City champions again

BY DAVID SAFFER

Manchester City wrapped up the Premier League title without kicking a ball last week.

Pep Guardiola rang the changes for a routine victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium after Arsenal failed to win at Nottingham Forest.

City have won five titles in the last six seasons as they continue to dominate the English game.

With the first leg of the treble settled City will look to defeat Manchester United in the FA Cup final and Inter Milan in the Champions League final next month.

City sharpshooter Erling Haaland is running out of games to match or better Everton legend Dixie Dean’s all-time record of 60 goals 96 years ago. Given Guardiola only allowed him 15 minutes against Chelsea it seems doubtful he will rewrite the record books but he has set a modern day mark.

Away from the title race, which failed to spark in the end due to the Gunners poor end of season form, bar a freak set of results United will join City, Arsenal and Newcastle United in the Champions League next season.

Liverpool and Brighton will play in the Europa League. West Ham will join them should they defeat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference final. Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford will battle it out to take part in the Conference competition next time around.

The relegation battle goes to the final day but Everton are favourites to survive following the weekend’s results. As Everton scrambled a last minute injury time draw at Wolves, Leeds United went down to a dispiriting 3-1 defeat at West Ham and Leicester City failed to get the better of Newcastle in the Monday night fixture. Southampton have already dropped into the Championship.

Should Everton defeat Bournemouth at Goodison Park, Leeds and Leicester, who host Tottenham and West Ham respectively, will be relegated.

After the last round of fixtures, all eyes will focus on City’s attempt to match Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble-winning team of 1999.

United will be desperate to win the FA Cup at Wembley following their EFL Cup success against Newcastle in March as it will deny Guardiola and co a chance of emulating their historic feat.

But given City’s run of form, and strength in depth of a stellar squad, Erik ten Hag’s side are up against it. However on the day anything can happen. Should United shock their seemingly unstoppable neighbours the first ever Manchester ‘derby’ FA Cup final will head to Old Trafford.

City though have other ideas before they attempt to land the ‘big one’ for the first time in their history when they face Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

Guardiola, for all his successes as a manager with 34 major titles under his belt, knows he will be defined at City by triumphing on the biggest stage of all. He has lifted the iconic trophy twice with Barcelona. At Bayern Munich he won honours galore but failed in Europe. Victory over Inter Milan will cement City’s status at the top table.