Online Reporter
MANCHESTER City were in a state of turmoil this time last year, staring at a first trophyless season since 2017.
Just 12 months on, Pep Guardiola has reshaped and galvanised a side that now have a real chance of becoming just the second English football team to claim a domestic treble of trophies.
The other side to achieve the feat? Guardiola’s City in 2019.
The Spaniard’s troops have already lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley this season, remain in the English Premier League title race and are now set to return to the national stadium on Saturday, May 16 after sealing a record fourth consecutive FA Cup final appearance.
They did it the hard way, coming from behind with two late goals to edge past Championship high-flyers Southampton and avoid an embarrassing defeat on Saturday.
City’s recent finals in this competition have brought mixed results beating Manchester United in 2023 en route to claiming the ultimate Treble, but losing to their rivals the following year then being shocked by Crystal Palace last May.
“Too far away,” said Guardiola when asked about the possibility of a treble. “Before the final (league) game against Aston Villa, after we will tell you if there is a chance, but at the moment is it far, far, far away.
“Now it is important that the players have three days off. I told them not to think about football and just rest. The season starts with five games and an FA Cup final. I would say the Premier League is al-most gone, we are back to second, we will see . . . ”
This time last year, Liverpool were thrashing Tottenham to win the Premier League, with City 18 points behind during a season in which they failed to win a major trophy.
Guardiola pointed out his side did win the Community Shield but by his impeccable standards, the campaign had been a major disappointment. City sealed qualification for the Champions League on the final day, which proved to be high point, as further dismay followed in the Club World Cup in the US.
Established stars such as Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish and Ederson were allowed to leave in the summer, and there were questions marks over the rebuild with a cohort of younger players brought in. — BBC Sport.
