Pep Guardiola took over Manchester City from Manuel Pellegrini in 2016, beginning a decade that would redefine the club. Here we chart the trophy-laden journey season by season.
2016-17: No Silverware in First Campaign
It was confirmed on 1 February that Pep Guardiola would head to east Manchester to try his hand at English football. Behind the scenes, plenty went on to create a squad suited to him, but in truth, it was a season of transition as the new head coach investigated who could fit into his system and what needed to change. It was soon apparent how influential the era-defining Kevin De Bruyne would be for Guardiola, as his class in midfield shone. City showed promise but finished third in the Premier League and were knocked out by Monaco in the Champions League last 16, as the new head coach began without a trophy.
2017-18: Premier League Centurions
Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, and Ederson headlined the summer business, while plenty of long-serving players were shipped out. Everything was in place for Guardiola's revolution, and City did not disappoint, dropping just two points in the opening 20 Premier League matches. Liverpool were thrashed 5-0 in the fourth game of the campaign but got their own back by dumping City out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals. The first trophy of the Guardiola era was collected at Wembley, with Arsenal the victims in the League Cup final. No one could compete, and the title inevitably followed, City reaching the 100-point mark and scoring 106 goals as they showed they were the great entertainers, finishing 19 points clear of second-placed Manchester United.
2018-19: Domestic Treble Winners
A comparatively poor 98 points and 95 goals followed, but every single one was vital as Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool fought City until the bitter end. The two clubs exchanged the lead at the top of the table 32 times over the course of the season. City won their final 14 league matches on their way to domestic glory, lifting the League Cup and the FA Cup along the way. It was an English team that would ruin the European dream once more, as Tottenham surprisingly eliminated City in the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals after a dramatic tie in Manchester.
2019-20: Dethroned as Covid Hits
City fell spectacularly short in the league, finishing 18 points adrift of Liverpool. Covid's intervention made it an unusual season, as the two legs of the Champions League last 16 were played four months apart. A 4-2 aggregate win over Real Madrid felt like a turning point in Guardiola's European journey with City, but they went on to lose to Lyon in a one-off quarter-final in Lisbon. City did not finish empty-handed thanks to a 2-1 League Cup win over Aston Villa, as Sergio Agüero and Rodri proved their class for Guardiola.
2020-21: Champions Again but Euro Agony
Getting humiliated 5-2 at home against Leicester made Guardiola quickly realise all was not right. To cut a long story short, £60m was spent on bringing in centre-back Rúben Dias, and City went on to win the league 12 points ahead of Manchester United in a season largely played in front of empty stands. The League Cup found its way into the cabinet, and the Champions League trophy was in sight for Guardiola and City for the first time in his tenure. They breezed to the final, where they faced Chelsea, who finished fourth in the Premier League, in Porto, but Guardiola left out defensive midfielder Rodri, and City lost to Kai Havertz's goal, a frustrating ending.
2021-22: Gündogan Heroics on Final Day
Everything went down to the final day, with City needing to beat Aston Villa to guarantee a fourth title of the Guardiola era. The visitors went two goals ahead, and with 15 minutes remaining, Liverpool needed to score once to go top. Two of the greats of the Guardiola epoch stepped up: Ilkay Gündogan and Rodri levelled matters before a third goal, and a second from the German, in the space of five minutes turned everything around in chaotic style to create one of the most memorable ever finishes to a season. City's Champions League exit was equally ludicrous, losing 6-5 on aggregate to Real Madrid after extra time. They were heading through at 90 minutes of the second leg, only to concede twice and eventually bow out.
2022-23: European Champions at Last
This was the year everything fell into place for Guardiola and City. He changed his style, signing Erling Haaland to play as a No 9, transforming the nature of the team. The Norwegian went on to score 52 goals across all competitions. The investment and tactical flexibility paid off as City bulldozed their way to the Champions League final. In the knockout stages, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid were beaten 14-0 on aggregate at the Etihad Stadium. It was a nervous final against Inter in Istanbul, but Rodri earned Guardiola the historic victory he craved and the treble in the process. "It was written in the stars. It belongs to us," Guardiola said.
2023-24: English Title No 6
How do you follow up a treble? By winning the final nine games to beat Arsenal to the title by two points for Guardiola's sixth Premier League triumph. Real Madrid were once again a thorn in Guardiola's side, beating City on penalties in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, having drawn 4-4 on aggregate. Further upset was to come in the FA Cup final, when they lost to their bitter foes Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley. Guardiola also said goodbye to Klopp, who left Liverpool after years of touchline battles. "They have been our biggest rivals," Guardiola said. "And personally he has been the best rival I ever had in my life – in Dortmund when I was at Bayern, then here."
2024-25: Changing of the Guard
The campaign was a disaster by Guardiola's standards, as City struggled to compete on any level. "If this were Barça or Madrid, they would have sacked me," Guardiola said. There was loyalty to players who had brought the club so far, but it was, arguably, a year too many for Walker and De Bruyne. There was surgery on the squad in January as City battled even to qualify for the Champions League in a season that would end without any major trophies in the cabinet. Their best shot at glory was in the FA Cup, but City meekly lost to Crystal Palace 1-0 to add a further footnote to the misery.
2025-26: Going Out with a Bang
A further rebuild in the summer brought together a fresh and vibrant squad, but there was plenty of work to be done to get it into Guardiola's mould. It was a slow-burner, City losing two of their opening three league games, and after four games without a win in January, challenging for first looked nigh-on impossible. City were resurgent, however, and made Arsenal sweat almost until the end. The cups were more fruitful, as Mikel Arteta's side were brushed aside in the League Cup final and Chelsea beaten in the FA Cup final. Once again Madrid punished City in Europe, making relatively light work of matters with a 5-1 win on aggregate in the last 16.
