Can Manchester City save their lost season?

Who could have thought and predicted that the dynasty of Manchester City would come crashing down in a single season after a decade of unparalleled success in the club’s history?

For the longest time, the city of Manchester – apart from a great music scene and being known as a cultural hub – was known for its red team; the Red Devils, Manchester United.

Then two quick titles after decades in 2011/2012 and 2013/2014 happened and under new ownership and with Pep Guardiola at the helm, things started taking shape. Signing star after star, changing the branding and the whole identity of the team, and establishing themselves as the newest force to be reckoned with in England, the blue Manchester team became a European Juggernaut.

Then in the ongoing 2024/2025 season, things came down like a house of cards. After yet another Premiership and the first time a Manchester City player has won the Ballon d’Or in Rodri, the current campaign is the worst in a long time.

With the roster intact and the manager still being the Portuguese mastermind, what went wrong and how could all of a sudden the team that has won so much in the last several years be struggling like this?

With most of the hardware of this season being lost already, the FA Cup remains the lone possible trophy that could save the team from a trophy-less season. Read on to learn more as we reveal the FA Cup odds for Man City and determine whether they can win it. 

A historic decade for the Club

Before talking about the ongoing campaign and how the team has struggled almost from the start of the season, we need to take a look back at what they have accomplished in the last decade or so.

Since Pep Guardiola took over in 2016, the team has known nothing but absolute success winning everything they could win, often multiple trophies per season including doubles and trebles.

In the last decade when this era started, the team has won 18 trophies. They won the Premier League six times, including four in a row becoming the first team to do so. They won the FA Cup two times, the FA Cup four times, and the Community Shield three times. In 2023, they won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. 

Individual records were not short in supply either. Rodrigo won the Ballon d’Or in 2024. Kevin De Bruyne twice, Erling Haaland, and Phil Foden won the Player of the Year awards. Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, and Phil Foden twice won the Young Player of the Year awards. Pep Guardiola won Manager of the Season five times. Ederson won the Golden Glove three times. Haaland won the Golden Boot and was UEFA Champions League’s Top-Scorer twice.

And of course, there was a plethora of inductions into the Premier League, Fifa FIFPRO, UEFA Champions League, and Teams of the Season. Simply put, the club dominated on all levels and they were on track to continue doing so. But then…

2024/2025: A Campaign in shambles 

This season, the club spent a good part of the season in the middle of the table, something they have not known in over a decade.

At the moment, somehow, they are managing to hold onto the 4th spot with 47 points between Nottingham Forest in third with 48 and Chelsea in fifth with 46. In 27 games so far, and they are a game behind, they only managed 14 wins. City drew five times and lost eight games, already the same as in their previous two seasons combined. Should they lose three more, it would be 11, a total of their previous three seasons. 

Also this year, they have scored fewer goals than in many of the previous seasons at this point in February and March. Right now, the team is at 53 goals while allowing 37 for a tied third-best difference of +16. In each of their previous three seasons, they have finished with 96, 94, and 99 goals, respectively, with +62, +61, and +73 differences.

While still in the positive this time around, it is a far cry from their previous tallies. And it is not like Erling Haaland is struggling as the Norwegian has scored 20 so far, second behind Mo Salah who has 25. However, there is no City player in the top-five in assists this year, and that is very concerning. 

Their Premier League dreams are over as there is no chance to climb 20 points and catch up to Liverpool in the remaining 11 games. Pep Guardiola’s side is also out of the UEFA Champions League after a 6-3 aggregate score against Real Madrid and barely even getting into the knockout stage.

At least they are currently in contention to play Champions League football again next year. Back in October, they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Tottenham in a 2-1 loss in London. With those three title hopes gone, their only chance at silverware this season remains the coveted domestic cup, the FA Cup.

The FA Cup dream is still alive 

On Saturday 1 March, at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City is hosting an unlikely opponent in the fifth round of the FA Cup. They are playing against Plymouth Argyle, a Championship side that took down none other than Liverpool in the previous round.

This means that they are more than a worthy opponent for the struggling City. But are they capable of yet another surprising result to make it two out of two against top-flight teams in this year’s cup? It remains to be seen, as the Manchester side looks to capture its 8th title, the previous coming in 2023. 

At the moment, the sports books are giving better odds to City as it is almost a lock. The Manchester team has 1.07 odds over Plymouth’s 26.00, which is comically astronomical.

As for the other games, Crystal Palace has 1.30 versus Millwall with 12.00. Preston North End is the underdog when facing Burnley with 3.25 to 2.28, respectively. Bournemouth should take their game against the Wolves with 1.72 to 4.30, while Newcastle is the favourite with 2.14 against Brighton with 3.20.

Manchester United face Fulham in an exciting game and are the favourites with 2.40 to the London side’s 3.00. Finally, Nottingham Forest is the clear favourite with 1.72 against Ipswich Town with 4.90. Aston Villa already did its job, beating Cardiff City 2-0. 

Should City advance, the draw for the quarter-finals will take place a day later on Sunday 2 March, where they would get their next opponent. The strongest possible opponents remaining in the game for them to face would be Aston Villa, Manchester United, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, and Bournemouth.

In any case, all of those teams were regularly beaten by Manchester City in previous formats and campaigns and they will want to face Erling Haaland and Co. in the quarter-finals of a cup competition they have won recently.

The possibility for a trophy is more than real and if they want to save the season at least to a certain egress, the most dominant team in Europe in the last ten years will have to give it their all.