After a highly thrilling three-pronged EPL title race, Manchester City emerged victorious for the fourth time in a row, leaving behind Arsenal and Liverpool.

Though after achieving the historic feat of the 'Four-peat’ it was never a dominant show by Man City for the last two seasons and this year also all the rivals of Man City are geared up again to challenge the indisputable supremacy of the Sky Blues in English football.

Pep Guardiola's side have been comparatively less busy in this transfer window and as pre-season matches have already begun we can see Guardiola kept his faith in the City Football Academy graduates rather than going for big names. Till now City’s only signing is Savinho, a 20-year-old Brazilian winger.

Manchester City: What Are the Issues With the Current City Squad?

The already star-studded City squad have some of the greatest talents of recent times in almost all the positions. But the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, and Kyle Walker are towards the end of their career and as a result, new young talents are needed to be ready to fill up their shoes. Also finding a proper left-back now became a perennial problem for the English club as they failed to sign the same for many seasons.

Also in Guardiola’s style of playing Central Defensive-midfielders play a major role in controlling the game and Rodri has been phenomenal in this role finding a proper backup has become the need of the hour but it seems City failed again to do so in this transfer window.

Who Will Be the Key Players to Watch For in Man City’s 2024-25 Campaign?

Though City have major talents in all the positions and has a boasting reserve bench it will be a season where many new faces will get more game times and some already established youngsters will play more central roles in their respective positions. This season’s key players will be:

Oscar Bobb

The 21-year-old Norwegian attacking midfielder has already scored two goals and one assist in the last season. Often considered as the best among his age group City Academy has already cemented his spot in the City’s senior squad. As Julian Alvarez repeatedly mentioned his intention to leave the club, if it happens it would provide more chances for him to showcase his talent.

Jeremy Doku

The recent matches indicate that the 22-year-old Belgian is going to be Guardiola's first choice in the left wing over Jack Grealish for most of the matches. Known for his speed, dribbling and aggressive playing style, Doku is often considered as a threat to the opponents’ defence. The Belgian already impressed the Cityzens with 6 goals and 9 assists in his debut season and a similar or better performance will be expected from him in this season also.

Phil Foden

The Manchester lad is already a key part of the team and is currently the only one who came from the academy and cemented his place in the first XI. For the last two seasons, he has been playing more of a playmaking role and it seems he will be a replacement for Kevin de Bruyne as it could be the last season for this Belgian legend. Last season the 24-year-old scored 27 goals for City along with 11 assists in all competitions and also won the FWA Player of the Year and PL Player of the Season.

Rodri

Often considered the best in his position in the world in recent times, the Spanish CDM was brilliant over the seasons for City and also reached his 50th consecutive undefeated PL match with City. He also won the Player of the Tournament in Euro 2024 with Spain. Known for his versatility, accurate passing, tactical intelligence and ability to score in the crucial moments made him a cornerstone of this City squad.

Erling Haaland

It will be the third season for the Norwegian forward with City and as one of the best strikers of his generation, Haaland will always be a key player of any team he plays for. After a stellar debut season with City, the last season was below average in comparison with his prior performances yet he managed to score 43 goals in all competitions and became the highest scorer of PL with 27 goals. With a rich supply line consisting of some of the best midfielders of recent times along with a perfect number nine like Haaland in front City will be expected to be as lethal as the previous seasons.

Reportedly, it is going to be the last season for Pep Guardiola in Manchester along with some of the veterans of the club. It is quite necessary to ready the squad for the upcoming seasons to continue their dominance in the EPL.