Man City 2021/22 season review: Another crown but an imperfect season | OneFootball

Manchester City are champions of England for the fourth time in five years, but they didn’t have it all their way in 2021/22.

Competition breakdown

Premier League – Winners

After losing at Tottenham on the opening day of the season and failing to sign a striker last summer, City’s title chances were looking rather bleak.

But a sensational 12-match winning run between November and February saw them streak away at the top of the table and were it not for Liverpool’s brilliance, they would have won the title at a canter.

Winning a title is never easy though, and Pep Guardiola will be thrilled to have added another medal to his collection.

Champions League – Semi-final

The biggest heartbreak of City’s season took place at the Bernabéu, when they were just minutes away from sealing a second successive final berth only for Real Madrid to turn the game on its head with two late goals before winning in extra-time.

Are City getting closer to winning the Champions League or further away? It’s tough to tell.

FA Cup – Semi-final

City’s FA Cup run also came to an end at the semi-final stage when they were beaten by eventual winners Liverpool just three days after a bruising Champions League encounter with Atlético Madrid.

A goalkeeping howler from Zack Steffen contributed to City finding themselves 3-0 down at half-time and despite a second half rally, they couldn’t get back into the game.

EFL Cup – Fourth round

For the first time in four years, City did not win the EFL Cup in 2022 after they were knocked out on penalties by West Ham following a 0-0 draw at the London Stadium in October.

Player of the season: Bernardo Silva

Bernardo came very close to leaving City last summer but when the move to LaLiga he wanted never materialised, he knuckled down and had his best season in a City shirt to date.

City wouldn’t be the same team without the irrepressible Portuguese dynamo and when he’s not running his socks off, he’s banging goals into the top corner or teeing up team-mates to score.

A brilliantly unselfish player with a left foot to die for.

Game of the season: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City

City were involved in some brilliant contests this season, such as the two 2-2 draws with Liverpool, the 4-1 win over Manchester United and the 4-3 first leg victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League.

But their trip to Stamford Bridge in September still stands out as the day the champions reminded everyone what they were all about.

Chelsea had ambitions of winning the title themselves but they were out-classed and out-thought by City that day and it should have been more than 1-0.

Top goalscorer: Riyad Mahrez

In the absence of a specialist striker, City still managed to rack up a league-high 99 Premier League goals this term.

Mahrez chipped in with 11 of them. With his tally in all competitions standing at 24, and it was undoubtedly the best season of the Algerian’s City career so far.

Rising star: Cole Palmer

Having made his first team debut in 2020/21, Palmer went from strength-to-strength this season, with Guardiola granting him starts in the Premier League and FA Cup.

An unfortunately timed injury derailed the Wythenshawe-born playmaker’s development somewhat, but memorable goals against Club Brugge in the Champions League and Swindon in the FA Cup gave City fans plenty to be excited about.

Prem soon come.

What comes next?

With Erling Haaland already signed, City will be looking to make a couple of other additions in the summer in an attempt to come back strongly next season.

Pep Guardiola has just one season remaining on his contract but the Catalan is expected to sign an extension and City will always be a force to be reckoned with as long as he’s around.

Winning a third consecutive Premier League title will be next season’s main aim, but that elusive Champions League triumph has to be considered a very close second on the list of priorities.