5 Bold Predictions for Manchester City in 2016
The progress Manchester City have made under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour has been spectacular.
Mansour and the Abu Dhabi United Group took control of the club in 2008. Since then, City have become debt-free and profitable, Premier League champions twice and FA Cup and League Cup winners—all underpinned by a strong and much-improved infrastructure. The club is unrecognizable to the one Mansour acquired.
Progress won’t stop there, though. This year looks set to be a very interesting one, indeed.
Here are five bold predictions for City in 2016.
They Will Reach the Champions League Quarter-Finals for the First Time
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City’s relationship with the Champions League has been strained and complicated.
Results haven’t been great since they first entered the competition in 2011 under the stewardship of Roberto Mancini. Performances have often been even worse.
Add in the fact that City fans feel their club has been unfairly treated by UEFA, and it’s a toxic mix.
Blues supporters boo the UEFA anthem before games. Home matches in the competition rarely sell out. The atmosphere is nearly always stilted. It's an uninspiring backdrop for the players.
But they now have a chance to make history. Having been eliminated at the last-16 stage by Barcelona for the last two seasons, they will face Dynamo Kiev this time, a much easier test and the result of their winning their group for the first time.
Their away form and defence is a concern, and Kiev will be well-rested, but City have a golden opportunity to go further than they ever have in Europe's elite knockout tournament.
Manuel Pellegrini will become the first manager in the club's history to guide them into the last eight of the competition—and perhaps even further.
Kelechi Iheanacho Will Establish Himself in the Side
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It’s been a strange season for Kelechi Iheanacho.
On the one hand, he’s become the first City youngster to make the leap from academy to first team in a very long time. He’s scored four senior goals already, including a glorious last-gasp winner at Crystal Palace back in August. He gave a Man of the Match performance in a League Cup game, scoring one and assisting two, and he has widely been described as a star of the future.
Despite all of that, he’s been given just 275 minutes on the pitch. Pellegrini appears cautious to give him a regular place in the side, preferring instead the experience of Wilfried Bony whenever Sergio Aguero is injured. It’s the cause of much frustration in the stands, where the desire to see a young player in the side on a regular basis couldn’t be higher.
In 2016, he will establish himself. This is a 19-year-old with vision, quick feet, technical quality and the confidence to try things and improvise.
He’s a rare talent—the kind capable of reaching the very top of the game.
He cannot be restricted any longer. Iheanacho needs game time, and he will deliver.
They Will Win the Premier League Title
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City undoubtedly have the best squad in the league.
At present, their away form is holding them back considerably. They’ve lost three and drawn three of their 10 games on the road so far—a terrible record that means they have a poor points tally for this stage of the season.
However, because of the changing nature of the Premier League, which now contains a plethora of upwardly mobile clubs, the divide between the top six and the rest has been reduced. It will take a lower points total to win the league this season.
City are just three points off the top and have a favourable set of away fixtures in the new year when compared with the other sides currently in the top four.
If they can improve their away form and continue their impressive home record, they will win the title for the third time in five seasons.
The Club Will Hire Pep Guardiola
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Regardless of how well Manuel Pellegrini does this season, the club are likely to change manager in the summer.
Back in 2013, when Pellegrini arrived at City, Ferran Soriano, the club’s chief executive, said managers go through cycles, with three years an acceptable length of time to spend in one management position. He told Mark Ogden of the Telegraph:
"Three years in football is a long time. In football, teams have cycles and you can have managers who go through several cycles and managers who go through one cycle. It will depend.
Obviously, we want the next manager to stay for a number of years, but I think it would not be wise to speculate on the next manager being there for 26 years. This is an exception and I think three, four, five years is one cycle. Maybe a manager can do one or two cycles, but people get tired. Players need another way, another excitement, and managers also want to move, but I think this is normal. In my personal experience, I have seen successful managers - I don't want to talk about Barcelona too much, but you could argue it has been the most successful club of the last 10 years and it has had two managers - Frank Rijkaard for four years and Guardiola for four years, and it's ok.
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Pep Guardiola’s contract at Bayern Munich expires this summer, and he has confirmed he will leave the German champions and move to the Premier League.
The stars are aligning.
Guardiola worked with Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, City’s sporting director, at Barcelona and has described the latter as "the most special person of my life."
"Guardiola in 2013: "The director of football [of City], Txiki Begiristain, is the most special person of my life." https://t.co/xNeJ9GiVE2
— City Watch (@City_Watch) December 17, 2015"
Guardiola is likely to appeal to the club’s leadership team. He has a track record of winning, doing it with style and with an accent on youth—the perfect mix for a club with City’s vision of the future.
But it isn’t a one-way street. City are the right club for Guardiola. With their City Football Academy, a £150-million facility designed to develop the best young talent in the world, youth is at the heart of their future plans. They also have a significant budget, some exceptional existing players and are now growing their commercial link-ups across the world.
City are arguably the most forward-thinking club in world football. Guardiola is the most coveted manager. It could be a very interesting period if he does take over this summer.
They Will Sign Some of the Game's Top Talent This Summer
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With the club's financial figures on a clear upward curve, and with Guardiola likely to be installed as manager, City will embark on a huge summer spend.
Rumours suggest players of significant calibre are already being lined up. The Manchester Evening News claimed that Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, David Alaba and Paul Pogba will all be on Guardiola's wanted list.
If that list is a gauge of their ambitions, this summer could be a sensational one for City fans.
