Manchester City must be looking forward to a reset and the new beginnings a new year will provide.
A Boxing Day draw with everton it means City’s slide has been extended to one win from 13 games in all competitions. Their position in the new phase of the Champions League is precarious, and their drift to seventh place in the Premier League table means the perennial champions currently have no ambitions to win a fifth consecutive title.
Top four is the goal. Who would have appreciated it?
However, the Cityzens at least have a chance to end 2024 on a high note this weekend. While City have done it act as descent fodder over the past two months, Leicester’s slow slide towards the second tier seems inevitable, even with Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge.
Here’s how City could line up for their final outing of the calendar year.
GK: Stefan Ortega – Ederson was lost against the Toffees due to a bump and the quick turn could allow Ortega to keep his place between the posts.
RB: Rico Lewis – Kyle Walker has gradually fallen out of favor and is likely to miss Sunday’s game due to illness. Given City’s dearth of options, Lewis is a shot at right-back.
CB: Manuel Akanji – The Swiss defender has long been a calming presence amid the storm, but not even Akanji’s composure can save this City team. He didn’t cover himself in glory in Everton’s equalizer on Christmas Day.
CB: Nathan Ake Ake’s return is a huge boost for the champions, but will have to be handled carefully. The Dutchman was unable to complete the entirety of Thursday’s 1-1 draw and was substituted in the second half. He is not facing another injury, however.
LB: Josko Guardiol The Croatian has produced lapse after lapse this term, but remains a threat in the final third at left-back. Unlike his colleagues in defense, Gvardiol has stayed injury free
DM: Ilkay Gundogan – There could be rotation at the base of midfield with Gundogan replacing Mateo Kovacic. The German has struggled this term, but Leicester are not a lethal force on the counter-attack.
RM: Bernardo Silva – It looked as though Bernardo had got the ball rolling for a vintage City against Everton, but the Toffees needed just one opening to equalize and finally share the spoils.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne – The Belgian has been in and out of the side amid City’s poor run but could return to the starting line-up after making an appearance off the bench on Christmas Day. De Bruyne has a decent goal catalog at the King Power.
AM: Phil Foden – It’s been a quiet season for Foden, but at least there have been lights in the last couple of games. The England international scored his first League goal of the campaign last week at Villa Park.
Champions League: Jeremy Doku – Doku is far from perfect, but he was key to City’s early success against Everton. The Belgian can provide a spark and an injection of pace to an attack that often looks pedestrian.
ST: Erling Haaland – The City striker has scored just once since the international break in November and his own The scoring woes continued on Boxing Day as he had a bad penalty saved by Jordan Pickford. Perhaps a replacement for Julian Alvarez was needed all along.
