League form a real gauge
As Kevin De Bruyne left Wolves needing treatment from the SPCA on Wednesday evening, and Pep Guardiola bounced around on the touchline like an excited teenager, it became abundantly clear, to all but the most optimistic of Liverpool fans, that Manchester City are set to wrap up a fourth English Premier League title in five seasons.
Liverpool have run an exceptional race, just as they did in the 2018/19 campaign, when City also pipped them to the post.
In that season, Liverpool lost only one league match, but it still wasn’t enough to give them the Premier League title.
This season, Juergen Klopp’s side have lost just twice, but find themselves three points behind City with two games left to play.
Those are the standards that City have set in recent years, and if a lot of it has to do with their cash flow, enabling them to buy the world’s best players, there is no doubt Guardiola has built those individuals into a stunning collective. City are a scintillating watch, a constant attacking menace, and utterly unplayable at their best.
Even in the season they lost the title to Liverpool, in 2019/20, Guardiola’s side scored over 100 Premier League goals. City have every chance of breaking a century again this season, sitting as they are on 94 goals with two games left to play.
City’s domestic dominance looks unlikely to be disturbed any time soon.
Their spending power was illustrated once more this week as they confirmed the signing of Norwegian striking sensation Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
It remains to be seen if Haaland will fit seamlessly into Guardiola’s system, but if he does, it is going to be a terrifying watch for opponents, and a thrilling one for City fans.
The “holy grail”, if you like, for City, is the Uefa Champions League, with another disappointment suffered this season in the semifinals at the hands of Real Madrid.
But successful teams should always be judged first on winning their domestic league, and at that, there is no doubt Guardiola’s side are simply the best.