By Samuel A. April 22, 2023
Manchester City FC have hit their most dominating form at the exact time they need to, as they target success on making history towards the end of the 2022/23 season by completing a remarkable treble.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been chasing Arsenal in the Premier League all season in England’s top flight and have closed the gap enough to ensure an interesting end to this title race. That’s not the only piece of silverware available to them, the Citizens are still favorites in the Champions League, and have enjoyed a dominant run in the FA Cup as well. Below I will analyze their chances of winning these trophies together.
• The Premier League
The arrival of Erling Haaland has seemed to usher in another level of dominance for City as the Norwegian talisman set record after record at the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season. They failed however to match the consistency of Arsenal for most of the campaign but as time would have it, we’ve seen City’s experience and the Gunners’ lack of it, that has turned the tables, making the title theirs to lose. The two sides face off soon in the Premier League in a fixture which will go a long way to deciding the title race. Aside from that, City have few tough fixtures on paper, however if they can manage to win all these matches with a little bit of luck on their side, the premier league is guaranteed for them.
• FA Cup
Man City were given a couple of high profile fixtures to begin their FA Cup campaign, but managed to humble a Chelsea side in disarray in an emphatic 4-0 victory, before edging past title rivals Arsenal 1-0. Further emphatic wins came over Championship opposition Bristol City and Burnley, the latter of which presented a reunion with City legend Vincent Kompany. They are yet to concede a goal in the tournament this season, and that says a lot, going into the final stages of the competition. I believe the FA Cup is City’s to lose.
• Champions League
Of all the competitions likely for this imperious side to win, this is the least likely for them, considering their previous disappointing exits, year after year, lacking the cutting edge they need to go all the way. This season however, City have been close to faultless throughout their Champions League campaign, (though there have been some frustrating draws). Guardiola’s side were surprisingly kept to goalless draws by both Kobenhavn – a side they’d beaten 5-0 at home on the previous matchday – and Bundesliga title contenders Borussia Dortmund. There have been thumping wins over the likes of Sevilla and RB Leipzig, while the 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie felt like a statement to the rest of Europe. They face defending champions, Real Madrid, in the semifinals early next month, which will be their toughest test in the competition this season. The Champions League final will be played at Istanbul on the 10th of June.
