Aug 8, 2018
Manchester City adds Mahrez, aims to retain title
After a historic season, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City return with almost the exact same team to take a run at defending their Premier League title. Recent history suggests winning the league two years in a row is near impossible, but what is impossible anymore the year after you’ve rewritten the record books?
TSN.ca Staff
After a historic season, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City return with almost the exact same team to take a run at defending their Premier League title. Recent history suggests winning the league two years in a row is near impossible, but what is impossible anymore the year after you’ve rewritten the record books?
In retrospect, by the time Liverpool defeated Manchester City 4-3 in a thrilling January 14th match at Anfield, pinning the visitors with their first loss of the season, the title race was already over.
At the time, they were 15 points clear at the top of the table. They would go on to finish a record 19 points ahead of Manchester United, just one of the many records they would collect during their rampant season.
After opening the campaign with a win and a draw, City was victorious in 18 straight games prior to the Liverpool loss, in the process, surpassing Arsenal (2001-02) and Chelsea (2016-17), who both won 13 straight games.
Gabriel Jesus scored with the last kick of the season to earn a 1-0 victory over Southampton, making City the first team to earn 100 points in the 26-year history of Premier League.
The Brazilian’s stoppage time marker at St. Mary’s Stadium was also the 106th goal of the season, setting a new record that was previously held by Chelsea at 103.
Earliest title clinch, best goal differential, most away wins – the list of records is endless.
While not endless, the list of recent Premier League teams that have not been able to defend their titles is long and also includes City’s two previous title triumphs.
In 2012–13, City watched United out pace them by 11 points as they were forced to settle for second, the year after winning the title on goal differential on another dramatic final kick of the season.
Their second Premier League title defence also came up empty in 2014–15, when they fell eight points short of Chelsea.
Since the 2008–09 season when Alex Ferguson’s United defended their crown, the reigning champions have stumbled at the first hurdle and failed to retain the title.
So how will Guardiola and his Centurions avoid the same fate?
Unlike the big spending summers of the past, Manchester City has only made one significant move thus far in the transfer window, though they were not shy in splashing the cash in the transaction.
Guardiola broke the team’s transfer record when he agreed to a £60 million fee to pry 2015–16 PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City and then inked the former Premier League champion to a five-year deal.
City attempted to acquire Mahrez in January, but had their advances rebuffed in a move that led to the 27-year-old leaving Leicester City for a week in February amid the drama.
No team supplied more players to the 2018 World Cup in Russia than City as 16 members of their first team made the trip to the international competition.
While only one of them, Benjamin Mendy, was still around on the final day of the tournament, six more were also involved in the Belgium v. England third place game.
As those players end their vacations and return to the club, perhaps the defending champions will be vulnerable early in the season as they attempt to resettle their lineup.
City will have to come out of the gate strong, as their first opponent will be Arsenal, looking to impress with their new manager Unai Emery at Emirates Stadium.
City is already the first Premier League champion since Manchester United in 2013 to win the Community Shield, so perhaps recent history need not apply