4 things we learned about Man City in August | OneFootball

After three games of the 2024/25 season, as expected, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are top of the Premier League.

Go figure.

The Citizens' search for a record fifth consecutive Premier League title has kicked off with three wins on the bounce against Chelsea, West Ham and Ipswich Town, with their star players hitting peak form early in the campaign.

Here's everything we learned from City's performances in August.

1. When Kevin De Bruyne is fit, City are unstoppable

World class / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

Kevin De Bruyne has been notoriously injury prone in recent seasons. And if that sounds harsh, feast your eyes on this stat: 'De Bruyne has endured 24 separate spells on the sidelines due to injuries since joining Man City'. That's a lot. When he is fit though, he makes Man City a seemingly unstoppable force. As evidenced on a number of occasions in August, De Bruyne can win any game at the drop of a hat. If he can stay healthy for most of the season, it's hard to imagine anyone genuinely challenging City for the Premier League title.

2. Erling Haaland is going to break the Premier League goalscoring record again

Two hat-tricks already / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

Erling Haaland has scored seven goals in the first three games of the season. If he continues to score at that rate, he'll smash the current Premier League goalscoring record with 88 goals. If his current goalscoring rate halves, he'll still smash the record by netting 44 goals. That is utterly ridiculous.

3. The wide positions are still up for grabs

Starter? / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

If you were to ask 10 football fans who they think Man City's starting wide players are, chances are you'll get 10 completely different answers. And that could be a good thing, but it's down to the patchy form of the likes of Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku more than anything. As things stand, it's hard to know who Pep Guardiola should utilise in the biggest games of the season in those positions. It's one of the few problem areas in the City squad.

4. Man City don't need to be perfect to win the Premier League

Best in the country / Sportsphoto/Allstar/GettyImages

Man City were by no means perfect in their first three games of the 2024/25 season, and yet they've headed into the international break with a flawless record. That should be concerning for Arsenal and Liverpool fans. Despite a few hairy moments in all three games, Guardiola's side have been able to comfortably beat teams in 10-15 minute bursts, relying on a moment of brilliance from De Bruyne here and a quick spate of goals from Haaland there, to see them over the line.When they hit top gear, it'll be hard for anyone to really compete.