Our Manchester City fan contributor Steven McInerney has been telling us what success would look like for this season and what his one hope and one fear is for the remainder of the campaign.
Find more from Steven McInerney at Esteemed Kompany, external
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we approach the crunch stage of the 2024-25 Premier League season, it only feels right to address what would be a good outcome for Manchester City from here onwards and what my biggest fear for Pep Guardiola's side is too.
I hope that as we approach the back end of this season, some players will re-find their form and other players will be recovered from injury.
If Guardiola can have a consistent group of players available, as opposed to people being in then out again, then it will help them to achieve their objective of Champions League qualification.
The club are very realistic with their options and they know how difficult achieving a top four position can be. They never take it for granted.
Of course, if they qualify they can still be disappointed that they haven't defended their title, but at least they have finished the season in a positive manner.
They are also still in the FA Cup, so I am in no doubt that they will want to have a say in where that trophy goes this season after losing out to Manchester United last time round.
So yes, their Champions League and Premier League campaign has gone but it isn't all doom and gloom.
The focus just needs to be on recovering players, bedding in the new ones, and getting the team back to playing the football the manager knows they are capable of.
Hopefully, that will all then lead to comfortable Champions League qualification and a place in the FA Cup final.
But in contrast, if they don't finish the season well and there is then a high player turnover in the summer, it will create another challenge.
There are current players who have been instrumental to the last decade's success, so you don't want to be in a position where those important players are told to move on based on this campaign's performances.
Leaving a club is undoubtedly the nature of football, but if a season ends badly in terms of results and performances, then it can be a downer on how they look at some of the icons of the club.
The 'older' players are still good enough, but if they are not playing well, or they are injured and their energy is not the same, then you do wonder what the next season for Manchester City is going to look like.
There is going to be change this summer, but unfortunately at the minute it feels like it will be justified on the performances of this season.
Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Premier League game between Tottenham and Manchester City.
Here are some of your comments:
Tottenham fans
Phil: As injuries ease and first-choice players return we will see that Spurs remain limited by Ange's one-dimensional tactics. We will still be wide open at the back, still be vulnerable to any half decent transition and still have very few ideas in the final third beyond get it wide and fire it in low. That was the story against Manchester City and it will continue to be the story with this coach at the helm.
William: Ultimately a disappointing performance and result, especially given the momentum we seemed to have been building from the last couple of results. We seemed to lack a cutting edge going forward and rather unusually for us seemed a bit timid in the first half. However, the second half performance was more like it and we should benefit from the return of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison to provide a focal point to our attacks.
Mo: Dominated by City in the first half. Feared a little better in the second half. Bringing on Timo Werner who has offered little this season was perplexing. Fourteen losses and counting is unsustainable and unacceptable.
Steve: Spurs lost it in the first half. Dreadful, passive performance. The team selection and lack of proper tactics were very poor. You have to control midfield against this tired City - the game was winnable for Spurs but Ange got it wrong.
Michelle: To lose 1-0 to City is progress. It goes to show how we have missed the injured players these past months. We just have to believe.
Manchester City fans
Rigs: Both Savinho and Jeremy Doku have brilliant speed and skill, but it's the final pass which lets them down.
Daniel: Another 10 minutes and it would have been two dropped points. Struggling to put games to bed as usual. When is Pep Guardiola going to realise that slow build ups, playing it back, or playing it anywhere other than going direct isn't working anymore?
Lee: City played really well first half and should have scored more goals. We always knew the second half was going to be hard and you need luck in this game and we had a lot of it second half. Tottenham never had their shooting boots on.
Sean: Important three points against a team who we have struggled against over the last few years. We should have been three goals up at half-time but we survived a Tottenham fightback in the second half. Hopefully we gain confidence going forward to make sure we finish in the top four.
Manchester City are considering a summer move for France left-back Theo Hernandez, with the 27-year-old having hit a standstill in talks over a new contract with AC Milan. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesManchester City boss Pep Guardiola, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Really important. Really pleased for the victory and the way we played in the first half.
"Second half was more open because didn't close the game. It should have been 3-0 or 4-0 in the first half but we couldn't do it. In the second half we know momentum in this stadium when they start to push is really really tough.
"Really pleased for the victory and the result we got."
On missed chances in the first half: "It happened a lot this season. The first game against Spurs against Tottenham after 15 minutes we should be 2-0 and we lost 4-0. Football in the box makes the difference, the quality. In the first half we missed it a little bit but in the end we're happy."
On what Jeremy Doku can do to improve: "In the final decision. He's really good in dribbling, unstoppable, but after the assist to Erling [Haaland] it has to come more often."
Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesDuring the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Manchester City looked like their old selves, but their resilience in the second half was no less impressive.
Jeremy Doku and Savinho caused Spurs plenty of problems on the flanks, while in midfield January arrival Nico Gonzalez excelled both in and out of possession.
In the second half City lost control and Tottenham piled on the pressure, but City held out thanks in part to the interventions of 20-year-old centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov.
City are changing, and as a difficult season approaches the final stretch, green shoots are appearing.
"We have a young, young team," City boss Pep Guardiola said during his post-match press conference.
"The three up front [Doku, Savinho and Erling Haaland] is the future, Nico [Gonzalez] when Rodri comes back will be the future, and of course, [Abdukodir] Khusanov you have seen it today, Josko [Gvardiol] is young.
"But listen, Bernardo [Silva], [Ilkay] Gundogan, Kevin [De Bruyne] and the other ones are really important for us. But it's a question of time; the young players and maybe new acquisitions that the club will do in the summer time have to lead this club for the next years."
City have looked better in recent weeks. Could they be back to their best next season?
Image source, Getty ImagesThis was just the fourth time Spurs have lost and failed to score in a home match under Ange Postecoglou,
Three of those defeats have been to Manchester City (0-1 in January 2024, 0-2 in May 2024 and 0-1 tonight).
Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?
Have your say on Tottenham's performance
What did you make of City's display?
Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies
Five matches make up Wednesday's Premier League action
Brentford v Everton
Man Utd v Ipswich
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Tottenham v Man City
Liverpool v Newcastle (20:15)
All kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated
Former Manchester City midfielder Michael Brown talks to The Football News Show's Ben Croucher about the size of the task facing Pep Guardiola as he looks to return the Premier League champions to the top of the tree.
Available to UK users only.
Image source, Getty ImagesPep Guardiola says he has no plans to change his style of play despite his Manchester City side's recent struggles.
In his latest news conference, he was asked if his team will be "left behind" as the league switches to a more direct style of play: "It depends on the quality and the specific skills that our players have.
"What I've seen recently is more teams playing man-to-man and more aggressive in the build-up. We have handled teams who play man-to-man really well.
"We are not going to try to adapt. When we have the squad, we can play in this way. As long as I am the manager, we are going to adjust depending on the quality of player, but we are going to try to play the way that defined that team for many years that had the success.
"The only difference is that there were more teams in the past who were cautious. Now the teams are so brave so that is a little bit different."
Image source, Getty ImagesManchester City boss Pep Guardiola says Kevin de Bruyne's future at the club must be his own decision and not his.
De Bruyne is in his 10th season for City after joining for £55m in 2015, but is out of contract in the summer.
The 33-year-old has established himself as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, winning six titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups, two Community Shields and the Champions League.
While his role in the Treble-winning side of 2023 was huge, this season he has struggled to make an impact in what has been an injury-disrupted campaign.
When Pep Guarduiola was asked if his relationship will be key to any decision on De Bruyne's future, Guardiola said: "Nothing is going to change about that. Of course, we know each other quite well and we are quite honest with that.
"In that situation, he has to decide, that is the most important thing. He's completely honest with himself, to decide what he feels and what he can do in the next period of his life.
"He is 34 in the summer and he has to decide - like what happened with David Silva, for example."
De Bruyne has previously been linked with moves away to Major League Soccer in the United States or Saudi Pro League, but he could also remain at Manchester City in a reduced role.
How on earth am I supposed to predict what will happen here?
It is a fascinating game but one that is impossible to call because it could end up 3-0 to either team.
Manchester City were subdued against Liverpool. Jeremy Doku looked bright on their left flank, but they did not offer much of a threat elsewhere.
Tottenham put four goals past Ipswich but they could have conceded a few themselves, and you have to think City will have opportunities here.
Spurs thumped Pep Guardiola's side 4-0 in November, but I am going for City to take the points this time. It will be close but they might just nick it.
Sutton's prediction: 1-2
Manchester City are interested in making Newcastle's England right-back Tino Livramento, 22, and Juventus' Italy left-back Andrea Cambiaso, 25, part of their summer rebuild. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Atletico Madrid are interested in signing City midfielder Mateo Kovacic this summer. (Caught Offside), external
MLS expansion team San Diego have made no progress in securing Kevin de Bruyne on a free transfer from Manchester City this summer, despite suggestions a deal for the midfielder is close. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesTottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has said Manchester City's dip in form this season "sheds light on how extraordinary they have been" in previous campaigns and he did not rule them out of lifting the trophy again next season.
"It looks like they're going through a rough trot at the moment but that's because of the unbelievable standards they have set since Pep [Guardiola] has been there," said Postecoglou.
"The fact that they did win four in a row, and the consistency of that four in a row - just the sheer numbers they accumulated in terms of points, goals, wins and just competing on all [fronts] - is an unbelievable and probably unprecedented standard set.
"It's only natural that's never going to continue forever. That's just not sustainable.
"If they bounce back next year and win it - which I don't think anyone in this room could discount - and you say they've won five out of six, you'd be going: 'They're still pretty good.'
"Sometimes these things happen. Injuries - key injuries - and some things that are going against them, sometimes just bring you back to the field.
"That's elite sport - it's just fine margins."
Freddie Pye
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesThe most damning element of Sunday's defeat by Liverpool was the element of acceptance - an expectation from Manchester City supporters that there was very little chance of victory.
Having witnessed a drubbing in Spain days earlier, many would have snapped your hand off at the offer of a point against the soon-to-be Premier League champions. And while it was another defeat for Pep Guardiola, the City boss was right when he said there were plenty of positives.
City found their ability to control a game again, while previous outings had seen them panic in possession and find little way through opposition defences. Yes, there was no goal to show for it, but these are small steps towards refinding the excellence of an all-conquering system implemented over the years.
There was an energy and speed to attacking play, confidence in defensive midfield areas when constructing build-up, and an assuredness about some - namely Abdukodir Khusanov - in our defensive rearguard when faced with some of the most dangerous attackers.
Khusanov has had 10 poor minutes in a City shirt since arriving from Lens and still does not speak too much English so remains unable to communicate with a large share of team-mates.
But his aggression, speed and confidence at the back is precisely what this rearguard has needed, all at the age of 20 in his first experience of English football.
It is highly impressive. And that is before even mentioning his staggeringly good performance in locking down Vinicius Jr for the most part of last week's Champions League encounter from an unfamiliar right-back role.
Then we get on to Nico; a ready-made Manchester City footballer, a player that has already transformed the confidence from the get-go. There is an exceptional ability to read the game, an eye for a forward pass, an assuredness in recycling possession and an authority about his play in a role mastered by Rodri.
Is anyone surprised? This is a talent developed in Barcelona's La Masia, raised with the ideology of Guardiola at the forefront of his thinking.
Sunday also brought back lightning-quick wide play in Jeremy Doku and Savinho, a flash of brilliance from last weekend's hat-trick hero Omar Marmoush, and all with the average age of the outfield squad - with the exception of Nathan Ake and Kevin de Bruyne - vastly reduced.
Small steps forward towards the next phase of this City squad, and a brief glimpse into the bright future that Guardiola's roster has ahead of it, albeit with further work required in the summer.
Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game away at Tottenham (19:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Guardiola "hopes" Erling Haaland will return for Wednesday's game, stating: "Tonight we will know after training. I hope so, but we don't know yet. He feels better but we will see tomorrow."
On whether Kevin De Bruyne has a future at the club: "He is an exceptional player. He was and still is. What is going to happen is mainly between him and the club."
Guardiola said this City rebuild is not the biggest challenge of his career: "No. We have done it already - after nine years it's not the same team that we started with nine years ago. We have done it two or three times already. The challenge I had was when I started my managerial career and with my staff and a lot of tasks when we were together and proving myself and as a staff that we can do it."
He is pleased with the impact of the January signings: "Really good, for the time of training they've had. [Abdukodir] Khusanov - tough and difficult schedules coming from where he came from, lack of communication in terms of not speaking fluent English. His impact has been really good. Omar [Marmoush] as well. Nico [Gonzalez] played less, but they've been really good. We're satisfied with the impact. And of course Vitor [Reis], when he has minutes will be in a good level."
On the challenge posed by Spurs: "A fantastic team, individual quality that they've always had, the rhythm they play with, the intensity, incredible runners in transition. Results dictate one thing, but my opinion of the team is completely the opposite."
On Ange Postecoglou: "I have a high opinion about him. I try to not judge results, you have to see the ideas. Sometimes it's going well, sometimes not much but I have a high, high opinion."
On Rico Lewis' season: "Since he arrived in the first-team he has been really, really good. He's a guy that people could think is not a good defender but he's an exceptional defender, so smart, intelligent. Of course his physicality is not like a typical defender in this country, but he's really good, especially with the ball he gives us a lot, a lot of good things."
Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Listen to the whole Guardiola news conference on BBC Sounds
