LONDON • More than £500 million (S$889.5 million) have been lavished on Manchester City, the most expensive squad assembled in Premier League history.
But it requires so much more than money to build a team of this extraordinary calibre, starting with a rare vision built on mastery of ball possession and the obsessiveness to bring it to life week after week.
Manchester United have shown that you can pour millions down the drain, or into Alexis Sanchez's bank account, and get nowhere without a strategy.
Only "special, special managers" can retain the league title - so many great coaches have failed to achieve it, including former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
But, after City became the first side to retain the league crown since Alex Ferguson did so with United a decade ago, Pep Guardiola challenged his players to keep quenching his thirst for silverware.
His team matched their record total of 32 wins from last season and accrued a total of 98 points, the second highest in league history behind the 100-point tally they achieved last year.
Guardiola is more concerned with trophies than records, however, urging his players to retain their focus for Saturday's FA Cup final against Watford. The Spaniard is fully aware that City, who won the League Cup in February, are on the verge of an unprecedented domestic treble.
WINNING MENTALITY
The big competitors are never satisfied. The feeling is never enough. In tennis, basketball and golf, they want more and more.
PEP GUARDIOLA, on his ambitions for Manchester City.
He said: "We're so tired but, at the same time, winning is so addictive and, in a few days, we have the FA Cup final. It will be, for most of us, the first time in our lives we have been in an FA Cup final.
"No team in England has done (the domestic treble) before and we have the chance to it. We have to be focused in this game. The FA Cup is not an easy title to achieve."
While the City boss, who has now lifted four major trophies since joining in 2016, is expecting to face a challenge from more than one rival next term, he has plans to recruit new players in a bid to win the league title three straight times - a feat only achieved by Ferguson.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodri is reportedly at the top of his wish list, while Leicester defender Ben Chilwell is also of interest.
The 48-year-old said: "The big competitors are never satisfied. The feeling is never enough. In tennis, basketball and golf, they want more and more, and that is why winning back-to-back showed me this kind of thing that it was not enough, what they have done.
"We have to make the right decisions for next season to come back stronger, because Liverpool will maintain it and the other ones will be better.
"United must come back, Chelsea one more year with (Maurizio) Sarri will be better, Tottenham, we have seen in the Champions League and, when Arsenal do what they have to do, they will be there, too. We accept the challenge and I promise you we will be stronger."
However, whether Vincent Kompany - whose contract is up in the summer - stays is still up in the air.
The City captain, though, revealed Guardiola "starts everything off" and his "desire" from day one had transmitted to the rest of the players, giving them the confidence they "could win back-to-back titles straight away".
THE TIMES, LONDON
He's great to watch, but he's not God: Pope sets fans straight on Lionel Messi For Barcelona fans, Lionel Messi is 'D10S', a combination of the Spanish word for "God" - "dios" - with the No 10 on his shirt.
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has warned Maurizio Sarri he must be given a more important role next season if the Blues boss wants him to stay at Stamford Bridge.
BRIGHTON, England (REUTERS) - Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored the goal as Southampton withstood a second-half onslaught from Brighton & Hove Albion to secure a vital 1-0 Premier League victory on Saturday (March 30). The win put the relegation-threatened Saints level with Brighton on 33 points, five above the drop zone.
Hojbjerg strike gives Southampton 1-0 win at Brighton
Suarez will miss the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on May 25 and also faces a fight to be fit for the Copa America in Brazil next month. Uruguay's first game is against Ecuador on June 16
As a player, you just have to focus on what you eat, how you train, and to give your best in games. As a coach, the minute one game ends, you're already thinking about the next game. NOH RAHMAN, Home United's interim head coach, is slowly becoming aware of the huge demands of the job.
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri pleased to get back to winning
sportsloveme.com/soccer/chelsea-manager-maurizio-sarri-pleased-to-get-back-to-winning-ways/
'I'm happy because it wasn't very easy after the last match': Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri pleased to get back to winning ways with Malmo victory after Manchester City drubbing Chelsea won their first match from home since December against Malmo The Blues responded positively after suffering a 6-0 defeat to Manchester City
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tsukasa Shiotani's sizzling winner kept Japan on top of their Asian Cup group on Thursday, while Oman scrambled into the knockouts in a pulsating finish to the tournament's first stage. In Abu
Shiotani fires Japan past Uzbeks, Qatar's Ali downs Saudis
Neymar will miss both legs of Paris Saint-Germain's upcoming Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester United after the French club confirmed on Wednesday that the world's most expensive player would be out for 10 weeks with a metatarsal injury.
Neymar To Miss Manchester United Tie After Being Ruled Out
Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes has been appointed as manager of Oldham Athletic, the club announced on Monday. Scholes, 44, is taking on his first managerial role
Football: Man United great Scholes appointed manager of
Football: Five games that tipped the scales in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's favour for the United job Related Story Football: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gives stars 'licence to express', says Dwight Yorke
Obsession with past leaves Solskjær's United stuck in a
Unai Emery admits Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace was very frustrating but he tried to sound an optimistic note ahead of Wednesday's game with Wolves.. The Gunners starting lineup, heavily rotated by the Spaniard, struggled to cope with the visitors from the off and found themselves 1-0 down when Christian Benteke scored for the first time since fire was invented.
Emery, Wenger, Kroenke: who to blame for Arsenal's sh*tshow
Ticketing information and further pre-season matches to be announced in the coming weeks; Tour 2019, presented by Visit Abu Dhabi, will see the team visit Asia and today the Club confirmed its visit to Japan. Manchester City will play City Football Group sister club, Yokohama F. Marinos in the Nissan Stadium, Yokohama on 27 July 2019.
Man City to play pre-season match in Japan against Marinos
Ligue 1: Thierry Henry starts dream job at Monaco Thierry Henry replaced Portuguese Leonardo Jardim who was sacked less than six months after leading Monaco to second place in the standings following their first league title since 2000.
Thierry Henry: Guardiola sympathetic with suspended Monaco
A new report claims that UEFA members have decided that a ban from the competition would be suitable punishment, but could it really happen? Manchester City are currently under investigation
Eden Hazard intends to remain at Chelsea this year but offered no assurances about his future beyond that. The Belgian playmaker hinted he may leave Stamford Bridge after the World Cup, yet while international colleague Thibaut Courtois has completed a switch to Real Madrid, Hazard's mooted move to the Spanish capital has not happened.
'I think it's goodbye': Hazard ready to leave Chelsea after
German students use a carnival float depicting environmental activist Greta Thunberg during a school strike to demand action on climate change on March 15, 2019. the kids have revealed a new
New Kids On The Block - This One's for the Children - YouTube
0 comments:
Post a Comment