If there is one word that best describes Manchester Citys season, its "mixed."Manuel Pellegrini, who has now collected his belongings from the Etihad Stadium and will seek employment elsewhere, was heavily criticised for the Premier League campaign he oversaw. City possess great quality, imbued by a 150 million spending spree last summer, yet they limped to a fourth-place finish. If the season had gone on for another couple of weeks, it appeared certain they would drop out of the Champions League places.The picture back in August was very different. Their first five games saw them collect maximum points without conceding a single goal. Chelsea, the defending champions, were swatted aside with ease, as were West Brom, Everton, Watford and Crystal Palace and. It looked nailed on they would win the league, with fans and journalists checking the record books fully expecting City to set some new milestones, such was their apparent dominance.They were playing with unbelievable pace and creativity, and with Vincent Kompany back from injury and looking sharp after a summer of sacrifice, they had a new steeliness at the back. No other side looked anywhere near their level in those opening weeks.But it proved a false dawn. City began to falter, and injuries struck. They were inconsistent for the rest of the campaign, unable to establish any rhythm or form. Their wins over Newcastle United and Bournemouth in October were the last back-to-back Premier League wins they managed until early Aprila remarkable, damning statistic that underlined their problems.Pellegrini will feel the announcement in early February that he would be replaced in the summer by Pep Guardiola destabilised his side. They were just three points off top spot at that stage, yet they finished 15 behind surprise winners Leicester City.That would be an over-simplification, though. Citys demise stretched back to the start of 2015 when their title challenge the previous season collapsed in spectacular fashion. The six games they won at the end of that campaign to steer them comfortably into second, coupled with the five straight wins at the beginning of this one, papered over the cracks.Citys final statistics are telling. They posted just 66 points and scored 71 goals, losing 10 league games in total. Placed in the context of Pellegrini's three years in charge, it highlights Citys regression. In his first season, they scored 102 goals, finished with 86 points and won the title. in his second, they managed 79 points and 83 goals. It was a constant decline.The season as a whole wasnt a complete failure, though. City won some silverware. The League Cup may be the lowest on their list of priorities at the start of each season, but they were impressive and deservedly won it for the fourth time in their history, rotating their side throughout as to limit the impact of their extra games on the squad.But it was in the Champions League where their best performances came. Pellegrini was told when he was given the City job back in 2013 that progress in Europe was key. City had struggled in the competition under Roberto Mancini, and with the clubs owners desperate to see them categorised alongside Europes elite teams, they needed someone to crack the code. They may not have won the trophy, but their run to the semi-finals represents significant advancement.City had previously found it difficult to negotiate the competition. Tactically they were unsophisticated, and there appeared to be a debilitating lack of belief. For whatever reason, the players had rarely looked as though they believed they belonged alongside such esteemed company.Pellegrini, finally, appears to have eradicated that. City won their group, battering Sevilla, a side with a wonderful home record, in the process. Their destruction of Dynamo Kiev in the first leg of the last 16 saw them move into the quarter-finals for the first time, before a professional, classic Champions League display over two legs against Paris Saint-Germain.Their semi-final defeat to Real Madrid was limp, with City mustering just one shot on target over 180 minutes of football, but they can be proud of their run, and Guardiola's job of turning them into Champions League winners has now been made much easier.Taking five years to reach the semi-final stage is comparable to their English counterparts. It took Chelsea nine attempts to reach the final. Manchester United managed it in six. Arsenal have played in the competition 19 years in succession, yet they have one final appearance to shout about, and that came on their eighth attempt. City, despite what some people may believe, are on target in the most difficult of all club competitions.The form of Sergio Aguero in the Champions League was a concern for City, and Guardiola needs to find a solution. He managed just two goals all campaign and didnt muster a single shot on target in his last five. He often looked isolated. Guardiola will need to implement a tactical shift to ensure his star striker is more involved. Pellegrini just could not get the best out of him on the biggest stage.Citys FA Cup campaign was halted by their fixture congestion. They battered Norwich City and Aston Villa and found themselves in the fifth round, but their match with Chelsea was scheduled for less than 24 hours before they flew to Kiev for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 game. Pellegrini, who felt the authorities wronged him, played six teenagersfive were debutantsand was accused of disrespecting the competition as City lost 5-1. Their 3-1 win over Kiev three days later surely justified his decision.Pellegrini had been somewhat reluctant during his spell in charge of City to use the clubs academy players, but this season saw progress in that area. Kelechi Iheanacho became a first-team regular, although, his 14 goals from 1,224 minutes of football suggests he should have played far more, and Bersant Celina and Manu Garcia made Premier League debuts. Its a process the club will want Guardiola to accelerate.Citys improvement in Europe was welcome, as was their League Cup victory. However, failure to win the title, this season of all seasons as their main rivals faltered, was unforgivable. Pellegrini had the chance to leave a hero. Instead he left with many feeling relieved to see the back of him. Deep down he knows he wasnt good enough in the final 18 months of his time in charge.Final season grade: CRob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and has followed the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter@RobPollard.
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