Being a team in transition while contending doesn’t go hand in hand, as Manchester City have discovered | OneFootball

Manchester City have undergone a sizable rebuild over the past twelve months. Pep Guardiola’s squad is in transition, learning the Guardiola way as the City manager also grows with a new team and adjusts and adapts to tactical changes in the Premier League and European football. Manchester City’s rebuild came after an unparalleled era of dominance. City scaled every mountain possible before their era of dominance ended last season. The lessons of this season so far have shown that rebuilding on the run and contending for major honors isn’t a straightforward process. That has stood out over the past month.

This Manchester City team is still learning together which has stood out over the past month.

January has been a trying month for Manchester City. They have only won two games, which came in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup against Exeter City and Newcastle United. Pep Guardiola’s team has drawn three and lost one match in the Premier League and fallen to a shock defeat to Bodø/Glimt in Norway. Manchester City’s injury crisis and fatigue have contributed to this, no doubt about that. There isn’t a team in football that can contend with losing almost their entire first-choice defence and a host of other key players. Another lesson in January is that this Manchester City team is still learning what it takes. New players and new assistant managers need time to grow together, and that has also caught the eye this month.

The amount of turnover among Pep Guardiola’s squad over a twelve-month period has been significant. Since January 2025, Manchester City has signed a host of players. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Juma Bah, Marc Guehi, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Sverre Nypan, Nico, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo, and Omar Marmoush have been signed by City. That is a significant influx of players. They all need time to develop and grow together under Pep Guardiola. Manchester City also have to contend with a congested fixture list so the time for this City squad to train together is limited. They are learning on the job and at times results and performances can be mixed. Fluctuations in performances were to be expected, especially when you factor in the injury situation City are dealing with.

New assistants Pep Lijnders and Kolo Toure have also come in under Pep Guardiola. They all need time to work together and implement their ideas. That, factored in with a sizable influx of players, shows how much of a task Manchester City’s rebuild is. It isn’t a straightforward process and there will be growing pains. City’s form in January is a testament to this.

Pep Guardiola’s side will get there, but holding them to the standards of City’s era of success will end in disappointment.

While Manchester City have rebuilt their squad, they have lost the services of a series of club legends. Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, and Ederson have departed the club. Key contributors such as Manuel Akanji and Jack Grealish also left the club. John Stones and Nathan Ake aren’t what they were as players, as injuries have taken hold. Rodri isn’t yet back to his best as he continues to work his way back from an ACL injury and a host of niggles. Those departures and factors have created a void to fill. City have the pieces to fill that void, but they need time to come together.

What Manchester City achieved by winning six Premier League titles in seven years, four Premier League titles in a row, the treble, the domestic quadruple, securing 100 points in a season, and every other major honour they achieved aren’t ordinary achievements. They are a once-in-a-lifetime haul and accolades achieved by a special group of players playing under Pep Guardiola. At times, it seemed that an unprecedented level of success was the new normal. Perhaps that ifdea is that particular Manchester City side’s greatest legacy. They left a sizable legacy.

Final thoughts.

Comparing this new-look Manchester City side to Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering outfit isn’t fair. Doing so will likely only end in disappointment. This new-look City side will form an identity of its own. It will take time to get there. There will also be bumps in the road, like we have seen this month. That is part of the process. The process of building a new team seems to have been glossed over as Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team smashed through the glass ceiling time and time again.

This Manchester City team is in s transition process, and while this month has been frustrating in terms of results, it is part of the journey that this City side is on. They may learn plenty that helps them become the next dominant Manchester City side in time. Building a team and contending on multiple fronts isn’t a simple or straightforward process. The path to contending for multiple honours consistently generally isn’t the same as building a new team. That has stood out over the past month and that is where Manchester City sit currently.