How Manchester City won the treble?

MANCHESTER CITY WON TREBLE THIS YEAR : 2019 BELONGS TO MANCHESTER CITY 

 Saturday's 6-0 win over Watford in the FA Cup final at Wembley made Manchester City the first men's team in history to complete a clean sweep of English football's major honors in the same season. Raheem Sterling dispatched the decisive penalty in the shoot-out against Chelsea after February's EFL Cup final at the same venue finished goalless, while City edged out Liverpool in an epic Premier League title race by beating Brighton and Hove Albion 4-1 last weekend. Sterling and Gabriel Jesus then both scored twice on Saturday as City completed the treble, adding to a superb career body of work for manager Pep Guardiola. But where does this City rank among the other finest teams since the Premier League rebrand of 1992-93 heralded the multi-million-pound era? Five Omnisport writers have picked their sides. Buzzin'

Matt Dorman - Manchester United 1998-2001 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rode a wave of nostalgia in the early months of his return to Old Trafford and the hero of 1999 can be forgiven for indulging in past glories, such were the extraordinary feats he achieved alongside a squad of enviable depth and ability. The now-United manager's last-gasp winner in the remarkable Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich two decades ago completed an unprecedented treble and serves as the centrepiece of an unforgettable era. David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and brother Phil comprised the Class of 92 that blossomed late in the last millennium and delivered three straight Premier league titles, an FA Cup and that sought-after European crown. Peter Hanson - Arsenal 2001-2004 History will ultimately show Arsene Wenger as a revolutionary who later failed to evolve. But boy, at their pomp Wenger's Arsenal were a dream to watch. The pace and guile of Robert Pires, the lung-busting runs of Freddie Ljungberg, the colossus defending of Sol Campbell, the power and never-say-die attitude of Patrick Vieira, the endlessly talented Dennis Bergkamp and, last but not least, the world-class Thierry Henry, arguably the best we have ever seen in England's top flight. The Gunners were an era-defining machine, grinding down opponents with their slick style and refusal to lay down their arms in any game. City's current vintage are a joy to watch, but for me Arsenal's 'Invincibles' remain the cream of the Premier League crop.  May 15, 2004: Our Invincibles become immortal

City finished third in Guardiola's first trophyless season but there was no need for an adaptation period with Jose Mourinho, who immediately took English football by storm, leading the Blues to the 2004-05 title and ending a 50-year wait for a top-flight championship.

The foundations had been laid for Guardiola long before he came in but Mourinho had to swiftly find a winning formula with a squad overhauled since Roman Abramovich's takeover 12 months earlier - and the Portuguese built an all-conquering team that lost just one league game in his first season before retaining their title in the next. Mourinho, who commanded the respect of big characters like Petr Cech, John Terry and Didier Drogba - succeeding where many future Chelsea managers failed, also reached two Champions League semi-finals only to bow out at the hands of Liverpool on each occasion thanks to Luis Garcia's 'ghost goal' and a penalty shoot-out loss. It's been 10 years since that 2-0 victory at Bolton. Joe Wright - Manchester United 2006-2009 Mourinho raised the bar with Chelsea between 2004 and 2006. Alex Ferguson went one better, with the finest United team he assembled. They weren't treble-winners, but they conquered England, Europe and the world. Three league titles 2006-07 to 2008-09, an EFL Cup, a Champions League and a Club World Cup speak volumes about the strength of this squad. The defence, in front of Edwin van der Sar, was the greatest Ferguson ever had. Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick controlled midfield; Owen Hargreaves did the rest. Ahead of them, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo were dazzlingly ruthless. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for #mufc when the Reds beat Stoke City at Old Trafford in 2008.  https://t.co/xqiTVrdVcX Jamie Smith - Manchester City 2017-2019 European success still eludes Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium but, judged solely on domestic performances over the last two years, City are the finest team of the Premier League era. Their points totals say it all. City obliterated the competition in becoming the first team to reach 100 points last term and they almost matched that haul despite the phenomenal pressure exerted on them by Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, winning 14 games in a row to retain the title. The domestic treble had never been done by a men's team in England before and while Arsenal's Invincibles were an amazing side, they were not quite the relentless winning machine built by Guardiola.

🏆 Campeones 🏆 Muy emocionado y feliz por obtener otro título con este gran club y en la liga más competitiva del mundo. Lo hicimos todos juntos: el equipo, cuerpo técnico, dirigentes y empleados y nuestra gran afición. Gracias a todos y vamos por más!! 💪🏽 🤟🏽 pic.twitter.com/JrtRvbW0Jk

— Sergio Kun Aguero (@aguerosergiokun) May 12, 2019

MANCHESTER CITY'S UNSUNG HEROES

In a season unforgiving of any slip-up, City might have been nursing a defeat in just their third Premier League match after Willy Boly – offside and handball claims, be damned – bundled Wolves ahead at a fervent Molineux. Aymeric Laporte has been a tower of elegant defensive strength for Guardiola this term, although his contributions at the other end have also been vital.

He powered in Ilkay Gundogan's free-kick to earn a 1-1 draw and the Frenchman's five goals in all competitions came away from home – a breakthrough at Everton in January every bit as important as when he gave City the lead at Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend.

Injuries to Kevin De Bruyne meant Bernardo Silva became fundamental, excelling both in central midfield and on the right of attack. "Bernardo and 10 more" became a repeated Guardiola mantra, and the Portugal playmaker impressed just as much through tireless energy levels as with his velvet-footed creativity

Stones, Aguero and Leroy Sane provided the highlight reel moments in the win over Liverpool but three points would probably not have been achieved without Silva covering a scarcely credible 13.7 kilometres. Such lung-bursting efforts were a frequent feature and it is hard to think of a player in world football right now more attuned to Guardiola's demands than his first name on the teamsheet.

It should be noted City's cup draws plotted relative paths of least resistance towards Wembley, although last season's FA Cup fifth-round loss to Wigan Athletic showed pitfalls can linger anywhere, even for English football's finely honed elite.

On an enjoyably wretched playing surface at Newport County, Ederson made a stunning save from Tyreeq Bakinson's back-post header with the game goalless. A 4-1 triumph booked a return to Wales at Swansea City, where one of City's worst displays of the season saw them deservedly 2-0 down at half-time.

Silva rifled in a brilliant finish to reduce the arrears before Aguero benefited from a penalty ricocheting in off Kristoffer Nordfeldt and a generous offside call. On a day when the treble bid lay in tatters, Guardiola's men had misplaced their poise but showed their mettle.

THE GUARDIOLA'S EFFECT

Ever since taking charge of Manchester City, the kind of influence that Pep Guardiola has had on the team has been incredible. Over the course of Guardiola's tenure, he has managed to implement his footballing philosophy. More importantly, the players have also bought into his methods and the results are plain to see.

Under the Spaniard's stewardship, City have claimed two Premier League titles in succession and have done so by playing a sparkling brand of football. With close to 200 goals in the last two domestic seasons, City's attacking play has been a joy be behold.

One of the highlights of City's attacking play is that they refuse to change their style regardless of their opposition and more often than not, their performances vindicate their incredible self-belief. And these qualities are precisely what has helped City establish themselves as the gold standard in the Premier League.

For all their domestic dominance since Guardiola took charge, Manchester City have not been able to establish themselves as a force to reckon with in Europe. In fact, just when they seemed set to end their European hoodoo this season, Tottenham Hotspur produced one of the greatest upsets in the history of the UEFA Champions League to end City’s dream.

However, given the way City have been playing under Guardiola, it is certainly only a matter of time before they manage to get their hands on the Champions League trophy and one can be rest assured that they will not stop until they achieve this goal.

Though they currently face the prospect of being suspended from the Champions League for flouting financial fair play rules, if that does not happen, they will certainly be one of the contenders for the trophy next season and are certainly a team every side in Europe fear.