Manchester City are English champions for the third time in a row – and continue to dream of the first treble in the club’s history.
At the moment of triumph, the newly crowned champions could no longer sit on their chairs. With loud cheers, the Manchester City stars hugged each other and quickly turned their training center into a madhouse.
But when the first champagne glasses were emptied and the roaring of “We are the Champions” had stopped for the time being, everyone’s eyes quickly turned to the future.
“It was a bit crazy in there,” said defender Kyle Walker after the impromptu championship party, but assured that the team was “fully concentrated” for their own game on Sunday.
It didn’t have to be that: After Arsenal FC lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, City can no longer take their ninth championship. The home game against Chelsea (Sun., 5 p.m. in LIVETICKER) will be a show.
Manchester City want the treble
Perhaps one understands the remaining three league games in “Paradise City” (Sun) also as preparation. After the third championship title in a row, they have long been dreaming of more in the blue half of Manchester.
Two more trophies are possible, maybe even mandatory. Pep Guardiola’s team is the clear favorite against local rivals United in the FA Cup final (June 3) and in the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul (June 10). The triple has long been the declared goal of the Citizens, especially their owners from the United Arab Emirates.
After all, the billions that the sheikhs have pumped into the traditional club since the takeover 15 years ago should eventually pay off internationally.
In England, City, driven by goal machine Erling Haaland, threatens to overtake the competition. After five league titles in six years, people on the island are also afraid of dominance, as is the case in Germany or France.
Gündogan: “Premier League most demanding league in the world”
“The Premier League is undoubtedly the most demanding league in the world,” said captain Ilkay Gündogan, “and that says everything about what an achievement that is.”
In view of the ideas of the past few weeks, this can hardly be belittled. Nevertheless, the question arises for some: Who wants to stop this team in the coming years?
Arsenal pushed them “to the limit” this season, Walker said, “they were fantastic, you have to give them credit for that”. The Gunners were eight points clear at the time. But while City started a run of eleven wins in the end of the season, Arsenal ran out of breath.
Liverpool FC around team manager Jürgen Klopp remains the only club that was able to dethrone City in between (2020). It is to be expected that no one will be able to do this any time soon.
