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Manchester City have arguably had their best season since Pep Guardiola's arrival at the club in 2016. Barring last night, Manchester City were almost perfect this season, making an appearance in two League Cup finals and claiming their third Premier League title in four years. By the end of the season, Manchester City had completed their third domestic double in the last four years.
The Cityzens were also one of European football's most dominant outfits this season. They appeared in the Champions League finals following victories over Borussia Dortmund and PSG in the knockout stages. Etihad Stadium played host to some of the best players in world football this season, who dazzled fans world-over with exceptional performances throughout the footballing calendar.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the 5 best Manchester City players this season.
#5 Kevin de Bruyne
The Belgian wizard did not have his best season at Manchester City but remains one of the Premier League's standout players of the 2020-21 season.
De Bruyne is one of the best creative talents in world football and exhibited his stellar passing range over the course of the season. He also filled in as a false number nine for a brief period in a season where Manchester City were severely understocked in the strikers' department.
In 40 appearances across all competitions this season, the exquisite playmaker has amassed a tally of 10 goals and 18 assists. De Bruyne has an xA (expected assists) of 9.95 and xG (expected goals) of 10.17 in Manchester City's glorious PL season.
De Bruyne has put up solid performances in his eight Champions League appearances, where he was involved in 28% of Manchester City's CL goals this season. The 29-year old leads his teammates in the assists charts and is also Manchester City's fifth-highest goalscorer across all competitions this season.
#4 John Stones
The biggest positive Pep Guardiola will be taking out of the double-winning 2020-21 season is the immaculate defensive partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias.
Right from his days at Everton, John Stones was regarded as one of the best defensive talents in England and is living up to that reputation at Manchester City. John Stones is half the reason for City's record of the most clean sheets this Premier League season. In 35 appearances across all competitions this season, Stones played a part in 22 clean sheets and conceded just 14 goals.
The 26-year old is immensely composed at the heart of Manchester City's defense and has only been booked once in the recently concluded season. With a tackle success rate of 48% in the Premier League, Stones has conceded a paltry average of 0.47 goals per 90 minutes, playing his part in 14 clean sheets from 22 appearances.
John Stones was an integral part of Manchester City's domestic double and their run to the Champions League finals. The winning goal in the Champions League finals was one of four goals conceded by Stones in 11 CL appearances.
#3 Phil Foden
Described as the "most, most, most talented player" Pep Guardiola has ever seen, Phil Foden had his first real breakthrough season for Manchester City this term.
The 21-year old is one of the brightest prospects in world football and has established himself as one of City's primary attacking outlets this season. Foden notched up 50 appearances in Manchester City's star-studded team, enjoying a return of 16 goals and 10 assists.
The young Englishman has registered an xA of 9.3, along with an xG of 6.6 across all competitions this season, and is fast maturing into one of the best playmakers of the new generation. He ranked second in terms of assists and goals among his Manchester City teammates in the 2020-21 season.
Foden enjoyed his best season on Europe's biggest stage, with direct involvement in six goals (three goals, three assists) from 13 Champions League appearances. In just three full seasons with the first team, Foden was immensely crucial for City's run to the Champions League finals - playing in 91% of their minutes this season.
#2 Ilkay Gundogan
IIkay Gundogan enjoyed the most productive season of his professional career, ending the season as Manchester City's top goalscorer.
The German was one of the first names in Pep Guardiola's ever-changing starting XI, and was a vital cog in Manchester City's third Premier League title in four years. Gundogan has been involved in 19% of the Cityzens' goals this PL season, with a return of 17 goals and four assists from his central midfield role.
He registered the highest xG (10.6) among his Manchester City team-mates and filled the void of a traditional number nine. Gundogan played in 12 of City's 13 Champions League fixtures, functioning as the pivot at the heart of Cityzens' midfield. The 30-year old lodged an awe-inspiring 91% passing accuracy in the 2020-21 Champions League, including over 80% successful long balls.
Gundogan is currently one of the best midfield operators in the Premier League and world football.
#1 Ruben Dias
Manchester City's best summer signing of the 2020 transfer window, Ruben Dias, has established himself as one of world football's best defenders.
At just 24, Dias has exuded confidence and maturity in his debut season in English football. The Portuguese has made 50 appearances for Manchester City this season and played a part in 25 clean sheets. Along with Stones, Dias formed the backbone of Cityzen's defense and was recently adjudged the FWA Player of the Year, as well as City's player of the season.
Manchester City were infamous for their penchant for conceding "easy" goals and in previous seasons, their success has hinged on outscoring opponents. However, the arrival of Dias on a £61 million fee from Benfica has almost single-handedly ironed out City's defensive fragilities this season.
Dias played a pivotal part in Manchester City's appearance in the finals of the Champions League. He has conceded just five goals from 11 CL appearances this season, keeping six clean sheets in the process.
