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Can City’s M&M’s deliver sweet title taste?

With Manchester City now six points behind and four goals adrift of Arsenal, can the monster mentality and muscle memory of Pep Guardiola’s perennial winners kick in and carry them to an unlikely seventh Premier League title in ten years?


Can City add a Premier League title and FA Cup to their League Cup success in 2026?
Can City add a Premier League title and FA Cup to their League Cup success in 2026?

 

I say ‘unlikely’ on the premise that most City fans would happily have settled for winning both domestic cups and qualifying for the Champions League, if it’d been offered at the start of the season.

 

They knew this was a City side in transition, certainly not one which would compare favourably with Pep’s previous half-a-dozen Premier League conquering creations.


Pep's rebuilding his team for future glories, but will he stick around to see it?
Pep's rebuilding his team for future glories, but will he stick around to see it?

 

Two defeats in the first three games – Guardiola’s worst start in England – further dampened expectations.

 

Four months down the line, City ushered in the New Year by dropping six points in draws with Sunderland, Chelsea and Brighton followed by a dreadful 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford.


Derby day despair, but City haven't lost in the league since mid-January.
Derby day despair, but City haven't lost in the league since mid-January.

 

Underwhelming would be an understatement, but then City did what City do best, only this time under the radar. They hit their straps as they always do in the final third of the season, but hardly anybody noticed.

 

They won the Carabao Cup in March – destroying Arsenal in the process – and, after edging past Burnley 1-0 on April 22nd they were top of the table, the first time since beating Wolves way back on the opening day of the season.


Scorer and creator - Haaland and Doku celebrate at Turf Moor.
Scorer and creator - Haaland and Doku celebrate at Turf Moor.

 

Undefeated in the Premier League since the Manchester derby, they’d won eight and drawn three of 11 games, including a 3-0 humbling of Chelsea and a pulsating 2-1 win against Arsenal.

 

Momentum was well and truly with Pep’s ‘Transitionals’.


Haaland won his duel with Gabriel scoring the winner against Arsenal.
Haaland won his duel with Gabriel scoring the winner against Arsenal.

 

With what he described as ‘six finals left to play’ – City are now half-a-dozen victories away from a potential domestic treble – and yet it still feels somewhat surreal.

 

They’ll be back at Wembley to contest a record breaking fourth consecutive FA Cup Final, when a win over Chelsea would give Pep his third triumph in the world’s oldest and most revered cup competition.


Marc Guehi guides home his goal at Stamford Bridge.
Marc Guehi guides home his goal at Stamford Bridge.

 

Perversely, it's success in the cup competitions which has seen the Premier League pendulum swing back in Arsenal’s favour.

 

The Gunners have bagged those six points and, on paper at least, seem to have the easier run in against West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace.


It's case of Carry On Winning for City.
It's case of Carry On Winning for City.

That won’t cut it with Pep. As far as he’s concerned City’s season starts tonight as they play 'catch up' at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

 

Forget any talk about clawing back Arsenal’s goal difference, a win – any kind of win – needs to be ground out against a David Moyes’ team which has designs on a European spot next season.

 

City Treble winner Jack Grealish was enjoying his loan deal at Everton before injury struck.
City Treble winner Jack Grealish was enjoying his loan deal at Everton before injury struck.

The same goes for Brentford – the surprise package under the management of Keith Andrews – when they come swarming into the Etihad on Saturday.

 

One of City's 'Transitionals' - Antoine Semenyo - could be on for aTreble success.
One of City's 'Transitionals' - Antoine Semenyo - could be on for aTreble success.

If City are to be level on points before Arsenal visit the relegation haunted Hammers at the weekend, they’ll have to scrap for every inch of territory, press and harry their opponents to earn the right to play Pep’s preferred brand of football.


Khusanov is rapidly emerging as a world class defender.
Khusanov is rapidly emerging as a world class defender.

 

Unlike in previous campaigns, neither Everton or Brentford will be content with a draw – such is the intensity of the battle for Europa League or Europa Conference League places.

 

It could conceivably play into City’s hands.



Nico O'Reilly and Rayan Cherki will be pivotal if City are to win the Premier League.
Nico O'Reilly and Rayan Cherki will be pivotal if City are to win the Premier League.

 

If a backline of Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi and O’Reilly can remain resolute, these games could open the way for Cherki’s mesmerizing brilliance, Doku’s electrifying pace and Haaland’s clinical finishing.


From zero to hero - Nunes has reinvented himself at right back.
From zero to hero - Nunes has reinvented himself at right back.

 

Rodri, Gvardiol and Dias remain sidelined, but Pep has a strong squad available at this critical phase of the season.

 

It’s nine days since City last played, so the players are well rested and good to go, which is just as well with what lies ahead.


City players celebrate Nico Gonzalez's 'worldie' at Wembley.
City players celebrate Nico Gonzalez's 'worldie' at Wembley.

 

Not surprisingly the Premier League has done nothing to ease City’s crazy fixture congestion of six games in less than three weeks, but Pep must pick the strongest starting XI for each outing.

 

Now is not the time for rotation!

 

The Premier League has to be the priority, but City fans won’t stand for a mix n’ match selection in the FA Cup Final.

 

No more overthinking from Pep!
No more overthinking from Pep!

It’s probably pushing a point too far to question Pep’s judgement, but as he himself has admitted, he sometimes ‘overthinks’ situations, resulting in horrible outcomes.

 

The Champions League Final loss to Chelsea in 2021 stands out above all others, but numerous FA Cup semi finals seemed to have been ‘sacrificed’ in the past.

 

There should be no question of a compromise when it’s Chelsea once again in the FA Cup Final on May 16th.


Jeremy Doku has been a revelation this season.
Jeremy Doku has been a revelation this season.

 

It took ‘A’ team substitutions e.g. Haaland, O’Reilly, Doku and Bernardo to turnaround City’s fortunes in the 2-1 FA Cup semi final win over Southampton. Pep must see what the supporters see – too many changes disrupt the flow and continuity of the team.


Going wild at Wembley - City celebrate Nico Gonzalez's wonder winner.
Going wild at Wembley - City celebrate Nico Gonzalez's wonder winner.

 

If this City team are to become only the second to win a domestic treble – the other being City’s Fourmidables of 2019 – the players must step up and show that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.


Bernardo is right up there in the pantheon of City legends.
Bernardo is right up there in the pantheon of City legends.

 

They only have to look at their ‘Supreme Leader’ the indefatigable Bernardo – a tireless terrier, fearless and streetwise, a feisty figure with all the guile and experience of having won everything worth winning in a City shirt.

 

City's 'Supreme Leader' - Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho Silva.
City's 'Supreme Leader' - Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho Silva.

He’s been there time and time again in the big moments. He knows what it takes to get City over that line and he’s desperate to do it a couple of times more, before he walks out the door – his glittering nine-year career at the Etihad reaching a crescendo before drawing to a close.


Bernardo is set to become City's most decorated player of all time.
Bernardo is set to become City's most decorated player of all time.

 

Confirmation of the pending departure of the diminutive Portuguese dynamo and that of a certain Johnny Johnny Stones, has been met with a reluctant acceptance from a fan base which has seen the pair win six Premier Leagues, a Champions League, five League Cups, two FA Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

 

City fans are so sad to say goodbye to Johnny, Johnny Stones.
City fans are so sad to say goodbye to Johnny, Johnny Stones.

They’re both adored for their incalculable contributions in a halcyon sky-blue era, the like of which we’ll never see again.


City's most likely lads to succeed - Bernie and Stonesy.
City's most likely lads to succeed - Bernie and Stonesy.

 

It’s a tad ironic that in the event of the most unlikely Premier League lift under Pep Guardiola, it’s two of his most likely lads who might just get the job done.

 

 

 

COMPETITION TIME

 

We’ve teamed up with Stay Dry Coats – a cracking independent, family run business, based in Heywood near Manchester – to give one lucky reader the chance to win an exclusive Manchester City-fashioned coat.

 

If you want to standout from the crowd – be it at the Etihad or anywhere else for that matter – you’re going to love Stay Dry’s ‘City Til I Die, 4-In-A-Row’ coat.


 

The coat features a 100% waterproof outer shell and a luxuriously soft, quick-dry fleece lining.

 

Designed for freedom of movement and instant insulation, Stay Dry’s extensive range of coats are made for the great outdoors – engineered for performance, always ensuring the wearer stays warm…and dry.

 

Take a look at the bespoke City coat – available for both men and women – as well as Stay Dry’s full winter range, by clicking on the links:


 

 

 

 

All you have to do to try and win the CTID coat is answer one very simple question:

 

Which Manchester City Treble Winner went out on loan to Everton this season?

 

Enter via the Comments section on the Read But Never Red blog or by sending your answer on the Read But Never Red accounts on both Facebook and ‘X’ - oh, and don't forget to say what would fit you best - a small. medium or large!

 

 

 

by David Walker

 

‘X’ @ReadButNeverRed @djwskyblu

 

 

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