Man City news: Opinion – Nedum Onuoha on 2024-25 season

As we approach the crunch stage of the 2024-25 Premier League season, it only feels right to address what would be a good outcome for Manchester City from here onwards and what my biggest fear for Pep Guardiola’s side is too.

I hope that as we approach the back end of this season, some players will re-find their form and other players will be recovered from injury.

If Guardiola can have a consistent group of players available, as opposed to people being in then out again, then it will help them to achieve their objective of Champions League qualification.

The club are very realistic with their options and they know how difficult achieving a top four position can be. They never take it for granted.

Of course, if they qualify they can still be disappointed that they haven’t defended their title, but at least they have finished the season in a positive manner.

They are also still in the FA Cup, so I am in no doubt that they will want to have a say in where that trophy goes this season after losing out to Manchester United last time round.

So yes, their Champions League and Premier League campaign has gone but it isn’t all doom and gloom.

The focus just needs to be on recovering players, bedding in the new ones, and getting the team back to playing the football the manager knows they are capable of.

Hopefully, that will all then lead to comfortable Champions League qualification and a place in the FA Cup final.

But in contrast, if they don’t finish the season well and there is then a high player turnover in the summer, it will create another challenge.

There are current players who have been instrumental to the last decade’s success, so you don’t want to be in a position where those important players are told to move on based on this campaign’s performances.

Leaving a club is undoubtedly the nature of football, but if a season ends badly in terms of results and performances, then it can be a downer on how they look at some of the icons of the club.

The ‘older’ players are still good enough, but if they are not playing well, or they are injured and their energy is not the same, then you do wonder what the next season for Manchester City is going to look like.

There is going to be change this summer, but unfortunately at the minute it feels like it will be justified on the performances of this season.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport’s Katie Stafford