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Interview: Man City fans reflect on another title winning season

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Despite more UCL heartbreak, the Premier League once again belongs to Pep Guardiola and his team

It's been another successful campaign at the Etihad despite some hardship along the way. Fans will have been devastated by going out in the Champions League semi finals against Real Madrid, but another Premier League title ought to soften the blow. Of course, in typical City fashion, the players couldn't let their fans soak up a fourth crown in five seasons without taking them all to the brink of a nervous breakdown first. Despite the scare, thanks in large part to Ilkay Gundogan, they managed to overturn a two-goal deficit against Aston Villa in a dramatic final 15 minutes of the season to get over the line. Old habits die hard.

That victory aside, special as it surely is, there may be some discontent in the ranks about once again falling in the UCL late on. After outplaying Real Madrid across 180 minutes, the perennial European champions forced extra time thanks to two Rodrygo goals in 60 seconds and went on to win the match via a Karim Benzema penalty. Last season it was Pep's tinkering which cost City in the final against Chelsea. This time it was two improbable and inexplicable moments of inspiration from a young Brazilian with a huge career ahead of him. It has to be gutting for the City faithful.

On top of the European disappointment, there was a lack of success in the domestic cups, something which City usually take very seriously. Having won the Carabao Cup four years on the bounce, they slumped out on penalties against West Ham in the last 16. City then lost 3-2 to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi final. No shame in the latter, but members of the club and fans will be disappointed to have not made the final of either domestic cup. This is something Pep will surely want to rectify next season.

Nevertheless, winning the Premier League would represent an overall good season for anyone, and City fans can now look forward to what's next. International megastar Erling Braut Haaland is in the door. Other transfer rumours are floating around. Some other new faces are sure to come in and some players are likely to be on their way out.

To discuss all this and more, we reached out to Joey McCune from Noisy Neighbors and Luke from MCFC Lads to see what the perspective is inside the fanbase. How optimistic are fans about the campaign just gone? What do they make of Haaland? Can City finally clinch the UCL next season? We wanted answers and we got them. Here's what Joey and Luke had to say:

Q. How would you summarise this season in terms of what the club has achieved?

Joey: Winning the Premier League is always a top target for the club and to win our 4th in 5 years, especially in the fashion that we did, is amazing! Obviously, we would like those last few minutes back against Real Madrid in the Champions League, but all in all it was a successful season. Once again, Pep has proven people wrong. This time by winning the Premier League without a recognized striker. What a manager!

Q. Are you still confident that City can clinch the Champions League in the coming years, after the latest heartbreak against Madrid?

Luke: I am still confident that City will be able to win the Champions League in the next few years. We have strengthened over the summer, and our time will definitely come, with us having the best squad and manager in the world.

Q. What do you make of the Haaland signing and how do you see him fitting into the side next season?

Joey: Signing Erling Haaland is massive! I think most would agree that he is the best young striker on the planet right now, and he is joining a club with arguably the best manager on the planet. On top of that, he will now be playing alongside players like Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, and Jack Grealish. Haaland's physicality is something that we have lacked up top probably since Negredo left. He will give us something different in attack. We now will have a true aerial presence in the box, so if we can't pass our way in, we can go over the top or hit early crosses for him to get on the end of. I can't wait to see what Pep does with Erling. Also, it's nice to bring a lifelong City fan back home.

Q. How long do you see Pep Guardiola remaining at the Etihad and do you think there is a contingency plan in place for after his departure, perhaps a manager in mind to replace him?

Luke: Manchester City are always prepared behind the scenes, but I think Guardiola will stay certainly beyond 2023, when his current deal ends.

Q. Aside from Haaland, Khaldoon Al Mubarak has told fans to expect further signings. If it were up to you, who would you look at bringing in? What are the areas of weakness in the squad?

Joey: I think most City fans would agree that we need to bring in a busy defensive midfielder to replace the massive hole left by Fernandinho, and we also need a fullback. All of the buzz right now seems to be around Kalvin Phillips from Leeds. There is no like-for-like replacement for Fernandinho, and we also don't need a Rodri clone. Phillips seems to have the work rate and footballing brain that would be required in the 6 role that Guardiola plays. Phillips has plenty of room to improve, but I don't think there is a better manager on the planet when it comes to taking a midfielder from good to great than Guardiola. As for the fullback position, it doesn't matter if its someone on the left or the right, we just need someone. We currently have 3 players for the two positions, and ideally we would have four. With Cancelo pulling double duty for most of the season, we just need to get someone in so that he can focus on just playing one side of the pitch. Currently we are linked with Cucurella from Brighton who seems like a good fit. I've also recently seen a link with German left back David Raum. I haven't seen as much of Raum as I have of Cucurella, but if Txiki and Pep rate him, who am I to question that?

Q. Are there any youngsters on the periphery who could get the opportunity to step up next season, as Phil Foden did a few years back?

Joey: We have a few youngsters that could see some game time this season depending on who stays and who goes this summer. The top of the list has to be Cole Palmer. Palmer missed time due to injury last season, otherwise he probably would've had his breakthrough year. Cole can play on the wing or in midfield (much like Phil), and looks like a real talent. Great on the ball, not scared to have a shot at goal, and seems to be adored by Pep. We've also got James McAtee, who is a creative midfielder that people in the club seem to be very high on. He looks like an old school number 10 when he's on the pitch, constantly finding space where there shouldn't be any and always looking for that killer ball. Those two are the most likely to see significant minutes, but there are some others that could get some time in the cup competitions. CJ Egan-Riley, Joshua Wilson-Esbrand, Oscar Bobb, Romeo Lavia and Liam Delap are all young players to keep an eye on as well.

Q. What do you expect from the upcoming campaign, all things considered?

Luke: I would expect City to have a very good and consistent season, even better than 2021/22. With the signing of Haaland, we will be more clinical in front of goal. I could see City winning 3 trophies, including the Premier League and 2 others.

Fans will have to wait a while before seeing their favourite players in competitive action once again. As Premier League champions, City will meet Liverpool in the Community Shield on July 30, shortly before the start of the new season. In the meantime, Pep and his side will take part in a pre-season tour of the United States, in which they'll face Club America on July 21 and Bayern Munich on July 23.

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