Manchester City are nine games away from the treble. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, doesn’t want to talk about it, and it’s a feat that has only been achieved once before in English football by Manchester United in 1999, but City have given themselves the opportunity to lift the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the same season.
Guardiola and his team have got a lot right, but have also had obstacles to overcome and still face tough games in the run-in, particularly against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals and Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Completing the treble this season would write City’s class of 2022-23 into the history books, and could also trigger an era of dominance at home and abroad that few teams have managed before. So as City chase the treble, here is a breakdown of their ups and downs this season, their remaining fixtures and whether they can triumph on all three fronts.
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What’s gone right?
The obvious place to start is Erling Haaland. In the past, big signings like Rodri and Jack Grealish have taken a year to settle, but Haaland is only nine months into his City career and has already scored 51 goals in all competitions.
On occasion at the start of the season, Guardiola suggested his players were still trying to figure out the best way to find him but the Norwegian striker scored on his Premier League debut against West Ham in August and hasn’t stopped. Crucially, Haaland has also stayed fit. He only managed 30 appearances in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund last season, but at City he’s missed just three games through injury.
