City, Guardiola and their Growth to Supremacy

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City has been the biggest success story the Premier League has seen since the end of the United-Fergusen era. From a top-tier team from their uprising, Pep Guardiola has taken the Manchester City team to a champion-winning squad that does not stop at any point other than the Premier League title. 

With Guardiola in charge, the side has won every silverware in England – the Premier League, the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and the FA Community Shield. These have come in multiples and are en route to another title in the 2023 season. 

Ever since Guardiola has taken charge of the blue side of Manchester, the uproar has been immense. Manchester City, the center of mockery for not filling up their lavish Etihad stadium, has gone on to have full houses, with Manchester City tickets being a most sought-after possession. 

While one trophy remains to be conquered in the Guardiola-City era – the Champions League, Manchester City has set a benchmark for the rest of the clubs to follow in terms of a success story of the modern age. 

When we speak about great managers and clubs in English football, we talk about the golden ages of Arsenal, the uprising of Chelsea with Jose Mourinho, and the legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Now, Guardiola joins the rest of the pack as one of the impeccable stories that anybody can’t leave out. 

We look at City’s journey to now in the Guardiola era and see what lies ahead of the blues in the next decade. 

City is BRILLIANT!

Manchester City is an exceptional football team that can dominate games with and without the ball. They can control possession to stifle their opponents or use their explosive counter-attacks to rip them apart. 

Moreover, this season, they have a world-class center-forward in Erling Haaland, who possesses a rare combination of physical and technical attributes, making him a formidable presence on the pitch. With their dazzling style of play, it’s no surprise that Manchester City is on track for a treble this season.

City spent an entire season after the farewell of Sergio Aguero without a full-time striker and still ended up winning the Premier League. Such are the standards around the team. 

With Haaland in their lineup, there is only one intention – to win the UEFA Champions League.

The wise spender

Often a conversation that gathers quite a few reactions is that “City are here because of their funding.” Since the takeover came from the City Football Group under the Abu Dhabi Emirati, the conversation has been around their spending spree. 

But in reality, City has brought in wise and thoughtful investments and signings that eventually led to the state where they are. These names brought in talent and the demand for Manchester City tickets. 

It’s easy to argue that there have been dominant teams in the past, but the truth is that no team has ever been as dominant as City is today. If City wins the Premier League this season, it will be only the third time in English history that a club has won five titles in six seasons – Liverpool did it between 1979 and 1984, and Manchester United between 1996 and 2001.

It is no secret that City has pooled over 1 billion pounds in investments since the takeover, but what is significant is the spending that they have incurred in the last five years – the Guardiola era. 

If you compare the stats for the last five years, City is far from the top 5 spenders in the Premier League. As per recent statistics, City is far from the top 7. 

They sit at 10th place with a total spend of 224 million pounds. 

City’s spending in the last five years: 

Total Spend: £-224.97m

• 22/23: £8.3m
• 21/22: £-39.81m (Champions)
• 20/21: £-96.56m (Champions)
• 19/20: £-78.13m (2nd)
• 18/19: £-18.54m (Champions)

Notably, this spending has returned in terms of fruitful results. In 2018/19, with a net of -18.54m, City signed Riyad Mahrez from the 2016/17 championship-winning side of Leicester. 

In 2019/20, their second highest spend in the five years came with the signings of Rodri from Athletico and Joao Cancelo from Juventus – two players who are now integral in City’s gameplan. 

In a nutshell, these signings have propelled the club to move forward, and in comparison, the Citizens have done a great job in getting in the right talent. 

Looking at the top spenders in the last five years, you’ll find Chelse at £-654.21m and Manchester United with £-540.23m of net spend. 

Much of Chelsea’s negative 654 million has come from their new takeover acquisitions, but regardless, both these clubs have invested but have yet to see fruitful results taking over. 

Chelsea has a Champions League and a Club World Cup under their name, but United has found luck with only a Europa League that came in 2017. 

If you do a comparison against the top spend vs the return, City is far ahead in terms of their investments. Surprisingly, despite acquiring their star talent Erling Haaland, City made a surplus of 8 million pounds in the current season. 

United is now Blue

Manchester United is the biggest football club in Manchester, with a rich history and a fan base to match for a long time. However, since the departure of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, their city rivals have been making waves in the footballing world.

Although some critics argue that the show is more public relations than journalism, it has reached 10 million views worldwide since its release. This has also led to the rise of more fans now purchasing Manchester City tickets to see them play at the Etihad.

The documentary undoubtedly contributes to the club’s global appeal, and since 2010, their fan base has grown to 38 million, a four-fold increase from just eight years ago. Furthermore, the number of supporters’ club branches outside the UK has grown significantly, from just six in 2008 to 116 this season.

Although they still have some way to catch up with United’s massive global following of 659 million fans, City’s impressive growth and success story provide reasons to believe that they can close the gap in the future.

Growth Re-defined 

From July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, the football club achieved an impressive record revenue of £613 million and a profit of £41.73 million. This remarkable figure is the second-highest revenue ever reported by an English football club. Manchester United is the only team to have written a higher revenue of £627 million in 2019.

This gives a clear indication of the growth of the club. More fans are now inclined to purchase Manchester City tickets, and there is a growing trend of neutral fans who want to watch a game at the Etihad, fueled by their passion for the sport. 

At a reseller level, the demand for Manchester City tickets has surged. In contrast to the pre-2017 era, more listings and requests are coming for the Blues’ tickets. 

To keep the fanfare growing. City has also ensured that their season ticket prices will remain the same and will not rise, despite the inflation we are seeing worldwide. 

City has built a system for success – a model that can now grow and expand. A club’s most significant contributing factor has always been ticket sales, and Manchester City tickets are now in peak demand. The experience, the style of play, and the atmosphere all complement this rise. 

Even when City was not doing too well early in the season, there were concerns about their trajectory with questions raised at Guardiola. But, all of that is put to rest as City again on the title hunt for this year’s title.