The Terminator — that of the Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron version — was relentless in its pursuit of the target and goal programmed in its system. No obstacle was insurmountable, and no situation too difficult for the shape-shifting cyborg. Whenever members of the Resistance think they have got the better of the self-aware synthetic intelligence system, their notions are soon disabused.
Manchester City have resembled Skynet’s most famous creation over the last decade or so, geared to annihilate all opposition to its objective of total domination, and Mikel Arteta may feel like Sarah or John Connor as they approach the final day of the 2023-24 Premier League season. No matter how many blows they land, how many shots they fire, and wherever on earth they hide, the Terminator keeps coming “back.”
Four successive Premier League titles will define total domination, and Pep Guardiola’s winning machine is three points away from becoming the first club to achieve that distinction. Not even the greatest teams constructed by Alex Ferguson could manage that. The top tier in England is considered the toughest domestic league in the world; when certain teams in Italy, France, and Germany go on title-winning sprees that can reach even a decade, the Premier League — with its unparalleled financial muscle — provides a dose of unpredictability with two or more teams regularly considered good enough to have a tilt at the crown.
To script a winning legacy in such an environment demands a special outfit, helmed by a once-in-a-generation manager. West Ham United, with David Moyes coming to the end of his tenure there, are not expected to pose much of a challenge at the Etihad Stadium. All Arsenal can hope for is to accomplish their end of the bargain against Everton and hope for a favour from their London rivals. Arteta and his players would have sleepless nights for the rest of their lives if they drop points in their final league fixture only for City to, somehow, go down at home against the Hammers.
Efficient and effective
The fate of the Premier League crown is no longer in the Gunners’ hands, and they will secretly be ruing the home reversal against Aston Villa — no mean team this season, as their top-four finish testifies — their only league defeat since the turn of the year. If even such a strong sequence of results comes up short, one can gauge what sort of force they have been up against.
Arsenal are still a young side and have done everything in their power to keep pace with the juggernaut. They had even scored the most goals and conceded the fewest till a couple of rounds ago before the beast awakened, and Erling Haaland and Co decided to have a say in the matter. Now Arsenal can just win and hope, against hope and all probability, that City falter while “serving for Wimbledon”, as Guardiola described his team’s final game of the season.
It has been 12 years since the most famous season finale in Premier League history, when City scored two stoppage-time goals against Queens Park Rangers, including that “Agueroooo!” strike with 93 minutes and 20 seconds on the clock. It remains to be seen whether this evening lives up to that drama, with fans tuned into the other game even while attending their own team’s match. But whatever happens later today, this season has already given a lot to savour for football lovers around the world.
Liverpool kept pace with the other two teams before tiring out over the last month. It only showed that they are human, and three teams going toe to toe till the bitter end was a bit too much to expect. To catch or overthrow Manchester City in the flow they are in currently, a top team seemingly needs ice in its veins. Since they drew at home with Arsenal on March 31, City have won eight games in a row with a combined score of 30-5, in addition to a victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup. The last time they tasted defeat in the Premier League was a 1-0 reversal against Villa on December 6. Their only disappointment in more than five months would be their elimination from the Champions League despite dominating most of the two-legged quarterfinal against Real Madrid.
Even that setback may have worked out in City’s favour in some respects, allowing them to train all their focus and energy into the final few weeks of the Premier League campaign.
The big picture
Man City have an enviable abundance of talent and one of the greatest man-managers, who is also a great strategist and thinker. But the relentless pursuit of greatness is a quality only the very best sportspersons and teams possess. Guardiola is a driven individual and drives his players to keep improving. He may have almost infinite resources at his disposal, but cash splurges without getting the other parts of the jigsaw in place wouldn’t get a club anywhere — as several under-achieving ‘big’ clubs would testify.
If things somehow do work out in Arsenal’s favour, it could be a big milestone and turning point in the club’s history. The memory of the ‘Invincibles’, who won the title 20 years ago without losing a game, needs to be supplemented with fresh achievements, regardless of how many FA Cups they win. After their late collapse last season despite leading by eight points in April, this term has seen them take a few more steps in the right direction.
And if matters turn out as they are expected to, it would be another brick in the edifice being built in the blue half of Manchester. But even Guardiola would admit that he and his team have been in a battle, being pushed all the way to the finish line.