Manchester City: Dominance or Routine?

On a typical Sunday morning, with the Earth completing its cycle, Manchester City secured yet another Premier League title. This victory, their fourth consecutive and eighth in the last ten years, solidified their status as one of English football’s greatest dynasties. But as the sun set on another triumphant season, questions arose: has City’s dominance become too routine, too predictable to evoke the excitement it once did?

The scenes at the Etihad Stadium were familiar: fans chanting, players celebrating, and the trophy gleaming under the floodlights. For City, lifting the Premier League trophy has become routine, a yearly ritual ingrained in the club’s culture. But amidst the celebrations, there’s a sense of inevitability, a feeling that the outcome was never in doubt.

The problem, critics argue, lies not with City themselves, but with the lack of competition in the Premier League. With their financial prowess and tactical brilliance under manager Pep Guardiola, City have raised the bar to unprecedented heights. They’ve won titles by margins that leave rivals trailing, their victories almost preordained before a ball is kicked.

But it’s not just City’s fault. The Premier League, once lauded for its unpredictability, has seemingly acquiesced to City’s dominance. Despite concerns about financial fair play and questions over human rights, the league has turned a blind eye, prioritizing profit over parity. The result is a league where the rich get richer, and the gap between the haves and have-nots widens.

As City bask in the glow of another title triumph, the broader implications for English football loom large. While their success is a testament to their talent and ambition, it also raises uncomfortable questions about the state of the game. Can a league be truly competitive when one team reigns supreme year after year? And what does it say about the sport when victory feels more like a foregone conclusion than a hard-fought battle?

As the celebrations subside and the new season looms on the horizon, English football faces a reckoning. The challenge for the Premier League is clear: to restore the balance, reignite the competition, and ensure that every team has a fighting chance. Until then, Manchester City’s dominance will continue to cast a long shadow over the beautiful game.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/article/2024/may/19/the-guardiola-supremacy-how-city-became-too-good-for-their-own-good