Few soccer fans would argue that the English Premier League is the most watched football competition in the world, and it is regularly described by pundits and experts alike as the ‘best and most unpredictable league on the planet’.
However, the one constant in recent times in England’s top flight has been the dominance enjoyed by Manchester City over the rest of the league, with Pep Guardiola’s blues winning the Premier League title in 5 of the last 6 seasons.
Naysayers will of course point to the finances City have at their disposal, which has of course transformed the whole landscape of the club since the Abu Dhabi investment back in 2008. However, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea surpassing City in terms of transfer fees spent in the last decade, yet no nearer to closing the gap, how much of the narrative surrounding City only winning things because of the money is justified?
The 2023/24 Premier League season has started with a real semblance of hope for plenty of teams. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal look to be picking up where they left off last season, whilst Jurgen Klopp finally has his Liverpool side back where he wants them, chomping at the bit to climb up the table.
There are new pretenders on the block too, with Ange Postecoglou beginning a revolution of sorts at anti-winners Tottenham Hotspur, whilst Newcastle United are following the City doctrines and leaning on Saudi Arabian investment as they look to scale the heights that Kevin Keegan’s Toon couldn’t quite manage in the mid 1990’s.
Yet for all the conjecture around the aforementioned sides, not to mention the circuses at Manchester United and Chelsea, it is once again Manchester City who sit top of the pile with a quarter of the season played, a potentially ominous sign for the chasing pack.
Pep’s winning machine
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has always been battling a chip on his shoulder in the Premier League, with the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager often narked at the lack of credit his side get for winning titles.
Three Premier League titles on the spin prior to the 2023/24 season of course made Manchester City the favoruites again prior to this term with a whole host of bookmakers, including Caesars Sportsbook and with 25% of the season played, very little has changed within the betting market.
Much of the success City have enjoyed since their first title under Pep in 2018 is down to their ability to play the same style of football, regardless of the personnel that are on the field and how they manage to time their run to perfection in the race for the title.
Close run battles with Manchester United (2018), Arsenal (2023) and Liverpool (2019 & 2022) have all gone the way of City, testament to their mental fortitude when the going gets tough and Guardiola will be keen to see the cogs in his machine click into gear once again this season.
Shuffling the pack
Much like many of the great managers that have gone before him, Pep Guardiola has not been afraid to make big decisions in charge of a football club.
From the banishing of Joe Hart and Yaya Toure, through the phased departures of club legends Vincent Kompany, David Silva, and Sergio Aguero and to the face-doesn’t-fit approach for the likes of Leroy Sane, there is no dispute as to who is in charge at Manchester City.
In the past 12 months the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Cole Palmer have left the Etihad Stadium, decisions that less bold managers may have fraternised over. Yet at City, there is no room for sentiment, with new players in the squad and ready to perform.
Jeremy Doku arrived from Rennes with limited fanfare but has been a revelation so far this season, with Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic all settling into life at City seamlessly too.
With 9 wins from their opening 11 games, City have enjoyed one of their best starts to the season under Pep Guardiola and if their recent campaigns are anything to go by, they are only just getting going – something that the rest of the Premier League must be wary of.