Manchester City’s Top Three Players of Season

Throughout the 2015-16 season for Manchester City, there have been some players we knew that would step up as well as some surprises as well. Here is my take who have been the top three players for Manchester City this season.

This season for Manchester City has had its ups and downs, as well as some surprises that have gotten us excited for the future. Finishing fourth in Manuel Pellegrini‘s final year with the club sets up Pep Guardiola with a spot in the UEFA Champions League for next season.

The team finished in the semifinals, the farthest the side has ever gone, losing eventually to Real Madrid 1-0 between two legs. Also, the team lifted the Capital One Cup trophy at Wembley earlier this spring defeating Liverpool in penalties. So, overall this season has brought some things to cheer about for City supporters.

After looking at the team long and hard, I have decided to do a top three performers list for the season. I feel it is a way to highlight the players that gave their all this season, plus build up the players we will be having next season and hopefully so on.

1.) Sergio Aguero — forward
I’m sure there was no surprise to this selection as Aguero was magnificent again for Manchester City. The 27-year-old scored 24 goals in 29 appearances in the Barclays Premier League and finished second in scoring behind Tottenham‘s Harry Kane. He also added two in the Champions League, Capital One Cup, and one in the F.A. Cup. Aguero is the heart and soul of City’s attack and is up there with the best forwards in all of soccer. He did miss nine matches for City with injuries, which opened the door for Wilfried Bony and youngster Kelechi Iheanacho.

Aguero also will feature for Argentina this summer in the Copa America tournament. He can beat you in a number of ways, with his pace, skill, or even his head. He is willing to make runs through the channels, and defend when needed. His five-goal performance vs Newcastle earlier in the season, was his best performance all year. He was able to score five goals in different ways and was able to keep producing throughout the 90+ minutes. According to Sky Sports, Sergio Aguero believes that Pep Guardiola will “put pressure” on Manchester City heading into the 2016 season. We will see if the pressure will pay off in a good way as we go through the 2016 season.

2.) Kevin De Bruyne — midfielder
After his huge move from Wolfsburg, De Bruyne made a splash back in the Premier League netting 16 goals and adding 12 assists in 41 appearances in all competitions. After failing to feature much for Chelsea in 2013-14, De Bruyne moved to Wolfsburg where he won the German Footballer of the Year award in 2014-15. He did miss some time in the spring after injuring himself in the Capital One Cup semifinal against Everton. The best thing about De Bruyne is that he is a smart midfielder, making the right passes and thinking of his teammates first.
He is an up and coming star for his home nation of Belgium as he already is a starter for the national team. He is 24 as well, so he has a lot of career left too. He can play in the center of midfield but also can take on fullbacks from the wings as well. Hopefully he can form an even better partnership with David Silva next season which will make City’s midfield even scarier for opposing defenses.

3.) Joe Hart — goalkeeper
The man between the pipes, easily saved some points for City this year. The 29-year-old English international featured in 47 matches between the Premier League and the Champions League this season. He made 105 saves between the two competitions, and made some big saves in the Champions League stopping free-kicks and a huge penalty from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He had 15 clean sheets in the Premier League which tied him for second-place with Leicester‘s Kasper Schmeichel and Manchester United‘s David de Gea.
Hart has been with the club for ten years now, and he still has a lot left in the tank. He is able to make himself big on certain saves and always tries to clear the ball to the best option on the field. He did have one blunder this year against Norwich City, but other than that he had a fine season. He is a fan favorite and is one of the faces of the franchise. Without Joe Hart in between the pipes, who knows if this team would have finished fourth this season.

So there you have it, those are my choices for the top three players for Manchester City this season. It was fun to sit down and analyze the team and choose the players who stood out the most. If these three players continue to play up to their potential next season, City could be dangerous in all competitions with Pep Guardiola coming in.