Guardiola’s Man City lay claim to greatness by retaining Premier League title
A year ago it seemed City had set impossible standards to sustain in a 100-point season, winning the title with five games to go.
But by amassing another 98 points while being pushed all the way by Champions League finalists Liverpool, and staying on course for the first domestic treble in English football history, City have raised the bar again.
“It’s the toughest league I’ve ever played as a manager, because of the quality of the rivals,” said Pep Guardiola, who has now won eight league titles in 10 seasons in charge of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.
“When you get 100 points, everyone thinks we won’t do what we have to do, that we will do less because we won, but it has been completely the opposite.”
City have now won four titles in the past eight seasons. Complete the treble against Watford in the FA Cup final next weekend and it will be 10 major trophies since the club’s Abu Dhabi owners started pumping huge amounts of money into the famously underachieving club in 2008.
Guardiola’s side are the first team to retain the title since their bitter rivals Manchester United managed the feat in 2009.
United enjoyed a period of dominance in English football stretching over 20 years, taking over the mantle from Liverpool, who enjoyed sustained success domestically and in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s.
City’s achievement, allied to their recent glut of trophies, establishes them beyond doubt as top dogs in the Premier League and they are desperate to produce their own dynasty.
– Mentality and grit –
Beyond the captivating football City expected when they made Guardiola their manager in 2016, they have shown the mentality and grit needed by all great sides.
Unlike their cruise to winning the league by a record 19 points last season, Guardiola’s men needed every one of their 98 to see off Liverpool and prolong the Reds’ long wait for a league title to at least 30 years, even though Jurgen Klopp’s men smashed their club record points tally with 97.
Chelsea, Southampton and Huddersfield Town were hit for six, but as the season reached a nervy conclusion, City held their nerve to win three of their last five games 1-0.