The 2024/25 campaign offered a rare sight from Pep Guardiola — a sign that his teams are not bulletproof. Not in the slightest.
After winning four Premier League titles on the trot, City went from looking immortal to looking like imposters as they went through a turbulent period of 11 games without a win and plummeted down the table.
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They did manage to recover mid-way through the campaign and added signings like Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez as they rallied to secure a third-placed finish — despite fears they could miss out on Champions League football altogether.
It was only the second trophyless season of Guardiola’s managerial career and now it’s up to the Spaniard to build up City’s fear factor again, starting with the Club World Cup. The Sky Blues are currently 5/1 with Betfair to win the tournament.
2025 Club World Cup winner odds
City can lay down a real marker in the United States by showing the rest of the world they mean business — and they’re already on the way to doing just that with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad. The game saw Phil Foden impress with a goal and assist after having a difficult last campaign. Two of their new signings started the game — midfielders Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.
Cherki scored 12 and assisted 20 times for Lyon last season and is seen as the long-term successor to the outgoing Kevin De Bruyne. He could be the difference for City this season. With Cherki pulling the strings and providing for forwards like Erling Haaland, Marmoush and Savinho, City have a great chance of toppling champions Liverpool this time around.
Meanwhile, Reijnders joined for £43million from AC Milan and Guardiola admitted he was happy with how both players looked on the pitch after the game — but it was the return of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri that really boosted them.
“Of course, Rodri will be important,” the coach said after the game. “We have to adjust to many things, but step by step.”
Rodri managed to play half an hour and suddenly a huge hole from last season has been filled. With his presence in midfield alongside the likes of Reijnders, Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic, City can really dominate games again and play the way the manager wants them to.
Another problem that has been solved is at left-back. Guardiola started last season without many recognised options in the position and was forced to play youngster Nico O’Reilly there at times. Now they have Wolves star Rayan Ait-Nouri to call upon, providing more solidity at the back — though he did not feature against Wydad.
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So all of a sudden, you start to think City could become a global force again. They’ve got a superb midfield — with Rodri at the heart of it — and an attacking frontline that any team in world football would love to have. Perhaps only more defensive reinforcements are necessary. With no recognisable right-back present and Kyle Walker on his way out, a new man in that role would complete the set.
Of course, going toe-to-toe with Liverpool will be a challenge, given that Arne Slot’s side are set to sign Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz — who is rated as one of the best players in the game right now — for an English record fee of £116.5m. The Reds have also added Jeremie Frimpong and fellow full-back Milos Kerkez is about to join from Bournemouth.
With Chelsea still looking like a work in progress under Enzo Maresca and Arsenal lacking the star forward they need to challenge for the title, you can’t look beyond Liverpool and City as the favourites for the Premier League title. Betfair have Liverpool as 15/8 favourites to retain their crown, but City’s position as the nearest challengers is reflected with odds of 9/4, making them second favourites ahead of Arsenal (5/2).
2025/26 Premier League winner odds
As for the Champions League, City look like outsiders to become champions again, with odds of 8/1. Liverpool are the favourites to become champions of Europe for the first time since 2019 at 11/2, with Real Madrid (13/2) and Arsenal (7/1) the next best-backed teams. Reigning champions PSG are also at 7/1, with City the fifth-favourites.
2025/26 Champions League winner odds
Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Tijjani Reijnders: David Ramos / Getty Images)
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