Filed under: Manchester City, Premier League, Football, Team Reviews
Finished: 3rdFA Cup: winners
Carling Cup: lost 3rd round
Europa League: lost quarter-final
The highlight: Ending the 35-year wait for honours by beating Stoke in the Cup Final, dumping United out of the semi-finals on the way.
The lowlight: The Carlos Tevez saga in which the Argentine handed in a transfer request - shows that player power is still an issue at Eastlands.
The lowdown: So Roberto Mancini finally won City some silverware for the first time since 1976 and also a highest league since finish since 1977.
Champions League football has been secured for the first time, with Mancini hitting his minimum targets for the year but fans may be wondering at just how much more could have been achieved.
Manchester City 2010-11 Season Match Log: Previews, Live Commentaries and Reports
Mancini rested a host of players for the Carling Cup third round at West Brom and paid the price, while the Europa League brought only long trips and disappointment.
Of the latest raft of summer signings, David Silva and Yaya Toure, who scored the winner in both Wembley games to ensure he will go down in the club's folklore, have both been real successes.
Mario Balotelli has certainly been entertaining but his red card cost City in the Europa League quarter finals against Dynamo Kiev. And questions remain about Jerome Boateng and, to a lesser extent, Aleksander Kolarov.
When City have put it together, they have looked majestic, thumping Fulham 4-1 away in November and ripping Sunderland apart at home. They topped the table in the new year but after defeats at Aston Villa and Manchester United, Mancini conceded the title and they finished nine points adrift of the champions.
The lack of trees surrounding the training ground meant that countless 'bust-ups' made their way into the papers, several involving the wayward Balotelli. But there was no disguising the row over Tevez's future when the skipper handed in a transfer request in December before being persuaded to pledge his future to the club.
Doubts remain about his future, Mancini is only a couple of poor results away from similar stories but there are grounds for optimism at Eastlands.
The lure of limitless cash is now combined with the chance of playing in the Champions League and it will be yet another interesting summer at City.
And they beat United in the FA Cup.
Three pros:
Tevez - Unpredictable but remains City's driving force.
Vincent Kompany - So impressive at the back once again. One of Europe's best defenders.
Joe Hart - Premier League golden gloves winner.
Three cons:
Tevez - Only a matter of time before he leaves.
Edin Dzeko - Yet to show any real sign he is Premier League material.
Balotelli - Is the potential worth the (constant) hassle?
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