All four are empty! Behind the collapse of Manchester City dynasty: The fatal triangle of tactical rigidity, core aging and management disorder

Wembley's controversial night, the last straw of the Manchester City dynasty

At Wembley Stadium on May 17, 2025, when Crystal Palace goalkeeper Henderson escaped the card while handball outside the penalty area, when Marmush's penalty was saved, when Manchester City, who had only 6 shots in the game, swallowed the bitter fruit of two consecutive FA Cup runs 0-1, this team that once looked down on Europe as the "triple crown" officially declared that the season was "the four majors were empty".

This loss is not only a failure in the score, but also a microcosm of Manchester City's struggle throughout the season - from falling behind early in the Premier League and being humiliated from the Champions League to losing one after another in the domestic Cup, why did the former "ball control machine" become the spokesperson for "ineffective pass-through control"? Has Guardiola's philosophy been completely cracked by the Premier League? And has the controversial penalty in this FA Cup final covered up a deeper crisis?

From "dominate power" to "ineffective pass control"

Manchester City's Premier League possession rate this season is still as high as 61.1%, and the number of passes and attacking balls in the third zone are firmly ranked first, but the glamorous data cannot conceal the decline in efficiency. When playing against mid- and downstream teams, the opponent's intensive defense put Manchester City in the quagmire of "encircling but not attacking", with the shooting conversion rate plummeting to 10.5%, a sharp drop of 24.4% from last season, the average shooting distance increased by 1 meter, and the proportion of long shots surged. Although Haaland leads the scorer list with 28 goals, his number of touches and confrontation success rate have dropped significantly, degenerating from "offensive fulcrum" to "stand center". The aging of 34-year-old De Bruyne and B's seat became a symbol of the decline in midfield dominance. The former's physical fitness is difficult to support the high-intensity output of the entire game, while the latter's breakthrough efficiency has decreased, resulting in the team's lack of "explosion points" under intensive defense. The management only introduced veteran Gundogan in the summer window last year, but failed to replenish the young core in time. In key battles, it was frequently passive due to midfield out of control. The long absence of Rodri, Acker and Stones forced Guardiola to transfer Guardiola to central defender, and loopholes on the wing defense appeared frequently. Although youth training young player Cole Palmer has made his mark, he has difficulty making up for the decline of the core veteran.

VAR, penalty kicks and the truth about the "system bureau"

The FA Cup final's penalty dispute has become the focus of public opinion: Henderson's handball was not awarded outside the penalty area, VAR's silence, Malmush's penalty kick miss... However, behind the controversy is the fatal shortcomings of Manchester City. In 23 shots, Haaland touched the ball only three times, most of the shots were concentrated outside the penalty spot and were blocked 10 times. Although the multi-store disk strips are created, they lack the end efficiency.

The Norwegian center made only 5 successful passes and 2 successful confrontations, completely becoming a tactical victim. The opponent's double-team strategy of double-teaming in the middle of the center completely strangled Manchester City's offensive fulcrum.

Management's strategic mistakes: the cost of self-profit and loss and Guardiola's future

In the summer window of 2024, Manchester City invested only 33.6 million pounds to sign, but made a net profit of 110 million pounds by selling people. Although this "self-profit and loss" strategy maintains fiscal health, it overdraws the depth of the lineup. Meanwhile, the pending Premier League allegations of 115 financial violations against Manchester City have exacerbated the instability in the locker room.

The Spanish coach was revealed to have left the team in 2025, and Manchester City prepared 300 million pounds of recruitment funds for this. However, the panic investment in the "post-Guardiola era" exposed the management's lack of long-term planning - relying on superstars rather than systems is the opposite of Guardiola's success philosophy.

Historical Reincarnation: From 2016 to 2025, what is Guardiola’s starting point and end point?

The last time Manchester City was missing all four of them was the 2016-17 season coached by Guardiola. At that time, the team was still in a period of tactical running-in; now, the three dilemmas of aging lineup, rigid system and lagging management have made the collapse seem more tragic.

The Premier League goal difference this season is only 24, the lowest in the past 15 years; 67 league goals are scored, close to the level of Mancini's dismissal season.

was double-killed by Real Madrid in the playoffs (total score 3-6). Guardiola missed the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in his coaching career, while Manchester City repeated this embarrassment after 12 years.

The road to reconstruction: tactical innovation, rejuvenation and breakout of financial crisis

requires the injection of rapid transfer and combination elements of edges and edges on the basis of maintaining the transmission and control tradition to reduce invalid cross-transmission. Learning from Liverpool's in-depth offense and Real Madrid's counterattack efficiency may be the key to breaking the situation.

Accelerate the introduction of young midfielders with both technology and running capabilities (such as Wilz), while solving the compatibility issues between Haaland and Marmush to avoid waste of resources.

The financial allegations need to be resolved as soon as possible, Guardiola will be clear about whether to stay or not, and the capital will be maintained through the youth training system and commercial income. If Manchester United repeats the mistakes of the "post-Ferguson era", Manchester City may be a lesson for the wealthy.

Failure is not the end, but the starting point of rebirth

Manchester City's 2025 season is like a mirror, reflecting the peak dilemma of top giants: tactics are cracked, core aging, and decision-making lag. However, there is also a turning point in the crisis - the potential of the youth training system, the foundation of the business empire, and Guardiola's philosophical reflections still retain the spark for rebirth.

As Guardiola said: "Failure is not the end, but the starting point of redefining success." Can this team that once rewrites the Premier League pattern be reborn in the pain? The answer may be in the decisions in the summer window and the awakening of next season.