It was a season in which Manchester City proved that they can learn from their mistakes.
If the failure to replace club legend Vincent Kompany 12 months earlier, coupled with a season-curtailing injury to Aymeric Laporte just four games in, officially ended their Premier League title defence in 2019/20, their actions just three games into the 2020/21 campaign following a home hammering to Leicester City proved contrastingly decisive.
In fact, City barely looked back after signing Ruben Dias at the end of September.
Yes, a 2-0 defeat at Spurs in November left them 11th in the table, and they even went into the New Year outside the top six.
But an impressive victory at Chelsea on the third day of January was as emphatic as it was ominous for the rest of the division and, from that moment, the Premier League 2021 odds always had City as favourites to clinch their third success in four years.
Indeed, the difference when they next met Leicester on Easter Saturday to edge ever closer to the title spoke volumes for their superiority over their rivals.
Dias went onto win the player of the year accolade but who were the others who were integral to the 2021 champions? SBOTOP lists them down.
Ruben Dias
The arrival of Dias for £61 million from Benfica almost single-handedly ironed out City’s defensive fragilities.
The Portugal international immediately played a pivotal part as the side reached the final of the Champions League for the first time in its history.
But it was the confidence and maturity the 24-year-old exuded which marked his debut season in English football. In 50 appearances for City, there were 25 clean sheets and, along with a revitalised John Stones, Dias formed the backbone of City’s rearguard.
IIkay Gundogan
2020/21 was the most productive season of the German’s professional career. In fact, so prolific was Gundogan, he even ended the campaign as City’s top goalscorer.
A vital cog in City’s third Premier League title in four years, domestically Gundogan was involved in 19% of their Premier League goals with a return of 17 goals and four assists from his central midfield role.
In Europe, the 30-year-old lodged an impressive 91% passing accuracy in the Champions League, including over 80% successful long balls.
Twelve goals in 26 games was a key indicator of how important he was in a team regularly playing without a striker. At one point in mid-February, Gundogan had scored more goals than any other player across Europe’s top five leagues since the turn of the calendar year, netting nine goals in nine Premier League games in 2021.
Kevin de Bruyne
It surprised me that the Belgian wizard was named PFA player of the year because 2020-21 was far from his best season at the club.
Yet he remains one of the league’s standout performers and one of the most creative talents in world football with a stellar passing range few can match.
He also filled in as a false number nine for a brief period when City were severely understocked in the strikers’ department – hard to believe that could happen at a club with such resources.
Phil Foden
A real breakthrough season for Foden with City.
There had only been glimpses before now with David Silva among the world class talent ahead of him in City’s first-choice starting XI.
But with Silva departed, 21-year-old Foden had the chance to justify his reputation as one of the brightest prospects in world football and he didn’t disappoint, establishing himself as one of City’s primary attacking outlets while creating several Premier League 2021 highlights.
As well as notching 50 appearances, he enjoyed a return of 16 goals and 10 assists with the local hero flourishing and justifying manager Pep Guardiola’s patient approach when it came to integrating him.
The touches, dribbling and goals by the lad from Stockport have indicated City possess a player who can keep them at the top.
João Cancelo
This may surprise some but for me he was one of the revelations of the season.
In fact, if it were not for Dias, De Bruyne and young player of the year Foden, Cancelo may have been in contention to collect an individual gong himself.
The Portuguese full-back/wing-back finally looks settled, helping to redefine the full-back role as he repeatedly stepped into a defensive midfield position when the Blues had possession to link up with his attacking teammates from the centre.
The ‘inverted full-back’ role has been likened to Guardiola’s use of World Cup-winning captain Phillip Lahm at Bayern Munich.
That worked out pretty well too!
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