Manchester City face Sunderland at home in their first match next season as Pep Guardiola will grace the Premier League with his presence and will be looking to win nothing less than the title.
Manchester City’s season gone by was a kind of a mixed bag. Under the outgoing Manuel Pellegrini, they reached the Champions League semi-final for the first time and won the Capital One Cup. However, their performance in the Premier League wasn’t up to the mark as they drifted away from the title race towards the end and saw minnows Leicester City win the Premier League for the first time. They managed to, however, finish 4th in the table, which means the incoming Pep Guardiola will have a chance to have a crack at the Champions League as well.
Manchester City’s season started with high hopes which increased further after a few weeks as the title was slipping away from defending champions, Chelsea’s hands. They hoped to make it 2 wins in three years under Pellegrini. Things were going well till end of February where they were only 3 points behind league leaders Leicester City.
But come March, Manchester City saw the gap widen further and further and by the time April had begun, they were 9 points adrift the league leaders. Things never really got going for them since and with Guardiola as announced as the new boss, managing City took a toll as Manuel Pellegrini himself accepted.
What’s done is done and now that Pellegrini has gone, it is time for a new revolution at the Etihad and the beginning of the Pep era. Guardiola comes to Manchester with a host of laurels to his name. Having won the Bundesliga and La Liga tiles in his career already, the Spaniard will be trying his hand in the Premier League.
Expect Pep Guardiola to take the League by storm next season. The tactical acumen and the attacking football he brings with him is second to none and he will not settle for anything less than a winner’s medal. A major overhaul in personnel is expected as a reported unlimited war chest that has been prepared for the ex-Barcelona man to give Sheikh Mansour his desired Champions League.
Fixture Summary
First Match: Against Sunderland on 12 August 2015 at the Etihad Stadium.
Final Match: Away game at Watford on 21st May 2016
Pressure Test:
Pep Guardiola will have his hands full in December. The six matches they play in December are against Chelsea, Leicester City, Watford, Arsenal, Hull City and Liverpool. Guardiola will find himself taken aback by the busy schedule of the league. Even if he manages to overcome the December fixtures, with no winter break, he will have no time to rest and must maintain the momentum.
Another tough series of matches are in store for Manchester City from March-end where they face Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea in three consecutive matches. Those three matches might well be the ones on which City’s fate will lie.
Must Watch Matches:
10 September 2016. Note down the date. The Manchester Derby will see old foes Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola face off as Manchester United take on Manchester City at the Old Trafford which will be a match of epic proportions.
Other mouth-watering fixtures include Chelsea at home on 3 December and Liverpool Away on new year’s eve.
The penultimate matchday will see defending champions Leicester City take on Manchester City. This could well be the day Claudio Ranieri and his boys abdicate the throne to the new champions. Time will tell.
| Date | Time(BST) | Fixture |
|---|---|---|
| 13 August 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Sunderland |
| 20 August 2016 | 15:00 | Stoke City vs Manchester City |
| 27 August 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs West Ham United |
| 10 September 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester United vs Manchester CIty |
| 17 September 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs AFC Bournemouth |
| 24 September 2016 | 15:00 | Swansea City vs Manchester City |
| 01 October 2016 | 15:00 | Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City |
| 15 October 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester CIty vs Everton |
| 22 October 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Southampton |
| 29 October 2016 | 15:00 | West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester City |
| 05 November 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Middlesbrough |
| 19 November 2016 | 15:00 | Crystal Palace vs Manchester City |
| 26 November 2016 | 15:00 | Burnley vs Manchester City |
| 03 December 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Chelsea |
| 10 December 2016 | 15:00 | Leicester City vs Manchester City |
| 14 December 2016 | 20:00 | Manchester City vs Watford |
| 17 December 2016 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Arsenal |
| 26 December 2016 | 15:00 | Hull City vs Manchester City |
| 31 December 2016 | 15:00 | Liverpool vs Manchester City |
| 2 January 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Burnley |
| 14 January 2017 | 15:00 | Everton vs Manchester City |
| 21 January 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur |
| 31 January 2017 | 19:45 | West Ham United vs Manchester City |
| 04 February 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Swansea City |
| 11 February 2017 | 15:00 | AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City |
| 25 February 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Manchester United |
| 04 March 2017 | 15:00 | Sunderland vs Manchester City |
| 11 March 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Stoke City |
| 18 March 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Liverpool |
| 01 April 2017 | 15:00 | Arsenal vs Manchester City |
| 05 April 2017 | 19:45 | Chelsea vs Manchester City |
| 08 April 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Hull City |
| 15 April 2017 | 15:00 | Southampton vs Manchester City |
| 22 April 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs West Bromwich Albion |
| 29 April 2017 | 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Manchester City |
| 06 May 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Crystal Palace |
| 13 May 2017 | 15:00 | Manchester City vs Leicester City |
| 21 May 2017 | 15:00 | Watford vs Manchester City |
