So the Pep Guardiola era is over, with a domestic double in the bag and a season that suggests a refreshed Manchester City are on the right lines.They were ultimately disappointed not to claim another Premier League title and there are certainly arguments that they should have won it — they would have done had they been able to iron out some kinks, but that is probably what every runner-up thinks.It was a season that started with City seemingly surrendering control and playing thrilling football on the break, before they got hold of the ball again and got themselves in contention. All of this with a new team and a manager who knew, for at least part of the season if not all of it, that he would be leaving.This is how they shaped up.Grade for 2025-26 is… ACity fell short in the Premier League in the end but up until April, nobody expected them to even get that close.Guardiola had to gel together a new, young team, featuring many players who were not immediately suited to playing his style of football. In pursuit of a refresh, he allowed Pep Lijnders to inject some energy into the side, which made them aggressive, less controlled and more of a threat on the break, but he eventually brought them back closer to his ideals.With a domestic cup double and a credible league campaign, while trying to rebuild the team, you cannot ask for too much more, even if the Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid was a low point.Goal of the seasonRayan Cherki’s against Arsenal, for the sheer artistry of it, and the emotions it conjured in the stadium in what was such a huge match at the time. If he can harness that and do it with more regularity, he could be the world’s best.