Manchester City: Pep Guardiola turns City into Premier League's great untouchables

Manchester City's control over the national football scene is now so complete that their potential fourth consecutive Premier League championship is regarded as something that is bound to happen, as if it were a standard occurrence.

In the last match of the season, City was leading for the sixth year out of seven. All they needed was a victory against West Ham United to become champions again. And that's exactly what they did.

By doing this, Pep Guardiola's dominant team once more demonstrated that they cannot be matched in the Premier League.

They seem unaffected by usual stress, and their unprecedented achievements are deemed unremarkable and hardly evaluated in depth. This was anticipated, as failing to accomplish their task would have been the only shocking outcome.

One could argue that Manchester City has achieved such a high level of success that their remarkable accomplishments are almost expected. However, it should be noted that their victory in 19 games and tie in four out of the 23 league games since their loss to Aston Villa in December has not come as a surprise to many.

We need to talk about the obvious issue that nobody wants to address: City's success is tainted by the fact that they are still dealing with 115 charges from the Premier League for supposedly breaking financial rules. Although the club insists they are innocent, this narrative will always be present.

The club has been facing these accusations for 15 months now. City cannot escape from this constant noise and distrust whenever they achieve success unless there is a clear outcome and verdict.

When it comes to measuring by football, there is no room for debate.

Liverpool succeeded in winning the championship in the 2019-20 season despite the interruptions caused by the Covid pandemic. Jurgen Klopp's impressive team won by an enormous 18-point difference and brought the title back to Anfield for the first time in three decades.

Liverpool and Arsenal have made attempts to defeat this exceptional football team in previous years, but have yet to succeed in delivering a knockout blow in the last two seasons.

Klopp's Liverpool team has been really great, but still not quite good enough. Now, we can say the same thing about Mikel Arteta's Arsenal team.

The end-of-season surge that City is known for, which broke Arsenal and Liverpool's hearts in the past, has become a routine reflex.

On the last day of the season, they prevented Liverpool from winning twice. In the 2018-19 season, they were victorious over Brighton with a 4-1 score, taking the title by just one point. Then in the 2021-22 season, there was a remarkable turn of events as they were able to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the final 14 minutes of the game against Aston Villa, securing the win and beating Klopp's team by just one point. The atmosphere was electric with scenes of intense excitement and jubilance.

If this was a pattern initiated by the former coaches Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini during the seasons of 2011-12 and 2013-14, Guardiola and his team have enhanced it to a point where it now appears like a typical routine.

The team from the city has got some really amazing players from different parts of the world who are at the top of their field. Erling Haaland is very good at scoring goals and Kevin de Bruyne is pretty much unbeatable when it comes to creating opportunities. Recently, Phil Foden has also stepped up his game and has become a part of this elite group with 27 goals already this season, despite playing in midfield.

De Bruyne and Haaland faced significant injury breaks this season. De Bruyne specifically needed to get surgery for his hamstring after playing Burnley's first league match. However, they both had the necessary support to overcome their injuries.

Josko Gvardiol joined the team in a transfer worth £77m from RB Leipzig. He is known for his potential to be a top-class central defender, as demonstrated by his performances for Croatia in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, he has been utilized as a left-back and left wing-back instead. Despite this, he has shown a talent for scoring goals, as evidenced by his two goals in the 4-0 win against Fulham and another in the victory against Nottingham Forest.

If Ederson has been absent from the goal, Stefan Ortega has done a remarkable job. In fact, his outstanding performance in the 2-0 victory over Tottenham, which was a crucial step towards City's championship, will be remembered as the effort that contributed to their triumph.

It seemed like Son Heung-min was about to score for Arsenal and put them in a good position to win the title. He was very close to the goal with only the goalkeeper, Ortega, to stop him. However, Ortega saved the day for his team by somehow stretching out his right leg and blocking the shot. The significance of this moment was clear as the usually calm and composed Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, threw himself onto his back in the technical area in a moment of relief. After the game, Guardiola went onto the pitch and gave Ortega a kiss on the cheek to show his appreciation.

The victory was a collective effort where everyone contributed equally.

The summer 2023 recruitment of the City team has not been fully successful so far. Jeremy Doku is still a developing talent and Matheus Nunes has not reached his potential since his transfer from Wolves, which cost £53 million. There were moments in the season where the team appeared more exposed than normal. However, despite this, they have managed to become champions once again, as proudly declared by their enthusiastic fans.

Most importantly, Guardiola's team has shown great resilience in handling the tight competition for the title and has managed to put psychological pressure on their opponents who cannot afford to make any mistakes.

During the 2018-19 season, City managed to secure a stunning 14 consecutive victories that allowed them to emerge as champions ahead of Liverpool. Despite having only lost one game, which was against the eventual victors, Klopp's team finished with 97 points but fell short of City's impressive run. The margin of victory was also quite similar during the 2021-22 campaign.

The City team has done really well this season and they managed to beat Arsenal, although the competition was tight right up until the last game. Unfortunately for Arsenal, they lost against Aston Villa at home, which was their only mistake during the season. If you give City any sort of opportunity, they will take it and win by a mile.

The team led by Guardiola possesses an immense level of natural talent and a tough mentality that allows them to withstand the high-pressure moments of the season. They are capable of completing long runs towards the finish line, which other teams attempting to dethrone them are simply unable to match.

For Arsenal and Liverpool, who have come so close in the past two seasons, the news is not good as they enter Arne Slot's era. City's desire for trophies remains as strong as ever and they have had constant success. This unquenchable thirst could lead them to another domestic league and FA Cup double if they manage to beat Manchester United in a repeat of last season's final at Wembley.

Manchester City couldn't achieve the same feat as last year when they won three titles: the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup, making them the second English club to do so. However, they have confirmed their spot as the most dominant force in English football this season.