cup.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
John Stones
I’ve just looked at my end of season report from 2023/24 and
the England international had a massive injury-hit campaign. This one was no
different. Four spells out; three with foot problems totalling 2 months and 3
weeks before a thigh injury on 15th February saw him miss the
remainder of the season. A whopping 6 months missing in total! Still, when he
was playing I had him down as 7/10 so when his services are available,
he’s a vital piece of our defence for sure. Sadly, due to so many injuries, I
think we may have seen the last of John in a City shirt but that could be for
another close season article, should I get the time.
(Last season’s rating: 6.5/10)
Josko Gvardiol
I thought the Croatian international had a slightly sluggish
start to the season and that’s despite the team going nine games unbeaten from
the start of the campaign. However, there’s no doubt whatsoever that the
23-year-old grew into the season and became a vital cog at both left-wing back
and central defence; as the defensive side of our squad, in particular, was
crumbling to pieces. 7.5/10
(Last season’s rating: 7/10)
Kyle Walker
A player whose fantastic contribution over the last several
seasons should not be forgotten…but this part-season is definitely one to
forget. Poor on the pitch and apparent turmoil off it lead to Kyle feeling
desperate to leave the country on loan. Ended on 4.5/10 before his move
to Italy.
(Last season’s rating: 7/10)
Manuel
Akanji
Couldn’t
escape the injury plague that was sweeping through the club and whenever he
returned, he looked a little off his usual standards. Missed 3 months in total
with Pelvic / Abdominal issues and an Abductor problem and they both took their
toll. 6.5/10.
(Last
season’s rating: 7.5/10)
Nathan Ake
Another player who saw far too much of the treatment room –
four periods out, in fact, totalling 5 months and 3 weeks! The first three
injuries were all Thigh / Muscular issues but then a fractured foot saw the
Dutch international having to have surgery and it effectively ended his season;
despite returning to training just before the end of the campaign. Between all
of those spells on the sideline, just like Manuel he still managed a creditable
6.5/10.
(Last season’s rating: 8/10)
Rico Lewis
In, out, shake-it-all-about and scratch your head once
again. A right-sided defender who wants to be an inside right, attacking
midfielder; sometimes doing both of those jobs quite well…other times not so. The
20-year-old repaid his manager’s faith in an F.A. Cup semi-final start with a goal on just 2 minutes to help send us on
our way to the final but then saw very few minutes of football after that; as
midfielder Matheus Nunes largely took a hold of the right-wing back position. I
gave Rico a good write-up last season; a good score rating a words of hope of a
possible bright future. I’m not so confident now as the club and team look to
refresh and surge back from a poor season. 6.5/10.
(Last
season’s rating: 7.5/10)
Ruben Dias
Not immune to the injury epidemic Ruben had three spells out
and each were for about the same length of time in consecutive months. November
saw him sidelined for a month with a muscular problem; December saw the exact
same injury and length of time out and in January, the Portuguese international
was back in the treatment room with an abductor issue, which saw him out for a
further 3 weeks. In between those and when he returned form his last spell out,
he had very mixed games, I thought. Some really good and some dodgy displays
that lead to goals being conceded. However, those ups and downs saw him land an
average of 7/10 from me and in a poor season for the team generally and
with almost 3 months out with injury; that’s a pretty decent score, I’d say.
(Last season’s rating: 7/10)
Vitor Reis
I thought he looked really quite classy away at Leyton Orient in the F.A. Cup 4th
Round, where he played the whole of the first half. He then saw just 1 minute
of league action so I just can’t rate our new January signing. I just
thought it was worth mentioning the young defender and I hope, just as with
Khusanov, to see more of what he’s about in the June-July tournament.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
Barnardo Silva
Came under a bit of flak from a section of City fans this
season and it was all regarding his lack of creativity / attacking output. I
get that…but flippin’ ‘eck his workrate, versatility and overall contribution
to the team cannot be faulted and when I look back at the season, I hand on
heart say that we would not have finished in a Champions League position if it
hadn’t have been for Bernardo Silva. Seriously. In fact, he gets the same
7.5/10 rating that I have already given Josko Gvardiol but with a * and,
therefore, my personal Player of the Season. 7.5*/10.
(Last season’s rating: 8/10)
Claudio
Echeverri
Came on in the 76th minute in the F.A. Cup final
and it was a lively display from the Argentine attacker. Saw just 5 minutes of
league action and so, just like Vitor Reis, I can’t really mark him. Another
one I’m looking forward to seeing in June-July summer competition.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
Ilkay Gundogan
Wow! Gundo’s back! 😊 I think that was the
reaction of the majority of Manchester City fans as the German international
returned on a free transfer just 12 months after leaving us. That initial excitement
and warm sentimental feeling soon began to fade as it became quite obvious that
he’d lost the proverbial ‘yard of pace’ and, generally, looked a shadow of
his form self. He was on a low score from me for a good while; possibly even
reaching 4.5/10. However, in true Ilkay style, the 34-year-old got better and
better as the season approached its conclusion; culminating in an acrobatic,
overhead goal in the final game of the campaign. In my ratings, he ended up on
a creditable 6.5/10 which, after a fairly long, rough start, I think is
not a bad score at all.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
Jack Grealish
Another largely absent season but, on this occasion, mostly
NOT due to injuries. For the record, he was sidelined three times for the
following reasons: Unknown / Undisclosed (1 month), Muscular (1 week), Unknown
/ Undisclosed (2 weeks). Looking at my recording sheet, he actually gets a
decent 7/10 from me, so well done! However, I get the feeling that’ll
be the last end-of-season write up and score I’ll have to give the England
international…
(Last season’s rating: 6/10)
James McAtee
Hardworking, versatile and English. Pops up with a few goals
too. What more could you want in your squad? Well, while I’m sure James will
have thought he deserved more minutes, especially as the midfield [as well as
the defence] had its own injury problems; Pep
appeared to want more from the England Under-21 international, as James found
himself either superglued to the bench or didn’t even MAKE it that far. Another
one to get an all-too-familiar and creditable, 6.5/10 from me.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
Jeremy Doku
I always seem to sigh just before mentioning his name (you’ll just have to trust me that I just
did). Exciting! Full of trickery! ‘Gets you off your seat’ sort of
player and then? Ufffff…
I was very young when this song came out and certainly don’t remember it when
it was released but I am aware of this very apt 1978 song that really does sum up
perfectly our Belgium international winger. It’s not a classic, regular-style song but I urge you to give it a listen. I like Doku and,
although it’s a very obvious thing to say; if someone can properly fine-tune
his end product then this fella would be consistently unplayable. To his
credit, flanking defenders are so scared of his trickery and short bursts of
pace that they do tend to double or even triple up on him and I think he’s had
an okay season. At the very least, he’s a BIG distraction that can give our
other attackers some extra room. Yes, it’s ANOTHER 6.5/10 from me. I swear I’m not just putting 6.5/10 to be
lazy – these are just what score a lot of ‘em ended up on…
(Last season’s rating: I don’t appear to have rated him
last season – an oversight by me…🙄)
Kevin De Bruyne
Ironically, a player who has seen increasing minutes in the
treatment room and under the surgeon’s knife in recent seasons; he didn’t fair
too badly this-time-round compared to a lot of his teammates. Just one injury,
Groin / Hip / Pelvic, that saw the soon-to-be 34-year-old out for 6 weeks in
September / October. Moments of brilliance were, sadly, interspersed with far
too many laboured performances where even his short-range passing radar was off
and his legs lacked power. Goodbye to an absolute legend and a departing
6.5/10 from me.
(Last season’s rating: 7/10)
Mateo Kovacic
Mostly really quite good. He does, sometimes, appear to drop
his standards and make silly errors and if he could just iron those out, I
think the Croatian international would become a more vital cog in our machine.
Still, in a vastly below-par season for the team, generally, 7/10 is
pretty damn good.
(Last season’s rating: 7/10)
Matheus Nunes
I’m starting to feel sorry for this fella. I had my doubts
and in my last end-of-season write up and it was all about hope that our
manager could mould his talents and bring the Portuguese international up a
level or two. He had a short spell on our attacking left earlier on in the
season and he seemed to thrive / come alive. Sadly, it was short lived and the
soon-to-be 27-year-old was either not selected at all or filled in the troublesome
right-wing back slot. I cringed when his manager said in one pre-match press
conference that Matheus, “…is not clever enough in his composure” to play in
midfield. I mean…we paid £53M for his attacking midfield qualities and that’s
his role / position whenever he pulls on his national team’s shirt. Definitely,
‘answers on a postcard’ on that one if possible, please. As for his
right-wing back performances? Mixed to say the very least…huh, just like
Rico Lewis’. Definitely showed some improvement and consistency in the last
few matches and ends on 6.5/10 from me.
(Last season’s rating: 5.5/10)
Nico Gonzalez
Good, solid and just what we needed. I did find myself
scratching my head as to why he was left out so often. Was it that his manager
didn’t fully trust his lack of Premier League experience in certain games /
situations or was it that Mateo Kovacic and others were just performing better
both in training as well as in games? I can’t imagine that it being a lack of
effort on the training pitch as the Spaniard looks to be a very determined
character. I like him and I like it even more that he has the opportunity to
learn from his countryman and best defensive midfielder on the planet, Rodri.
Despite being in and out of the team since his January arrival, he gets 7/10
from me.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
Nico O’Reilly
Another midfielder being lumped into a long-standing problem
area of the pitch for us (left-wing back), I lamented at the time and for a number
of weeks. However, hats off to both Pep and the player himself - it largely
worked! The kid did very well, all things considered. 7/10.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
Oscar Bobb
Out for practically the entire season with, firstly, a
fractured leg and then an almost inevitable hamstring injury. I was gutted when
he fractured his leg as I was really looking forward to seeing his talent on
the pitch. Before his devastating injury, I gave him 7.5/10 for his
performance in the Community Shield; a
performance that had me salivating even more.
(Last season’s rating: 7.5/10)
Phil Foden
Towards the end of the season, one pundit on the radio
described a period of our season by using the words, “…they fell off a cliff”. I
think he was perhaps referring to November and December. Well, fell off a
cliff is definitely a phrase you can attach to Phil Foden when you compare his
last, Premier League Player of the Season campaign to the one just gone. What a
downturn contrast. Physically and mentally exhausted; playing with foot pain
and family troubles / worries off the pitch all contributed to a season best
forgotten for the just turned 25-year-old. 5.5/10.
(Last season’s rating: 8.5/10)
Rodri
There’s not much to write about really, is there? Out for
most of the season with a dreaded ACL. For
the (very) few minutes he saw, he gets 6/10 from me.
(Last season’s rating: 8/10)
Savinho
At the beginning of the season, high hopes remained for a
time; faded slightly, rose again during a ‘purple patch’ and then completely
melted away as the season went into the final third. Similar to Doku, he’s
exciting to watch but the even-younger [than Doku] winger has a lot more to
learn. Managed 11 league assists but they all game in just 8 matches. League
goal count? Just yer 1. As I give this score, which definitely dropped from a
slightly higher score earlier on, I do remind myself that he’s only 21 and this
was his first season with us and in the Premier League. 5.5/10.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
Erling Haaland
Knee (2 weeks) and Ankle (5-½ weeks) were his only injuries
and when on the pitch, it was a familiar theme of boom ‘n’ bust. Still, as is
often the case, he managed to muster 31 goals and 4 assists in all
competitions. Crowded out / heavily marked; not getting the supply or not
getting himself in the game as much as he should. These are the main reasons I,
once again, heard ‘out there’ as to why he wasn’t on the scoresheet on a
more-consistent basis. Choose one as to why that may be and you won’t be far
wrong. It seems harsh giving just 6.5/10 for a player with so many goals
but I only tell it as I see it.
(Last season’s rating: 6.5/10)
Omar Marmoush
Good player. As one sports writer recently wrote, he does
appear to have a little TOO much energy. What?!
I must admit that when I first read those words I raised both eyebrows but I
soon realised what he/she meant – a little more composure at times and he’d
have had more goals and assists to his name, I reckon. That being said, he’s a
flippin’ good finisher and his versatility too will make this player a vital
and exciting one for seasons to come, I’m sure. A few ‘off moments’ and games
just stopped me from giving him a 7 and just like Erling and many others, he
too gets 6.5/10 from me.
(Last season’s rating: N/A)
Pep Guardiola
A few questionable team
selections and a period of time where he appeared to be lost for ideas of how
to fix large player absence issues. Other teams too, it appeared also, had found a way to nullify and then punish us. The Catalonian boss
himself said a couple of times that he didn’t know [yet] how to fix it. But
then he, of course, found a way and the way he got us playing towards the end
saw us, eventually, secure a very creditable 3rd-place finish; very
creditable indeed considering the injuries and how the season was playing out
for so very long. Silverware too! What?! Well, if you count the Community Sheild. Some do, some don’t…and I’m betting some City fans have even
forgotten about it! Got us to another
F.A. Cup final too; a game, attacking wise, we totally dominated and had a
couple of bad refereeing decisions against us…but well done Palace. All of that taken into consideration, he gets a solid 8/10
from me.
(Last season’s rating: 9.5/10)
Overall team rating and largely because of the strong form
we finished in, I’ve given us a very decent looking, 7/10, performances on the
pitch-wise. At several points throughout the season
there was no way I’d have thought that would be the score…
Thank you, as always, for taking the time to read – it’s always
an inevitable long one.
As usual during the close season, I will try to get some other postings out, such as new kit opinions, my predictions results from the season just
gone and transfer stuff.
