Having recorded a famous treble last season, there are early warning signs in the English Premier League and in Europe that Manchester City will take some stopping this term.
The Cityzens secured the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles last season and rival clubs are desperately searching for ways to bridge the gap to Pep Guardiola's side.
A Campaign To Remember
Brought to Manchester in 2016 with the goal of securing a first Champions League trophy, Guardiola finally achieved the feat with City last season. The Cityzens beat Serie A giants Inter Milan in the final to confirm their status as the best team in Europe and are +200 in the UEFA Champions League betting odds to retain the title this term. This should come as no surprise after their tremendous domestic success in England, as they saw off the challenge of Arsenal to claim a third consecutive Premier League title. They also secured the bragging rights and the trophy in a 2-1 FA Cup final victory against rivals Manchester United.
City had previously secured a clean sweep of the domestic titles in England under Guardiola but it was the elusive Champions League trophy that was missing for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager. The Cityzens had come agonizingly close to claiming a first European crown in the 2020/21 season but suffered a 1-0 defeat to fellow English side Chelsea in the Champions League final. Many players from that side who lost to Chelsea in Porto learned plenty from the experience and went on to lift the trophy two years later in Istanbul against Inter Milan.
No Signs Of Complacency
After such a successful season there were some who questioned whether the hunger in the squad would be there to do it again this term. The early signs suggest City are just as motivated to go again and dominate in both England and Europe. No side in this history of the English game has won the top-flight title four years in a row but The Sky Blues could be the first to achieve the feat this season. Winning all of their first six games of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, it's an ominous start for City's rivals, who might have been hoping for a sluggish version of the reigning champions after a long 2022/23 season.
What makes City's start to the campaign all the more impressive is that Guardiola has been forced to deal with injuries to key personnel early in the season. The pair of Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones have both had lengthy spells out on the sidelines. Guardiola even suggested his side were “in trouble” following their Champions League opener against Red Star Belgrade in September. Despite winning that game 3-1 against the Serbian outfit, the Catalonian tactician was eager to highlight the mounting injuries in his squad, with the likes of Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovačić also missing for that Champions League clash.
Even with the injuries at the start of the season and their success from last term, City have started the new campaign brightly. The question is now on who, if anyone, can stop Guardiola's side from dominating England and Europe once again.
