5 Things Learned from Manchester City's 2015/16 Premier League Season

Manchester City's disappointing Premier League campaign is over. A fourth-place finish for a side of their supposed quality was a huge letdown, and big changes at the Etihad Stadium are coming.

Manuel Pellegrini has gone, officially replaced by Pep Guardiola on July 1. The Spaniard won't have been impressed with what he saw from City in recent months and will surely be looking to make changes to the squad. 

City scraped a UEFA Champions League place with just 66 points, losing 10 games and scoring 71 goals. It was a poor campaign by any measure, despite their blistering start. 

Better is expected, and Guardiola's appointment is an attempt by the club's owners to catapult City into Europe's elite. This summer and next season look set to be fascinating. 

But what did we learn from the campaign just passed? Here are five areas for consideration.

1. Pellegrini Had to Go

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Pellegrini's time in charge of City can be best described as mixed.

There was the thrilling first season that saw City win the Capital One Cup and the Premier League, scoring 156 goals in the process. 

It saw them play some of the most open, attacking football in the club's history. It was sensational at times. 

The second season started well enough, with City level on points with Chelsea at the turn of the year and well placed to win the league for the second consecutive season.

However, a dramatic collapse followed and only a six-game winning run at the end of the campaign saw them finish second and ease fears of falling out of the top four. 

This season was a disaster in the league. City scraped into fourth spot after extreme inconsistency wrecked their title hopes. 

Their Premier League regression under Pellegrini can be seen below. 

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'Manchester City's League decline under Pellegrini' [MEN]. pic.twitter.com/QgZtDpVvz9

— City Watch (@City_Watch) May 12, 2016"

His tenure wasn't a failure, as some have suggested, but it was certainly time for a change.

2. Kompany Is a Liability

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There is no other way of dressing it up. Vincent Kompany can no longer be relied upon to play regularly. 

Injuries have again wrecked his campaign. He suffered five separate injuries over the season, four of them calf problems, restricting him to just 14 Premier League appearances. 

It simply isn't good enough. City need their captain and leader on the pitch, but right now it's impossible to get him fit enough to play a run of games. 

A replacement will surely be sought this summer. The Belgium international won't be sold, but a player needs to arrive to relieve some of the burden Kompany's absences place on the City defence.

3. The Etihad Is No Longer a Fortress

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Much of the success City have had since the 2008 takeover by Sheikh Mansour has been built on their formidable home record. 

However, this season the fear factor has eroded. City lost five at home in the league alone, which is as many as the previous four seasons combined. 

Liverpool battered them, as did Leicester City. Tottenham Hotspur nicked a vital victory, West Ham United went away victorious and the worst Manchester United side in recent memory also took three points. It's not good enough. 

Guardiola has a big job on his hands and solving the home-form problem will be high on his list of priorities.

4. The Average Age of the Squad Is Still Too High

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Anyone who saw City's final game of the season, the limp 1-1 draw at Swansea City, will know this squad needs refreshing. 

The players were strewn out on the pitch at the end, puffing their cheeks and gasping for breath, after what had been a fairly low-key display. 

The average age of the squad is over 30, and it needs to come down considerably. Last summer's recruits saw some youth injected, but it requires more. 

Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandar Kolarov, all over 30, may well be sold. 

If Guardiola is going to pull off his high-octane, intense pressing game, he needs to bring in some fresh blood.

5. Wilfried Bony Isn't Good Enough

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Four Premier League goals, none since the turn of the year, is an appalling return for a £25 million striker. 

But it isn't just his lack of goals that should spell the end of his City career. Wilfried Bony also lacks the kind of movement needed to excel in a pass-and-move side. 

Some of his displays were shocking. Stoke City and Southampton, both away, spring immediately to mind, but the truth is he has rarely looked good enough for City since they signed him in January 2015. 

A summer exit is very much on the cards.