Every contributor to Manchester City's fourth-straight Premier League title (2024)

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Sergio Gomez, you’re a title winner! Plus, you didn’t need to do much. The left back/attacking midfielder (it helps to be versatile when you are on the fringes of a roster) only made six appearances this season, all as a sub. He picked up an assist, but didn’t put a single shot on target. Nevertheless, Gomez got on the pitch for the champs.

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Usually, if you are a title contender and your backup goalkeeper is on the pitch (and it isn’t the Carabao Cup or some such event), something has gone wrong. Indeed, injuries to Ederson led to Ortega seeing more time than hoped for. After making only three appearances last season, Ortega saw the pitch nine times this year, four times as a sub and five starts. He allowed seven goals, but did enough to help Manchester City secure enough points for the title.

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This was a big season for Bobb. Not only did the 20-year-old make his Premier League debut with Manchester freakin’ City, he debuted for Norway’s national team as well. Bobb already has two goals for Norway, but they both came in friendlies. While Bobb is possibly part of the future for City (that’s the dream at least), he was eased into the professional ranks this year. The midfielder made 14 appearances, 12 of them as a sub.

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Man City is loaded with talent, because the team is loaded with money, so even an English national like Stones has never been a game in, game out guy. The defender has appeared in no more than 24 Premier League games in any of the last six seasons. This year, Stones suffered a muscle injury in the preseason, which may have played a role in him making only 16 appearances in the Premier League, but he did make six appearances in the Champions League.

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Sure, City can bring in the massive transfers, but the club still has an academy. Lewis is the latest promising prospect. He’s only 19, but he’s already made 30 Premier League appearances. In 2022-23 he made 14 of them, and last season he made 16, including eight starts. Lewis also picked up two goals. He’s even gotten to pop in for one game with England, playing against North Macedonia in Euro 2024 qualifying.

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At this point, City probably emotionally preps itself to miss de Bruyne due to injury. He’s in his thirties and is not the most durable. However, the Belgian is still one of the best in the world when healthy. While de Bruyne only appeared in 18 games due to, yes, injury, he scored four goals and led City with 10 assists. Let’s appreciate his greatness while we can.

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Nunes has been on a whirlwind tour. He started the 2022-23 season with Sporting in his native Portugal, but during the end of the summer transfer window he moved to England, specifically Wolverhampton Wanderers. There, the midfielder immediately slotted in for 34 appearances. Nunes started the 2023-24 season with Wolves, but transferred to Manchester City. Obviously, the fight for playing time was tougher there. The formidable midfielder appeared in 19 games, 10 of them as a sub. Notably, Nunes was one of three City players to pick up a red card this season. So, you know, there’s that.

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Grealish is kind of the epitome of “the rich get richer.” City signed him for the largest transfer fee ever for an English player. He was a star for Aston Villa and has been capped 35 times for England. Grealish is as skilled with the ball at his feet as any Premier League player. And yet, he was pushed to the margins of City’s squad this season. The attacking midfielder only appeared in 20 Premier League games, only 10 of them starts. Even so, Grealish managed to score three goals, and he was fouled a whopping 41 times, second most on the team.

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We now enter the “regulars” portion of the Manchester City roster. Playing for RB Leipzig, the Croatian defender was already considered one of the best defenders in the world, even though he debuted for the team as a teenager. City signed the then-21-year-old defender prior to this season to add even more talent to the team. Want proof Gvardiol is indeed one of the best defenders in the world? He stepped right into 28 games, including 26 starts, for one of the best clubs in the world. The Croatian even picked up four goals!

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There’s no more overlooking Ake. He was not one of City’s big signings, coming over from Bournemouth, and eased into the roster at first. In 2022-23 though, the Dutch defender made 26 appearances, and this past year he made 29. He picked up two goals and two assists.

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Doku is a trip. He made 29 appearances, 11 of them as a sub. The Belgian spent the entire 2023-24 season 21 years old. You can probably count on one hand, two tops, the number of players in the world better at one-on-one take-ons. But, like a dog catching a car, he doesn’t know what to do at that point. Doku often follows up a great dribbling exhibition with a bad shot or a dodgy pass, though he did notch three goals and eight assists this season. Clearly, though, he needs to make some improvements to become a staple of the starting XI.

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Akanji is straight-up inked into a starting centre back spot for Man City at this point. That was true when the Swiss national was playing for Borussia Dortmund, and it remains true now that he plies his trade in England. Akanji did pick up a red card, but he made 28 starts and two substitute appearances. Without that red, he would have appeared even more.

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How very fitting. Dias, who slots in at centre back next to Akanji most of the time, also made 30 appearances, 28 of them starts. Like Gvardiol, the Portuguese defender is seen as one of the best in the world, and he just turned 27. As a centre back, he likely has a few years of his prime left. While Dias didn’t contribute offensively at all, obviously he brings a ton to the pitch.

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Meet Man City’s super sub. It was an interesting move when the club signed Kovacic from Chelsea. That’s because the midfielder, who has also played for Inter and Real Madrid, was 29. Quickly, the club found a role for the Croatian. While Kovacic appeared in 30 games, 14 of them were as a sub. He made the most substitution appearances of any City player.

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In the summer of 2022, Haaland joined Manchester City as the most vaunted transfer in the world and rewrote the goal-scoring record books. This season, the Norwegian striker missed two months with a bone stress injury. That meant he only appeared in 31 Premier League games. Of course, he still scored 27 goals, which was the most in the league. Turns out, the dude is quite good at scoring goals.

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Walker stepped in as Man City’s captain for the 2023-24 season. Thus, it’s not surprising the 33-year-old defender made 32 appearances, 30 of them starts. Walker picked up four assists, but of course, his role is not to score. It’s to play stout defense, be super fast, and serve as a leader on the pitch. The team won the title, so mission accomplished.

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Pep has called Silva one of the best players he has ever seen, so it’s not surprising that the midfielder was a regular in the City lineup once again. In six of Silva’s seven seasons with the club he’s appeared in over 30 games. This year was no different. The Portuguese star played in 33 games, tallying six goals and nine assists. There has been chatter against Silva leaving in the past. Will he go out on a high note?

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When Ederson is healthy, and the game matters, he’s in goal. The problem this year was that the Brazilian keeper got banged up on multiple occasions. Thus, Ederson was limited to 33 games, four of which he was subbed out of. In those games, though, he only allowed 26 goals. That’s under one goal per game.

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You could call Rodri, the best defensive midfielder in the world, the foremost staple of City’s lineup. His 34 appearances only comes in third, but he started every single one of those games. Plus, Rodri picked up a red card, so we’d guess the plan was for Rodri to start even more games than that. While the imposing (6’3’’, 181 lbs) midfielder is noted for his defensive acumen, he also had eight goals and nine assists.

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Foden was the MVP for Manchester City this season, and accordingly, he was awarded the Premier League Player of the Season after a stellar 2023-24. Though he is the physical opposite of his teammate Haaland, the midfielder is equally dynamic offensively. Foden made 35 appearances, two of them as a sub, and picked up 19 goals, 10 assists, and 48 shots on target. He and Haaland are both 23, though, so the future for City’s offense is quite bright.

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Yes, surprisingly, Alvarez made the most appearances for City during the 2023-24 season. The Argentinian appeared in 36 of the 38 games for Manchester City, though five of them were as a substitute. Alvarez saw a nice uptick offensively in his second season in European football. He tallied 11 goals and added nine assists, providing excellent secondary scoring.