The Nationals will struggle to reach the heights they reached last season and it will be very difficult for them to retain their national crown.
In the 134 years of English football, no team has won four league titles in a row. Huddersfield Town, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United (twice) have all attempted the feat, but failed to do so. Now it is Manchester City’s turn to try to go where no team has gone before.
If any manager had to do it, it would be Pep Guardiola, who just two months ago led his team to the treble and is used to setting new precedents. The Catalan became the second manager to lead FC Barcelona to three consecutive La Liga titles and since then no one has done so, regardless of club. He was the first Bayern Munich manager in 29 years to win three consecutive Bundesliga titles. He was the first manager to win the treble in Spanish football and only the second manager to do so in English football.
But if Guardiola has an insatiable hunger to win, then it is quite another thing to keep his players so hungry after winning every imaginable trophy. Sir Alex Ferguson and Vicente del Bosque are two examples of managers who have shown how difficult it is to maintain a winning team. While City have lost two key members of that golden era in the separation of captain Ilkay Gundogan and the everlasting Riyad Mahrez, their rivals have grown even more formidable.
Arsenal, their closest rivals last season, spent more than 200 million pounds ($254 million) to revive their title hopes and Manchester United implemented a targeted recruitment program in the summer, seeking to buy a new striker. paid around £165 million ($210 million) for A new midfielder and a new goalkeeper. Chelsea have a new manager and have continued to revitalize their squad, while Liverpool have also withdrawn their portfolios after a disappointing 2022-23.
Even though Guardiola had dreamed of the Champions League for 12 years, he called the Premier League title the “most important” competition of all. Winning it for the fourth year in a row may be his biggest challenge, but he will be happy to accept it.
(tagstotranslate) Manchester City (T)e. Holland(T) Guardiola(T)J. Grealish(T)J. Guardiol(T)K. De Bruyne(T)p. Foden