Manchester City Win Fourth Consecutive Premier League Title 

History. As if this team hasn’t been making history with virtually every passing season. First they were the first to accumulate 100 points, then they were the first domestic Treble winners. Then they equaled their cross town rivals – Man United’s streak of Premier League titles (three in a row) while also winning a treble in that same season. And now, after beating West Ham at home, they’ve won four on the bounce, something no other team will probably replicate let alone beat in this lifetime; and there’s really no sign that they won’t add onto it next season.

There’s been a trend over the past few seasons where pundits and fans participate in discourse at the beginning of the new Premier League campaign, asking each other if the current Man City team is as good as the last season’s. Whether it’s rooted in real research analysis or hopeful delusion from opposing fans, City’s status as the best in the league is annually questioned, and for good reason. It’s impossible to mention this City team without soon invoking Pep Guardiola, and he is very polarizing. Among fans and players. His intense, systematic (and sometimes stubborn) personality and coaching style seems to be either intoxicating, grating or both to players which results in key players leaving the team on a yearly basis, meaning a City team at the beginning of a season rarely looks the same as it did the season prior, begging the question of if their dominance on the league will remain.

And it did. 

A shaky start to the campaign, followed by a laser-focused Christmas period and then going unbeaten in the 2024 kept Man City around the top of the table long enough to snatch top spot when the chance arrived. Liverpool actually occupied first place for the most time this season, but sadly for them towards the latter half of the campaign, injuries and lack of squad depth had the struggling to keep up with pace of the other two; often having to defer to young academy graduates to field a full first team. And although the likes of Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah filled in well to first team football, the wheels on Klopp’s goodbye parade ended up falling off in the home stretch; dropped points at Old Trafford and at home to Crystal Palace putting a real damper on their title hopes. Not the fairy tale farewell that Klopp, the team and Reds fans wanted, but an well fought season to be proud of. Jurgen Klopp received a well deserved and celebratory goodbye at Anfield on Sunday after the team’s 2-0 win against Wolves. An honourable exit for a Liverpool legend.

Mikel Arteta, Pep’s former protégé, led Arsenal in a valiant effort for the title while playing the most stylish and attractive football in the league (an arguably all of Europe). They had some rough patches in the season, mostly during the beginning of it, but when the turn of the calendar year came, they were almost perfect. Only losing once to Aston Villa at home. Unfortunately for them that was the game that the title really slipped from their grasp, as during that point of the campaign, they just had to win out the remaining handful of games to assure they’d be champions. But when you’re running a title race against Man City, you’ve got to be perfect at the business end of the year, because they surely will. After the Villa loss, the Gunners did all they could to push City to the very end, including their 2-1 win at home to Everton on the final day, but it wasn’t enough. However, this season is one to be proud of for the team, they performed the best against the traditional ‘big six’ sides and didn’t lose a single game to their title challengers, with wins against City and Liverpool at home and draws away from home, something to build on and look forward to for future seasons. 

Manchester City’s dominance on this league is persistent and palpable and to nearly all rivals fans, incessant at this point. It’d be remiss of course, to fail to mention the looming 115 charges the Premier League has placed against them for alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules and their general financial overhaul by Sheik Mansour from over a decade ago. The club has been hugely beneficial from the shear amount of funds at their disposal and anyone to mention that wouldn’t be wrong, however, the money isn’t the sole reason for their continued success. Investment into the facilities at the Etihad Campus, into the development of the youth systems at the club and elite scouting for all levels speaks to the well oiled machine that the club is and that many other clubs around them aren’t. Many of their peers have a wealth of money to indulge and and do, but the formula at Man City looks to be working in ways that the formulas as Chelsea and Man United for example, isn’t. 

City will continue to see success (if they are found not guilty of the charges levied against them) for years to continue. As far as Guardiola’s reign over the city, the future remains a little uncertain. He is for sure coming back to coach the team for the upcoming 2024/25 season, but after then, his current contract will be up. 

“Last year after (the Champions League final in) Istanbul, I said “It’s over, there’s nothing left’. But I have a contract and I start to think ‘No one has done four in a row, why don’t we try?’

Guardiola said, speaking to press after their 3-1 win over West Ham.

“And now I feel it’s done, so what’s next? Now I don’t feel exactly what the motivation is because it’s difficult to find when everything is done.

The reality is I’m closer to leaving than staying. We have talked with the club – my feeling is that I want to stay now. I will stay next season and during the season we will talk. But eight or nine years, we will see.”

No exactly parting words from the manager, but those that allude to a soon coming departure from the club. Although, regardless of what happens next season, Guardiola’s success alongside this team and players are those of legend.