It’s been a topsy-turvy 2024 for Manchester City but there’s been lots of great football to watch along the way.
Though Manchester City became the first team in English football history to win the top flight for years in a row in 2024, it may still go down as the second worst (after 2016) year of Pep Guardiola’s reign.
That speaks to the incredibly high standards the Blues boss has set but a quarter-final Champions League exit, defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup final and a terrible run of form in the new season have made it a challenging 12 months.
But that doesn’t take away from the scintillating football that has been on offer at points and the brilliance the squad has shown.
It’s no surprise that Kevin De Bruyne finishes the year as City’s top creator by some distance but here is how many assists the rest of the players managed.
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Ilkay Gundogan – 1
Ilkay Gundogan’s only assist since returning to City came in the 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth.
Mateo Kovacic – 1
Surprisingly given his playing style, Mateo Kovacic only managed one assists in 2024 against Championship outfit Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup.
Nathan Ake – 1
Nathan Ake set up Haaland to score against Everton for his only assist.
Manuel Akanji – 1
Manuel Akanji’s one assist came in the Champions League win over Sparta Prague.
Ederson – 1
Goalkeeper Ederson managed to add another assist to take his impressive tally to five in 2024 when his long, inch-perfect pass played in Haaland to score.
Erling Haaland – 2
Erling Haaland is more known for his goals than his assists so it’s no surprise he only teed up a teammate twice in 2024. Those came in the 3-1 win over Brentford as he helped Phil Foden bag a hat trick and then set up Doku against Nottingham Forest.
John Stones – 2
John Stones picked up two assists last year, coming against Real Madrid in the Champions League and Luton Town in the FA Cup. A wide spectrum.
Oscar Bobb – 2
Oscar Bobb looked primed to take the season by storm after his great Community Shield performance, in which he set up Bernardo’s goal, but an injury has kept him sidelined since.
Josko Gvardiol – 3
As well as finishing the year with an impressive eight goals from left-back (the third highest of the season), Josko Gvardiol also picked up three assists.
Jack Grealish – 3
Jack Grealish’s 2024 has been disrupted with several injuries but, even still, a return of just 3 assists is not good enough. He has not even managed to score in 2024, either.
Kyle Walker – 3
Despite his attacking intent down the right, Kyle Walker actually doesn’t get a whole lot of assists so a return of three, especially when his playing time has reduced in 2024, isn’t bad.
Rico Lewis – 5
Everyone at City has known about Rico Lewis’ quality for years but now he has firmly established himself in the City starting XI and has even earned his first England caps. He has set up five goals in 2024 despite often having to take up defensive midfield positions.
Julian Alvarez – 5
Julian Alvarez left City for Atletico Madrid in the summer yet he still finishes 2024 as one of City’s top creators as well as scorers. The Argentine remains missed.
Savinho – 6
Savinho made an explosive start at City and blew everyone away with his pace and electrifying skill on the ball. He quickly racked up five assists but his form has dipped in recent weeks. Thankfully, he ended 2024 with his first goal and another assist in the win against Leicester.
Phi Foden – 6
2024 was a year of scoring goals rather than assisting for Phil Foden as he finished the year City’s second-highest scorer, despite them drying up in the new campaign. Yet, he still managed to lay another six on for teammates as well.
Matheus Nunes – 7
After an inauspicious start to life at City, Matheus Nunes has shown he can be a real asset to Guardiola after putting in a string of good performances on the left flank. Despite his limited game time throughout the year, he’s picked up seven assists.
Jeremy Doku – 9
Jeremy Doku has shown flashes of his potential brilliance in a City shirt but Guardiola is still waiting for him to deliver on a consistent basis. Nine assists in his first full year isn’t bad but he needs to step up his contributions in 2025.
Rodri – 9
It’s not only Rodri’s defensive capabilities that are being desperately missed but his attacking ones as well.
The Spaniard’s influence on the side grew massively throughout the year to the point where he was setting up and scoring goals frequently as well as preventing them.
Bernardo Silva – 10
Though Bernardo Silva is one of the players to see his form drop off massively in the tail end of the year, he has still managed to set up 10 goals.
Kevin De Bruyne – 21
De Bruyne sits at the top of the pile and it’s not even close. What makes it even more impressive is that the brilliant Belgian has missed most of the new season with injury.
He racked up 18 of those assists in the second half of last term and did so after missing months before that due to another ailment.
De Bruyne’s return to action at the turn of the year was the spark that ignited their great run of form that clinched the title.
