The outside world discussed a potential treble last year long before the Manchester City manager did, and then his team turned it into a reality. Guardiola did not spend his time musing about a double treble this year. He has a tendency instead to talk up his rivals: one of them, Real Madrid, eliminated City from the Champions League. Another, Arsenal, still lead the Premier League in the final week of the season.
Yet now Guardiola has his eyes on a prize. Not merely the Premier League trophy, either, or the prospect of back-to-back domestic doubles. A manager who has won more in 15 seasons in the dugout than many a storied club has done in well over a century has certain standout feats. Ones that have eluded great teams and managers, ones he is confident will stand the test of time.
Last season’s treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League was only the second ever recorded, following Manchester United in 1999. City’s triple-figure campaign in 2017/18 – England’s first, and so far only, centurions in terms of top-flight points – was another rare accomplishment. A third could beckon. There have been hattricks by champions, sides winning the English title three years in a row, whether Huddersfield in the 1920s or United in the 2000s. No one has ever turned it into a quartet, finishing at the summit in four consecutive campaigns.
Esta historia es de la edición May 14, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May 14, 2024 de The Independent.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Taylor's less-than-Swift gigs will test the patience of fans
The star is giving Springsteen a Born-to-Run for his money as her three-hour show hits the UK
'They just don't make $6m indie-type films any more'
Director Richard Linklater talks to Patrick Smith about the fascination behind his film 'Hit Man', the 'reduction of the male', and why 'Dazed and Confused' wouldn't happen now
Why group holidays are not just for boozed-up teens
Olivia Petter recommends taking a trip away with friends as a thirtysomething... as long as you carve out some alone time
A game of two fly-halves
Bath and Northants will clash in Premiership decider today
Alcaraz slogs it out to beat Sinner in four-hour epic
Young Spaniard will meet Zverev in French Open final
How the new Steve Jobs used AI to amass $100bn
Jen-hsun Huang - founder and chief of Nvidia - has achieved god-like status with investors hanging on his every word and his company valued at $3 trillion,
Billionaire Issa brothers end their partnership with Asda
Union says deal with ‘asset stripping' equity firm is bad news
Modi sets out his mandate to form a new government
Narendra Modi was formally elected yesterday as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition, setting the stage for his third term as prime minister of India. While Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell well short of the majority mark of 272 seats, winning only 240 seats in its own right, the NDA coalition together won 293 seats, some 61 ahead of the opposition INDIA alliance led by the Congress party.
Body count rises as Israeli tanks go deeper into Rafah
Israel has bombarded swathes of central and southern Gaza, while tanks have advanced to the western edges of the border city. In its latest update, the Israeli military said it had killed \"dozens\" of Hamas militants during operations in al-Bureij refugee camp and the nearby city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Palestinian medics in the area reported that at least 15 civilians had been killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes.
EU voters close to Russia crave one thing above all
Mary Dejevsky travels to Finland, the Baltic states and Poland, where the issue of security is on everyone's mind