N New recruits
There have been plenty of new faces welcomed into the City Family this year.
In January, Aymeric Laporte, Nadia Nadim and Julia Spetsmark joined the ranks, before a host of new Blues made the move to Manchester over the summer - Riyad Mahrez, Caroline Weir, Lauren Hemp, Gemma Bonner, Tessa Wullaert and Janine Beckie.
While Nadim and Spetsmark have now departed, the rest of the newbies have slotted seamlessly into sky blue.
O On the road
City have tallied 19 victories away from home this season (including our Carabao Cup and Community Shield triumphs at Wembley).
In our record-smashing 2017/18 campaign, we broke several records for wins on the road.
Having already matched Chelsea’s run of 11 consecutive away wins in December 2017, the Blues then went on to surpass the Londoners’ 48 away points picked up in 2004/05, as Pep Guardiola‘s side finished on 50 points on their travels thanks to that final day triumph at Southampton.
That win also broke the record for the number of games won away(16) while City also boasted 82.13 per cent of possession at Everton on 31 March - the highest by an away team in a Premier League match since these records began.
P Parris life
Nikita Parris has enjoyed another unforgettable year, glittered with personal milestones.
This one has heralded a superb 21 goals for the 24-year-old, as the forward became the all-time top goalscorer for both her Club and the FA Women’s Super League whilst also notching 100 appearances for the Blues.
Adored for her passion, spirit and dedication, Parris has been in sparkling form and is now a fully-fledged member of her country’s senior squad as well as one of the first names in City’s starting line-up.
Credited by her manager for her hard work off the pitch in improving her decision-making in the final third, Parris’ efforts are paying dividends both on a personal and collective level. More of the same in 2019 please, Keets!
Q Quickest
With four goals against West Ham in April (one of those courtesy of Pablo Zabaleta!), City recorded 102 goals in 35 matches, becoming the quickest a Premier League side to reach a century of goals in a single campaign.
It marked the fourth time 100 goals has been scored in a Premier League season, following Chelsea in 2009/10, and City and Liverpool in 2013/14.
R Race
City clinched the title in unusual fashion - without actually playing, as West Brom defeated Man United at Old Trafford to hand the Blues our third Premier League trophy.
Guardiola‘s side were crowned Champions with five matches remaining, equalling the record set by our neighbours in the 2000/01 campaign... but we secured the biggest winning margin, finishing 19 points clear of the Reds - breaking their previous record of 18.
S Same City, same passion
At the turn of the year to mark four years since the re-launch of our women’s team, we were delighted to launch ‘Same City, Same Passion’ - a club-wide campaign focused on promoting women’s football by demonstrating that the same skills, same excitement and same passion exist wherever a ball is kicked.
To kickstart the campaign, we released a video on social media highlighting that football’s unchanging foundations – skills, shared experiences and passion – are intrinsic to the game wherever, whenever and however it is being played.
In March, we then launched #SameGoals - a social media campaign to encourage more girls to play football whatever their background, inviting girls to send in footage that shows them scoring – or saving – a goal
As part of the campaign, we also merged our men’s and women’s social media channels to provide supporters with 24/7 access to all City’s news and exclusive, behind the scenes content in one place. Same City, same passion!
Same game. Same club. Same #mancity pic.twitter.com/Usb9QgPl6e
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 25, 2018
T Team of the Year
Unsurprisingly, City dominated the Premier League’s Team of the Year with five Blues named in the best XI.
Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Kyle Walker and Sergio Aguero represented the Champions, following outstanding campaigns on both an individual and collective level.
Guardiola also deservedly scooped the Manager of the Year award, having also broke a record for the most consecutive Manager of the Month awards.
Congratulations all round.
U US Tour
City on tour!
Our 2018 summer was spent Stateside, as both our men’s and women’s teams headed across the Atlantic for pre-season.
Guardiola‘s Blues headed to Chicago, New York and Miami, locking horns with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool along the way in the International Champions Cup, while Nick Cushing’s side took part in the inaugural Women’s International Champions Cup in Miami, where we faced Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon.
Our women’s side also visited Portland, Oregon for a pre-tournament training camp. Ideal preparation for the seasons ahead.
V Victories
Yet another record broken...
Our victory over Southampton in May marked City’s 32nd of the campaign, moving the Blues further ahead of the mark of 30 recorded by Chelsea last season.
City became the first team to win 32 matches in a single English top-flight season.
W World Cup
A summer to remember, highlighted by one of the most enjoyed World Cup campaigns of recent years, especially in England!
The Blues boasted a record-equalling 16 players at the tournament for eight different countries, including representation for eventual Champions France, courtesy of Benjamin Mendy.
Allez les Bleus!
X XI
With Guardiola’s iconic, attacking style now firmly embedded, City have racked up some quite sensational goals with plenty of variety for scorers and styles.
The manager’s favourite is the type of goal crafted from defence to attack with every single player involved. We witnessed it on three occasions last year with memorable team efforts against Hull, West Brom and Huddersfield and most recently, in our derby victory over United in which the Blues clocked 44 passes in the build-up before Ilkay Gundogan sealed the points with a cool finish.
Derby delight!
Y Yaya Toure
May heralded an emotional night at the Etihad Stadium, as we bade farewell to a Club legend.
Yaya Toure, who spent eight years at the Club, departed, having won seven major trophies - three Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup, scoring a number of vital goals along the way.
In total, the Ivorian had clocked up 316 appearances for City, bagging 82 goals and of course, his importance to our recent success could never be underestimated.
And after the 3-1 win over Brighton, which saw Yaya captain the side, the midfield powerhouse was given a wonderful send-off in front of the fans.
His brother and former Blue Kolo came on the pitch to surprise him, while captain Vincent Kompany made a powerful speech and Yaya was given a framed shirt, a mosaic plaque and a lifetime season ticket.
A true Blue legend.
Z Zinchiller
No mere mortal can resist the evil of the Thriller... and Oleks Zinchenko is no exception!
To celebrate Hallowe’en this year, the Ukrainian (known for his dancing skills) fancied himself as the next Michael Jackson, learning the moves to Thriller for a CityTV special!
What do you think? Does he have what it takes...?
