What issues Manchester City need to resolve in summer to become Premier League title contenders again?

The club are currently in fifth spot and are fighting for fourth place in the league.

A club that won three Premier League titles in a row are fighting for the top four spots this season. This tells how easily things fall apart after years of building a competitive squad that can fight for all trophies in a season.

Pep Guardiola built a kingdom and established his side as one of the best teams in Europe. They were the most dominant side in the league, and winning the league title became bread and butter for the Spanish manager in England.

"In another club, without the recent success, I would have been sacked" ❌Pep Guardiola reflects on the difficulties Manchester City have faced this season 🔵 pic.twitter.com/GGtd51FNZ2

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 6, 2025

However, the story for this season has been different. They are now struggling to secure even a top-four spot to book their place in the UEFA Champions League for next season. But what has been the main cause of the sudden change in the club’s performance and who has majorly contributed to it? Let’s take a look below.

What issues will Manchester City have to address in the summer to become a title contender next season?

There are plenty of issues the club will have to address if they are once again to challenge for the Premier League title in the upcoming season.

Manchester City’s dip in performance has been mainly due to Rodri’s absence. He was the heart of the club’s midfield. The Spanish midfielder suffered an ACL injury in the game against Arsenal that meant he would be missing the rest of the 2024-25 season. Although he has returned to personal training, it’s unlikely he will be able to play this term. However his comeback for next season will be a major boost for Pep Guardiola.

.@KevinDeBruyne 👑🩵#ManCity pic.twitter.com/nomGSKMiLD

— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 6, 2025

However, there will be a void as Kevin De Bruyne is set to leave the club after the end of the season. This will leave a massive hole in the club’s midfield. The team is looking for his replacement and has found Florian Wirtz as the ideal candidate to replace him. If they manage to pull off his signing, that would be a big coup for City, given the German player’s attributes.

But Manchester City still have more issues in their midfield with other stars such as Bernardo Silva and İlkay Gündoğan being poor this season. It will be better for the club to find their replacement in the summer as well.

Once City address their midfield issues, they should once again return to their dominant way.

What about attack and defence?

Manchester City have a decent attack. But given that the club are considering selling Jack Grealish, they would need his successor as well. Although Phil Foden couldn’t make as much impact, hopefully, he will return to his best next term.

As usual, Erling Haaland has been firing goals left and right; meanwhile, his alternative, Omar Marmoush, has also been sensational.

On the other hand, Manchester City’s defence has been leaky this season. They have conceded goals way too easily. However, their main concern will be to find Kyle Walker’s replacement, as they would want a pacy right-back who has good defensive awareness.

Meanwhile, new signing Abdukodir Khusanov hasn’t yet settled at the club. Once he gets used to the Premier League’s pace, he will certainly make himself one of the top centre-backs in the league.

Therefore, Manchester City don’t really have significant flaws. Their primary focus will be on optimizing their midfield and making minor adjustments to their offence and defence, after which they could return to their position as a title contender.

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