Premier League Match Schedule 2023/2024 Premier League Rankings 2023/2024

People often say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. This sentence can be applied to Man City’s midfield. Because despite the changes the club has undergone in the eight years under coach Pep Guardiola, the arrangement of the midfield area has remained very consistent.

Rodri has played as an anchor midfielder since he joined in 2019, while his two partners arrived before that. Bernardo Silva arrived at Man City in the summer of 2017, and Kevin De Bruyne two years earlier. All three are a constant presence, contributing in their own way to 16 titles under Guardiola, a number that could rise to 18 within the next three weeks.

A big event happened in the summer of 2023: Ilkay Gundogan came to Barca and the team faced a heavy defeat when De Bruyne had to miss the first 5 months of the season due to a torn hamstring. But thanks to Pep Guardiola’s improvisational talent, Man City is still on track to win its fourth consecutive Premier League title, in addition to reaching the FA Cup final.

But big changes could be on the horizon, with the futures of Bernardo and De Bruyne looking unclear. De Bruyne is at the highest risk of leaving, as he will turn 33 in June and only has 1 year left on his contract. And Man City is famous for being stubborn in awarding lucrative contracts to players who “plan to retire”.

The Saudi Pro League is paying real attention to the Belgian player. This will be a good choice for you if you still want to maintain your current salary, or even higher. But this playmaker has also proven that he still plays a key role in Man City’s ambitions.

The team had to go through the first half of the season without De Bruyne, when he had surgery and took a long break. Without him, in the Premier League alone, Man City dropped 17 points in 11 matches. When he returned, De Bruyne immediately impressed, contributing to 21 goals within 4 months. He has more assists (15) in all competitions than any other player in the Premier League, despite missing half the season.

Questions were raised about De Bruyne’s ability to make a difference in tough matches, especially when he was brought on by Guardiola at Anfield. But he has proven his worth more than ever over the course of four months, and his sparkling performances will perhaps lead City to another title.

The difference in Man City’s fortunes with and without De Bruyne is very clear. In the matches he did not play, Man City won 11 matches, lost 3 and drew 4 in the Premier League. Since his return, they have won 13, drawn 3 and not lost a single match. Therefore, even though De Bruyne’s best days are behind him, Man City should still keep him for another year, then allow him to leave for free like Gundogan.

While considering what to do with the Belgian star, Man City will prepare to deal with a controversial issue: the future of Bernardo, who has for the fourth time expressed his wish to leave. The Portuguese player joined Man City after Guardiola’s first season and remains a mainstay, starting 38 matches and scoring 17 goals this season.

If the separation takes place, Bernardo will probably go to Barca or PSG. However, he faces two big obstacles: Barca cannot spend money on transfers due to heavy debt, and Pep Guardiola is determined not to lose another high-class midfielder after losing Gundogan last summer.

Bernardo signed a new contract until 2026, but that does not mean he has decided to stay at Man City long term. And a £50m release clause in his contract will take effect this summer. Man City once refused to comment on the existence of this clause, while Bernardo continued to publicly admit that he did not want to stay at Man City any longer.

“I will not hide that my goal in the coming years will probably be to move on to a new challenge,” he said in January 2023. And last March, he reiterated his plans, with a more detailed move to return to his childhood club Benfica.

Bernardo is always very professional, trains hard and plays consistently. It is believed that the main thing that motivated him to move was his desire to get away from Manchester. Even though he has a new contract, that urge doesn’t seem to have disappeared.

The key to Man City’s success under Guardiola is the timely development of players and coaches. Replacing key players is not always easy, and Guardiola learned this with Gundodan.

If last summer, Guardiola reluctantly let De Bruyne and Bernardo leave at the same time, the consequences this season would be much more severe. He knew that rookies, no matter how talented, needed a process of getting used to his team. And De Bruyne and Bernardo should also remember that “that mountain is not necessarily higher than this mountain”.

Gundogan was transferred to Barca which he always wanted, but had to end the season without any title. Mahrez will not lift the Saudi Arabian National Championship title with Al Ahli this season, while his wife Taylor Ward admits she has struggled to adapt to the culture in Jeddah.

Man City is still one of the best clubs in the world. De Bruyne and Bernardo are also on the way to make history with The Citizens by becoming the first club to win the English championship four consecutive seasons if they win the race with Arsenal. This couple almost left Man City and in the end, changed their decision. But don’t rule out the possibility that they will do so again.