3 Christmas Wishes for Manchester City Fans

The last 12 months haven’t been great for Manchester City. The quality in their squad means expectations are high, yet their performances on the pitch haven’t met them.

As a result, Manuel Pellegrini has faced criticism. At the turn of the year, with City having battled their way back on to level terms with leaders Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, their form collapsed. Their title challenge was limp, they exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage for the second consecutive year and their FA Cup bid ended in embarrassing fashion with a home defeat to Middlesbrough.

This season started so brightly. Back in August, with Blues fans wide-eyed and optimistic as the summer came to an end, Pellegrini’s side won their first five league games and didn't concede a goal. The club’s new signings hit the ground running, and the shortcomings that had ruined the previous season had been eliminated.

But injuries and poor form have seen City once again hit a turbulent patch. Their title challenge has suffered, and they find themselves six points off the top. Pellegrini needs to arrest their slump.

So, if City were offered an ideal Christmas list containing three things, what would they be?

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The academy to start bearing fruit

Central to City’s future as a self-sustaining elite-level club is their ability to produce their own world-class players.

Since the club’s takeover in 2008, they have struggled to supplement their squad with academy graduates. It’s understandable, given the accelerated spending on the first-team squad, that their academy setup would struggle to keep pace with the senior side.

They opened their brand new City Football Academy (CFA) just over a year ago at the cost of around £150 million. The facility itself is remarkable, containing everything a club needs to develop and maintain players to the highest standard imaginable.

However, that’s only the start of the battle. Preparing players for the first team is the hard part. So far, only Kelechi Iheanacho can claim to have made the jump from the elite development squad to the first team on a permanent basis.

The club are desperate to nurture their own talent. They scour the world and the local area for the best youngsters and have the best facilities in the country to develop them. Surely, with the time and resources they have put into the enterprise, it’s only a matter of time before Brian Marwood’s target of having “four to six” academy players augmenting the senior team is realised.

Already, there are a couple of players who look nailed on to make the step up. Brahim Diaz, 16, is supremely talented and is already making a big impression in the under-19 side, while Manuel Garcia, 17, has a senior goal and a couple of appearances under his belt.

It’ll happen eventually, but the sooner the better.

Improve the defence

Even the most optimistic City fan is surely now coming to the realisation that Vincent Kompany cannot be relied upon in the way he once was. 

His calves are causing him serious problems. He continually misses games and, when he does, City struggle for solidity at the back.

The club either need to find a cure for his ongoing issues, or identify a replacement who can fill his sizeable boots. John Stones is the obvious candidate.

But it isn't just Kompany who provides the club with a headache. The left-back spot has needed strengthening for some time, and the right-backs—both of whom are excellent—are arguably past their best.

Nicolas Otamendi looks outstanding some of the time and worryingly erratic at others. Eliaquim Mangala has half a season to prove he isn't one of the most expensive write-offs in the club’s history. Martin Demichelis is 35 and likely to leave in the summer. Jason Denayer, though, will return to the squad and is a player with genuine ability.

It’s far from ideal and it needs sorting.

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Champions League progression

City’s relationship with the Champions League has been strained, and the reasons are twofold.

Firstly, Blues supporters feel UEFA, European football’s governing body, have acted immorally on a number of issues.

Porto were fined a paltry €20,000 (£14,700) after their fans were found guilty of racially abusing Mario Balotelli in a Europa League match back in 2012. In the next round of matches, City came out for the second half a few minutes late and received a €30,000 (£22,000) fine. That was just the start of the unfairness.

Financial Fair Play (FFP) appeared to be designed to stop the club’s progress. For years, an entrenched elite had enjoyed a cosy existence, unchallenged by those outside the cartel. City, imbued by new money, gatecrashed the party and sanctions were forthcoming.

They were hit with fines and squad limits in 2014 after breaching the new rules, which have since been reassessed. The City fans felt their club was being unfairly treated.

Then came the CSKA Moscow debacle. CSKA fans, like Porto before them, were found guilty of racist chanting and their group game with City was ordered to be played behind closed doors.

However, when the match came around, there were hundreds of CSKA fans in the ground. City supporters, who had lost money having already booked travel and accommodation, were nowhere to be seen.

It’s led to anger and bitterness, manifesting in the booing of the Champions League anthem. Uefa threatened a fine for the Blues fans’ unruliness but later backed down.

As well as those off-field issues, the team’s performances on the pitch have failed to ignite the fans’ interest. Insipid and uninspired, they have too often lacked belief in their own ability.

Two group-stage exits under Roberto Mancini have been followed by two last-16 defeats under Pellegrini. No one expected City to conquer Europe at the first attempt, but it’s been largely unconvincing for too long.

They now have a real chance to impact the latter stages. Topping their group for the first time was a huge boost, with their last-16 tie against Dynamo Kiev eminently winnable.

If they get through that, who knows? Perhaps some momentum will gather. They've certainly looked more at home in the competition this season than they have previously.

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Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.