Manchester City justified the faith of their supporters by winning their last game to win the English Premier League title after one of the closest-run seasons in the league in which the result was wide open till the very end. As if to make a point against the criticism that the team won with only a scattering of UK-grown players, City asked its three England players, who have come through the age-group system, to carry the trophy to the middle Sunday.
An international side so typical of the global village we all live in, City owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi does, however, provide the team with a blank cheque to buy talent from around the world. In fact, their coach, Manuel Pellegrini from Chile, is the first from outside Europe to win an EPL title. And his fellow South Americans, Pablo Zabaleta and Sergio Aguera, combined with the likes of the languid striker Yaya Toure from Africa’s Ivory Coast to pound 102 goals this season.
Pellegrini’s management style is about suppressing the egos of individual stars and promoting unity as the biggest virtue. Controversies were kept out as “Super City went Holistic”, a catchphrase the team brought in after Pellegrini replaced Mancini. Maybe the title was Liverpool’s to lose, but there were many reasons why a calm City were destined to win their second title in three seasons. The mightiest cheque books in the world don’t guarantee team harmony as a collection of stars makes a soccer team. Team unity was the theme of an exciting season.
