Manchester City 2023/24 season review and player ratings: Foden 10, Rodri 10, Haaland 8

Pep Guardiola's team enjoyed another brilliant campaign that included a fourth straight Premier League title

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  Pep Guardiola 9/10

  MANCHESTER CITY 2023/24 season ratings: Blamed himself for not setting the team up correctly the morning after the cup final defeat in an overly self-critical way, but was otherwise near faultless through the season. Made English football history with four titles in a row in another campaign where City were pressed all the way by their rivals. EPAShow less

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  Ederson 8/10

  An injury interrupted season for the Brazilian who has done more than most to reshape perceptions of what a modern goalkeeper should be. Looked devastated when injured at Spurs, perhaps he already knew his season was over. AFPShow less

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  Stefan Ortega 9/10

  His heroics against Spurs will long be remembered and to call him an able deputy is to do him a disservice. He was brilliant more often than not when called upon, although the Wembley mix-up with Gvardiol will hurt. Getty ImagesShow less

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  Kyle Walker 8/10

  It looked for most of the summer as if he would leave Manchester for Munich, but Walker stayed, became captain and made close to 50 appearances. He was often played higher up the pitch than previously, contributing five assists this term. His recovery runs remain exceptional. APShow less

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  Manuel Akanji 8.5/10

  He was Mr Reliable for much of the campaign, although his uncharacteristic mistake in the Spurs match could have undone City’s title chase but for Ortega’s heroics. City certainly looked more secure defensively when he came on in the cup final. Getty ImagesShow less

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  Ruben Dias 8/10

  Four years at the club have yielded four league titles, as well as numerous other honours. As a pure defender he is almost without equal, although he was occasionally vulnerable to quick counter-attacks and transitions. PAShow less

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  Nathan Ake 8/10

  Scored City’s first ever goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January in the FA Cup to counterbalance the unfortunate deflection off his face in the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal in the autumn. One of City’s players of the year in the treble season, he was dependable rather than exceptional this term. Getty ImagesShow less

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  Josko Gvardiol 8/10

  Had a tough introduction to English football but roared back to form in the run-in, when another tactical innovation by City sometimes had him as the most advanced player on the pitch. Scored five goals in a late-blooming campaign. Getty ImagesShow less

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  John Stones 7.5/10

  An injury hit season for Stones. Given his fitness issues, he was a surprise inclusion in the cup final line-up, where he initially struggled but steadied. PA

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  Rico Lewis 7.5/10

  Signed an improved contract this season as reward for exceptional work in the previous campaign. Scored his first league goal for the club in the freakish 2-2 home draw with Palace in December, when City let a two-goal lead slip. He will hope to get more minutes next term. AFPShow less

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  Phil Foden 10/10

  Wow, just wow. Wonderful season for Foden who will carry many of England’s aspirations at the European Championship this summer. Scored several standout goals and delivered on countless occasions to drive City towards their history making destination this year. APShow less

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  Rodri 10/10

  Incredible servant of the club who rarely loses in a City shirt, especially in the league, where he remains 50 matches unbeaten. His pressing, touches and all-round ability to marshal the team are central to City’s front-foot identity. PAShow less

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  Bernardo Silva 8.5/10

  Bernardo’s season could easily be summed up in the space of 72 hours in April: fluffing his penalty in a heartbreaking shootout against Madrid on a Wednesday night, before being the difference maker at Wembley the following Saturday against Chelsea. At his best he is a human dynamo and would be a huge miss if he leaves the club this summer. APShow less

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  Mateo Kovacic 8/10

  Tough start to his City career, including the most difficult of afternoons against Arsenal in the autumn when he was lucky not to see red, but became a consistent and authoritative performer towards the end. APShow less

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  Jeremy Doku 8.5/10

  He was an exciting addition to the squad in the summer and made several eye-catching performances, both as a starter and as an impact player from the bench. All round it was an excellent first year for the player. One suspects there is plenty more to come. PAShow less

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  Kevin De Bruyne 9/10

  An injury affected season for KDB, who spent months on the sidelines. When he did return, he delivered a footballing “greatest hits” package of goals and assists. Irreplaceable at City, although that time is fast approaching for a player who turns 33 next month. APShow less

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  Matheus Nunes 7/10

  Not the season he would have hoped for, but occasionally showed why he was signed for big money. He will hope that he follows the trajectory of some other Guardiola signings by having a better second season than first. Getty ImagesShow less

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  Jack Grealish 7/10

  A vital piece in the jigsaw in the treble winning season, this term was more of a mixed one. Critics will say he needs to add more goals and assists to his game, but at his best he delivers the control and ball retention that Guardiola craves. He will hope to bounce back next season. Getty ImagesShow less

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  Oscar Bobb 9/10

  Scored a goal of the season contender at Newcastle United to claim three points for his side and bagged another senior goal in the Champions League. He had a fine season all told and technically he is among the very best. EPAShow less

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  Julian Alvarez 8/10

  A regular fixture on the team sheet, Alvarez notched 19 goals in a season where he burned bright in the first half of the season but faded a little in the second. AP

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  Erling Haaland 8/10

  Collected his second Golden Boot in as many seasons, but struggled with injury and, uncharacteristically, missed some big chances when he came back. Nevertheless, 38 goals was still a remarkable return. Getty ImagesShow less

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  Sergio Gomez 6/10

  Limited number of appearances and minutes in all competitions this season, most from the bench. Getty Images

Season synopsis

Premier League final position: 1st

Champions League: Quarter-finals, knocked out by Real Madrid on penalties

FA Cup: Runners-up, lost final to Manchester United

League Cup: Third round, knocked out by Newcastle United

Winners: of the Fifa Club World Cup (beat Fluminense 4-0 in final) and the Uefa Super Cup (beat Sevilla on penalties)

Community Shield Runners-up, lost to Arsenal on penalties

After winning the Champions League in 2023, itself the final part of an incredible treble trophy winning season, it might have been easy to expect a drop off in performances by Manchester City this season. Instead, the team improved their Premier League points tally to 91 points to claim an unprecedented fourth title in a row, were unlucky to exit the quarter-finals of the Champions League on penalties to Real Madrid and reached the FA Cup final. Earlier in the season Pep Guardiola’s team claimed the Uefa Super Cup and spent a rejuvenating few days in Saudi Arabia while winning the Fifa Club World Cup.

Just as Pep Guardiola has redefined English football with his tactical innovations, fluid formations and intricate patterns of play, he has also changed the language used to define success and, indeed, the level required to win a Premier League title. All told it was another treble, albeit an unusual one, even though the Wembley defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup final left a sense of what might have been at the end of another extraordinarily successful season. These are the days for City fans, despite that derby loss at the weekend.

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Best performance of season

Tottenham 0, Manchester City 2: If City had gone on to win the cup final on Saturday, then the side’s resilient single-goal win against Chelsea in the semi-final less than 72 hours after suffering penalty shoot-out heartache in the Champions League may well have gone down as the season’s best performance for its sheer dogged determination.

The gloss has now been knocked off that match by United’s cup exploits, leaving the field open for the end-of-season epic at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where once again City demonstrated the steel of winners. For weeks this fixture had been marked on the calendar as the place where City’s title hopes could be undone, falling as it did in the final week of a heavily congested season and taking into account the club’s miserable league record in North London’s newest stadium.

Spurs were certainly at it for much of the game, but a Kevin de Bruyne assist for an Erling Haaland tap-in put the away side ahead in the second half. Stefan Ortega made a string of saves after being forced into action following injury to Ederson, the best of which was a brilliant stop to deny Son Heung-min as he bore down on goal in the 89th minute after an uncharacteristic error by Manuel Akanji.

City went on to secure three points after a wonder pass from Phil Foden to Jeremy Doku and some smart work by the Belgian winger led to him being brought down. Haaland converted the penalty to claim a vital win for the champions in a lion-hearted team performance.

Worst performance of season

Aston Villa 1 Manchester City 0: City’s league season experienced a prolonged slump over the course of autumn, with a record of P11 W4 D4 L3 from the last day of September until the middle of December. Some of those performances had mitigating circumstances, including a run of three successive entertaining draws against Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs, all of which could easily have been won, but the Villa game was something else entirely.

Unai Emery’s team comprehensively outplayed, overran and outgunned City. The recorded shot count finished 22-2 in Villa’s favour and, more than that, Guardiola’s side looked toothless for long stretches of the match. Villa were utterly dominant.

Thriller of season

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  Bernardo Silva, third right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring Manchester City's opening goal in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. AP

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  Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin fails to keep out Bernardo Silva's free-kick for Man City's opening goal. Reuters

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  Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Manchester City defender Ruben Dias compete for the ball. AP

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  Rodrygo celebrates scoring Real Madrid's second goal with teammate Vinicius Junior. Getty Images

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  Rodrygo celebrates after giving Real Madrid a 2-1 lead against Manchester City. EPA

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  Phil Foden shoots to score Manchester City's equaliser against Real Madrid. AFP

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  Phil Foden celebrates with teammates after scoring an equaliser to make it 2-2. EPA

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  Phil Foden celebrates scoring Manchester City's second goal with manager Pep Guardiola and Ruben Dias. Reuters

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  Phil Foden walks off injured but Pep Guardiola insisted the midfielder only suffered a knock. PA

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  Josko Gvardiol celebrates scoring Manchester City's third goal against Real Madrid. Getty Images

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  Josko Gvardiol's shot flies past Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin for Manchester City's third goal. Reuters

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  Federico Valverde celebrates scoring Real Madrid's third goal against Manchester City. AP

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  Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega watches the ball in the net after Federico Valverde scores Real Madrid's third goal. AP

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  Jude Bellingham and John Stones battle for the ball. Getty Images

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  Manchester City striker Erling Haaland applauds the crowd at the end of the match. AFP

Real Madrid 3 Manchester City 3: For a team that tribal commentators like to label as machine-like and robotic, City delivered plenty of thrills and spills, including a 4-4 draw with Chelsea, 3-3 draw with Spurs, 3-2 away victory versus Newcastle, two pulsating 1-1 draws with Liverpool and the high-stakes end of season battle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

For sheer drama, joy, chaos and beauty, the game of the season has to be the titanic 3-3 draw in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid. City went ahead early through Bernardo Silva’s clever free-kick, trailed 2-1 before the game was 15 minutes old, got back on level terms through a Foden wonder strike with a quarter of the match remaining, went ahead through an even better finish by Josep Gvardiol with less than 20 minutes to go, before Valverde equalised again.

It was an epic contest between two teams who have met each other four times in the Champions League knockout stages in five years. Madrid have won only one of those eight games compared to City’s four victories and three draws, yet the Spanish champions have somehow progressed twice. Theirs is an intense, modern rivalry.

Player of season

Rodri. By most measures, Foden should claim this one, contributing 27 goals in all competitions, many of stunning quality, and has rightly swept the Premier League Player of the Season and FWA Footballer of the Year awards.

That, however, would be to overlook the player who makes City tick match after match. Rodri was absent for all three of City’s league defeats this season and is on an unbeaten Premier League run of 50 matches, an extraordinary record for an incredible player. Having scored the winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final and spoken about how he needed a break from City’s gruelling schedule, some might have expected his standards to regress a little this term.

Instead, like Foden, he was there right until the end of the season, scoring against West Ham to seal the title. While attacking players inevitably take most of the praise, Rodri is always at the heart of everything good from City.

Goal of season

Phil Foden v Aston Villa: This one is every bit as tough as trying to separate Rodri and Foden for player of the season. A shortlist of contenders might include Oscar Bobb’s additional time winner against Newcastle, De Bruyne’s pass-shot into the goal in the same game, his long-range diving header against Brighton and every one of City’s three goals in the Bernabeu.

Foden, who scored one of those three, has had an exceptional season and could pretty much have his own roll call of spectacular finishes as well, such has been the frequency of his high-calibre goal contributions. Picking one is next to impossible, but a current favourite is his hat-trick goal against top-four-chasing Villa. Foden got knocked down just outside the box, got up to chase down and win the ball back before firing in an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area. It was a wonder goal in a consequential season of wonderful goals. As an emblem of a determined and battling season, it is a compelling one.