ClapAs Manchester City picked up a historic 6-0 win in the FA Cup final against Watford to become the first team in history to win the domestic treble, many on social media came back with the argument that they essentially ‘bought’ success. With Financial Fairplay allegations currently ongoing for the club, it is certainly very easy to say that today.
But as much as City have had the backing of insane amount of money ever since the Etihad ownership came in, it has never only been just about the cash inflow. It is only a part of their success, but not the big reason for it.
An example from across the city presents as example. Manchester United currently boast of being the second richest club in the world behind Real Madrid. They were top of the pile in that regard last season. And while they too have spent a lot ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, the way the club is run has helped them witness a demise from the glory days. With fans unhappy about how the club lacks a plan and direction, they would rather have their club run the way Manchester City are.
Paris Saint-Germain present another example. A club that has been deficient of European success- the real purpose of them having a Qatari ownership, they have been operating in a planless way to get there. It is a case of hitting the reset button after every two seasons and spending money in an almost hysterical way. There is no long-term project or plan in place that they can work on.
For City, there is a blueprint in place that the club can look at and work along the lines of. Pep Guardiola has brought a footballing philosophy to the plate that the club can look at in the long term and believe in it blindly. They know the way and route forward and have the driver to drive the car forward. The board believe in the project and give him the petrol he wants to go in that route.
When they won the FA Cup on Saturday, it was another milestone for success for an ideology that may not have been successful without the backing of money, but may not have been born without the long-term project that the club has in mind. It is a one that makes a manager believe in work to positively contributing towards the club’s success.
And when you have a manager like Guardiola himself, you know it will go down well. He will always strive for perfection and will always his players to improve, no matter what. He was seen giving Raheem Sterling a ‘Pep’ talk during trophy celebrations and that is the hallmark of a man who doesn’t like anything below a success. He can’t tolerate a loss. And he wants everything to be perfect.
That is what he has made of Manchester City. They’re a perfect team. They are what clubs like United and PSG would aspire to be. Perhaps, David Moyes was right when he said in a press conference during his tenure as United boss.
“Man United should aspire to be like Man City”
