Manchester City are the new Premier League Champions. The Blues had their title confirmed today following West Bromwich Albion‘s shock 1-0 victory over rivals Manchester United. Manchester City beat Tottenham 3-1 on Saturday moved them within one more win of the Premier League trophy. However, they did not require it following United’s lost.
Pep Guardiola missed out on the opportunity to have the tile confirmed in historic fashion last week. A victory at sworn rivals Machester United’s Old Trafford Stadium would have been etched into City folklore for eternity. However, Paul Pogba‘s double and Chris Smalling‘s strike only served to delay the party for another week.
Possible Record-Breaking Premier League Champions
As Manchester City have been knocked out of both the FA Cup and European competition their season is effectively over with five games to play. The only thing City has to play for now is pride. They have the chance to break the Premier League record for most points in a season. This record is currently held by Chelsea and stands at 95 points. Given the emphatic nature in which City won the title, accumulating the required eight points out of the next 15 available looks a foregone conclusion. It will probably be in Guardiola’s mind that his side could be the first Premier League team to gain 100 or more points in a season. Should Manchester City win the next five games they will finish the season with 103 points.
Guardiola’s Manchester City vs the All-Time Greats
Manchester City swept aside all before them this year in the league. The style and ruthlessness of the team have drawn comparisons with some of the all-time best teams to grace the Premier League. From Arsenal’s Invincible’s to Mourinho’s 2004-05 Chelsea side to Manchester United’s 1999 treble-winning side. Critics will argue over this for years to come however the amount of financial investment that has gone into the side in recent years, especially since Pep Guardiola arrived the money spent will always be mentioned and remains a blot on their success. However, Chelsea won their trophies in the same manner and that team is still held in high regard.
The Stars of the show
Kevin de Bruyne and Leroy Sane have both been nominated for the PFA player of the year award. De Bruyne is among the favourites to win the award. The Belgians seven goals and 15 assists were a major boost to City’s success. City are blessed with some of the finest players in world football. Manager Pep Guardiola certainly got the best out of them domestically. The likes of David Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Ederson Moraes were also fantastic throughout the season. Ederson and Sterling were nominated for Young player of the year by the PFA. Guardiola will be disappointed with how his side faired in Europe this season. However, once the Spaniard learns how to transfer his sides domestic form onto the continental stage, that elusive first Champions League trophy, will be added to the growing collection at the Etihad.
