A team that won 4 years in a row, and then finished third, can't be "that" bad, they should be fighting for a title again. Sure last year they finished 13 points behind the winner, and that is terrible, but imagine them having normal results during that November-December period they sucked so bad, outside of that, they were averaging as much as Liverpool, they just had one big bad period, and 4 wins during that period wouldn't be that unlikely normally.
I feel as if they could avoid having a period like that, and if they do, then they are going to be battling for a top spot again. Not like every year they could have 2 months where they lose or tie all the time, that was last year and one time, this year they won't have that.
No matter how poor Man City performance during that period, they remain a team capable of quickly rebounding. Proving that they can consistently finish in third place doesn't make them look down upon. Next season Liverpool, Man City, and Arsenal must make the league more exciting than ever after actively adding new players to the squad.