Pep Guardiola has expressed praise for the resilience and turn-around displayed by Manchester City in the year 2025, while also clarifying that the current form displayed by the team will only help it become stronger once Rodri regains full fitness.

Nonwithstanding their inconclusive campaign last season without trophies, City go into their away assignment at Sunderland on New Year’s Day as the best-performing team in the Premier League of 2025, with the best points-per-game average throughout the year. They lead Arsenal by a slim margin, having fallen two games behind them.

Taking a retrospect on the struggles they weathered, Guardiola confessed: "The last season, for me, will always be one of my proudest moments as a coach."

“When I look back at what we did last season, what we overcame, it was one of the best seasons that we have had as a team,” Guardiola said. “The players, the staff, all of them, the way that they responded to those difficult moments, it was magnificent. And every time I think about what happened, I feel even prouder than before of what this club did.”
Rodri Poised to Supplement City Again

midfield anchor Rodri has returned to action after recovering from a hamstring problem and has already played 90 minutes twice in the Premier League this calendar year. His lengthy layoff was due to a serious cruciate ligament injury sustained back in September 2024, during a period of City’s poor results.

With Rodri out for a major part of the season and the absence of some crucial players, City found it hard to be consistent before having a second-half turnaround.

January Investment Proved Crucial 
City were five points behind Arsenal but had a game in hand, a situation that was a huge improvement from last season when they were 14 points behind at a similar point in the season. The crucial factor that helped in their revival was a good performance during the January transfers, when they invested a total of £172 million.
“Without those signings, we wouldn’t be in the Champions League this season,” Guardiola admitted. “We simply didn’t have enough players for a long period. Once the new players arrived and others returned late in the season, we became the best team in the league over the final 10 to 15 matches.”

Guardiola warns rivals

Now that Rodri is back in the mix, Guardiola warned City's rivals an even firmer test may be coming their way in the months ahead.

"When we have a full squad, we compete at the highest level-like we're doing now," he said. "And with Rodri, there's no doubt we are a stronger team."

With City starting 2026 with renewed belief and a key figure back at the heart of midfield, Guardiola's side look well-placed to mount another serious title push.