Summertime Blues without Manchester City

Manchester City signed off for the summer in one of the most spectacular ways in Premier League history, and the most spectacular way in more recent years. A five-minute flurry of goals to crown ourselves Premier League Champions – AGAIN.

It was a long, hard season. With outrageous moments, unbelievable highs, and some predictable results – the annual Manchester City turn Spursy fixture. The concluding weeks were torture for many blues, including myself. The anxiety of having Liverpool breathing down our necks, and the final game being against ex-Liverpool heroes, was tense, to say the least.

Time could not have slowed any more than it did in the build-up to the closing stages of the season, and the prospect of Liverpool beating us to the punch when they were being dubbed “the Quad Squad” by the media, was quite frankly, nauseating.

Though nothing and I mean absolutely nothing, felt as long as that final game against Aston Villa. I sat in our stadium next to Phil Fodens’ old schoolteacher as he bragged about Manchester City’s own superstar who won Young Player of the Season.

We were two down, and I was grieving. If we are talking about the five stages of grief, I was at bargaining. As were the seas of blues around the ground who refused to accept that we had “let this slip” as Gerrard said and did back in 2014.

Then came on the super subs, changing the game completely. Mr Whippy and my Player of the Season, Rodri leading us to oh sweet glory. The Etihad crowd was utterly wild, more so when we bagged the third.

There were roars, there was rumbling, there were plumes of blue smoke, there were limbs flying, and fans crying. This was City. Our City. Winning Premier League titles on the final day with the drama is just what we do here at Manchester City.

As I took in the day and processed how incredible this club is, I felt thoroughly ready for the stress-free summer waiting for me. No fretting over fixtures. No flashbacks of “typical City”. No anxieties about results.

I don’t know about anyone else, especially those who get to bask in the Etihad glory week in and week out, but I lasted a week before missing our boys in blue and the joy they bring us. The utter artistry that, with the help of Pep, they create on the turf.

For now, we can repeatedly watch the highlights of the best game of the season or keep up to date on Manchester City news here: https://mancitysquare.com/

The end of the 21/22 season ended merely four weeks ago, but for me, and many others, it feels like a distant memory as we look ahead to the upcoming season.