Power Ranking Every Manchester City Player from 2014/15 Premier League Season
Manchester City have had a strange season. A slow start was rectified by an excellent run in November and December, and at the turn of the year they found themselves very much in the race for the title having drawn level on points with leaders Chelsea.
However, an awful run from mid-January to April saw their season collapse, and after defeat at Manchester United—their sixth reverse in eight games in all competitions—even their top-four credentials were in some doubt.
A run of six straight wins saw them finish the season strongly and claim second place, though, giving their manager, Manuel Pellegrini, some respite from speculation about his future.
An important summer of squad reshaping now lies in wait if City want to reclaim their Premier League title in 2016.
Here's a look back at every player who played in the league this season, ranked in terms of their quality and contribution to the campaign.
23. Willy Caballero
1 of 23
Appearances: 2
Clean Sheets: 0
Signed to push Joe Hart for a first-team spot, Willy Caballero has underwhelmed in his first season at the Etihad.
He's made just two appearances in the league and impressed in neither. His distribution is better than Hart's, but nothing else about his game is. It's somewhat baffling the club paid £4.4 million for him.
22. Dedryck Boyata
2 of 23
Appearances: 2
Goals: 0
Just two appearances makes it difficult to judge Dedryck Boyata's quality in too much detail. His home-grown status ensured he was offered a new deal last summer, but he's barely featured in the league.
He played the full 90 minutes away at Sunderland in December and made a short sub appearance away at Tottenham a few weeks ago. He's never going to push for a regular first-team place, even if he is nowhere near as bad as some like to suggest. Perhaps it's time for him to move on and seek regular football in the Championship or elsewhere.
21. Jose Pozo
3 of 23
Appearances: 3
Goals: 0
He may have only made three league appearances for City this season, but Jose Pozo will have gained much from his first-team experience.
He lacked the necessary strength to lead the attack, but he showed he has a lovely touch and an eye for a pass. Pellegrini has been criticised for his approach to giving youth players a chance, but he appears to have seen something in Pozo he likes.
20. Bacary Sagna
4 of 23
Appearances: 9
Goals: 0
When Bacary Sagna moved from Arsenal to City last summer on a free transfer, he knew full well he had a difficult fight on his hands playing regularly at right-back. However, only making nine league starts is likely to have been difficult to accept.
Given the irregular nature of his appearances, he's performed well when called upon. It isn't easy to play every few weeks and immediately find your best form. His display away at Chelsea, in particular, was very impressive.
Is he prepared to stay and play a bit-part role again next season? It would probably make sense for him to move on.
19. Stevan Jovetic
5 of 23
Appearances: 17
Goals: 5
This season has been nothing short of disastrous for Stevan Jovetic and a summer move away from the club surely beckons.
He's struggled to find a role in the side. He perhaps sees himself as an out-and-out striker, but he's much more of a withdrawn forward and City are blessed with a number of those better suited than he is to the role.
It's a move that simply hasn't worked out. An injury-affected first season has been followed by a profligate second.
18. Edin Dzeko
6 of 23
Appearances: 22
Goals: 4
After his heroic string of goals towards the back end of last season that were vital in securing City the title, Edin Dzeko has endured a desperately disappointing campaign this time around.
Just four league goals for a player of his quality isn't good enough. His performance away at Crystal Palace in early April was one of his worst for the club and he has featured only once since.
At 29, perhaps it's time for him to leave. If he does depart, he'll be remembered as a very important player for the club but one who was perhaps too inconsistent to be considered a great.
17. Wilfried Bony
7 of 23
Appearances: 10
Goals: 2
Having arrived in January from Swansea, Wilfried Bony was expected to give City a boost in their bid to reclaim the title. It didn't quite work out that way.
Involvement until the end of the Africa Cup of Nations didn't help, then niggling injuries disrupted him further. A switch to one up front in his absence saw him reduced to cameo appearances when he returned, and in total he's played very little in a blue shirt.
He has managed to impress, though, during his fleeting displays. He brings a new dimension to City's attacking options, with strength and hold-up play a key part of his armour. He needs to start next season well and try to establish himself as a partner to Sergio Aguero.
16. Fernando
8 of 23
Appearances: 25
Goals: 2
Fernando's arrival from Porto last summer was supposed to herald a new period of tactical flexibility for City. An out-and-out defensive midfielder, he could come in and play as part of a three-man central midfield when the occasion demanded it. He was the key to more options.
In truth, though, he's struggled. Two man-of the-match displays in his first two games set pulses racing, but his lack of mobility and nous has ultimately held him back.
He needs to improve significantly next season.
15. Aleksandar Kolarov
9 of 23
Appearances: 21
Goals: 2
It's fair to say Aleksandar Kolarov has failed to fully nail down the left-back spot in the City side since he arrived at the club in 2010.
He remains maddeningly inconsistent and this season has been a microcosm of his entire time in England. A poor start was, to some extent, rectified by a strong final few weeks to the season, but his defensive fragility remains a serious concern.
14. Vincent Kompany
10 of 23
Appearances: 29
Goals: 0
The image of Vincent Kompany sat on the City bench for the game against Leicester City at the Etihad in March, having been dropped by Pellegrini, was bizarre and barely believable. Few could argue with the decision, though, given Kompany's struggle for form throughout the campaign.
This is not the Kompany the City fans came to adore. Rash, both in the tackle and positionally, and seemingly overeager to impress and win games from centre-half, Kompany has, in truth, become a liability to the side.
An injury-ravaged December disrupted him badly, but there can be few excuses for his performances. He's regressed badly, but one poor season does not make him a bad defender. He's been crucial to City's success since the club's takeover in 2008 and he will be desperate to return next season back to his best.
13. Samir Nasri
11 of 23
Appearances: 24
Goals: 2
Samir Nasri's season has been a mixed bag. A wonderful December saw him emerge as one of the most important players in the City side, but he regressed badly and was dropped after City's second-leg defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League in March, before an injury sustained away at Tottenham ruled him out of the final few weeks of the season.
Nasri remains something of a conundrum. At his best, he's one of the most gifted players in the City squad, yet finding consistency has been beyond him for the majority of his time at the club.
This season only served to reaffirm his status as a player who struggles to maintain his very best and a summer exit isn't out of the question.
12. Gael Clichy
12 of 23
Appearances: 23
Goals: 1
Gael Clichy's season can be best described as a rollercoaster. A horrendous start where he looked completely bereft of confidence threatened his place in the side, but a dramatic upswing in form in November changed the trajectory of his season.
Suddenly he was defending with much more solidity and adding quality to City's attacks. Having looked a liability for the opening weeks of the season, he deserved the credit he received for turning his form around.
However, he lost his place in the final weeks of the season to a resurgent Kolarov and, much like a few of his team-mates, must come back next season and strive for more consistency.
11. Eliaquim Mangala
13 of 23
Appearances: 25
Goals: 0
Given the huge sum of money City parted with to bring Eliaquim Mangala to the club last summer from Porto, there was always going to be heavy pressure on him to succeed. It appears it's taken its toll. The 23-year-old possesses bags of potential and could easily end up being a superb long-term acquisition for City, but it's been a turbulent first season at the Etihad.
He veers frantically from sublime to ridiculous. Concentration has been an issue, as has nervousness. His pace, power, ability on the ball and aerial dominance have impressed at times, however, and he looks to have everything he needs to be a success.
His 25 games this season are a platform on which he can build, and his run of unbroken appearances at the end of the season in Kompany's absence have done him the world of good.
10. Frank Lampard
14 of 23
Appearances: 32
Goals: 6
Be honest, when Frank Lampard signed for City as a 36-year-old on a short-term deal, you didn't expect him to have much of an impact, did you?
Very few did. However, his performances, albeit usually cameo appearances, have been superb, and in the first half of the season, he scored a series of vitally important goals that secured City points in the table.
Lampard is a class act, a man driven by professionalism and imbued with technical quality. His passing, vision and intelligence will be sorely missed next season now he has finally gone to link up with his new team-mates at New York City FC.
9. Jesus Navas
15 of 23
Appearances: 35
Goals: 0
Jesus Navas is often heavily criticised for a perceived lack of quality in the final third, but he's valued highly by Pellegrini and has played a significant role for the club this season.
His crossing is seen by many as inconsistent at best, but eight assists in the league make him City's most fruitful creator of goals. When City's next round of spending is complete, he will surely become a squad player rather than a first-team regular, but the pace and width he offers, as well as his wonderful defensive contribution, make him a valuable player indeed.
8. Fernandinho
16 of 23
Appearances: 33
Goals: 3
He may not have been up to the standard he set in his debut season at City, but Fernandinho remains a vital part of this City side.
He brings energy and drive to City's midfield, and very often the team's best displays coincide with his. He was inexplicably dropped after the defeat to United in April but scored the winner against Aston Villa after coming on as a substitute and started every game after that.
He may be 30, but there's plenty left in the tank.
7. Pablo Zabaleta
17 of 23
Appearances: 29
Goal: 1
After two seasons at City without an understudy fit enough to play games, and an arduous World Cup in which he went all the way to the final with Argentina, Pablo Zabaleta has looked somewhat tired throughout this campaign.
He has set such a high standard over the past few seasons that any slight dip would see him questioned. He has, though, still been one of City's most consistent and best performers in the league and will remain a key part of the side going into next season.
6. Yaya Toure
18 of 23
Appearances: 29
Goals: 10
It's a sign of just how good Yaya Toure has been since he arrived at City in 2010 that this season is seen by some as a disappointing one for the Ivorian.
He bagged 10 league goals—half of what he managed last season—and generally had less influence on the team throughout the campaign, yet his quality remains undeniable.
Few players can drive forward with such purpose and brilliance, and, if he leaves the club this summer, City will be losing one of the best players in their history.
5. Martin Demichelis
19 of 23
Appearances: 31
Goals: 1
Martin Demichelis has emerged from his very difficult start to life as a City player to become by far the club's most consistent central defender. Rarely has there been such a remarkable change in opinion on a football player in such a relatively short space of time.
Since March last year, Demichelis has been a beacon of consistency, and this season he has been undoubtedly the best defender at the club. For £3.5 million, it's doubtful City have made a better pound-for-pound signing in recent memory.
What he lacks in pace he more than makes up for with his reading of the game and timing of his tackles and interceptions. He's been superb.
4. James Milner
20 of 23
Appearances: 32
Goals: 5
If City have seen the last of James Milner, whose contract expires in a few weeks' time, then they will be losing a very valuable player.
Milner has been superb this season, demonstrating his versatility on a grand scale and further proving he is far better technically than many give him credit for. He's played right-back, left-back, on both wings, in the centre of midfield and led the line for much of December as a false nine.
There'll be no shortage of offers coming his way given his status as a free agent, but can anyone else offer him the same chance of silverware City can?
3. Joe Hart
21 of 23
Appearances: 36
Clean sheets: 14
After a disastrous start to the 2013/14 season, which saw him dropped for six weeks in attempt by Pellegrini to get his 'keeper to regain focus, Joe Hart has been excellent this season.
His distribution and ability to deal with crosses still causes some consternation, but this has been a seriously impressive campaign from Hart by all accounts.
His 14 clean sheets were enough to win the Golden Gloves award outright—his fourth in five seasons—and his save from Federico Fernandez in the recent game at Swansea was a remarkable example of his agility and instinct.
He can once again be spoken about as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
2. David Silva
22 of 23
Appearances: 32
Goals: 12
He may have turned 29 this season, but David Silva remains one of City's most important players. He's the creative hub of the side, either from the left or as a No. 10, with City's attack most orchestrated by him.
And this season he's added goals: 12 in the league is a career best and a significant upturn from a man who has averaged about half that during his time at City.
There's a lot of talk about the age of City's squad being too high, but Silva is one who is pushing 30 and absolutely not for sale.
1. Sergio Aguero
23 of 23
Appearances: 33
Goals: 26
There could only be one winner. Sergio Aguero, this season's Premier League top scorer with 26 goals, has once again underlined his quality in front of goal and must surely now be considered the finest out-and-out striker in European football.
The accuracy of his finishing is remarkable, and but for an injury-disrupted December, he could easily have reached 30 league goals.
"WATCH Here's how @aguerosergiokun fired his way to his first Barclays Golden Boot in 2014/15... https://t.co/7P8TgUHt2o
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 25, 2015"
Keeping hold of Aguero is key for City. Not only does he guarantee goals, he has a worldwide appeal no other player in the squad can match. The next phase of their development will be built around him.
All stats courtesy of WhoScored.com unless otherwise specified.
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