LET’S WIN IT AGAIN: KOMPANY SETS CITY NEW TITLE TARGET
London, April 16: Manchester City are setting their sights on establishing a dynasty in English football and finally conquering Europe after their relentless march to a third Premier League title in seven seasons.
Pep Guardiola’s men have already matched one of the greatest sides of the Premier League era by winning the league with five games to spare to equal Manchester United’s record in 2000/ 2001.
The Premier League points and goals records are also likely to be smashed but the true test of whether City deserve their status in the list of all- time greats will be what comes next.
Since City’s Abu- Dhabi owners started pouring in hundreds of millions to the club’s coffers a decade ago, Manuel Pellegrini and Roberto Mancini have also delivered titles but never sustained success.
This year’s title triumph is just the fifth in the club’s history, putting them well behind fierce rivals United, with a record 20 titles, but Guardiola’s side are now the pre- eminent team in the city and in the country.
“Retaining a title is the next step and City were not in the right state of mind,” said United’s former boss Alex Ferguson after retiring in 2013, having won the title back from City.
“When I won the league for the first time in 1993, I didn’t want my team to slacken off. The thought appalled me.”
Fortunately for City, they now have a coach as relentlessly dedicated to winning as Ferguson was.
Guardiola has now won seven league titles in nine seasons as a senior coach in three countries after conquering La Liga and the Bundesliga with Barcelona and Bayern Munich on multiple occasions.
The workaholic Catalan’s eye for detail in changing the culture at City has gone as far as dictating to the millimetre how long the grass should be at the club’s many training pitches and turning off the Wi- Fi at City’s Etihad campus to foster interaction between team mates.
VALUE FOR MONEY Guardiola’s intensity can provoke burnout in himself and his players. He required a sabbatical after four draining years at Barcelona during which he won 14 trophies and he only ever planned to stay at Bayern for three seasons.
His City contract expires at the end of next season but the club London, 16: Vincent Kompany celebrated Manchester City’s Premier League title triumph and then challenged the champions to win it again next season.
City clinched the title without kicking a ball as their arch rivals United slumped to a shock 1- 0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Kompany has been at City since 2008, playing a key role in the club’s emergence as a genuine force in the English game.
The 32- year- old has featured in all three of City’s Premier League triumphs, as well as their FA Cup and League Cup victories. But Kompany has yet to help City retain the title and he admitted he would love to secure back to back Premier League triumphs.
“You can’t take ( winning the league) for granted, I’ve won April
are confident he will extend for at least one extra year.
Backed by a level of spending never seen before in English football, Guardiola has amassed a squad capable of dominating for years to come.
Of the more than 500 million euros ($ 616 million) spent in transfer fees alone during Guardiola’s reign, the vast majority has been on players under the age of 25 in Gabriel Jesus ( 21), Leroy Sane ( 22), John Stones ( 23), Benjamin Mendy ( 23), Bernardo
City manager Pep Guardiola didn’t bother to watch the United game, opting for a round of golf with his son Marius
● three now but there’s so many we’ve missed,” he said.
“My team mates will roll their eyes as I want to see the reaction from us next season as I’ve never been able to retain a title.”
City manager Pep Guardiola didn’t bother to watch the United game, opting for a round of golf with his son Marius.
However, Kompany was glued to the action, even if he found it hard to watch his team’s destiny in someone else’s hands.
“I had a feeling when I woke up this morning. I don’t like to wait and see a team lose so it was different experience today,” Kompany said. Silva ( 23), Aymeric Laporte and Ederson ( 24).
“There will always be those who see the money spent as detracting from the beauty but Guardiola has also improved players and he has blended them to accentuate their assets,” said Jonathan Wilson in the Guardian.
Guardiola has taken City back to the pinnacle of the English game. Keeping them there and finally breaking through their Champions League glass ceiling is now the challenge. ( 23)