“Unstoppable” Manchester City win English Premier League title

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Manchester City secured their fifth Premier League title in six years, solidifying the team’s position as the dominant force in English football.

The club claimed top spot on Saturday night without kicking a ball after their closest rivals Arsenal lost to Nottingham Forest.

The Abu Dhabi-owned side are also on course to win a historic treble if they can triumph in both the FA Cup and Champions League next month, a feat managed only once before in England by rivals Manchester United more than 20 years ago.

“We have the perfect balance of experience and world-class youngsters. I’ve never felt so confident going onto the pitch,” City midfielder Jack Grealish told BT Sport after his side overwhelmed Real Madrid, the most successful side in European football, in last season’s Champions League semi-final week. “We feel unstoppable.”

Does the club’s success threaten to erode the Premier League’s biggest selling point – the intense competition? And what lies behind City’s imperious form?

The Heavenly Age

The Premier League, the world’s most-watched domestic football league, prides itself on excitement and distributes TV revenue far more evenly than other European leagues to dampen the financial clout of the wealthiest clubs.

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By some measures, City’s latest league win is no more than an echo of the period of dominance enjoyed by rivals Manchester United under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Red Devils have won the Premier League 13 times under his leadership, including three in a row, twice. United also captured five league titles in six seasons between 1996 and 2001, including a historic treble win in 1999.

But based on points and goals scored during the season, City appear to have set a new standard since the league was formed more than three decades ago.

According to data from data consultancy Twenty First Group, the Premier League still maintains a level of danger – measured by a team’s average chances of winning the league in a season – not seen in rival European domestic competitions, such as the German Bundesliga. .

A good performance from north London side Arsenal this season meant City had – on average – a 68% chance of winning the league this season, compared to Bayern Munich’s 89% chance of clinching the German title.

The Pep effect

Some pundits attribute City’s command of the Premier League to one thing above all others: Spanish manager Pep Guardiola. He is widely regarded as the best manager in modern football.

Evidence of his strengths as a manager and tactician can be seen in City’s performance against expected results based on the club’s wage bill. Personnel costs have long been a good guide to a team’s likely performance, but City have far exceeded the expected points won.

“While City have undeniably signed excellent players in this period, Guardiola’s ability to improve players and extract world-class performances from them is virtually unrivaled in world football,” said Omar Chaudhuri, chief intelligence officer of Twenty First Group.

Smarter shopping?

City have certainly not been shy in the transfer market since being acquired by a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family in 2008. The club has spent €2.3bn since then, according to Transfermarkt, a figure surpassed only by Chelsea , after West London club record spending spree this year.

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City’s net spending, which excludes revenue generated from player sales, was €1.45bn in that period, the highest in the world.

However, following Guardiola’s arrival in 2016, the club appear to have started to spend and sell a little smarter. City have since spent €1.24bn on signings, less than Chelsea, Juventus and Barcelona, ​​while net spending is less than United’s.

Growing wealth

At the time of the takeover in 2008, City were ranked 20th in Deloitte’s ranking of Europe’s richest clubs. The success has brought commercial riches with it, taking the club to the top of the table last year with 2021/22 season revenue of €731m, thanks in no small part to the highest TV revenues in football.

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Champions forever?

City are already favorites to win the Premier League next season but could face new challengers alongside this year’s runners-up Arsenal, with stronger challenges expected from recent close rivals Liverpool and Chelsea.

Newcastle United have also made rapid progress since being acquired by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in late 2021, while Manchester United could be Under new ownership early next season.

Off the pitch, however, a dark cloud hangs over the club, which raises questions as to whether City’s success has been fairly achieved. A threat of penalties has been looming for as long as the club was reported from the Premier League to an independent commission to look into more than 100 allegations of breaches of financial rules over a period of more than a decade, allegations City strongly deny.

If found guilty, potential punishment includes point deductions and even expulsion from the championship. However, it is unclear when the trial will reach a conclusion.

Data visualization by John Burn-Murdoch and Daniel Clark