Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
This could be truly epic: Pep can lead City to the Quadruple and stay unbeaten all season
I ALWAYS thought Arsenal’s Invincibles season would never happen again – but I’m beginning to think Pep Guardiola will repeat it at Manchester City.
In fact, City look so unstoppable they could pull off an unprecedented Quadruple: Winning the title without losing a game, both domestic cups AND the Champions League.
Last December, I was slaughtered on Twitter when I said Chelsea would not be caught and we should hand the title to Antonio Conte.
This season I’m going to call it earlier. City will not be caught. Guardiola is going to win the title with 10 points to spare.
They are the most breathtaking side I’ve seen in the Premier League for a long time.
In Arsenal’s Invincibles season, even if you managed to stop Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp or Robert Pires would take you apart. Or Patrick Vieira would run the show. The team Guardiola has assembled at City is even more frightening.
They have Sergio Aguero, a record-breaking striker who would get in any side in the world. I would take him above Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku in the current title race.
They have Kevin De Bruyne, on current form the most influential and accomplished midfielder on the planet. They have David Silva, whose creativity shows no sign of waning.
They have three of the most improved players in the country – John Stones (who was so impressive before his hamstring injury last weekend), Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho.
And they have the most progressive coach in the world pulling it all together like a conductor assembling the best orchestra.
If City win at Huddersfield tomorrow, they will have 37 points from a possible 39, the best-ever start to a Premier League campaign.
Before a ball was kicked, I predicted they would go neckand-neck with Manchester United for the title, but the gap is already eight points.
United are not going to win three games while City lose three – I can’t see Guardiola’s team losing to anybody.
Cast your mind back to last season, when City finished without a trophy, 15 points adrift of
Chelsea, and we were wondering if the cult of Pep had been exaggerated.
The goalkeeper he signed was a dud, the centre-backs looked uncomfortable when Vincent Kompany wasn’t around and we wondered if Guardiola was the real deal.
This season, he has provided us with an emphatic answer.
Yes, City have enjoyed unrivalled spending power, but show me the last team to win the title who didn’t splash out a few bob.
Even Leicester’s 5,000-1 miracle was built on £100million of debt being turned into equity by the owners.
Guardiola has presided over some of the most exhilarating football I’ve seen. Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Sterling and Silva are annihilating teams with their passing, movement and tempo. Fernandinho is an important cog who does a lot of the dirty work in midfield the way N’golo Kante has done for Leicester and Chelsea.
The new keeper, Ederson, is brave, a good shot-stopper and smart with the ball at his feet.
And they have £150m worth of full-backs in Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo.
City aren’t just winning games – they are blowing opponents away with style. So, yes, they could do the domestic treble.
And in Europe, I haven’t seen much for them to fear in the Champions League.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus have all looked fallible.
And even now the European Cup final I would pay good money to see is Paris Saintgermain against City. But having been so nice about them, they will probably go and lose at Huddersfield now!