→ Because City is not Ipswich, it is not Southampton
Let's take stock. City is 25 todaye of the league phase, with eight very small points and +2 goal difference. Something to worry about, it's true. But if we quickly look at this ranking and the upcoming confrontations, we can, without blinking too much, announce that the English will finish in the play-offs. Behind, Dinamo Zagreb (25e with 8 points, -8 goal difference) and Shakhtar, (27e with 7 points, -6) can hope to overtake them, but they will have to win very (but really very) largely, one at home against AC Milan, the other on the lawn of Borussia Dortmund, even hoping for a misstep from Manchester for the Ukrainians. Hard to imagine. In all this, City hosts Club Brugge. Yes, the Belgians had an honorable first phase, with a success against Aston Villa, a draw against Juve or a victory against Sporting who had crushed City at the beginning of November. Let's admit it straight away, the three points will be there and City will overtake Bruges in the standings, securing a ticket for the rest of the competition.
→ Because City has strengthened
Not at their best since October, Manchester City has activated piggy bank mode to resolve, or rather attempt to resolve, its problems. No less than three major recruits have just arrived in the north of England, with Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Vitor Reis, for a combined jackpot of around 150 million euros. Enough to sort out all this mess and look forward to the play-offs, then the rest of the competition with peace of mind. As a bonus? Rodri seems determined to return before the end of the season. A Golden Ball returning from injury, yes it is certainly the best possible recruit.
→ Because executives will return from vacation
Attentive to the mental health of his players, Pep Guardiola has not skimped on time off this year. Rodri on the sidelines and on forced rest, the Catalan therefore wanted his partners from Middle Earth to also benefit from a few additional weeks of vacation. So, it was logical to see in the midfield on the Parc lawn the little-known Kevin from Bruges, a Bernardo Silva more Bernado than Silva, and a vague double of Gündoğan coming off the bench. With a certain sense of humor, Citizens had even thought about digitally replacing Riyad Mahrez with a guy who never played during his time at ESTAC.
→ Because it’s almost the end of Dry January
If there is one man who has been dragging his spleen since City's European title, it is Jack Grealish. With five small goals since he lifted the big-eared cup, the English winger is only a shadow of himself. And this January, he ended more than a year of drought in front of goal, in the middle of Dry January, the gloomiest month of the year in Manchester. Paradoxically, caught up in impatience for his first pint of 2025, he scored his first goal in the Champions League since 2021. Certainly a way for him to justify his return to consumption, while we all remember his prime from summer 2023.
-→ Because Jean-Jacques said so
So yes, City's final months feel like an inexorable swan song for a team that has ruled England and reached the European heights. But imagine for a moment that Jean-Jacques Goldman had planned everything 33 years ago. So read and make up your own mind:
« All it takes is a sign. For City.
Not a quiet path. Nor serene.
Something crippled. Without Rodri.
It's written in our books. That's for sure.
Even losing to marbles. Scoundrels
Past successes. Far, far away
You laugh but be calm. For City.
He will have everything that glitters. In his hands. »
After the defeat against Paris, Manchester City formalizes Omar Marmoush
