December 2024 marked another set of disappointing results for Manchester City. The Sky Blues only won two of their eight matches that month. What caused further frustration for the Mancunian side was that some of their draws and losses also occurred from positions where they were winning the game.
Match fatigue has been apparent. Several of City’s star players still remained sidelined through injury. In the final set of fixtures in 2024, a few players also caught an illness which prevented them from playing. Those who have been fortunate to avoid injuries or sicknesses have been forced to play multiple games a week, and they have grown fatigued. This has led to defensive lapses throughout multiple games.
After a difficult November and December 2024, the Sky Blues will now face the ultimate test. Manchester City will play seven matches across three competitions, two of which will be cup competitions. In other words, January 2025 will be a season-defining month for Manchester City.
In a recent press conference, City Manager Pep Guardiola said there is “no chance” that his side will win the English Premier League in 2024/2025. Manchester City have dropped numerous points in the league from their games in November and December 2024. The Sky Blues are now outside of the top four places in the EPL table, and it would be very difficult to gain ground on current league leaders Liverpool, who are 14 points above the Sky Blues. This means that Manchester City will need to turn to cup competitions in an attempt to try and salvage something from this season. It will be difficult.
Manchester City will begin January 2025 with a home match in the EPL against West Ham United. The Sky Blues will host the Hammers on Saturday, 4 January. Manchester City have traditionally fared well against West Ham in these fixtures, particularly at home. In addition, West Ham is currently struggling to find form. Nonetheless, the Sky Blues should be weary. While they may be conceding the title this season, they will still aim for a top-four finish and will need to earn as many results as possible.
Following this match, the Sky Blues will shift their attention to the 2024/2025 FA Cup. Manchester City have made the final over the past two seasons, where they won in 2023 on their way to lifting the treble. In 2024, they lost the final after winning the EPL title several days earlier. This season, Manchester City will start the campaign against Salford City. The Sky Blues will host the Ammies on Saturday, 11 January.
After the FA Cup match, Manchester City will return to the EPL to face Brentford. The Bees will host the Sky Blues on Tuesday, 14 January. Brentford are currently having a good run of form, and they have previously challenged Manchester City in these fixtures. It is likely that the Bees will cause further trouble for the Sky Blues.
Following the match against Brentford, Manchester City will travel to Ipswich Town. The match will be held on Sunday, 19 January. The Sky Blues ran riot against the Tractor Boys when they faced each other earlier this season, however, Manchester City are currently faced with some troubles while Ipswich is starting to find some form. This will be another challenging test for the Sky Blues.
After this EPL fixture, Manchester City will shift their focus to the UEFA Champions League. They will travel to Paris to face Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, 22 January. Given the new format of the Champions League, only the top 24 teams out of 36 will advance to the competition’s knockout stages. City currently find themselves in the twenty-second place, where the cut-off out-advance to the knockout stages is the twenty-fourth place. Simply put, the Sky Blues will need to win this fixture. Otherwise, they will find themselves on the brink of elimination.
Following this critical Champions League game, the Sky Blues will shift their focus to their last EPL game in January 2025. Manchester City will host Chelsea on Saturday, 25 January. This will be a difficult match. As things currently stand, Chelsea sit in fourth in the EPL table, where they are seen as unlikely title challengers. City, on the other hand, are fighting to make the top four. This will be a very different encounter than the match on opening day in August, where the Sky Blues dictated the match. The EPL fixture is also the first in a set of difficult matches for Manchester City in February.
The Sky Blues will then finish January 2025 with a home match against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League. The game will be played on Wednesday, 29 January. The Sky Blues will have to win this match if they hope to progress to the competition’s knockout stages this season. Anything other than a victory will likely see the Mancunians eliminated from the tournament this season.
In short, January 2025 will be a tough month for the Sky Blues. Should they fail to earn results in the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, then they will surely end this season without a trophy. How will the Sky Blues fare in this difficult period?