Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are Premier League champions for the third season in a row and the fifth time in six years. They are in the Champions League and FA Cup finals and are strong favourites to win both.
If they do, they will become the first English team to achieve that treble in almost a quarter of a century; and the manner in which they have swept aside all before them, so far, has been breath-taking at times. So is this the best team in English top flight history, the greatest of all time?
My SBOTOP mate James, a lifelong Manchester United fan, would cast the question out pretty damn quickly…but I’m asking it anyway!
This is not the first team to dominate the English elite. In the 1970s and 1980s Liverpool were the top dogs, winning 11 titles; then Manchester United won 11 during the next two decades. The Sky Blues have won seven in 12 campaigns so they are certainly in the right ballpark.
Even though Guardiola’s side trailed Arsenal for much of the current campaign the Premier League 2023 betting odds have backed them since the turn of the year and their relentless march, winning the last 12 Premier League games and unbeaten in 24 in all competitions, has simply crushed the spirit of their rivals. Arsenal’s loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday handed the title to the Sky Blues who then went on the beat Chelsea with their biggest stars on the bench. Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne watched on as City’s second string coasted to victory against a team assembled for £600m.
Yes they are winning for fun, but it’s also been a joy to watch for City fans and neutrals alike. In a six match sequence around Easter the Sky Blues scored 27 goals, including a 7-0 mauling of Red Bull Leipzig in the Champions League and a 4-1 win over Liverpool in the domestic league.
But of all the Premier League 2023 results that signalled the return of the title to the Etihad, a 4-1 win over Arsenal stands out as the moment the trophy would be retained. Less than a month ago the Gunners could have stretched their lead to eight points with a victory, but it was reduced to two as De Bruyne, with a brace, tore the Londoners apart.
Take a look at the stats. Manchester City have scored 93 goals, ten more than anyone else, and conceded the fewest in the league at 31. With a goal difference at +62 Guardiola’s team is highly likely to win the league by ten clear points, and that was unthinkable just four weeks ago.
Or was it?
I’m sure Arsenal fans were worried at the time and us neutrals had a sneaky feeling Manchester City would hunt them down… and so they have. But the manner of the victory was devastating as the Sky Blues clicked through the gears and won game after game. Haaland, who has scored freely from the moment he arrived in Manchester has become even better as the season has progressed, in terms of his role within the team, he is now a player who has everything; pace, power, brilliant touch, a lethal finish and total awareness of his team-mates positions and plans.
The big Norwegian is everything City had hoped for and, with 36 league goals the Golden Boot is his, to add to his league medal. De Bruyne is top of the assists table with 16, while midfield ace Rodri has made the second highest number of completed passes in the league.
The Sky Blues have leaders all around the pitch and world class operators in every position. And it’s quite possible that they will become the first team to win four Premier League titles on the bounce and they will start the 2023/24 campaign as favourites. But what makes Manchester City so great? Yes they have the backing of Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi United Group which has given the club great spending power, to match the previous big spenders in the top flight. Yes they have 25 top class players and future stars coming through their academy. But there is one factor, above all which makes this a great team.
The manager, Pep Guardiola.
Since his arrival in Manchester in 2016, the former Barcelona midfielder has changed the face of English football, much like Arsene Wenger did when he arrived at Arsenal all those years ago. Guardiola became one of the best coaches in world football as boss of the Blaugrana and then FC Bayern. And now he is the best of the lot.
He has raised the standards in English football, with his ethos of fluid play, possession of the ball and quick recovery, displayed by his team better than the rest. And his attention to detail and motivational skills are second to none. He will not rest until City have won the treble and then…he will prepare meticulously for the next challenge.
The Sky Blues have a Premier League game away to Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday and Guardiola and his team will be as ready as ever, with one eye on the game and another on the finals on the horizon. Manchester City are lucky to have him and, if Pep Guardiola stays at the Etihad for another few seasons, then the debate will be over.
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