After Sunday’s superb cup final victory against Arsenal at Wembley, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City turn their attention back to the Premier League as they look to secure what would be a third title in seven years. With the FA Cup dream all but over after their surprise defeat to Wigan, a treble could be on for Guardiola’s men.
The big question at the moment is: Can Manchester City win the Champions League this season? At the start of the season, many pundits and experts were predicting Manchester City to win the title and either the FA or Carabao Cup, but after such a magnificent start to the Citizen’s campaign, the Champions League is now a realistic possibility.
What it will come down to is whether or not City can replicate this type of form against the biggest European clubs: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus. In the Premier League, City have excelled against the other top six clubs and have opened up a 13 point lead over nearest rivals Manchester United. The quality and style that Guardiola has integrated is now being rewarded with great success and a large quantity of goals.
With one out of Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain set to drop out of the Champions League, City have a massive chance of winning the biggest European competition and join a select list of English clubs to have won it. The key players that will be needed for this major task include the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Fernandinho, and Raheem Sterling. These players have stepped up when it mattered most for City and they will be significant going into the latter stages of the competition.
I personally believe we can win the Champions League, but it will come down to whether or not we can match the experience that other sides possess in the final with our ability to out-perform and out-manoeuvre each opponent we face. The final will be a massive step forwards for the club, but at this moment in time, I feel we are not ready to win the Champions League. Not until we have beaten one of the best teams in Europe.
