Did Manchester City deserve to win the Premier League?

'I love football. What a game'- a tweet from Dan Walker while watching Manchester City vs Liverpool, 3 January 2019

Far back in August, 'Absolute Shambles' put their reputation as a leading Internet power by writing down predictions for the 2018/19 Premier League season. Slightly off in some regards, such as saying Harry Kane would win the Golden Boot and Kevin de Bruyne being Player of the Season, but spot on regarding the top 2 being Manchester City and Liverpool and José Mourinho having a 'third season meltdown'. That tips the balance, surely? We could sit here all day and laugh at how off the August predictions were (who would have thought that Wolves would finish 7th?!), but time is precious and we are busy people. Instead, let's start with the obvious; what a bloody season, and many congratulations to Manchester City on retaining the title.

The dynasty has begun (BBC Sport)

Once again, the Premier League declared itself to be the greatest source of league football entertainment in the world. So many twists and turns that left fans in euphoria as their team soared beyond the realms of footballing greatness, or were left to weep as their icons were dismantled before their very eyes. We had Unai Emery's first North London Derby (Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham) as Arsenal manager, which had 6 goals, 2 penalties and a red card in a game that can be declared the best of the season. Vincent Kompany scored an absolute screamer against Leicester to give City the oomph they needed to outdo Liverpool, with Mohamed Salah once again showing his prowess with a belter against Chelsea. Virgil van Dijk secured the honour of being the best in the league, triumphing over Raheem Sterling, who obviously had a slightly average World Cup just to save himself for the new league season. Oh, and Wolves beat all four of the English finalists in the major European competitions- fucking love Wolves.

Champions in the making (Getty Images)

Right, there we go, review over. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here...

Only joking, there's much to cover, but rather than launching into a thorough examination of every Premier League nook and cranny it would be better to focus on one point. Yes, we could open numerous discussions, such as:

• The fates of the three relegated souls of Huddersfield, Fulham and Cardiff
• How the other four members of the 'big 6' (Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal and United) kept bottling their chances to seize on the faults of others
• The real winners of the big awards, such as POTY (thought Bernardo Silva was a God this season, but Virgil deserved it) or Manager of the Season (Mr Pochettino, IMHO)   
• Why Wolves will obviously win the treble soon; watch this space

The question today is a simple one. Did Manchester City deserve to edge out Liverpool for the title? Is Josep Guardiola's latest addition to his trophy cabinet a perfect example of his managerial might, or was it time for Jürgen Klopp to end the jokes and deliver Liverpool's first title since 1990? It's a question that will surely stump modern day philosophers for years to come, and has this humble blogger quite perplexed. Well, let's give this a crack anyway!

Legends (PA)

First, it was always going to be these two fighting for glory. With City chasing a domestic treble and Liverpool seeking their 6th European title, there is no doubt that these are the best teams in the Premier League. Throughout the season, they have consistently delivered a footballing masterclass that gives us some marvellous stats:

• Points: Manchester City 98, Liverpool 97
• Goal Difference: Manchester City 72 (95 For, 23 Against), Liverpool 67 (89 For, 22 Against)
• An overwhelming majority of City and Liverpool players being in Teams of the Year (Google it)
• Liverpool's Salah and Sadio Mané share the Golden Boot with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, each with 22 goals
• City won 32 games this season, equalling their own record set last season

97 points would have won the Premier League in any other season, but the fact that City still beat that total demonstrates the strength of these two sides. Liverpool were only beaten once in the league (a 2-1 defeat to City on 3 January), as both teams only dropped 33 points between them. To put it in perspective, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester United surrendered 27 points in the last two weeks of April. Seriously, did anyone really want to finish in the top 4?

'So it's agreed: we save our best form for the Europa League' (Getty Images)

Sadly, somebody had to win, which could be quite a shock to you if you are still influenced by the lie that 'everyone's a winner'. Those Sport Days in primary school were fun, but it's all bullshit; people must fail or succeed, get over it. This time around, City's 4-1 beating of Brighton gave them the points they needed to trump Liverpool's 2-0 win against the marvellous Wolves, as well as giving the powers that be at Brighton the evidence to show manager Chris Houghton the door. Managing a football team is a vicious game, but the likes of Guardiola and Klopp have thrived in this climate of spontaneous sackings and incredibly difficult standards of what constitutes a 'successful' season. Both have won titles, but Pep has a trophy cabinet that is surely a target for any sleuthy cat burglar out there. 26 honours to his name across 3 teams (City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich), compared to Klopp's 5 at Borussia Dortmund. Both are aware of title triumphs, but winning is second nature to Guardiola; when the stakes are high, his track record would give him and his team the edge over any challenger.

Bow before Pep (Getty Images)

Pep has a history of winning, but Manchester City have had a slightly mixed run of events. Once upon a time, Manchester United ruled over all as Sir Alex Ferguson stamped his authority on English football. While the red half of Manchester basked in glory, the blue half had to deal with not just the jibes of their fierce rivals but also the plain fact that they weren't very good. They have been relegated from the Premier League twice, only achieving stability once cash was pumped into the club. It was both beautiful and hilarious to see Sergio Agüero navigate his way through the QPR defence to secure their first Premier League title in 2012, but it was the moment that brought disturbance to the Force. Money talks in football, plain to see by the fact that Riyad Mahrez was brought in for £60 just because City had some spare change lying about. Having already buffed up their defence with a budget equivalent to the national defence spending of a Balkan nation, it seemed that City had bought themselves yet another trophy.

Whoopsie (Getty Images)

Liverpool, on the other hand, are a club steeped in history. 18 First Division titles, 7 FA Cups and 5 European Cups have been won by legends such as Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and John Barnes. Anfield is a sight to behold when Liverpool are at home, with 'You'll Never Walk Alone' being sung in unison as flags and banners are waved by die-hard fans. It's an atmosphere that will always beat City's monotone and bland chants (this is coming from an Arsenal fan, by the way), especially when there are days that they struggle to fill the Etihad. Klopp has been building this team since 2015, knowing full well that the hard times would all be worth it. Indeed, the fact that James Milner and Jordan Henderson are regular starters for Liverpool show that loyalty and dedication are the traits that Liverpool thrive on. Yes, Virgil van Dijk came in for £75 million, but if you're willing to spend that much on a defender, imagine the potential sums of signing a midfielder or a forward. To sum it up, Liverpool deserved the title as they are a club built on history.

Got to stay up late to watch the game- thanks Mum (Getty Images)

Having Klopp at the helm was a stunning steal by Liverpool after Brendan Rodgers' contract as manager was terminated and his glowing reputation was ruined (come on, look at the comments he comes up with make). Jürgen is aware of the monumental task of cutting the gap between the best and the rest during his time at Borussia Dortmund, in which they won back to back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012 to stop the dominance of Guardiola's Bayern Munich. The youthful side fielded at the Westfalenstadion were exciting to watch, especially when Die Gelbe Wand was in full voice and had created an atmosphere that would intimidate even the hardest of Spartans. That desire to inject some youth into his side has led to the emergence of Liverpool talent such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez (both English as well), while also retaining class players such as Salah, Mané and Roberto Firmino to create a team that was always thrilling to watch. Losing Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona threatened to derail Liverpool's steady rise, but they were able to fill the void. Their attacking prowess could turn a game in seconds and inflict some severe damage to their opponents. Arsenal found that out the hard way...

Bollocks (Getty Images)

Manchester City are not short of resources either. While their atmosphere is flatter than the planet (if you're inclined to hold that view), fans are still treated to seeing a side that is terrifying. Kevin de Bruyne spent most of the season injured, but City could still field talent like Sergio and a resurgent Sterling, with the young German Leroy Sané waiting patiently for his chance to show the German team what they were lacking last summer. Pep isn't as inclined to utilise the youthful talent as much as his Liverpool counterpart, but has worked with world class players like Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer. That ability to be able to both retain and enhance such talent certainly does justice to the size of his trophy cabinet, which probably requires constant maintenance in case the shelves buckle under the weight. Critics have panned Pep for being 'lucky' with the teams he has managed i.e. they're good already so of course they will do well, but under Pep they maintained great records and became shining examples of what constitutes a legendary team. Missing out on a treble this year will only make Guardiola more inclined to open the war chest and build up his already phenomenal team.

When it came to results, one might call foul play for how Liverpool finished second having only lost one league game in the 2018/19 season, with the rage intensified by that loss being against Manchester City. But there are fine margins between being a champion or a runner-up, as proved by the meeting between these sides on 3 January. At 17 minutes in, Sadio hit the post and City defender John Stones whacked his clearance against the face of his goalkeeper Ederson. Liverpool's holy trinity started to swarm towards the ball, only for Stones to clear the ball away and save himself and Ederson the humiliation of conceding a bizarre own goal. 21.9 cm of the ball had crossed the line; Liverpool had come within 11 mm of taking the lead. Fast forward to April, and Burnley host City as the title fight rages on. A draw seemed inevitable as Burnley refused to yield, but step forward the man who had delivered City's first Premier League title all those years ago. Agüero managed to compose himself enough to direct the ball towards goal, and despite the best efforts of Matthew Lowton the ball crossed the line... by 29.5 mm. Luck seemed to be in the blue corner this time around.

I mean... (Sky Sports)

If Mahrez had converted his late game penalty when the two sides met at Anfield in October, then perhaps the title race would have ended sooner. Liverpool had a lifeline, stringing together an impressive run of results to put their poor form in the Champions League behind them (they lost 3 times in the group stages, yet are on the plane to Madrid! Madness!). Big wins over rivals like Manchester United and Arsenal were well-deserved, but Liverpool did need an extra hand to keep their hopes alive. Toby Alderweireld thought it would be hilarious to have the ball bounce off him after Hugo Lloris saved a Salah shot in the dying moments of Spurs' trip up north to firmly kill their hopes of a first Premier League title. Jordan Pickford, an absolute beast for England at the World Cup, fumbled the ball and Divock Origi pounced in the 96th minute to cause pandemonium in the Merseyside Derby. Tame draws came back to bite them in the arse after all 38 games had been played, but that 'never say never' attitude meant they would keep going until all 3 points were Liverpool's. Barcelona certainly felt the full brunt of that spirit.

Smiles all round (AP)

Manchester City are lucky enough already, besides their own dealings with goal-line technology that damned Liverpool to second place. The coffers are full to the brim and put the combined wealth of the medieval rulers of old to shame. As already mentioned, they bought Riyad Mahrez for fun and Guardiola has had to go on record to say they aren't after Antoine Griezmann. The other teams in the top 6 know they must spend to keep up, and will have their fingers crossed that one or two sanctions are placed on the champions that stop them making big money moves. The current investigation over a breach of financial fair play may bring about the result of fines, transfer restrictions and a possible ban on playing in the Champions League. It will be a while before a definitive decision is reached, and losing an English team in the competition would be a blow to the emerging dominance of English teams in Europe, but the playing field may be levelled. Spending doesn't always guarantee success though- you can just ask the red half of Manchester for confirmation. It certainly helps in mounting a challenge for silverware, but at the end of the day it's down to cohesion within the squad, a manager who knows what they are doing and a good slice of luck. Turns out City just had that little bit extra to win the league; besides, that superior goal difference would be the safety blanket if Liverpool drew level on points.

Another haircut will make it all better (Getty Images)

Next year will be interesting. Pundits are already predicting on how Liverpool will push Manchester City to their limits once more for a shot at the title, with the teams below them also taking a stand. Emery's Arsenal and Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea have been hot and cold throughout the season, but both managers will now duke it out for the Europa League trophy. Tottenham, although bottling yet another charge for their first Premier League crown, get better and better under Poch, and winning their first Champions League at the expense of Liverpool will set down a precedent for further glory. You can never rule out Manchester United either, especially with all that talent that just deserves a slim slice of happiness. We won't open Pandora's Box and predict the 2019/ 2020 season as that will end in tears, but in regard to the question posed in this post it's fair to say that City deserved to win the Premier League this season. When writing this, the FA Cup Final is yet to be played and Watford stand between City and a domestic treble, which is a phenomenal achievement. City are basking in glory now, but Liverpool are coming. Expect at least one trophy for Liverpool in 2020- not the Champions League though. That will be draped in the red of Arsenal.

Come on Unai, I believe (Images Europe)

Ben G 😁 xo