Manchester City’s Quest for History: A Week That Could Define Their Season

Pep Guardiola did not want to say, Tuesday in front of the press, if the week that Manchester City began was the most important of its season. So we will content ourselves with the facts: it is the one which saw him regain control of the Premier League after his victory against Luton (5-1) combined with the defeats of his competitors, and which will decide whether the Citizens will play the semi-finals. Champions League finals and the FA Cup final.

Real Madrid on Wednesday in the C1 quarter-final, Chelsea on Saturday in the Cup semi-final, that’s quite a program and a nice gift for the public at the Etihad Stadium. Two matches in four days which will bring Pep Guardiola’s team a little closer to a second consecutive Championship – FA Cup – Champions League treble, something no one has ever done in history – and what only the Barça and Bayern have done it more than once. Or which will keep them away from it permanently. But after last weekend’s unexpected twist in the Premier League, that dream became even more palpable.

Erling Haaland and teammates celebrate a goal against Luton Town

Credit: Getty Images

Not surprised to be in this position

“I’m not surprised to be in this position,” Bernardo Silva admitted to the press on Tuesday. “This group has proven over the years that it is capable of reaching the last months of the season still fighting for all the competitions. Now the hardest part begins.” And once transmitted the usual and almost contractual message of caution, the Portuguese obviously measured the extent of what City could achieve in the spring in his wildest dreams.

“Two hat-tricks in a row, that inspires us. We want to leave this legacy, to win another Premier League, a sixth in seven years, a fourth in a row, to win two Champions Leagues in a row. It’s obviously motivation. We fight for it.”

And City do not fight with the same weapons as the others. The Mancunian club is moving forward with a coach who has experience of this kind of epic, to be the only one to have achieved this treble with two different teams (Barça 2008-2009 and City 2022-2023). With a workforce density that is certainly unrivaled in England and in Europe, too. And with one flame preserved: weren’t the doubts at the start of the season that City would “get tired” after such a rich season?

“The success of this season for me is to still be here,” admitted Pep Guardiola while describing this potential new hat-trick as a “hypothetical dream”. “To still be in this position after winning the treble is incredible. And at the same time, we want to extend this opportunity for another week, then another.”

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They like to play with pressure

The Spanish technician was able to keep his squad under pressure by activating two levers. That of the transfer window, with four arrivals last summer (Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes, Jérémy Doku, Mateo Kovacic) and as many major departures (Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gündogan and even Joao Cancelo). And that of rotation. At the heart of the project last season, Jack Grealish is experiencing a more uneven season in terms of performances, state of form and playing time. Conversely, Phil Foden, who was on the sidelines, activated superstar mode.

The entire locker room has activated spring mode. The one which allowed him to validate a seventh year in a row with at least a quarter of the Champions League – and possibly a fourth half in a row -, but also to conquer three Premier Leagues in a row while waiting for a possible fourth. With the means we know – the controversies, too – the Mancunian club has become a must for moments that count.

“They like to play with pressure, knowing that it’s life or death,” explained Guardiola after the victory against Luton. “I know them, I see their faces before matches, how they prepare. Is that means that we will win everything? No, but that we will be in the game, that’s for sure.” Being consistently on point is the mark of the greats. Winning everything two years in a row is the stuff of legends. In this case, from an unpublished legend.

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2024-04-17 16:59:00
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