Last season saw Manchester City return to their old ways, defeating the teams at the top but failing to edge out a result against lower ranked opposition.
Against last season’s relegated sides, Burnley, Queens Park Rangers and Hull City, The Blues only took nine points from a possible 18, home and away (W2, D3, L1). Taking four points against Hull City and QPR, but salvaging just one point in two fixtures against a newly-promoted Burnley side.
The City of yesteryear would do their fans proud and grind out a hard fought result against the league’s toughest opponents at home or away, but when it came to a much easier fixture where a result was expected, City would often come unstuck. Think securing a draw away against Arsenal and then losing to Oldham Athletic – it happened.
This returned to the two-time Premier League champions last season and became apparent when Stoke City visited the Etihad Stadium in late August. City headed into the match following a comfortable 3-1 home win against 2013/14 title rivals Liverpool and the home fixture against a defensive minded Stoke appeared to be an easy three points in the bag.
However complacency found its way into the City squad and they found themselves on the losing side at home for the first time since February 2014. Immediately Fortress Etihad had taken its first major hit of the season and we were only three games into the season.
It would be another four matches until City tasted victory following the Stoke result and what a result it was, a thumping 7-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.
City went on to win 4-2 away at Hull’S KC Stadium just as the Champions League campaign got underway and City were battling on their third front for silverware.
The next hiccup came when City were knocked out of the Capital One Cup at home in the 4th Round by what can only be described as Newcastle United’s reserves (plus a few first team players).
This was another significant blow in the walls of Fortress Etihad, a place where teams dreaded to come in the 2013/14 season. Just ask Spurs, Arsenal and Man United what they thought after receiving a thrashing at the Etihad that season.
The result prior to City’s cup exit was an away defeat at West Ham United, a game in which City dominated the match but ultimately let themselves down in the shooting department. The Blues had 21 shots on goal in that game, with just five hitting the target.
City hit back with force in their next home game however, restoring the Etihad Stadium to its former glory and batting off the rumours of Manchester United capitalising on two defeats in a row for City. Sergio Aguero’s single strike saw off Louis van Gaal and his Red Devils had only themselves and Chris Smalling to blame in what was a tight game.
Cue the City of yesteryear, as Manuel Pellegrini’s men now tasted defeat in the Champions League at home to CSKA Moscow. Three defeats at home in three different competitions all in the space of three months. Well they do say things come in three’s, but this was not how City imaged their season to end up.
City lost their talisman Aguero over the New Year period, a time that saw City hit a rough patch and saw The Blues beaten at home once again in the league, this time rivals Arsenal were the team to come and somewhat dominate City on their own turf.
The following result saw Pellegrini’s side lose another trophy target as they were knocked out of the FA Cup 4th Round by Championship side Middlesbrough, once again another defeat at the Etihad, and another shock to the City faithful.
City defied the odds however in the Champions League and qualified through a difficult group stage despite the critics, and some fans, doubting Pellegrini’s tactics in Europe. Cue the Round of 16 draw, and another fixture against European giants Barcelona, the second year in a row at the exact same stage of the competition.
Barcelona came, they saw, and they conquered. The Etihad had now suffered its fifth defeat of the season already – we only lost twice at home all season in 2013/14. City were knocked out and now only had the Premier League to go for.
Thankfully Barcelona was City’s last home defeat of the season, but still City got complacent during an important stage of the Premier League season. Defeats away to Burnley, Crystal Palace and major rivals Man Utd all but secured the title for Chelsea under Jose Mourinho.
City ended the final two months of the season scrapping with Arsenal and United over 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in the league. A run of six victories in a row saw City secure a runners-up spot in the table and breathe a sigh of relief having secured automatic Champions League qualification.
Next season will be another huge test for City, and with the rumours of Pellegrini’s imminent exit from the club being squashed early into the summer, the club must now rebuild Fortress Etihad.
The Blues must start by securing a number of signings to bolster an ageing squad and propel City on all four fronts of silverware once again in the 2015/16 season. Rumoured transfer targets Paul Pogba and Raheem Sterling could be the big-money signings that see City returning to the summit of the Premier League and possibly more.
