Surely the only thing that will stop Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City from becoming the dominant force of their era is an independent commission.
City certainly carried the swagger of a generational team as they swatted aside Arsenal at the Etihad and the bad news for the rest of the league is that they have clear designs on getting better.
The process of persuading England midfielder Jude Bellingham to join the elite group being cultivated by Guardiola has begun and if they are successful, it will open up a whole new set of possibilities for the world’s best coach.
Financing the deal will not be an issue so it will come down to selling the project to a player with designs on becoming the world’s best. It doesn’t take much to imagine Guardiola’s pitch: just take a look at the development of England international Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland this season.
Indulged as a maverick talent at Aston Villa, Grealish’s all-round game has galloped on in recent months while Haaland’s appreciation of space and the art of approach play is beginning to match his world-class anticipation in the box. Great players can get better under the right coach and so can this City team as they bear down on a gravity defying treble.
Which Premier League team will step up to rival them in the next few seasons? Arsenal sit top of the table but Mikel Arteta was right when he said five wins from five was required to take the race to the wire. For all their progress that feels unlikely and further reinforcements of the ilk of Declan Rice will be required if they to even get back in the ring with City next season.
Liverpool are showing signs of life and rediscovering their trademark energy thanks to Jurgen Klopp’s tweaks and might yet salvage their season. They will be better next year but financially feel underpowered for the scale of the recruitment drive they need to go on.
Manchester United’s renaissance has been impressive under Erik ten Hag but they require a much more coherent defensive structure to match City’s ruthlessness. Plus there’s a lingering ownership issue that needs to be resolved and a civil war to be fought if the Glazers cling on.
Newcastle? Saudi funds will help their whip-smart operation cement their place as a perennial force but they are coming from a long way back to tilt for the title. Tottenham and Chelsea have to regroup simply to becoming credible again, never mind reaching City’s gold standard.
Perhaps the biggest threat is the flurry of Financial Fair Play (FFP) charges laid at their door in February and to be heard somewhere over the horizon. They are serious allegations of financial doping that could detonate the empire Guardiola is building and critics will no doubt caveat Wednesday night’s display with that asterisk.
When will we have clarity? The Premier League continue to flat bat any enquiries about a timeline for the independent commission and legal experts believe it could be “years” before the case is ready to be heard, such is the scale and complexity of matters. City, for their part, contest their innocence and insist it is “business as usual” at the Etihad.
The focus, instead, is on completing three legs of a treble which they now look handily placed to win.
For his part Guardiola fizzed in his post-match press conference, finally accepting his team are in the driving seat in the Premier League title race. They will overhaul Arsenal on Sunday if they beat Fulham.
“I have a feeling we are already winners [this season],” Guardiola said on Wednesday night.
“When a team behave in the way we are after winning back-to-back Premier League [titles], we are already winners. It’s not going to change my opinion if we win the Premier League, FA Cup or Champions League.
“Normally in this country when you win, you drop [your level] but still we are there. Of course we want to win but how they behave: hats off to these players. I’m really impressed because they know how difficult it is.”
It speaks volumes that they are making it look so easy.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/HbthMci
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