Maybe it’s a little too niche to become a quiz question but not many would plump for Manchester City if asked to guess who accrued the best points-per-game record in the Premier League across 2025.
Only marginally ahead of Arsenal – 2.12 plays 2.16 – and no trophies are available in calendar years yet it offers a clear upward curve for a club and manager who spent the last festive period wondering when their alarming and bordering farcical slump was going to end.
Even now, looking back on their steady improvement in the 12 months since and the current eight-game winning streak, it doesn’t feel as if City are truly back. The statistics say otherwise and City seem best placed to end Sunderland’s unbeaten season at the Stadium of Light.
A buoyant Pep Guardiola is warning that there are further levels for them to reach and perhaps that idea is aided by the impending £65million arrival of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth once the transfer window opens in a move that, up until last year, would feel very unlike City.
Hitting the January sales is not usually their style, although Guardiola believes the necessary splurge this time last term – to counter injuries, departures and general decline of some stars, effectively speeding up a squad overhaul – was the key reason for their upturn.
‘Before the start of last season I said I never expected to go to the transfer window in winter time and in the end we bought three or four players because we didn’t have players,’ Guardiola said.
Pep Guardiola is buoyant over Man City’s improvement after accumulating the most Premier League points in 2025, but has warned there are further levels to reach
Guardiola believes Man City’s revival in 2025 was sparked by January signings, including Omar Marmoush
Man City are set to move again in January, with Antoine Semenyo expected to join from Bournemouth
‘Without those players we wouldn’t be in the Champions League this season. I don’t think we would even be playing in the (Europa) Conference without those signings.’
Interestingly, only one of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis made a discernible impact on the campaign.
Marmoush’s seven league goals were a standout, although Gonzalez and Khusanov can rightly claim to plugging crucial gaps in specific games (notably a thumping of Newcastle, during which Marmoush scored a hat-trick) that likely altered the season’s trajectory.
‘The new players came and then with three-quarters of the season gone others came back, we were the best team in the league in the last 10 to 15 games last season,’ Guardiola added.
‘What we did, overcoming the problems that we had. One of the best seasons we have had as a team.’
Guardiola has namechecked new captain Bernardo Silva as somebody who ran himself into the ground for the team. But the likes of Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake regularly played through injuries, while Josko Gvardiol battled a constant knee problem.
‘The guys who were there, all the season were there, the staff and background staff last season was arguably one of the best that we had,’ Guardiola said.
‘Because it’s how you overcome the problems. In this perspective, now every time when I reflect on what happened last season, I’m more proud than ever about what we have done as a club, how we handled the bad, bad situations.
‘How the hierarchy, how (chairman) Khaldoon (Al Mubarak), how everybody messaged the support: “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” And only in this incredible club it can happen.’
