Manchester City, for coming up to the last decade or so, have been the dominant force in English football. They’ve won everything there is to win, including six Premier League titles since the 2017/18 season, FA Cups, Carabao Cups, and the Champions League. In 2025/26, they’ve already bagged the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, but will that be deemed success if they miss out on the Premier League title?
The Treble Is Still Possible
The first thing to note is that, at the time of writing, Manchester City could still end the season with a domestic treble to their name. While the best football betting odds may have Arsenal installed as the likely Premier League winners thanks to their two-point advantage, all hope is not lost, with City understandably buoyant after winning the FA Cup against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium at the weekend.
At this point, all City can do is take care of business. They have to take maximum points from their remaining fixtures and hope that Arsenal slip up in the games they have to play. City’s recent slip-up against Everton was undoubtedly a disappointment. Still, they’ve been in great form since January and have now collected both domestic trophies, reinforcing their status as winners.
Winning Trophies Is Success
Of course, if City were to end the 2025/26 campaign as runners-up in the Premier League, it would be a huge blow. This will especially be the case after looking out of the race at one stage when Arsenal held a significant points advantage, to fight their way back into contention, and then not to see the job through. However, Pep Guardiola may point to the excellent form his team have shown in the league since defeating Wolves at the Etihad on January 24th, not to mention his excellent Premier League stats.
If they don’t win the title, collecting the two domestic trophies, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, shows this is a City team that is starting to show what they’re capable of as a group following a disappointing 2024/25 campaign. City fans have also had the opportunity to watch their team be successful twice at Wembley, adding more silverware to the trophy cabinet.
Could This Be City 2.0?
As mentioned, the 2024/25 season was somewhat of a wake-up call for City. They finished third in the league, thirteen points adrift of title winners Liverpool. They were disappointing in the Champions League and the Carabao Cup, and lost to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. Apart from winning the Community Shield on penalties, it was a trophyless season, and there were concerns for the future.
The 2025/26 season has been a bit of a transitional period, with new players arriving in both the summer and winter windows. However, even though the squad is in transition, City have won the two cups, and they’re still very much in the title race. Being able to win trophies when trying to rebuild and refresh is a positive sign. It could be City 2.0 taking shape.
Conclusion
Winning the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup is certainly something to cheer for, especially when you consider where City have been for the last 12-18 months. Losing out in the title race will be a disappointment, with the Everton slip-up likely to be pointed to, but all wouldn’t be lost, as the winning machine looks to have kicked back into gear again.
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