Think when Pep leaves it will be much more open like the Mancini period.
Don't forget this season could not have gone better for them
- Unlimited funds
- More or less no injuries
- No fans in stadiums, obvious advantage to them
- Them being the only club the pandemic hasn't affected financially
They were clever with the planning this time knowing that Pep and unlimited spending would be a force to be reckoned with, but I dont think there will be many other managers that will be able to do that, just depends how many years Pep is happy to keep taking his 2 salaries. And who could blame him really, unless he wanted to manage a club that wasn't soulless
Throw in that having such a depth of quality in their squad in a season where teams are playing every 3-4 days for most of the season then it's ultimately not too surprising.
City are just 'meh'. I'm not even remotely arsed about them winning stuff if we aren't in the conversation. I get obviously more annoyed about the absurdity of how they have allegedly gamed FFP for their own ends when it's us that are competing with them, but once you fall back into the pack most of the league aren't arsed if they win it because they are such a non entity.
As pointed out earlier in the thread, mindsets might change if they start racking more up as without us it's 4 in a row, most of the domestic trophies, possibly even a Champions League, as perhaps they go onto win it the year we knocked them out, and then you can make a case that they don't fuck up Tottenham as well the season later if they've taken a Champions League trophy home. Although that would have meant playing us in the final and maybe we still manage it.
The seeds started to be sown when they battered Watford in the cup final 6-0 and some commentators around the game were beginning to think 'this isn't actually much fun at all'. In a way they almost beat Watford up too much. Keeping it 2-0 makes it seem even more of a contest but no-one really wants to watch the show piece domestic trophy and see a team get slapped. I don't think you'll get very long odds on them to do at least the domestic treble again and in much the same vein, doing it once allows Pep to talk about what a considerable achievement it was, but to do it again shortly afterwards so easily will just show how far ahead they are.
Obviously there is some good coaching in there, it's not just throw money at the wall but they do have one of the best managers in the world at the helm to oversee it. Honestly, if they win all the domestic trophies at the end, but no Champions League, most people will just shrug.
