Reviewing 2025/26

If you're going to win the Premier League, these days you just have to finish above Man City. They've only finished outside the top two once in 9 seasons and simply won't give you much leeway. This season was no different. After a average start, City really kicked in to gear just before Christmas and despite being 9pts behind the Gunners when they played them in the Carabao Cup final in February, you just knew there was another twist. And 3 games later, they'd taken top spot as the Gunners threatened to collapse. In the end, draws at Everton and Bournemouth ended up costing City and a final day defeat to Aston Villa meant nothing by that point. They went on to win the FA Cup as well but will still feel disappointed to miss out on the Prem.

The end of the season saw the country say goodbye to Pep Guardiola as he resigned from City and leaves the Premier League behind. He's done so much for the game and how it's played. It'll be interesting to see where he ends up now. He's conquered Spain, Germany and England. Italy perhaps? France?

Looking ahead to 2026/27

So Pep leaves and is replaced by Enzo Maresca. If that's not enough of an upheaval, John Stones and Bernardo Silva were both released and you're starting to see the old guard disappear from the Etihad. Can Maresca rally the troops i the way that Pep used to?

It certainly helps their chances when you see world class players like Elliot Andreson coming in through the door, but as of now, they're yet to make another big signing and I guess a lot will come down to whether or not Rodri stays. If he doesn't we may just see another Enzo arriving at City.

Court Offside Tip

I've got City to pip Arsenal to the title. I'm not as confident as I'd like to be but I firmly believe there's value in City at 11/4 because I very much doubt they'll be out of the running by Christmas which means, at the very least, we can cash out and back someone else if things aren't looking rosey.