The nickname “cheat” (slang for fake) is long gone. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has surpassed the record of Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of their ‘local rivals’.
In the final PL League game of the season at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, on Tuesday, City beat West Ham to clinch the league title with 91 points.
The key was Phil Foden, who split the West Ham goal with a left-footed shot from just outside the box after just two minutes, collecting a pass from Bernardo Silva.
Then, in the 18th minute, Jeremy Doku played a fantastic penetrating pass that split three defenders before finding Phil Foden, who unleashed a left-footed one-touch shot with no defender in the way to break the Hammers down again.
The Hammers pulled a goal back in the 42nd minute through Koudouz, but they were completely outclassed by Rodriguez 14 minutes into the second half.
The victory clinched the league title for Manchester City, whose fate was uncertain until the final PL game. City ended up with 28 wins, seven draws, and three losses for 91 points, finishing two points clear of Arsenal (89).
The victory added another honor to Pep Guardiola’s list. He became the first manager in PL history to win four consecutive titles.
There have been plenty of back-to-back titles. The longest winning streak in the PL (EPL, First Division, etc.) since its inception in 1888-89 has been three consecutive titles. Arsenal (1932-35), Manchester United (1998-2001), Huddersfield Town (1923-26), and Liverpool (1981-84).
The last ‘three in a row’ before City was Manchester United (2006-09).
Sir Ferguson was the manager at the time, and along with ‘Ferguson’s children’ (Giggs, Scholes, etc.), he created a golden era for the club with the most powerful 안전놀이터 attacking line of Van Nistelrooy-Louis Saha-Tevez-Wayne Rooney-Ronaldo. The greatest soccer player in Korean history, Park Ji-Sung, was also there to make history.
However, no team in the history of the PL has ever won four consecutive titles.
Man City have won three consecutive titles under Pep Guardiola since 2020.
David Silva rallied around captain Kevin De Bruyne despite the absence of the team’s top playmaker, and after Raheem Sterling-Gabriel Jesus, he added a devastating player in Elling Holland to the squad, and the team won four consecutive titles, a PL first.
With this fourth consecutive title, City manager Pep Guardiola surpassed Ferguson in the number of consecutive titles. All that’s left is ‘cumulative wins’. While there is still a gap in the total number of titles (13 for Ferguson and 7 for Pep), Pep will be in the same position as Ferguson in as little as six years.
The future is also bright. Arsenal’s Arteta has failed to surpass Pep for two consecutive seasons, and with Liverpool’s Klopp, their biggest rival, leaving the club at the end of the season, City’s run is likely to continue for some time.