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Are Pep Guardiola's Manchester City the best team in Premier League history?

:Headline: Are Pep Guardiola's Manchester City the best team in Premier League history?:
The Sports Mole team discuss whether Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side are the greatest in Premier League history after winning their fourth title in five seasons.
Sports Mole

Manchester City claimed their fourth Premier League title in five seasons on Sunday, once again holding off a fierce challenge from Liverpool to win the title by one point.

It could hardly have happened in more tumultuous circumstances either, with Man City at one point looking as though they might throw the title away when they fell 2-0 down against Aston Villa.

However, three goals in an incredible five-minute spell saw Pep Guardiola's men turn things around, reasserting their dominance of the English game under the Spaniard.

Guardiola himself likened his side's recent success to that of Sir Alex Ferguson under Manchester United, and the sustained levels of excellence from the Citizens have seen them force their way into conversations about the greatest teams in the competition's history.

Here, the Sports Mole team discusses whether or not Guardiola's side deserve to be regarded as the best the Premier League has ever seen.


Barney Corkhill, Editor

The dynastic nature of Manchester United's dominance under Ferguson may never be repeated - so much domestic success under the same manager for such a prolonged period - but he moulded three or four top teams in that period, and I doubt whether any of them would have been a match for this Man City side.

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea and a couple of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal sides also deserve to be in the conversation - as do Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool despite their relative lack of Premier League trophies - but I do not think we have ever seen such a high level of performance season after season as we have with Man City under Guardiola.

Over the past five campaigns, Man City have averaged a staggering 91.6 points, scored an average of 97 goals and conceded an average of just 28.6 goals per season - incredible numbers the like of which we have never seen over a five-year spell.

During that time they have produced some of the greatest individuals seasons ever, including an unprecedented 100-point campaign in 2017-18 and a 98-point campaign the following season, when they won everything but the Champions League.

Then there are the more intangible measures of Man City's greatness; their relentless and irrepressible style of play, their incredible work ethic and their never-say-die attitude has lifted them above just about every other team in world football right now, Liverpool being the only rivals in each category.

To have been 2-0 down in their last two games of the season yet still come back to take a title-winning four points from those games is quite remarkable and, while their mentality has been questioned on the European stage during that time, when it comes to the Premier League I think that they are better than anything we have ever seen before.

The worrying thing for all of their rivals is that they show no signs of letting up either, and with Erling Braut Haaland joining next season, they are only likely to get better.


Oliver Thomas, Reporter

To win four Premier League titles in five seasons is truly remarkable. After coming away from his first season at the helm without a trophy, Pep Guardiola has since used all the tools at his disposal to create his team, playing his way, and considering the dominance they have had, it would be foolish to not consider this relentless Manchester City team as the greatest in Premier League history.

Not only has Guardiola recruited great players but he has since helped them grow to become even better, and that alone is the sign of a fantastic coach. City's squad has so much depth and so much quality in every position which has enabled them to compete at such a high level.

Aside from maybe Kevin De Bruyne, City have no individual player whom they heavily rely on or regard as the main player in their side. Their success has been a team effort. The goals have been shared around with four, five or six players chipping in with at least 10 strikes every season, while Ederson has now claimed his third successive Golden Glove award, emphasising the resilience City have shown defensively on a consistent basis.

Man City have dominated English football in the Guardiola era, breaking a plethora of records in the process, including their memorable 100-point haul in 2017-18.

Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho all coached impressive teams in the Premier League era, but considering how City have conquered in a league which has seen the competition significantly improve in recent years, their success trumps them all. This Man City team, in my opinion, are the greatest in Premier League history.


Joel Lefevre, Reporter

I believe Man City are the best club in the world over the last few seasons given what they have been able to achieve. Four Premier League titles in the past five seasons is remarkable, particularly nowadays with how rarely you see dynasties in sport.

Yes, the Champions League has eluded them to date, however I believe the Premier League is the toughest club trophy to win; the competition in the top flight is much stronger than you would see in the group stage and even the last 16 of the Champions League.

Pep Guardiola and City have incredible resilience and they never blink when put under pressure from other teams. Yes, there is no number nine, but truthfully there is virtually no weakness on this team and they handle pressure as good as anyone, while their depth - plus the number of different players who have been heroes for them - is impressive.


Marvelous Adepoju, Reporter

I think they are. Despite all of their struggles in Europe, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City sides have been a level above the rest domestically.

Four league titles in five years is an impressive achievement especially considering that fact that they have gone up against Jurgen Klopp's irrepressible Liverpool side, who now boast the two best ever second-place finishes in Premier League history.


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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
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