Following a disappointing debut season in England, Pep Guardiola masterminded one of the greatest Premier league title charges in the history of English football.
After three successful but disappointing years with Bayern Munich, the Catalan tactician joined Man City as the best among his peers but failed to make an immediate impact as his team still needed time to adjust to his philosophy.
The Cityzens were knocked out in the FA Cup Semi-finals by Arsenal, eliminated by Manchester United in the fourth round of the League cup, and crumbled against a defiant AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.
At the end of the 2016/17 season, Manchester City finished third on the Premier League table, behind Tottenham Hotspur and Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.
Almost a year later, there was a swagger about Pep Guardiola’s team, whose perfect start to the 2017/18 season inspired predictions of a quadruple.
In the league, Manchester City remained unstoppable, but their dreams of going unbeaten, and winning every available trophy was hindered by a number of inspired performances and heroic displays.
By far the most surprising of all Manchester City’s defeats in 2017/18. Pep Guardiola’s side threw everything at The Latics, but the Premier League leaders just couldn’t find a way at the DW Stadium.
As was expected, City had all the possession and created multiple chances in Wigan’s half, but Chey Dunkley and Dan Burn’s doggedness in defense frustrated the Manchester Club.
Fabian Delph’s shocking red card sparked a heated debate between Pep Guardiola and Wigan manager Paul Cook, but it was Will Grigg’s low finish eleven-minutes from time, that ended City’s hopes, and capped a night of drama at the DW Stadium.
“Will Grigg’s on fire”, we remember the song, and we definitely remember Wigan’s heroics in front of their supporters.
For Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, it was more than just about outplaying their opponents, it was about revenge and getting even.
In September, the Reds suffered a 5-0 hammering at the Etihad. Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane were on target as Manchester City’s perfect start to the season continued, but in January, Liverpool would get even.
On Matchday twenty-three, Man City travelled to Anfield as league leaders and unbeaten in the league too, but at the hour mark, Jurgen Klopp’s men were 4-1 up. Sweet revenge.
Although Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan tried to salvage a draw for City, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah’s goals put the game beyond reach.
At full time, Manchester City had suffered their first league defeat of the season, the dreams of an invincible title triumph no longer existed, but Liverpool wasn’t done just yet.
After finishing top of a group that had the likes of Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord, Manchester City brushed Basel aside 5-2 on aggregate to qualify for the Champions league Quarter-finals, where Liverpool was waiting to cause more grief.