When Manchester City take on Wolves on Friday, something will be missing. For the first time in almost four years, Pep Guardiola's side will take to the pitch like any other ordinary Premier League team. The gold Premier League badge they have worn on their right sleeves since May 2021 to show they are champions will be gone. It will be replaced by an ordinary blue badge, the one worn by every other team, bar one.
Guardiola effectively conceded that City were not going to be winning the league as far back as in November, but it does not mean it felt any less painful when Liverpool were confirmed as the new champions on Sunday, at exactly the same time that City had just beaten Nottingham Forest to reach the FA Cup final. Many managers would have looked on the positive side after winning a semi-final tie at Wembley, but Guardiola cut a serious figure when asked if this season was going to turn out alright after all.
"Nooooo... We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool. It's not good," Guardiola said. In the interests of accuracy, the gap between Liverpool and City is 21 points, but to a coach with an unquenchable thirst for winning, it might as well have been a thousand million. Guardiola has only failed to win the league title on four occasions in his 16 seasons as an elite manager and he will already by plotting the reconquest.
When City failed to win the title in Guardiola's first season in charge in 2016-17, he responded by spending £214 million ($286m) on new signings, and a year later they reclaimed their crown by amassing a record 100 points, before retaining it the following year by earning another 98. And when City lost out to Liverpool in the 2019-20 campaign, finishing 18 points off the pace, they responded by winning a record four titles in a row.
Make no mistake about it, City will be back next season desperate to swipe the title straight out of Liverpool's hands. And here's what they need to do to ensure the trophy only has a one-year hiatus from the Etihad Stadium...
