The standards at Manchester City have been very high over the last decade.
The arrival of Pep Guardiola in 2016 has seen the Manchester club become the dominant force in English football having won six out of the last seven Premier League titles, which is why this season has been an underwhelming one for City.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 34 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 63 | 29 | 34 | 67 |
| 3 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 34 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 65 | 44 | 21 | 62 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 66 | 43 | 23 | 61 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 34 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 59 | 40 | 19 | 60 |
There are many reasons for Man City’s success, players, money and Guardiola’s genius, but one underrated element has been the strong dressing room seen at the Etihad Stadium, which can often be viewed in the various documentaries made about the team in recent years.
One man has been essential to dressing room harmony at Man City and what he does every day left Kyle Walker very impressed.
Kyle Walker in awe of Scott Carson’s mentality at Man City
Scott Carson has been with Man City since 2019, providing the Manchester club’s goalkeeper support as the third-choice in Guardiola’s squad.
The 39-year-old very rarely features for City; however, the goalkeeper is a key figure in Man City’s dressing room and Bernardo Silva is one of many to praise Carson’s role at the Etihad as the veteran star is always pushing his teammates to be better.
Walker is the latest to heap praise on Carson with the defender stating that he is very impressed with the mentality the 39-year-old has shown ever since he joined Man City.
“Scott Carson said this to me and it stuck with me, he said it’s not starters and subs, it’s starters and finishers,” Walker said on the latest episode of The Kyle Walker Podcast.
“He is class, he is class around the place, for someone of his age to come in every day knowing you’re third-choice keeper, mentally, I have to take my hat off to him. Scott Carson could retire easily, but to have the love for football and doing what he does shows the character he is.”
Rio Ferdinand once claimed Carson “deserves respect” and stressed that his role at the club cannot be undermined.
Carson is out of contract at Man City this summer and it remains to be seen if the goalkeeper will be kept on as major changes could be coming to the role.
The latest on the goalkeeper situation at Man City
Change looks set to be coming to the goalkeeper position at Man City this summer as Ederson is expected to leave the Manchester club as Saudi Arabian clubs continue to show interest in the Brazilian star.
The 31-year-old is expected to be replaced at Man City by Porto’s Diogo Costa, as the Portuguese star has been heavily linked with a move to the Etihad in recent weeks and would be a very good fit for the Premier League club should they get a deal over the line.
| Player | Games | Clean Sheets | Goals conceded | Minutes |
| Diogo Costa | 42 | 18 | 44 | 3720 |
| Ederson | 33 | 9 | 47 | 2951 |
Should the 25-year-old arrive, it remains uncertain what will happen to the rest of Man City’s goalkeepers, as Stefan Ortega has been a solid backup for Ederson and has a contract at the Etihad until 2026.
The German star is expected to stay and remain in his role, but Carson’s future is not confirmed yet but the 39-year-old is likely to join Ederson in heading for the exit door at Man City this summer.
