Manchester City Predictions 2022/23: Premier League finish, Best Signing, Surprise Package and more…

Manchester City have spent almost £100million after winning last season’s Premier League title and TEAMtalk’s James Holland predicts how the 2022/23 campaign will go for Pep Guardiola’s side.

City have been incredibly successful since Guardiola joined the club in summer 2016. They have won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and four League Cups under the Spaniard’s tutelage, as well as breaking several domestic records.

Success came City’s way last term as they beat Liverpool by one point to lift the Premier League crown for the sixth time in the club’s history. However, Manchester City supporters had to deal with plenty of heartbreak as their side was knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup in the semi-finals.

The Manchester outfit also failed to maintain their winning streak in the League Cup, losing to West Ham in just the fourth round.

City chiefs have responded by strengthening the squad with three new players. Erling Haaland cost £51.2m when joining from Borussia Dortmund, Kalvin Phillips left boyhood club Leeds to sign for City in a £45m deal, while goalkeeper Stefan Ortega arrived on a free transfer from Arminia Bielefeld.

These new stars – Haaland and Phillips in particular – will help City as they plot another assault on all the major trophies on offer.

TEAMtalk writers have six different categories to dissect – including where the team will finish in the Premier League table, how the cup competitions will go and who will end the campaign as Player of the Season.

MANCHESTER CITY PREMIER LEAGUE FINISH

City are usually in the mix for top spot under Guardiola and it’s hard to see them not winning the Premier League in the upcoming season.

Liverpool, as ever, will push the Citizens hard, while Tottenham will become a new threat thanks to having Antonio Conte for a full year.

But City are the best team in the country in terms of consistency and this will once again work in their favour in the league, helping Guardiola’s men lift the club’s seventh Prem title.

Whether it’s thrashing the sides near the bottom of the table, or grinding out draws against Liverpool, Guardiola and co. know how to get the job done.

There will be the occasional slip-up – presumably against City’s ‘bogey team’ Tottenham – but this will not be enough to see Liverpool or Spurs finish ahead of them.

Yes, City have let important players such as Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko go. But top players remain in each of their positions, so this will not affect the club as much as rival fans or pundits will make out.

And let’s not forget the Prem’s new superstar – Haaland. Before letting Jesus go, City won the race to land goal-machine Haaland from Dortmund.

85 goals in 88 games for Dortmund and 20 strikes in 21 matches with Norway, two incredible records. Some will claim the ‘Bundesliga Tax’ to be a relevant factor.

But 23 goals in just 19 Champions League outings speaks for itself – Haaland excels against the big teams. And with the 22-year-old in his squad, Guardiola has even more firepower to guide City to Prem glory.

EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN

City’s record in the league is remarkable. However, they have struggled in Europe and are yet to complete their ultimate goal of winning the Champions League crown.

Last term, City fans looked set to go to Paris for the UCL final, only for an astonishing Real Madrid comeback to leave them stunned in the semi-final second leg.

After winning the Prem, City are in Pot One for the UCL group stage draw. This means they will avoid clubs such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain initially.

Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and RB Leipzig are all in Pot Two, which means City will not have an easy group. However, their strong squad depth means they will undoubtedly reach the knockout rounds.

And with Haaland up front, as well as Rodri and Phillips battling for the central defensive midfielder spot, City have solved some of the problems which have prevented them from winning Europe’s most coveted club trophy in the past.

They will therefore reach the final of the competition for the second time in three years. However, they will ultimately come up short against a rejuvenated Bayern Munich in the showpiece event.

DOMESTIC CUP PERFORMANCE

City will push hard to re-gain the League Cup from Liverpool next season. It isn’t the biggest of trophies, but it does instil confidence as it’s usually the first piece of silverware – other than the Community Shield – which can be won.

City will reach the semi-final of the League Cup, putting in some big displays along the way. However, they will be knocked out by eventual winners, and returning champions, Liverpool.

But it will not all be disappointment for City in the domestic cup competitions. They will lift the FA Cup for the first time since 2018/19, beating Chelsea in the final.

PLAYER OF THE SEASON

City will have a host of players who shine on their way to winning the Prem and FA Cup, as well as reaching the Champions League final.

Jack Grealish will improve during his second season, registering around 10 goals and 10 assists across all competitions.

Ruben Dias and Phil Foden will both make the PFA Premier League Team of the Season after top campaigns.

But Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will once again be City’s best player and pick up the club’s Player of the Season award.

He is technically perfect, incredibly motivated and works harder than almost anyone else on the pitch.

These attributes will help him have another fantastic season in the City midfield, from which he will double Grealish’s tally to put up 20 goals and 20 assists in all competitions.

His electric partnership with Haaland will help him to reach this achievement with relative ease.

SIGNING OF THE SEASON (at the time of writing)

This one is mainly between Haaland and Phillips, due to Ortega being Ederson’s backup in goal.

While Phillips will do well and gradually improve as the campaign goes on, Haaland will steal the show in terms of City’s signing of the season.

The striker will bag 25 goals in all competitions, with at least 15 of those coming in the league.

Why have Manchester City won the transfer window this summer?

Manchester City have broken a Premier League record this transfer window.

And this will happen in his debut season too, meaning City fans can expect even better goalscoring campaigns from the player beyond this.

Haaland will pick up an injury in the first few months to get City supporters worried and give rival fans hope that he will struggle while in England.

But the Norway international will bounce back from this and score against a majority of the teams he faces, firing City to a league and FA Cup double.

SURPRISE PACKAGE

Cole Palmer deserves an honourable mention here, as he will remain at City rather than going out on loan and impress during cup matches.

However, Argentine forward Julian Alvarez will be their surprise package. The 22-year-old will have to deputise for Haaland at times, but when he does feature he will score goals and also create them for those around him.

Alvarez’s best moments will come in cup matches and late in games, either when Haaland needs resting or Guardiola is forced to change things up.

But Alvarez will show what he is about and demonstrate his keen eye for goal to get City’s fans’ attention.

Amid a good start to the campaign, Alvarez will make the Argentina squad for the World Cup and will get one or two goals for his country on the biggest stage of all.