Manchester City enjoyed a truly memorable 2023 as a historic treble was secured under Pep Guardiola.
Supporters surely made memories that will last a lifetime – although there are some key things Manchester City will also remember from 2023.
So, what three lessons did Manchester City learn this year? Let’s take a look…
Three lessons Manchester City learned in 2023
The value of experience
Manchester City stormed towards the treble thanks to crucial contributions from the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez.
For example, the latter scored three goals in the FA Cup semi-final win over Sheffield United.
Gundogan then struck twice to record a 2-1 win over Manchester United in the final, while De Bruyne netted a truly significant equaliser to make it 1-1 against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
However, Guardiola lost Gundogan and Mahrez to Barcelona and Al Ahli respectively, with De Bruyne injured for almost the entire 2023/24 campaign so far.
Now, the treble winners sit fourth in the Premier League, after also bringing in youngsters with little experience compared to Gundogan and Mahrez, such as Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol.
Of course, other factors come into play, but Manchester City are now surely even more aware of the value of experience – on the pitch and in the dressing room.
The team comes before the individual
Guardiola arguably sent the strongest message of 2023 to his players when exiling Joao Cancelo.
The Portugal international was one of the best performers in the Premier League at the time of his departure – which the Guardian believe came after he kicked up a fuss about losing out on minutes to Rico Lewis.
It was a ruthless – but correct – decision from Guardiola, and it showed the squad that nobody comes before the team as a whole.
The importance of John Stones
We mentioned above how De Bruyne has been a huge miss for Manchester City – although John Stones must not be forgotten.
The England international has only been able to start four Premier League games this season due to a hamstring problem, which has left Guardiola rummaging around trying to find someone else to perform The John Stones Role next to Rodri.
Manuel Akanji tried, but struggled, to replicate the unique hybrid role in the chaotic 4-4 draw against Chelsea, leaving huge gaps for Mauricio Pochettino’s side to exploit.
Martin Keown feels the Switzerland international looks uncomfortable in midfield.
They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and that is certainly applicable to Stones as teammates fail to replicate his unique job.
