Manchester City: Highlights and lowlights of the season so far

The 2015/16 season has been one of mixed fortunes for Manchester City. A scintillating start to the campaign seemed to make a mockery of many pre-season predictions that the Blues would struggle to finish in the top four. However, as City head into the home straight, their qualifying position for the Champions League is indeed under serious threat and their title challenge is long dead.

However, they have added the Capital One Cup to their trophy cabinet and have progressed to the Champions League quarterfinal for the first time. The current break for international friendlies presents a good opportunity to look at the highlights and lowlights so far.

Highlights

Manchester City 3-0 Chelsea

City had already won their first game of the season with a resounding 3-0 victory at West Brom. For as impressive as that opening day performance was, it was their first home game that represented their first real test of the season. Manuel Pellegrini’s men welcomed Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea – the reigning champions – to the newly expanded Etihad Stadium. The new third tier on the South Stand was formerly unveiled prior to kick-off and the atmosphere in the ground was electric; it was the best atmosphere the stadium has experienced in a long time. City dominated the match and thumped Chelsea 3-0. The Etihad faithful were on Cloud Nine; it wouldn’t take long for the early season shine to fade but, for now, the refreshed Blues looked unstoppable.

Willy Cabellero wins the Capital One Cup

The Argentine goalkeeper had been widely criticised for his inept display against Chelsea just one week prior to the Capital One Cup final against Liverpool. It seemed no City fan wanted the shot-stopper to be given the nod for the Wembley date but Pellegrini is nothing if not stubborn. He stuck with his preferred cup ‘keeper and was duly rewarded. The game went to penalties and Cabellero saved three Liverpool spot-kicks in a row, reclaiming the trophy that City last won in 2014. He’ll likely leave in the summer, but he will always have a place in City folklore now.

The emerge of a superstar

Kelechi Iheanacho has been one of the great success stories of this campaign. At just 18-years-old, the Nigerian attacker was a late substitute when City were drawing 0-0 at Crystal Palace in September. He wasted no time registering his first professional goal and, with it, a stoppage time win for his team. Everything we’ve seen since then has been exceptional. He scores almost every time he plays and it is only the manager’s penchant for caution that has stopped the now 19-year-old having an even bigger impact. His FA Cup hat-trick against Aston Villa is the highlight of his season so far; expect big things from Iheanacho once Pep Guardiola has had chance to mould him.

Lowlights

Manchester City 1-4 Liverpool

This November game was the first real sign that City’s title challenge was doomed to failure. Jürgen Klopp’s reds came to Manchester and humiliated Pellegrini’s side. The Chilean had set his team up completely wrong – that much was clear immediately – but he didn’t change it. As such, the Blues were 3-0 down after 32 minutes and had goalkeeper Joe Hart to thank for the fact that the scoreline wasn’t more embarrassing. This is the game that showed the world that City could not handle being pressed; it set the blue print for how to dismantle this lacklustre side.

Manchester City 1–3 Leicester City

Once again, Pellegrini proved himself to be tactically inept as he completely failed to make plans for Leicester’s star players. Riyad Mahrez, the Premier League’s best creative player, was given free roam of the Etihad pitch and duly set about terrorising City. Many saw this as the day the Foxes confirmed their unlikely status as favourites to claim the Premier League title. The visitors were certainly impressive but City had only themselves to blame. Their manager proved his stubbornness, naivety and sheer arrogance by sticking to his preferred tactics despite it being blindingly obvious that this was playing into Leicester’s hands. Claudio Ranieri’s men are a superior side to City but Pellegrini failed to acknowledge that and was duly punished, as has so often been the case over the last two seasons.

Vincent Kompany’s injuries

City’s inspirational and much loved captain has had a nightmare with injuries. He has suffered 14 separate calf issues in two years and the problems show no signs of abating. Several comebacks have failed to yield a turn around in his fortunes; the nadir came against Sunderland when, returning from injury, he was brought on as a substitute. Just minutes later he was hobbling off following a re-occurrence of the same problem. He is so prone to injury that some are speculating that incoming manager Pep Guardiola has ordered his sale. Whether there is any truth in the rumour or not isn’t the point, the fact is that such talk would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago. Every City fan would love the Belgian to put his problems behind him, but it looks less likely with every failed comeback.