MCFC 2024/25 Season Preview Part 1 of 2: Fear, loathing and last season

Dan Burke and friends look ahead to the 2024/25 campaign

I’m pretty sure I say this every year, but the new season really has come around quicker than usual this time hasn’t it?

Like a lot of City fans, I was ready for a break at the end of last season. Football is a tiring hobby, made even more exhausting by the 24/7 browbeating we’re subjected to by the media - social and otherwise - we have little choice but to consume these days.

However, while the wall-to-wall football didn’t really let up over the summer, I’m beginning to look forward to the new season. Last weekend’s Community Shield victory over Those Bastards was a nice appetite whetter for what’s to come, and it will be good to properly get back into the cut and thrust of it all in the coming weeks and months.

The 2024/25 season should have plenty in store, with another title defence, a new Champions League format, Pep Guardiola’s future and our day of reckoning for the ol’ 115 all on the agenda (How Can We Combat It?).

As ever, I have enlisted the insight of some solid Blues to help me take the temperature of the City fanbase, and look ahead to the next nine months of nonsense.

We’ll be releasing the season preview in two parts, and in part one we’re starting with…

How do you rate the summer transfer business, and who would you still like to see come in or go out?

David Mooney

It's a really weird one for me because, as the summer has gone on, the more relaxed I've been about City's position of "we don't really think we're going to do anything". Savinho wasn't a surprise, that had been pre-announced (not that I've used that time to learn anything about him beyond watching him in the Community Shield the other day), but with Julian Alvarez leaving, it's not too hard to see how he fits in with a bit of shuffling of the front positions.

I'm delighted with the Alvarez sale, in a sense. Despite his obvious flaws playing in the hole behind Erling Haaland, he did always offer a threat (though his booting it over the bar from shots between eight and 18 yards was somewhat frustrating). Yet, despite that threat, he was always number two to Haaland -- and his best was always when Haaland was unavailable and he was able to play as a centre-forward. With that in mind, the fee City have got is fantastic and it opens up space for exciting young players like Oscar Bobb, when he's back from injury later in the season, and James McAtee to get a chance. 

Richard Burns

Errrr...has there been much summer transfer business? I've felt very disengaged from transfer talk this summer, I've barely kept up with it. Savio is probably good - there were decent flashes in the Very Important and Prestigious Community Shield. So I'm happy with that signing. The sale of Álvarez is great business but makes me wonder if I've stumbled into irreversible apathy about the ins and outs at City. I feel like I should care a bit more about a really good player leaving but it's just such a shoulder-shrug of a move. He came, he was quite good at playing football, and now he's gone. The fee is good, he'll do well, and it doesn't really feel like it leaves City with a gap. Should I be more arsed? I feel like his legacy is going to be The Player You Forget In the David Mooney Sporcle Quiz About The Treble.

I don't particularly want anybody to go. I'd like to sign a proper back up for Rodri, but there aren't really any of them about.

Alex Timperley

I honestly can't rate any of it. I've not seen Savinho play and don't want to be one of those who pretends to have much greater knowledge of footballers than they actually do. He might be decent, but all transfers in are variations on a theme these days, we've seen it all. 

Other than that, the squad seems fine largely? Wouldn't mind seeing Kyle Walker leave on the basis that he's a tool, but other than that I don't have any strong feelings.

Bob Toole

It’s been pretty underwhelming so far. I know next to nothing about Savio/Savinho other than he came from another City Football Club which seemed to annoy people. He scored a good penalty against United so he’s off to a good start. I expect him to be eased in over the next few months, but given that most of our squad have only come back to training in the last week he may find he gets more minutes than I expect in the first few weeks of the season.

Álvarez leaving is probably a good deal for all concerned. Eighty odd million for a player we bought for £14 million is great business. I like Álvarez, but I think he really struggled being played in midfield for most of last season – very much a square peg for a round hole. His finishing ability started to get a bit wayward last season after it seemed to be one of his assets when he joined. After winning all the stuff he has with Argentina he was never going to settle for being backup to Haaland indefinitely. He has a chance to be the main man at Atlético and I wish him well. 

Ciaran Murray

Yeah it’s a strange one because City have only signed Savio at the time of writing but I’m pretty okay with that. Pep has worked his magic with small squads in the past and we’ve got some exciting youth players coming through so we should be alright. I’d say we probably need back up for Rodri and Haaland but they’re so uniquely brilliant at what they do, who would you even go for as their understudies. We’ll be grand with how things are I think.

Dan Burke

For me, the most enjoyable thing about the transfer window is how blasé I am about it all.

You see Liverpool fans losing their minds because they’ve not signed a new number 6 (side note, can we stop referring to players as numbers? They’re not numbers, they’re free men!), Arsenal fans producing pizza charts showing that their new defender is in the 6th percentile of vertical pitch-tilters, and United fans lauding a load of new signings who they’ll be booing off the pitch after a home defeat to Ipswich in six months time.

Meanwhile, I hear Pep saying in his press conference that we might sign someone or we might not, and I’m not particularly bothered either way.

I have a feeling Savinho might surprise a few people, I wasn’t particularly sad to see the back of Álvarez (especially for that kind of money) because he frustrated the hell out of me at times, and I’m more enthused about the prospect of us turning to more of our young players than us potentially signing someone new at this point.

We’ve once again made loads of profit from selling players this summer (not that the fans can expect any of it to be passed onto the customer) and haven’t even needed to dip into our LIMITLESS WEALTH, which is nice.

Going into the season with the squad we have feels like it would present us with a nice challenge rather than be something to worry about, so bring it on I say.

Who or what are you most excited about heading into the new season?

Ciaran Murray

Well it was Oscar Bobb but terrible luck has befallen him so what can you do? With the squad staying pretty much as it was, and with us probably coming to the end of Pep’s era, you feel that some of these players might be heading into the autumn of their City careers. So I’m just excited to see some of our good guys out there, potentially for the last time together. I’m always excited to see Bernardo playing, and Kev, and John Stones. It’ll be interesting to see how Foden kicks on and what Gvardiol can bring now he’s fully bedded in. I can’t be arsed stressing anymore so just excited to see my mates and enjoy the football together. Nothing better really, is there?

Richard Burns

Foden's progression. He should build on last season so, if he does improve, he's going to set himself apart from any other player in the league (well, even more than he did last season). He could move into 30-goal-season territory, especially if he continues that handy knack of scoring hat-tricks. It's just such pure joy watching that boy play for City and I'm excited for more of it. I'm also looking forward to seeing a rejuvenated Jack Grealish with a lot to prove.

Alex Timperley

Again I want to be honest, so not really anything. City have pretty much killed my enthusiasm for the new season, the club and Premier League football as a whole. Another ticket price increase, a tax on disabled people, pushing crypto and other shit on us continually, a "fourth kit" for some reason etc etc. Just the overwhelming greed and the way they treat fans. 

And again, being honest, the court cases and all that sort of stuff helps to make me not excited. Had enough of it all. 

I know this level of miserablism will annoy some, but it's my answers, so whatever.  

Bob Toole

I think I said this last season, but seeing the link up with Foden and Haaland. Foden seemed to get more opportunities in the middle last season and if both him and Big Erl can stay fit it could be very exciting indeed. I am also excited to see how Oscar Bobb progresses (editor’s note: this was written pre-injury). He is such a classy, skilful player and he has made it difficult for Pep to ignore him. I hope he gets enough chances to shine so that he wants to stay with City long term.

David Mooney

This was a much easier question to answer before Bobb broke his leg and needed surgery (some would say it had already been answered once and was heavy on the Bobb front, but who's able to confirm those rumours?) (editor’s note: I think Mooney might actually have cursed him). It's a big shame for him because he was the exciting prospect going into the new season and the start of the season, while the first team was largely unfit and unready for the campaign start, was supposed to be the time when he could shine and make his mark on the squad. However, that will now not be the case.

City will be fine without him, obviously. This isn't an attack on him, but he was barely involved last season (but for one huge contribution at Newcastle) and City achieved what they achieved. Swap out Alvarez for Savinho and do a bit of jiggery pokery with the positions and the squad is still the same sort of quality with the same sort of numbers -- it was just supposed to be supplemented by Bobb being a much more impactful part this year. So, that will come later on and that's something to look forward to when it does come.

In the mean time, I guess we'll just have to be excited by seeing what Savinho can do in the Premier League.

Dan Burke

Just having football that I care about back in my life is what I’m most excited about.

I’m a bit of a weirdo in that I’m not really interested in any other sports except football, and sometimes I even question how much I even like football when it doesn’t involve City in some way.

For that reason, the Euros and the Olympics bored me to tears this summer, and I watched a lot of it more out of obligation than enjoyment.

Nothing compares to the feelings I experience when I watch City; the nerves, the excitement, the joy, the dismay. It’s addictive, and there is nothing more profound in my life than the love I have for my football club (unless my girlfriend Lisa is reading this, but she probably isn’t).

There is a lot to detest about modern football and City’s role in it all, and the ennui outlined in Alex’s answer above is completely understandable - I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel some of it too, and I try to be as critical of City’s failings as an institution as I possibly can.

But it all fades away when that whistle goes or the ball hits the net, and you’re transported to a heavenly, ethereal plain of existence for a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon. If you could bottle that feeling you’d be a billionaire.

What is your biggest worry heading into the new season?

David Mooney

I'm so fucking serene, you wouldn't believe it. I'm so laid back, you could pour me into a bowl. We've won four titles in a row, what's there to be worried about? Roll on a couple of defeats in August, and a massive-pressure chase in April and May, and I'll be stressed out of my mind, though.

Alex Timperley

I don't have any worries, thankfully. As mentioned above, City have done a lot of work to kill off my investment and emotional attachment - a happy side effect of which is that I'm not worried about the football. In fact, I've not thought about it at all this summer until this email! 

Bob Toole

I’m not worried about anything really, but in the spirit of answering the question I think I would have to say the lack of an alternative for Godri and just a bit of general stagnation.

Obviously, we’ve not set the transfer market alight so things could change, but a viable alternative in holding midfield feels essential. Rodri was crying out for a rest towards the end of last season and we just couldn’t accommodate it. I don’t know who we could get that is a) good enough and b) willing to be a bit part player and maybe the club don’t know either.

Also, it feels like the squad needs a bit more of a refresh that what seems to be on the cards at the moment and I worry we’ll just stagnate a little. Happy to stagnate at the top of the table, though.

Richard Burns

This is tough because...well...what can go that wrong? Oh no, we might not win something! I suppose the outcome of the charges worries me. I don't worry about the punishment if City are found guilty - as long as I have City to support then I'll cope. But the sense that past title wins could be tainted, or that people who just see City as the worst football club in the world could somehow feel validated makes me uneasy. So I suppose that's a nagging concern.

Ciaran Murray

I am a bit worried that the lack of stress might turn to apathy. Nothing’s changed, I still love Pep and the players and everything. But my love of football is definitely waning. I’m sick of the 115 shouts, the online tribalism, VAR, how corporate it’s all going, how dear everything is, some of the decisions made by the club these days etc etc etc. So my worry is that I just don’t want the spark to extinguish completely. It feels like something needs to change or the arse will just completely fall out of it.

Dan Burke

This is quite a hard question to answer (editor’s note: Dan set the questions) because I don’t really have any worries or fears, but I really cannot be arsed with the return of all the tedium that comes with supporting City these days.

You know what I’m talking about. If it’s not Arsenal or Liverpool fans being massive nauses on Twitter (never calling it X) it’s pseudo-intellectual journalists who can’t get through a simple match report without pontificating on What It All Means. Won’t somebody think of the children charges!?

It’s all incredibly irritating, and has definitely detracted from my enjoyment of watching football, no matter how hard I try to ignore it all.

The outcome of these charges, whatever the outcome is, will be an unprecedented crescendo of all this shite. If City get a favourable result it will be mourned as the death of all that is good and holy about Our Beautiful Game, and if they get a heavy punishment well…it doesn’t really bear thinking about.

I might take myself off to a Buddhist silent retreat in the mountains for about 6 months to 10 years, and not come back until it’s all died down.

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We’ll be back tomorrow with part two, when we’ll be talking hot takes, trophies, players to watch, and Pep Guardiola’s future.