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To hit a quadruple, a team has to bag four titles namely, the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the UEFA Champions League (UCL). No team in English history has ever won a quadruple. Manchester United in 1998-99 season won treble by winning the Premier League, the UCL and the FA Cup. In this season the arch rivals of United, Manchester City, are aiming for a quadruple. If this were to happen, it would be a miracle in the history of not just the English Football, but also World Football.
Unlike other European countries like France, Spain, Italy and Germany, England has three domestic competitions including Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup along with Continental championship UEFA Champions League. But this makes the competition more intense. During the months of January, February and March, the teams have to play three matches a week. This sets up the stage for increased fatigue and chances of injuries. This is the main reason why the English teams have never won the quadruple.
But in this season City have a great chance for a quadruple. The main reasons are
1) Squad depth
2) Current form
3) Pep as their coach
Let's look at how each of these factors play out.
Squad Depth:
Manchester City is the team with top players as a backup.
To ace goalkeeping, they have Ederson Moraes, Claudio Bravo and A Muric, who is the Kosovan sensation. In the center-back position, they have Stones, Laporte, Kompany, Ottamendi, Mangala. Mendy who missed most of the season last year is back in the left-back alongside Fabian Delph. Kyle Walker and Danilo will be playing in the right-back. In the midfield, Fernandinho, Gundogan, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Zinchenko and Phil Foden will prove their mettle. Wing is being covered by L Sane, B Silva, Sterling and Mehrez. The strikers are Jesus and Aguero.
With more than a player backing up every possible position, this team has the potential to be the strongest in the field as well as the bench.
Current form
In this season, City has already won FA Community Shield by beating Chelsea. So far in the Premier League, they have won 3 matches and played out a draw in four matches and gained 10 points, which is quite similar to their title run last year. In these four matches, City played in four different formations with different playing eleven. This shows their bench strength. Out of these four matches, City made 91 shots in total and 36 of them were on target.
In the continental championship, UEFA Champions League, City are grouped with Lyon (France), Hoffenheim (Germany), Shakhtar (Ukraine) in the Group Stage. City has never won Champions League, but the current form and bench strength along with coach Pep Guardiola makes them the favourite in the competition.
In Carabao Cup, City are the defending champions. City will face Oxford United FC in the third round of the cup on 26th September. FA Cup fixture is not yet released. City will join in the third round of the competition.
Pep as Coach
The cherry on top of the cake in City’s hope for a quadruple is Pep Guardiola. During his period with Barca in the 2008-09 season, he won treble which was first in their history. In the 2009 calendar year alone, Barca won 6 titles. In the last season, he broke all the major records in the Premier League.
Challenges
Occurrence of injuries
As of now players like Bravo, Mangela, Danilo and Kevin De Bruyne are suffering from injuries. Reports suggest that Danilo will be back soon by mid-September.
But the injury of Kevin De Bruyne will affect City’s title run. City’s tactics to level the gaping hole caused by the absence of De Bruyne will be crucial in determining their fate now. Last year, City had a similar situation when Mendy was out for nearly the entire season. Stones, Jesus and Foden are also troubled by injuries.
Continuous Matchdays
The high frequency of matches has the potential to stretch out even a team such as this. The team will have to overcome the hurdle of a tight schedule in order to reach the highest pinnacle.
Challenges from Chelsea and Liverpool in Premier League
Both the teams have started the season perfectly, having won all the matches so far. Chelsea seems to have gotten stronger in this season when compared to their last, thanks to their new coach Maurizio Sarri. Liverpool, on the other hand, have built force upon the arrival of Alisson and Naby Keita.
Champions League
Coming to UCL, City will have to overcome challenges from Barcelona, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Juventus and PSG.
City has never won a Champions League trophy. Pep, as a coach, has set new records throughout his career. Despite heavy criticism that he had been unable to continue his record-breaking streak in England. He succeeded in shutting down critics by setting yet another record of 100 points in Premier League. The world awaits eagerly to see if he will be able to continue his run by leading City to a quadruple.
