Man City 2018/19 season review: Good things come in threes | OneFootball

It’s been a historic season for Manchester City.

After the brilliance that was their 2017/18 Centurions campaign, Pep Guardiola’s side somehow went one better this year when they pipped Liverpool in one of the tensest Premier League title races ever before completing an unprecedented domestic clean sweep with Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing of Watford in the FA Cup final.

Here’s what we made of it all …

Player of the season: Bernardo Silva

There have been a number of candidates for this award this season. Raheem Sterling deservedly scooped the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year, Aymeric Laporte was imperious, Fernandinho was colossal and Sergio Agüero kept up his freakish scoring streak.

But when all is said and done, Bernardo was City’s best player. It’s difficult to recall when the Portuguese playmaker put in anything less than an 8/10 performance and he’s only going to get better.

Flop of the season: Benjamin Mendy

After his first season at the club was ruined by injuries, Mendy was expected to kick on in his second term.

But following a decent start to the campaign, the French full-back’s body let him down again and he ended up making just 10 Premier League appearances.

Remarkably, he racked up five assists in those games, which just shows what kind of player City could have on their hands if he’s ever able to stay fit.

Rate the manager

Pep Guardiola was widely derided when, after a defeat at Leicester in his first season, he told a press conference that he “doesn’t coach tackles”.

This season, City won the title with the most home wins in the league, the most away wins, the most goals, the most shots, the most passes, the most possession and the most points.

Crucially, they also made the fewest tackles.

Guardiola has had the last laugh but his critics will still point to his failure to deliver the Champions League to City as a black mark against his name and he has to be held partly responsible for the quarter-final exit at the hands of Tottenham this year.

What needs to be fixed

City somehow managed to have a gloriously successful season with a 34-year-old defensive midfielder and their only recognised left-back being made of glass, but that can’t go on forever.

They need to freshen up the squad this summer with one or two new centre-backs, a midfielder, a left-back and possibly a forward if they’re to challenge for all four trophies again next year.

It remains to be seen how much the loss of Vincent Kompany’s irreplaceable leadership qualities could affect them going forward.

Rating the season: 9/10