The Next Invincibles? Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City Are Capable Of Matching Arsenal’s Incredible Feat
Arsenal scripted their name into history books when they went unbeaten for an entire season in the 2003-04 campaign. Famously dubbed as ‘Invincibles’, the club reached the pinnacle of success that no other Premier League team has been able to replicate since. However, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City appear to be on the verge of reaching that level – and perhaps even bettering it.
First off, they arguably have the best team in the Premier League this season. Be it the attack or the defence – or even the midfield, City are excelling and out-playing their opponents on all fronts. Their attack is filled with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and David Silva. In the middle of the park, they have the services of Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho, who just keep improving as days go by. At the back, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi, Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph continue to be rocks for City.
However, as we have all seen before, merely having a good team is not enough to achieve greatness. This is where Pep Guardiola’s tactical magic comes in. The Spaniard is earning quite a reputation in England for concocting tactics that seem to get the best out of his team, day in and day out. He knows when to attack, when to defend and he also knows how to effectively communicate the same with his team.
Moreover, it is not just his tactics that are doing wonders for City. Guardiola’s impact on the players has been truly interesting to watch. Players like John Stones, Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling were reeling under pressure which rendered them unable to put in their best performances. And yet, Guardiola has applied the right amount of aggression to extract the best out of the City players and now they are repaying his trust in dividends.
Wenger’s team back then had modern-day legends like Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg. City, however, have players who are on the path to achieve the same – especially when it comes to their attackers. The only area that could either make or break their campaign is the defence. As of now, City are defensively strong but they are also conceding quite a number of goals. They have been heavily reliant on their attack so far but what if their key players pick up injuries in the upcoming months?
That said, we all saw how the club performed splendidly even when Aguero was sidelined after that fateful car accident about a month ago. It may be too soon to comment on whether City can match Arsenal’s historic achievement but they are certainly capable of doing so.
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