Manchester City fans could hardly stand the wait for the final whistle. It wasn’t because they feared a last-minute twist or an unlikely comeback from West Ham.
The tension during the last moments of the Premier League season at Etihad Stadium was simply because fans couldn’t wait to start celebrating after Pep Guardiola’s team secured a record fourth straight English top-flight title. A 3-1 win on the day made it certain, and soon a sea of light blue shirts flooded the field.
Flares and the smell of sulfur filled the air as delirious fans danced, posed for selfies, and savored the moment, ignoring the futile pleas from the stadium announcer and messages on the big screens instructing them to return to their seats.
Winning has become a familiar feeling in these parts, and there is no sign of it getting old.
“It feels just as amazing as the first one. We worked so hard for it,” City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said. “It has been a tough battle with Arsenal and Liverpool this year, and you know to be here again doing something historic is amazing.”
Four titles in a row makes it six out of seven seasons for Guardiola. Since joining Manchester City in 2016, he has won 17 trophies and could make it 18 next week if City wins against Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
In total, Guardiola has won 38 trophies as a coach at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City. This strengthens the argument that he could be considered the greatest manager of his time.
Carlo Ancelotti, for comparison, has won 28 trophies, including a record four Champions League titles, one more than Guardiola. Real Madrid has a chance to make that five in this year’s final against Borussia Dortmund.
“Everyone in football is amazed by his coaching, but there’s more to it than that,” said outgoing West Ham manager David Moyes. “Four in a row is incredible.”
Another question up for debate is whether this City team should be regarded as the greatest in English soccer history.
No other English team has won four titles in a row. This achievement sets City apart from Liverpool’s dominant era in the 1970s and 80s and Manchester United’s in the 90s and 2000s.
City’s success, along with winning the Champions League last season, completes a full set of major trophies during an era of unprecedented success.
“In terms of numbers, nobody has been better than us – the records, the goals, the points and four in a row,” Guardiola said.
“If I land here tomorrow and you say I will win six Premier Leagues in seven years, I would say ‘Are you crazy?’ It’s impossible. We have done something unbelievable.”
Guardiola took over a team that was already among the wealthiest in the world after being bought by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in 2008 and had won two Premier League titles before his arrival.
He has gone on to create a near-unstoppable force domestically and continues to hold off the challengers to City’s throne.
Arsenal has taken up the fight, previously offered by United and then Liverpool – and pushed City to the wire this season, having fallen away during the run-in a year earlier.
Still, Mikel Arteta’s team couldn’t quite get over the line and finished two points behind the champion after a 2-1 win against Everton in its final game on Sunday.
Arsenal looks likeliest to push City closest in the coming years, especially now that Jurgen Klopp has stepped down at Liverpool, while Man United looks set for a period of more upheaval.
