THE CROWNING GLORY FOR PEP
City get their hands on the biggest prize in English football
VINCENT Kompany has challenged his Manchester City teammates to usher in a period of domestic dominance after Pep Guardiola’s side were unexpectedly crowned champions with five matches of the season to spare on Sunday night.
Guardiola was playing golf with Tommy Fleetwood, the world number 12, and his son Marius at Sandiway in Cheshire when news filtered through that Manchester United had slumped to a miserable 1-0 defeat to bottom club West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford to guarantee their rivals the title.
It evoked memories of Alex Ferguson, the former United manager, being on the golf course when he heard his team had clinched their first Premier League title following Oldham Athletic’s victory at Aston Villa in May 1993.
“The Citizens” 3-1 victory away to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening left United needing to avoid defeat to West Brom to delay their rivals’ title coronation, but Jose Mourinho’s side surrendered in abject fashion, Jay Rodriguez’s 73rdminute goal handing Guardiola his seventh title in nine seasons and City their third in seven.
City could become the first Premier League club to reach the 100-point barrier should they claim 13 points from their final five games and need just nine to surpass Chelsea’s record haul of 95 in 2004-05.
But Kompany, the City captain, has already turned his sights to next season by urging the club to ensure there is no let-up in their pursuit of silverware.
City’s title defences after their successes in 2012 and 2014 ended in disappointment and the Belgian – the club’s longest serving player – is determined to go one better next time around.
“You can’t take it for granted. I’ve never been able to retain a title and I want to see if this team can be even more successful,” he said.
“I have been lucky to win three but so many I have missed. I suppose my teammates will perhaps roll their eyes a little bit but I have never retained a title so I want to see how we react now next season.
“He [Guardiola] has been able to transfer to the team... that hunger and desire to never be satisfied. I’m probably the first one to think about next season, I would like to stay humble, this is not a dynasty. It is one title and we are all delighted but there is a lot more to do to unlock our full potential.”
Kompany said City’s players had bought wholeheartedly into Guardiola’s methods. “We all believed in it,” he said.
“There was a period of adaptation for him coming into the league and for us taking in his methods. They were the right ones and the ones we believed in. I’m sure there are differences to how we play today compared to his Bayern and Barcelona teams. We survive and live by the strength of the team. One team was dominant in Germany and one had [Lionel] Messi, but we are nothing without the team.
“The first one [title] was special but this one is perhaps the one I’m most proud of. It’s a privilege to be a part of this team.
“I had that feeling when I woke up this morning, I don’t like to wait and see a team lose but you go into a game and think, ‘West Brom are a good team, they don’t deserve to be where they are’ and a set-piece, a wonderful goal from Rodriguez, thank you.”
Speaking in the wake of City’s win over Spurs, Guardiola said the challenge for the club was to win back-toback titles and start to try to carve a history to eventually match historic rivals such as United and Arsenal.
“We have to try,” the City manager said. “If you read what the people say this week we have to improve. Against Tottenham showed me how strong they were. It is important to believe because Manchester City is not like United or Chelsea or Arsenal – you know, the big clubs in England who have a big history behind them.
“So you have to do these kinds of things to think, ‘Wow, we are good. We are good too, like the other ones’. Of course it’s not going to happen next season the same – it’s impossible. But that is the target.”
Mourinho congratulated City but claimed he feared a setback against West Brom after being dismayed by the over-the-top reaction to the 3-2 derby win a week earlier.
“Yes, I know them, I smell,” the United manager said. “I have lots of experience and that’s not because I won eight titles and I’m not on the moon because I won against Manchester City, a match that is only three points,” he said.
“I saw lots of people on the moon because we won against Manchester City. I won too much to be happy with just one big victory. During the week I was trying to fight that because I was feeling it.
“City won the title because they were the best team. Probably because I won eight championships I was not on the moon with the victory. In my opinion it affected for sure some of the people that was too happy just with that.” —