Football has always had teams that have dominated and that is true in England, Spain and leagues all over the world. In the first nine years of the Football League, beginning in 1888/89, just four teams won the title, whilst by 1902, Aston Villa had won the newly formed league five times and Sunderland had triumphed on four occasions.
Of course dominance elsewhere has been even more pronounced, with Real Madrid’s 15* Champions League titles as many as Man United, Chelsea, Juventus, Inter Milan and Barcelona combined. In Scotland, both Celtic and Rangers have won the title nine times in a row, whilst Juventus have done the same in Italy. In Germany, Bayern Munich have been even more formidable. Until Harry Kane and his magic anti-trophy powers came along, the Bavarian giants had won 11 Bundesliga titles in succession!
That might make what Manchester City have achieved in recent years look a little tame by comparison. However, in English football terms, we haven’t really seen anything like the current City juggernaut before. Of course, Pep Guardiola and the Man City bosses prior to him have spent a lot of money, but we are not going to get into the debate about the rights and wrongs of that, and we certainly don’t want to assert any charges of financial doping. Instead, we are just going to detail the brilliance we have seen over the seven seasons from 2017/18 until 2023/24.
*Note that all stats are correct as of the end of the 2023/24 season.
Super City Seal Six from Seven
Transforming Manchester City from “noisy neighbours”, as then-Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson called them, into the best team in the world, was not a fast process. The Cityzens finished 14th in 2007, improved to ninth and then 10th, and then had a breakthrough, finishing fifth in 2009/10. The following year they finished third, whilst in 2011/12 they won their first-ever Premier League title.
Over the next three seasons they finished second, first, then second, but dropped off a little to finish fourth in 2015/16 and third the following year, their first under Guardiola. However, since then, as we can see, City have been almost entirely dominant in the Premier League.
| Season | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 1 | 100 |
| 218/19 | 1 | 98 |
| 2019/20 | 2 | 81 |
| 2020/21 | 1 | 86 |
| 2021/22 | 1 | 93 |
| 2022/23 | 1 | 89 |
| 2023/24 | 1 | 91 |
During the past seven seasons, therefore, they have finished top of the pile six times and came second the only time they failed to do so. In that period, as well as those six PL trophies, they also won the Champions League, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Community Shield twice, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Not bad Pep, not bad.
First Title Under Pep and Possibly the Best
Since City really hit their stride under Pep they have accumulated points like no other team in the entire history of the top tier of English football. They have amassed 90 points or more on four occasions, with Man United managing that feat just twice in a 38-game PL campaign. However, arguably their very best season came in 2017/18 and brought Guardiola’s first English league title.
Their incredible 100-point haul is the most any side has ever won in a Premier League campaign. They lost just twice in 2017/18 and only dropped further points via four draws. They scored a mammoth 106 league goals, conceding only 27 to end with a record goal difference of +79. They finished fully 19 points clear of their city neighbours Man United, who were runners-up, whilst Pep’s “Centurions” also won the League Cup that year for good measure.
Mini Quadruple and Almost Another Century
12 months on City became the first team to win a domestic quadruple in English football as they sauntered to the Premier League once again, retained their League Cup and added the FA Cup and Community Shield too. In the league they fell just shy of 100 points once again, registering 98 and again winning 32 of their 38 matches.
Sergio Aguero’s 32 goals in all competitions were key as City were totally dominant on the home front. In the PL they lost just four times and improved their defensive record, only conceding 23.
Reds Too Strong in Disrupted 2019/20 Season
During this period Man City and Liverpool were pushing each other to new heights but in a season affected by the global health issues of the time it was the Reds that came out on top. The campaign did not finish until late July but the Kop outfit’s 99 points was far too good for a strangely lacklustre City, who won “just” 81 to finish second. The Cityzens did at least once again win the League Cup though.
Four in a Row (and Counting) Sequence Begins
That relatively poor showing was proven to be a blip, and possibly inspired the amazing sequence that followed. City have won the league every year since then, becoming the first team in English football to win the title four years in a row. They have done it in real style too, playing brilliant football and tending to dominate almost every game they have played.
2020/21
City won the title back with real ease as almost all the other clubs, including Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, stumbled. It was Man United who finished second, with 74 points, 12 fewer than City. Pep’s men won 27 games, losing six times.
2021/22
Man City defended their title but this was a much closer affair, with Liverpool back to their best. A brilliant title race was edged by City, who ended with 93 points, one more than Klopp’s men. Both were prolific, the eventual champions managing 99 goals and Liverpool 94. Three of City’s goals came in the very last 15 minutes of the season, turning a 2-0 deficit against Aston Villa that was set to hand Liverpool the title into an incredible 3-2 win at the Etihad.
2022/23
Man City have many seasons vying for the title of “best ever” but this has to be right up there. They won the title with 89 points, five more than Arsenal, who led the way for much of the campaign until a late stumble and a relentless winning sequence from City. However, the fact that Pep’s men added the Champions League and the FA Cup is what made 2022/23 so special. They emulated the treble Man United managed back in 1998/99, an astonishing feat.
2023/24
Man City’s latest title victory was a history maker, as noted, their four in a row a unique achievement. 28 wins and just three defeats saw them amass another 90+ points (91), and again it was Arsenal who had to settle for the silver medal. They ended with nine straight wins to claim the title by two points on the final day.