Man City in 2025: Losing the familiar throne, bidding farewell to De Bruyne!

The year 2025 for Manchester City ended with many contrasting milestones, where the once-dominant power in the Premier League started showing clear cracks.

10. A 2025 'winning despite losing' year due to Rodri's absence

Man City entered 2025 with a winning streak that still looked familiar at first glance: superior ball possession, controlling the game, and rarely being pressured by opponents. On the scoreboard, The Citizens continued to collect full points, stayed among the leaders, and did not immediately show signs of crisis.

But behind those victories was a lingering issue from late 2024: Rodri's absence. Without their number one defensive midfielder, Man City began to pay the price in every small detail.

The midfield lost its ability to "control the tempo," the defense was often forced into a more reactive state than usual, and wins became fragile. City still won, but the sense of absolute control was gone; they had to wait, hold their breath, and often rely on individual moments—a “winning despite losing” state, very unusual for the dominant Man City of previous years.

9. Man City falters mid-season, losing control in the Premier League

The period of March and April marked a negative turning point. Man City repeatedly dropped points against lower-rated opponents, with draws and losses happening in ways even insiders found hard to explain.

When the 2024/25 season ended, Man City finished 3rd with 71 points, recording 21 wins, 8 draws, and 9 losses. This was one of the seasons with the most defeats under Pep Guardiola, and the first time in many years they were eliminated from the title race quite early.

8. Losing the championship to Crystal Palace in an unbelievable way

On May 17, 2025, Wembley hosted an FA Cup final where Man City entered as clear favorites. The Citizens dominated possession, relentlessly pressed, and created many dangerous chances.

However, an early goal by Eberechi Eze turned everything into a nightmare. Man City lost 0-1 and left Wembley quietly. A match that became symbolic of The Citizens’ 2025: dominating the game but powerless at the decisive moment.

7. The European dream shattered again by Real Madrid

Real Madrid in the Champions League remained a nightmare for Pep’s team, as Man City were eliminated over two legs by Los Blancos with an aggregate score of 3-6. In the second leg at Bernabeu, The Citizens lost 1-3 despite not being outplayed in terms of gameplay.

Once again, Man City held more possession, played methodically, but a few moments of lost focus ruined everything. This feeling of helplessness became all too familiar to fans in 2025.

6. Kevin De Bruyne leaves Man City, closing a glorious chapter

In April 2025, Kevin De Bruyne confirmed that this season would be his last at Manchester City.

Nearly a decade at Etihad, De Bruyne left Man City with 280 Premier League appearances, 70 goals, and 118 assists—numbers that make him one of the greatest playmakers in the league’s history. At City, he was central to six Premier League titles, numerous domestic trophies, and the club’s peak era.

But De Bruyne was never remembered just by stats. He was the heartbeat of every match, a player who, with just one quick turn, would put the opposing defense on high alert.

His fast, line-breaking passes, timely switches of play, and decisive long-range shots in tight games became the hallmark of Pep Guardiola’s era at Man City. Many matches that seemed stuck were turned around by a single moment from De Bruyne.

De Bruyne’s absence quickly became evident in the 2025/26 season. Man City still controlled possession and the game, but lacked those decisive passes that could change the outcome instantly. Matches grew longer and more frustrating, revealing that losing De Bruyne was not just losing a player but ending a familiar rhythm that Man City had relied on for years.

5. Defensive disaster

One of the biggest differences for Man City in 2025 was the number of goals conceded. In the 2024/25 Premier League season alone, The Citizens let in 46 goals over 38 matches, a noticeably higher figure compared to their peak seasons when they usually finished with fewer than 35 goals conceded.

Many goals came from very simple situations, reflecting a rare fragility in the defense system once considered exemplary under Pep Guardiola.

Injuries to key players, constant rotation, and successive individual errors disrupted the team’s stability. Man City lost 0-1 to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, conceded 6 goals to Real Madrid over two legs in the Champions League, and fell 3-4 to Al Hilal in extra time at the Club World Cup.

Such defeats were almost unheard of for Man City a few years ago, but in 2025 they occurred frequently enough to turn the defense from a stronghold into a constant worry for The Citizens.

4. Relying on Haaland, a familiar yet difficult challenge for Man City

Erling Haaland finished 2025 with 22 Premier League goals and 34 across all competitions, remaining Man City’s top scorer in a turbulent season.

In many matches, The Citizens could only break deadlocks thanks to the Norwegian striker’s clinical finishing, from narrow wins against mid-table teams to moments when City faced the risk of dropping points. Statistics show that over 40% of Man City’s wins in 2024/25 featured a direct contribution from Haaland, highlighting their dependence.

The problem was, when Haaland was tightly marked or lacked space, Man City immediately struggled. Losses to Real Madrid in the Champions League and Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final demonstrated this: City controlled possession and played their usual way but lacked scoring options beyond their number 9.

When supporting players like attacking midfielders or wingers failed to maintain high performance, The Citizens’ play became more predictable than ever, turning Haaland from a supreme weapon into the sole lifeline during a year full of instability.

3. Club World Cup 2025: A week of brilliance then collapse

At the 2025 Club World Cup, Man City started in a way that made fans believe all season’s problems were behind them. The Citizens won all three group matches, scoring a total of 13 goals, including dominant victories like 6-0 over Al Ain and 5-2 against Juventus, with a smoothly running attack and Haaland constantly making an impact. After the group stage, Man City was the highest-scoring team with a superior goal difference and considered strong favorites for the title.

But everything fell apart in just one match. In the knockout round, Man City lost 3-4 to Al Hilal after extra time in a game where they had led, only to see their opponent equalize and then finish them off when both stamina and morale were at their lowest.

The defense continued to make mistakes, the midfield lost control in crucial moments, and Man City exited the tournament following a familiar 2025 pattern: shining when unpressured, but collapsing when resilience was most needed. That week at the Club World Cup perfectly summarized The Citizens’ turbulent year.

2. Pep Guardiola admits for the first time Man City needs a rebuild

After the 0-1 loss to Crystal Palace in the 2025 FA Cup final at Wembley, Pep Guardiola appeared at the press conference with a noticeably different tone. Without evasion or blaming details, he stated plainly:

“We cannot live forever on past achievements. The team needs new faces, new energy. Without change, it will be very hard to compete.” This was a rare moment where Pep openly acknowledged the limits of the squad he had built over many years.

This statement quickly spread among The Citizens community because it came right after Man City finished the season empty-handed. When the call for a “rebuild” follows a painful final defeat, it’s no longer a vague warning but a confirmation of the feelings fans had accumulated throughout 2025.

For many, it was the moment they realized Man City had reached the end of a cycle, and the path ahead would no longer rely on the momentum of past dominance.

1. Looking forward to a brilliant 2026

Man City ended 2025 without major trophies like the Premier League or Champions League but did not leave empty-handed either. The English Super Cup won earlier in the season still stands in the trophy room, a reminder that The Citizens have never been far from victory.

However, consecutive defeats in the FA Cup, Champions League, and Club World Cup left 2025 with a sense of incompletion—a year where Man City was always close to the summit but never able to grasp it.

But 2025 did not close with surrender. Entering the 2025/26 season, Man City remains among the Premier League leaders, closely chasing the title with Arsenal, and holding a solid top-4 position in the Champions League group stage.

No longer absolutely ruthless as before, but Man City has not lost its status. Therefore, 2025 feels like a necessary pause, where the team clearly understands what it has lost but also recognizes it still has the strength to reclaim it.