Following the closure of the January transfer window, Man City will be hoping to extend their advantage at the top of the Premier League table this weekend.
City are currently nine points ahead of rivals Liverpool and have the best defensive record in the league with just 14 goals conceded in 23 games so far this season. Guardiola's side only made the one signing in the January transfer window, with Julian Alvarez signing for £14million from River Plate on a five-and-a-half-year deal, but he will remain on loan at River until the end of the season, before linking up with the City squad in the summer.
So, what could happen in the remainder of the 2021/22 Premier League season for Guardiola's side? And, will their lack of signings have an impact on the rest of their season?
Let’s see what happened!
Man City's 2021/22 PL season simulated following transfer window
To simulate the remainder of the season, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to update all teams, managers and playing squads of all Premier League teams. We then simulated from the end of the January transfer window in-game until the end of the 2021/22 season.
We used the Football Manager 2022 editor to replicate the current Premier League table as it is in real life, with the correct results for every fixture so far in the 2021/22 season. All in-game statistics shown from our simulated season are taken between February 1st, 2021 to May 31st, 2021.
Here's what happened.
It was a brilliant season overall for City, who continued their fine form into the remainder of the season following a quiet January transfer window, with Kevin De Bruyne standing out as the best performer under Guardiola.
The Belgian playmaker registered a total of 21 assists in the 2021/22 season for City, bettering his Premier League record of 20 assists in a single season two years ago.
De Bruyne averaged a match rating of 7.65 for City in the 2021/22 season, ahead of Portuguese ace Bernardo Silva (7.40), Raheem Sterling (7.42) and Phil Foden (7.33).
Gabriel Jesus finished as the club's top goalscorer with 17 goals in 35 appearances, closely followed by Sterling who finished the season with 15 goals and three assists as the English forward's form persuaded Guardiola to keep him as one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Summer signing Jack Grealish struggled to make a big impact in his debut season at the Etihad, scoring six goals and registering two assists in the second half of the season, with Guardiola preferring to bring Foden into the starting line-up or off the bench ahead of the former Aston Villa captain.
City's brilliant Premier League unbeaten run continued throughout February and March, reaching an immense 20 games without losing in the league before falling to a narrow 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton.
The champions faced a difficult period at the end of February with games against Everton away and the Manchester derby, but Guardiola's side overcame both teams to take six points from six in those fixtures, as their rivals Liverpool and Chelsea fell behind in the table.
City cemented their place at the top of the table with a crucial 2-0 win against Liverpool after a two quick goals from Jesus and De Bruyne in the second half made the difference at the Etihad.
Guardiola's side also took all three points against Man United in the Manchester derby, as De Bruyne's long-distance strike caught De Gea out in the United net, giving City an early lead that never looked in danger. City did slip up against Spurs as Lucas Moura's goal early in the second half was enough to hand Guardiola's side a rare defeat, as Grealish, Sterling and Foden were unable to find an equaliser for the hosts.
At the end of the 2021/22 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Man City XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics.
This is how the best Man City XI looked in 2021/22 according to FM22.
Full Man City best XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan; Bernardo Silva, Jesus, Sterling.
Bernardo Silva supported Sterling and Jesus in City's attack, with De Bruyne and Gundogan sitting behind as the two box-to-box midfielders.
The likes of Grealish, Foden, Riyad Mahrez, Fernandinho and John Stones were unable to force their way into the best XI for the 2021/22 season.
Here’s how the 2021/22 Premier League table looked at the end of May 2022.
City won their fourth title in five years, finishing the Premier League 2021/22 season top by 10 points from second-place Liverpool. City's fine form continued into the remainder of the season, only losing twice in their remaining 15 games as they proved to be worthy champions.
Guardiola's side had the best attacking and defensive record in the league, finishing the season with 83 goals scored and only 25 conceded in their 38 Premier League fixtures.
Would you be happy with this outcome at the end of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign? Let us know in the comments below!
