The accolades for the 2021/22 Premier League season have already been handed out and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva deserve the recognition they have received. The two midfielders have been exceptional in the title-winning campaign.
Unfortunately, not every City player can win individual honours. Here is a look back at three men who had a fantastic year and were a big part of the Blues’ success.
Joao Cancelo
The left-back position in the team has been regarded as City’s biggest weakness in their squad for several years now. Fortunately, this season, Joao Cancelo proved to be very reliable on the left side of the defence.
Cancelo is a player who not only enjoys going forward, as all fullbacks do in Pep Guardiola’s team, he is very solid at the back. The Portugal international has shown exactly why he was signed from Juventus in 2019.
No outfield player started more games for City than Cancelo in the 2021/22 league season. Not only does that show how much confidence his manager has in him, but the number of minutes he has played is also testament to his fitness.
Guardiola is likely to add some competition for Cancelo in the summer transfer window. However, whoever does come into the club will need to impress to get ahead of the reliable left-back. The current City defender has set a high mark to follow.
With City likely to be fighting on four fronts again, an extra left-back should take some of the load off Cancelo’s shoulders next season. The Champions League where, as of June 15, City are the 3/1 favourites in the football betting, may be the competition which takes priority, so the Portuguese defender is likely to be rested around those games.
Ederson
Liverpool’s Alisson was named in the Premier League Team of the Season, but there was very little between him and Ederson across the campaign. Both men kept 20 clean sheets, which is an impressive record for a 38-game season.
Ederson has been at City for five years now and he is establishing himself as one of the best ‘keepers to ever play for the club. Since arriving in 2017, he has won four Premier League titles, and without his services, who knows how many titles the club would have won.
What makes Ederson so impressive is that he can often be out of a game for large periods, due to City’s dominance in possession. However, when his team needs him, he frequently pulls off remarkable saves that prevent the opposition from scoring.
The battle for the number one jersey for Brazil is going to continue next season between Ederson and Alisson heading into the World Cup in Qatar. Hopefully the Blues shot-stopper can do enough in the opening half of the campaign to impress his national team manager Tite.
Aymeric Laporte
During the 2021/22 campaign, the Blues conceded just 26 goals in the Premier League. A constant figure at the heart of the defence was Aymeric Laporte. The Spain international had another brilliant season in a City shirt.
Prior to the last campaign, Laporte had struggled with injuries. Fortunately for the central defender, he was able to play 33 Premier League games, which was a huge boost to Guardiola.
Laporte has formed an excellent partnership with Ruben Dias. It is one of the strongest centre-back pairings in Europe, as both players complement the team well. They know each other’s game inside out and when together, City are often able to keep the opposition away.
As well as being a solid player at the back, Laporte has often come up with important goals for his team from set pieces, as he is dangerous in the air. Laporte scored four Premier League goals last season, with the most important being his equaliser against Southampton at St Mary’s, which rescued a point for his side.
Hopefully all three of the above players will continue to keep up their excellent form when the new Premier League season begins on 6th August. As the defending champions, City will be the team everybody will be trying to beat across the campaign.