Foden magic, Gundogan’s goals, Dias in defence and smashing Chelsea – how Man City won the Premier League title

MANCHESTER CITY are top of the Peps – again.

After finishing 18 points behind Liverpool a year ago, Pep Guardiola has ensured his scintillating side are back at No1 in the Premier League charts.

If there were any prior doubts on whether the Spaniard will go down as one of the Prem’s greatest, then that debate has been emphatically quashed.

Tactical masterclasses, such as letting Joao Cancelo thrive in an attacking role, have bamboozled opponents on many an occasion.

But a number of notable superstars have emerged from the backing band to ensure a third league title in four years.

Here’s the key cogs in the machine that saw City triumph with room to spare this season.

Gundogan’s goals

A handful of Man City players could stake their claims to become the Player of the Year.

Ilkay Gundogan is firmly in the running after a goalscoring season with 12 league strikes – having bagged just 15 total in the previous four years.

With Sergio Aguero sidelined for the majority of the season, the Germany international has been deployed as a false nine at times.

It has proven to be a tactical masterclass that included a run of 11 goals in 12 matches.

Foden’s magic

Guardiola was criticised for keeping Phil Foden on a leash last season, limiting him to just nine starts.

With David Silva leaving in the summer, the 20-year-old academy graduate has filled those dancing shoes with a string of performances beyond his years.

Seven goals and five assists in 25 league appearances prove why City and England have a superstar on their hands.

Foden appears to be improving by the game, and, similarly to the likes of Eden Hazard, he has that rare low centre of gravity that makes it remarkably difficult for players to defend against.

Dias the destroyer

Guardiola has been questioned – and rightly so – for splashing out millions on multiple defenders during his tenure at Man City.

Finally, he has filled the void left by Vincent Kompany, plucking out a true gem from Benfica.

On September 27, Man City were ripped apart at home in a 5-2 defeat by Leicester.

Ruben Dias would make his debut the following week and City have conceded just 19 goals in the 29 games since.

Brilliantly commanding, the Portuguese international, 23, has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water.

And in a double bonus, his presence has got the best out of John Stones with the duo forging a prolific partnership at the back.

Saints’ march stopped

Just before Christmas, Man City had pulled off the perfect away performance with a narrow 1-0 win over in-form Southampton.

Raheem Sterling bagged an early goal and City held on for all three points after back-to-back draws.

The win told half the story – with City struggling with a Covid outbreak that forced them to shut down the club over the festive period and postpone a game against Everton nine days later.

Guardiola would later describe this victory as the ‘second most important win’ of the season.

Fernandinho’s crisis talk

On New Year’s Day, club captain Fernandinho led a crisis meeting between the players.

Pep had moaned to the veteran Brazilian about the mood in the camp after a poor training session on December 31.

Fernandinho, 36, said: “I’m usually not a guy who makes big speeches, but a few months ago I really had no choice.

“It was not a good session. The attitude, the body language, the effort from some players, it was just obvious: misplaced passes, players not tracking back, not running, not looking interested.

“This was not us. This was not the team that had won two titles in a row, or that had set a record points total.

“Pep told me that not everyone was at 100 per cent. And, in this team, when you come to train, you do it at 100 per cent, or you stay home. Once you enter the pitch, there is no conversation, no negotiation.

“He was right. And he made it clear that the responsibility for keeping those standards rested with me.”

He added: “It was an emergency. Once we got everyone together, I spoke openly to them. I spoke as captain.

“I told them what Pep had told me, that some things are inexcusable. I told them that what you do in training reflects back at you later on in the game.

“It was very frank, very honest. After me, all the others spoke their minds too. Everyone already knew we needed to change, but we needed to hear it said. We needed to be shaken. And it was important that we talked.”

In the next match City utterly dominated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge…

‘Anything is possible’

That was the quote from Guardiola after they had brushed Chelsea aside with a crucial 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge.

City were at their imperious best, with Gundogan, Foden and Kevin De Bruyne scoring within 18 first half minutes.

City went into the game with injuries and several players affected by Covid, but turned up to produce one of their best performances of the season.

While the match was only back in January, incredibly the victory only moved Man City up to fifth in the table at the time.

And Guardiola admitted it was this result that made his squad belief anything was possible this season – and they went on to prove it was.

He said: “At Stamford Bridge, with just 14 players available, injuries and Covid, that was the moment we believed we could do it.

“That was one of the three moments earlier in the season that helped us stay there – but the Chelsea win helped us think we can do it.”

Since then, City have been unstoppable, winning 31 of 34 games in all competitions to leave them just one Champions League final away from winning three trophies.

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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk