Pep Guardiola seeks to lead Man City to an unprecedented treble after Nottingham Forest beat Arsenal on Saturday May 20.
Man City has been crowned the Premier League champions for the 2022-23 season after defeating Chelsea in their home at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday May 21. The Citizens face a Wembley showdown with rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final. In Europe, they made it to the finals a second time in the Champions League after humiliating Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
What’s their Driving Force?
No doubt, Erling Haaland’s record-breaking season helped the citizens as he set a new record for the most goals ever scored by any player in a single Premier League season. Man City 11-straight wins facilitated their rise above Arsenal even though they were 8 points below the Gunners as late as March 2023, although with a match outstanding.
Man City’s renowned play-makers Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Rodri played their part down the stretch. The switch from its conventional 4-3-3 to a 3-2-4-1 formation over the last few months was also key but quite simply, this was a total team effort. Given their strides over the last few months, Manchester City have shown that an historic treble seems very likely as they aim to make the 2022-23 season one of the best in football history.
Who Do Man City Need to beat to win the treble?
Man City’s hope of winning the treble rests on this month which heralds the end of the season. They have just two matches left in the Premier League, one in the FA Cup final and another in the UEFA Champions League.
Premier League
Prior to their game with the Blues on Sunday May 21, they got crowned the champions before kicking the ball due to the Gunner’s defeat by Nottingham Forest.
Champions League
After their victory against Bayern Munich in the quarter finals, Guardiola’s side faced Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Champions League. They got knocked out by the Madridstas at the same stage after an unimaginable comeback by the reigning champions. Rodrygo scored a duo in the injury time before Karim Benzema capped it all with a penalty in the extra-time to seal a 6-5 defeat on aggregate for Man City.
Times have changed as City had a great comeback at the Bernabeu against Madrid with Kevin De Bruyne on target for the guests. In the follow-up in England, the citizens utterly destroyed the holders, winning the host 4-0 on the night to affirm a 5-1 aggregate victory.
FA Cup
Man City will be up against their local rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. The showpiece event is expected to take place unfailingly on June 3.
City made it to the final via a 3-0 victory over Sheffield United in the semifinals with a hat-trick from Riyad Mahrez. Meanwhile, the Red devils made it to the final via a penalty shootout win against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Have Man City won a treble before?
Indeed, Man City have won a treble before but it is nothing when compared to what they are chasing in the 2022/23 season.
During the 2018/19 season, Guardiola-led Man City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup domestic treble, heralding a treble victory that was unprecedented in the history of the club.
However, winning a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League will certainly surpass their accomplishment of four years back. It would also put them at par with Manchester United who remained the only English club to have won the three trophies in the same season.
But their coach Guardiola has won a similar feat while he was head coach of Barcelona, winning Spain’s La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in 2008/09.
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