Everything I've seen from Manchester City this season convinces me a quadruple trophy haul is not beyond their reach. The depth in squad, their desire, work-rate, goal tally and the scintillating attacking displays we have grown accustomed to witnessing under Manuel Pellegrini's reign have made them, in my opinion, challenge Bayern Munich for the best club side accolade. Boasting topspot in the Premier League, into the FA Cup last 16, to face Sunderland in the final of the Capital One Cup and awaiting Barcelona in the Champions League knock-out phase, the combination of City's outstanding abundance of adept attributes forms an intriguing question. Can Manchester City become the first English club to claim the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League in one season?
The Manchester club currently claim topsot in the Barclays Premier League, a point ahead of Arsenal and two ahead of a threatening Chelsea side. Pellegrini's side have been scoring goals for fun this term, with their profound goal tally surpassing the 100 mark. The Citizens also boast an imperious 100% home record, thrashing the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United at the much-feared Etihad Stadium. It is a compound of elements, such as the perfect home record, the luxuriously plump squad at Pellegrini's disposal and remarkable goal tally which has made them favourites for this term's Premier League crown.
Their affluence in talent has also seen Pellegrini's side book their place in the League Cup final and progress into the last 16 of the FA Cup and into the knock-out phase of the Champions League, where they will face Spanish champions Barcelona.
You simply don't spend the mind-blowing amount City have done in the past years just to win one league and FA Cup title. For me, I can see City going all the way to Lisbon and lifting club football's elite competition for the first time in their history. Their squad is as impressive and wealthy in talent as any, they arguably have the best strike options in Europe and have the desire and work-rate to do so, after so ruefully missing out on the Premier League and FA Cup under Roberto Mancini's stewardship.
The Manchester club finished second in Group D, level on points with German giants Bayern in confounding fashion. With City leading Guardiola's side 3-2 at the Allianz Arena, they needed only one more goal to top the group. But Pellegrini was unaware of this complication, and therefore had kept the likes of Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero on the bench. City cruised through their two fixtures against CSKA Moscow and Victoria Plzen to charter a round of 16 meeting with La Liga champions Barcelona following their convincing progression into the knock-out phase.
But as I've already declared, I don't see why Manuel Pellegrini, who is yet to claim a major trophy as manager (won only Intertoto Cup while manager of Villarreal), cannot guide City to a record trophy swoop in his first season in England. It would be a remarkable achievement for both manager and club for many reasons. At the end of the 2008-2009 season, City finished 10th. Fast-forward five years and the fact that the Manchester club are being thought of as potential quadruple champions and the thought that they will head into the Champions League tie with Barcelona as favourites are commendable accomplishments. Couple that with the basis that they were crowned Premier League champions and FA Cup winners between that time make City's rapid rise to the top an unbelievable success story, courtesy of the expansive investments made by Sheikh Mansour into the club. And it is Mansour's belief into the Manchester City project which has seen the club splash out a staggering £410m on the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Alvaro Negredo and Sergio Aguero, players which form a compound of qualities which leads me to believe a record quadruple trophy haul is not beyond the 2012 Premier League champions.
It is the goalscoring exploits of Negredo, Aguero and Dzeko, coupled with the attacking prowess behind them, which have propelled Man City to the Premier League summit, Champions League knock-out phase and into the latter stages of both domestic cups. They have extensively out-scored the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern, produced some truly scintiliating football and boast a squad in rude health. So who says a quadrupe trophy haul is out of their reach? Not me.
Source: DSG
