Manchester City player ratings so far this season after seven games under Enzo Maresca have all ended in victory
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Josko Gvardiol of Manchester City, Dan Ballard of Sunderland, Ruben Dias of Manchester City, Wilson Isidor of Sunderland, Marc Guehi of Manchester City and Gianluigi Donnarumma, goalkeeper of Manchester City challenge during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Manchester City and Sunderland at Etihad Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
It has been an eventful start for Manchester City's defence
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Manchester City are seven games into the season under Enzo Maresca and are yet to taste what a draw feels like, never mind a defeat. Five victories in the Premier League have been accompanied by promising starts in the Champions League and Carabao Cup - and yes, everybody has forgotten about the Community Shield.
There has been plenty to like about City's start, with Erling Haaland backed up in the goals by an impressive supporting cast and four clean sheets in a row in September. However, the 5-3 thriller with Sunderland also highlighted areas for improvement for the Blues and there have been other setbacks, such as the red card for Phil Foden in the derby.
With the first batch of fixtures out of the way, we've looked at the start that each player has made so far and rated them out of 10 for their efforts. How many minutes each has played is taken into considerations, so for instance some of the summer arrivals may have been higher if they had arrived earlier in the transfer window.
Here are the player ratings so far from the Manchester Evening News.
Donnarumma: Good overall, with a number of saves in pretty much every game to help City keep control. A few mistakes and those who get obsessed with his footwork are still obsessed, but he remains a new positive. 7
Rulli: Looked solid enough on his debut against Norwich and picked up a clean sheet. 6
Lewis: His only start has come in the Carabao Cup, as befits his status in the squad. It will be interesting to see if he gets more game time as the Champions League picks up. 7
Nunes: Missed the start of the season with an ankle injury but stepped up immediately at Porto and United and remains City's best option at right-back. 7
Khusanov: Benefitted from Nunes' absence but has often been too aggressive with his defending to the detriment of the team - needs to settle down. 5
Dias: Struggled when he came into the team, looked to have found his stride and then had a torrid afternoon against Brian Brobbey. 6
Guehi: City's best defender, and it hasn't been particularly close. Having even played the first game in midfield, Guehi has been commanding and excellent. 9
Reis: The fifth centre-back is not guaranteed a place in the squad and only has the Norwich game so far, where he looked good but did come up with a notable error. 6
Gvardiol: Probably the player to best sum up City's start: there have been too many defensive wobbles but impressive going forwards. 7
Ait-Nouri: Well down the pecking order for full-back and winger, and a deadline day move to United was explored. Far from ideal. 4
O'Reilly: Looked good at Palace playing in a roaming midfield role but injury has prevented seeing more of him in recent weeks. 6
Kovacic: Similar to Lewis, has done ok whenever he has come on and played well in the one start he had against Norwich. 6
Anderson: Some good, some very good and plenty of room for improvement. Anderson can look like the Rodri that won the Ballon d'Or at times, and at others the Rodri that badly struggled through his first two seasons at the Etihad. 7
Bouaddi: Handled the Champions League game at Porto extremely well and looks mature beyond his years, but hasn't yet been trusted for more starts. 7
Fernandez: Only joined on deadline day but has made a big impact from the moment he was rushed into the starting XI against Coventry following O'Reilly's injury in the warm-up. 8
Foden: Had started the season ok but that loss of control in the derby has been costly, giving him a month without any matches after no England recall. 5
Cherki: Tremendous in the opening matches against Bournemouth and Palace and even when he isn't playing well he is contributing goals. 8
Samba: Only played one game, but what a game it was. Certain to get more playing time this season and will look to impress again. 7
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Allan: Another one with just Norwich as a start. He struggled in the first half, especially physically, but still walked off with a goal and an assist. 6
McAidoo: The standout player from the academy is yet to really take off in the first team, but has looked bright off the bench and scored against Norwich. 6
Ndiaye: A cautious debut against Coventry but has been superb since against Porto, United and then Sunderland and is already challenging for a starting spot. 8
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Semenyo: Safe to say a mixed bag and expectations were sky-high after pre-season, yet he still has two goals and three assists to his name already. 8
Haaland: Five Premier League goals and three of them were the first of the game, plus a brace in Porto. Haaland has room to get better but has still started well. 9