Three clubs who could all be a handful on their day, but all of whom the Blues were expected to beat.
The campaign kicked off on the south coast against Chris Hughton’s newly-promoted Brighton & Hove Albion.
With the AmEx Stadium packed to the rafters, the home fans created a noisy, colourful atmosphere as the Seagulls attempted get off to a positive start against one of the pre-season favourites.
City had to be patient as Brighton stood firm but on 70 minutes the Blues finally broke the deadlock as David Silva found Sergio Aguero who made no mistake.
Five minutes later, Lewis Dunk put the ball past his own keeper to complete a comfortable 2-0 win.
Next up were Everton – a side who have always been difficult to beat for City over the years.
The Toffees, then managed by Ronald Koeman and with Wayne Rooney back among their ranks, arrived at the Etihad in confident mood and the Blues struggled to stamp their authority.
Then, within a 10-minute spell just before the break the axis swung in the Merseysiders’ direction as – inevitably – Rooney put Everton ahead on 35 minutes and then Kyle Walker was dismissed after picking up two quick yellow cards to make his home debut memorable for all the wrong reasons.
City had to dig deep, but there was a feeling around the Etihad that it might not be the Blues’ night – until the ball fell to Raheem Sterling on 82 minutes and the scores were levelled.
The 10-man Blues couldn’t find a winner, but it was an important point, nonetheless given the circumstances.
To finish the month off, City then returned to the south coast to face Bournemouth at a baking hot Vitality Stadium.
This would again prove to be a tense, closely-fought game and when Charlie Daniels hit a stunning volley past Ederson on 13 minutes, the Blues had their work again cut out for them.
Though City levelled on 21 minutes through Gabriel Jesus, the hosts dug in and came out after the break sensing they could beat the Blues.
In truth, the game could have gone either way until, deep into added time and with almost the last kick of the game, Sterling shot and saw his deflected effort spin away from the keeper and into the net for a dramatic winner.
The players, bench and travelling fans went wild and City had made it seven points from a possible nine when it could easily have been just four.
It was, of course, just the start of everything…
Played: 3 Won: 2 Drawn: 1 Lost: 0 For: 5 Against: 2
Player of the Month: Raheem Sterling
