Manchester City
It is beyond doubt that Manchester City have been the most successful club in the Premier League over the last decade or so, with the Citizens establishing themselves as one of the new superpowers in English football.
City’s unparalleled dominance in recent years has seen them get their hands on all possible silverware in England, although the UEFA Champions League is one tournament which the Citizens are yet to conquer.
It all began with City winning the FA Cup title back in the 2010-11 season when Roberto Mancini’s side beat Stoke City 1-0 to lift the trophy.
That proved to be the beginning of a new era for the Citizens following their days of mid-table obscurity in the top-flight. Eventually, the club beat local rivals Manchester United to claim the Premier League title on goal difference in the 2011-12 campaign.
City went on to lift the Premier League trophy once again in the 2013-14 season under Manuel Pellegrini before Pep Guardiola’s arrival in 2016 propelled the club to even greater heights.
All in all, the Citizens have won 4 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 Community Shields over the course of the last nine seasons, statistics which are a clear testament to the kind of dominance they have established in English football.
Taking a look back at the previous season, Liverpool gave defending champions City a real run for their money but in the end, the Citizens just seemed to have that little bit of luck on their side.
There were times in the season, particularly back in December, when City stumbled badly with a few lacklustre performances, but Guardiola ensured that his side had the last laugh in the title race.
City completed the domestic treble last season and reached the pinnacle of their newly-found success in English football. The Citizens’ dominance under the charismatic stewardship of Guardiola once again reigned supreme, but the question is – how much longer will Man City be able to sustain such a level of dominance?
Undoubtedly, City have set some really high standards, not only for themselves but also for the other teams to try and emulate.
They scored as many as 106 goals in their victorious 2017-18 season and accumulated 100 points in the process followed by 95 goals and 98 points in the 2018-19 campaign. No team other than Liverpool has been able to get anywhere close to those numbers.
Man City have been amongst the biggest spending teams in the Premier League over the last ten years, yet, realistically, their success in recent times hasn’t been based merely on their financial muscle.
It is true that the Citizens have brought in some top-quality players over the years but a settled hierarchy and a solid platform laid down by the likes of Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola has been instrumental in transforming the club’s fortunes.
Despite that, however, City have largely adopted a measured approach in the transfer window, with the Citizens always looking to invest in bright emerging prospects as a part of their long-term plans, hardly ever paying more than what they deem as the perfect value for a player.
The likes of Fernandinho, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany all came through the door at the Etihad at a very young age and have gone to establish themselves as stalwarts in Europe.
In recent times, City have brought in the likes of Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane, Riyad Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker, just to name a few, and almost all of them have established themselves as mainstays of the first-team.
City have been very shrewd and diplomatic with their recruitment policy but one can get the feeling that the Citizens need another spending spree in the next 2-3 transfer windows if they are really serious about continuing their dominance.
Vincent Kompany’s departure has already left a massive void at the back for the Citizens, and with Nicolas Otamendi linked (h/t Sun) with an exit too, the Premier League champions have plenty to think about as far as their defensive options are concerned.
Aymeric Laporte has matured into a top-quality centre-back but John Stones isn’t the most reliable or consistent of heads at the back, meaning City need to bring in another bright emerging prospect to groom into the next ‘Vincent Kompany’.
Also, the likes of Fernandinho, 34, and David Silva, 33, are about to enter the final 12 months of their current contracts and it is unlikely that City would retain their services beyond 2020.
Both the aforementioned players have been amongst the architects of the club’s success over the years and bringing in like-to-like replacements would cost City a fortune in the market.
To add to that, Ilkay Gundogan, who has been another key player for them in the middle of the park over the past couple of campaigns, is also in the final year of his contract.
Given that the German has so far refused to put pen to paper on fresh terms, the Citizens can start looking for alternatives.
Last but not the least, City need to find the perfect long-term successor to the throne of Sergio Aguero, the man who has been an indispensable presence for them in front of goal over a good part of the last decade.
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Suffice to say, Man City have plenty of problems to sort out in more than one area of the pitch, and they do not have too much time on their side.
Thus, the Citizens have to create a couple of busy transfer windows marked by some big-money arrivals if they are really looking to continue setting those high standards.