Manchester City broke new ground last weekend when they became the first team in English football history to win four consecutive league titles.
They will be able to do it again on Saturday. If Pep Guardiola’s side beat Manchester United in a replay of last season’s FA Cup final, they will become the first team to win consecutive doubles in England.
The city’s relentless brilliance has generated a mixed response in recent days. For all the praise given to Guardiola as the outstanding tactical mind of the 21st century, not to mention the brilliance of stars such as Phil Foden, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne, it is not difficult to find dissenting voices.
The 115 Premier League charges of alleged breaches of financial and competition rules that landed on City’s doorstep last February remain unresolved. An independent commission will hear representations from the league and City later this year as a dense and complex case moves glacially towards its conclusion. More broadly, City’s sixth title in seven has sparked talk of dominance that is unhealthy for the game as a whole.
For anyone of the latter opinion, City captain Kyle Walker has an ominous message before leading his team at Wembley on Saturday: we are just getting started.
“To be the first team to achieve the double-double, the first team to win four in a row, the first team since Manchester United to achieve the treble, we continue to knock down these obstacles and this is another one we have to knock down. ”said the 33-year-old English defender.
“But it is against our rivals who live in the same city and they are going to want to ruin the parade for us. We need to make sure we play the game we’ve been playing, particularly at the end of this season.
“Continuing the streak we did when Arsenal was the way it was is a great credit to us and shows that the enthusiasm and work ethic are still there. We have come to training wanting to graft and work hard to put the cherry on top of the season.”
With City having beaten all their domestic rivals since Guardiola’s arrival in Manchester, it is perhaps inevitable that Walker’s attention will focus on his team’s place in history. The Liverpool teams of the 1970s and 1980s and Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering Manchester United are now the reference points for City’s dressing room leader.
“Every trophy we win and every major trophy we get closer,” Walker said. “Pep is now the winningest manager except Sir Alex Ferguson, so we are building this dynasty and a legacy that people will see in this team for generations to come.
“When I first came here you saw a lot of United shirts and now you see a lot of kids wearing City shirts. We are moving the pendulum but we have to move forward because the United and Liverpool teams did it for years and years. We are doing that now; Long may it continue and we must continue.”
When will Pep Guardiola leave Manchester City?
A knock-on effect of such dynasties, and a factor that can serve to keep them in place, is the erratic responses they can force from their rivals. If the reports from the eve of the final are to be believedUnited are set to appoint their sixth permanent manager since Ferguson and fourth of the Guardiola era.
Win or lose this weekend, Erik ten Hag appears to be heading towards the starting gate. Guardiola has a contract until the end of next season at the Etihad Stadium and will leave then or, frankly, whenever he wants.
“He’s a machine, a well-oiled machine, and he’s the driving force,” Walker said of the 53-year-old Catalan. “It comes from the manager. He pushes you every day and I can assure you what a game day is like, he is like every day in training.
“He doesn’t put it on for documentaries or anything like that, it’s him and he adapts to you. You are like a sponge and you feed on that. His energy is contagious and it is up to us, as players, to follow his message and fulfill it on the field.”
Walker’s talk of perpetually winning runs somewhat counter to both his advanced age and the fact that he came close to joining Bayern Munich last summer. This time, the riches of the Saudi Pro League are reportedly laying claim to the man who swapped Tottenham for City in 2017 and became one of the biggest signings of Guardiola’s tenure.
“I will go as much as I can. This is a job I love, I never wake up and think I don’t want to go in. I love playing football, it makes me happy, it’s my happy place,” he said.
“I” m two years old [left on my contract] and I still think that I can give more to the team. I may not play as much as I really want to, but as long as I put in the performances I feel I’ve put in this season and the work ethic in training, that depends on who the manager wants to play in that position. “I feel very good, so I will go as long as possible.”
Walker added: “I can assure you that when we get back here for pre-season it may take us a few days to shake off the cobwebs, but as soon as the first Premier League game comes around we’re straight back into action and trying to defend.” our crown. Why can’t we do five in a row?
