Manchester City have won the first game of the calendar year for the past 12 seasons, so their recent 4-1 win over West Ham to kick off 2025 was no surprise.
However, this is no ordinary season for Pep Guardiola's side. Normally, Man City start January with the Premier League title in their sights. This time, their aim is not to set a record, but to salvage the season.
After 2024 ended with two wins from their final 14 games, Guardiola was keen to tell everyone that a fifth successive Premier League title was out of reach. With Liverpool now leading, that may be true. But against West Ham, the Citizens started 2025 with a glimmer of hope, albeit a faint one.
Savinho was excellent and had a hand in 3 of the 4 goals. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland once again proved that he is still an excellent striker. Two goals against West Ham helped the Norwegian striker surpass the 20-goal mark in all competitions for the season.
City's performance was far from perfect, but they won back-to-back games for the first time since October. Guardiola set the bar so high that he was not entirely satisfied, although he welcomed a positive result.
"We have seen our level for many years but now we are not there yet. We won. I am happy and that helps us. You judge the results, our performances were not good. When we play well, we know we played well" - Guardiola said after the win over West Ham.
If Man City are to win any silverware this season - Champions League or FA Cup - it will be because of how they attack, not how they defend.
West Ham were beaten easily at the Etihad but that was partly their own doing. With 17 shots on goal, the Hammers only got a goal from Niclas Fullkrug in the 71st minute. Had they taken their chances, they should have opened the scoring and had a completely different game.
Therefore, in the post-match press conference, Guardiola appeared annoyed when asked whether the result against West Ham showed that Man City was back.
"I'm very happy with the result but you can't ask me if the old Man City is back. If you watch the game, we're not like that. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy. And if you ask me if the team plays like they did many years ago? No, absolutely not," said the Spanish strategist.
Savinho and Haaland have shown that Guardiola still has players who can shine, even if City lack cohesion at the back. They are unlikely to retain the Premier League title, but a positive second half of the season is not impossible.
