I doubt City strength can enable them finish on top four this season because they haven't improved. You are hyping City based on past glory and not with their present performance. Personally, Newcastle is more promising than City or Chelsea because you can see their determination to achieve the 4th position. Chelsea and City has been lingering on the 4th position but Newcastle came from behind. Let's see which of them will be the first to lose their match.
I agree, City doesn't look like they have what it takes, not this year. They just got a draw with United, the team that is at 13th place, which lost to Nottingham just last week, which goes to show you that City just doesn't have what it takes to win this year, even Haaland doesn't score that well anymore.
I believe 5th position is best they can finish, and there is a possibility they may not even have 5th position, they may drop to sixth as well so it will be very tough for them. Fifth still has a chance to go to UCL, a possibility, but sixth will not and that is guaranteed, so we are seeing a team that won four years in a row, for the first time in history of premier league, end up crashing down and becoming a bad team.