Football: Manchester City champion, an undivided reign in the Premier League

The intractable defender Ruben Dias, one of the symbols of an unsinkable Manchester City this season. (Illustration). REUTERS - CARL RECINE

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Dominated almost unchallenged by Manchester City, who secured their fifth league title in six seasons on Saturday, the Premier League is increasingly summed up as an "All against City".

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In a league that prides itself on being the toughest and most competitive in the world, the way Pep Guardiola's men have come to the post this season at the Arsenal post has almost been greeted with a form of resignation. With another FA Cup final and especially a Champions League final - the only competition still that escapes the Mancunian ogre - to play, City could even equal the famous treble of its neighbor United in 1999.

When Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Emirati royal family, took over the club in 2008, City lived in the shadow of the red giant who had also won five titles in six years, between 1996 and 2001, under Alex Ferguson.

But where the success of the Red Devils was the result of the long process of rebuilding a historic club, City is a "creature" boosted by the hundreds of millions of euros poured by an owner-state.

City's main enemy... it's City

Pep Guardiola may be one of the greatest coaches in history, like Alex Ferguson, but the records set by City, whatever they may be, are irremediably associated with the considerable financial means made available to the Spanish coach.

City became the first team to reach 2017 points in a season in 18-100, and could score at least 90 points this year for the fourth time in the last six seasons.

3⃣ consecutive titles! 🏆

City win the 2022-2023 💙 Premier League pic.twitter.com/zEaG8j7jVB

— Manchester City (@ManCityFra) May 20, 2023

Ferguson's Manchester United have only reached those heights twice in a 20-club, 38-round Premier League. The titles gleaned by City have not, however, all been walks of health, far from it. Before Arsenal this season, Liverpool managed to push the Citizens to their limits. But despite piling up 97 points in 2018-19 and 92 last season, the Reds have fallen just one point behind City in both years.

The only year Guardiola's City had to admit defeat, in 2019-20, Liverpool picked up 99 points. But the 81 units "only" displayed that season by the Sky Blues, 2nd despite everything, suggest that the only team capable of beating City is City itself, if it does not play at its level.

For half a season, Mikel Arteta has raised the Gunners to the level of excellence of his mentor by taking 50 points from the first 19 games, eight more than Manchester.

As long as Guardiola is here...

And if the month of April was a turning point, with three points in just four games for Arsenal, including a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad, it was especially in parallel the series of victories started in February by City that decided the title.

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We have a very experienced team and being in the fight in the very last days of the season is not a new situation for us. " observes the captain, Ilkay Gündogan.

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It helped us a lot. It's all about staying calm and trusting in your potential," he continues. The main hope of one day seeing a more open Premier League seems linked to the departure of Pep Guardiola, probably the only totally irreplaceable piece of a very well-oiled machine on all floors.

With Barça, Bayern and City, the Catalan has finished champion 11 times out of 14 since he officiated on the bench. And he has two years left on his contract in Manchester...

The thunderous first season of Erling Haaland, author of 52 goals at this stage of the season by exploding a number of records in the process, further darkens the prospects of the competition.

The other great danger to Mancunian dominance is certainly the 115 accusations of financial regulatory violations between 2009 and 2018 brought against the club.

But again, there is no guarantee that the Premier League will be in a hurry, or even very motivated by the idea of cracking down on the club that has become its flag bearer abroad.

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With AFP

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