And so, this year's Premier League champion is ……………………
Should we name them now or wait? It's up to you.
In a match that felt like a title decider, Arsenal played quite well at the Etihad Stadium.
However, when Eberechi Eze's shot from close range hit the post, Gabriel Magalhães's deflected header also struck the post, Kai Havertz broke through but couldn't get past Gianluigi Donnarumma, or when the German striker missed a close-range header, all those moments of good or better-than-expected play meant nothing because no points were taken back to the capital.
I willingly admit that before Valentine's Day, I was fully convinced that this year the trophy must go to Arsenal.
Going back a bit to early January, the Citizens dropped points consecutively with draws against Sunderland, Chelsea, and Brighton, then it got worse with a derby defeat to Manchester United during a period when key defenders were injured, giving chances to Abdoukoudir Kusunov and even recalling youngster Max Alleyne from his loan at Watford after Ruben Dias and Josko Guardiola, the main center-backs, were sidelined.
The away defense at Old Trafford was really poor. Rico Lewis (once a promising prospect but uncertain this season) - Kusunov - Alleyne - Nathan Aké, a national-level player whose role has diminished, made me think this is not a normal season for the Sky Blues.
Since beginning to rebuild the team during the previous winter transfer window (January 2025), possibly mixing the performances of nine players aged 29 or older, we've seen Kusunov capable of playing right-back and center-back, Nico Gonzalez as a defensive midfielder (especially with Ballon d'Or winner Rodri injured long-term, which had a clear effect), and Omar Marmoush adding energy to the attack.
Then in last summer's transfer window, additions like Rayan Cherki, left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and the surprise signing of world-class goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma arrived.
It seems Pep Guardiola's rebuild this time will take longer than usual because not everyone immediately impresses, and by Pep's high standards, perhaps only half pass, awaiting whether this summer—during the World Cup year—there will be another major overhaul. It's not just captain Bernardo Silva, who announced his departure; many others like Jack Grealish, Stones, Aké, Lewis, and Mateo Kovacic may also be seeking new clubs.
But fast forward to today ….
Manchester City have returned to sailing smoothly and elegantly, thanks to new players in the last two to three transfer windows who have raised their form and positively impacted the team together.
First, I want to mention Rayan Cherki from last summer’s window, who displayed classy dribbling through Arsenal’s defense to score a brilliant opener. Sometimes his style resembles a showboat—either skillful or sometimes seen as taunting opponents—leading to some criticism. But I really like players like this because football should entertain. Don’t overthink it. Like confidently taking a Panenka penalty—go for it! But not when a team is fighting relegation and pulling stunts like that, haha.
Next, praise must go to the coordination between the center-back pair Kusunov from last winter and Marc Guehi from this winter’s window!
Being from Uzbekistan might create some bias or skepticism, but at Manchester City, they have helped revive the Premier League title challenge and perhaps even the treble, having already beaten Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals. Kusunov has been important too. Recently, after a great win, star Erling Haaland nudged this shy teammate to go applaud the fans who came to support.
The winter 2026 signings have been sharp—fewer than last winter—but both Guehi and Antoine Semenyo immediately became key players, perhaps because they were already established Premier League stars and didn’t need much time to adapt (unlike Milos Kerkez and Alexander Isak at Liverpool, who will need some time).
Guehi, who should have started the season at Anfield if Liverpool’s defense had functioned better, not only fixed City’s center-back issues but also added to their homegrown player quota. In the recent game where he scored against Chelsea, he showed he can also be a threat in the opponent’s penalty area.
Antoine Semenyo may not have been prolific in the game against Arsenal, but since moving from Bournemouth, he has scored five Premier League goals for City, more than winger Jeremy Doku, and his short-term impact surpasses many Arsenal attackers.
Kai Havertz, who caused Donnarumma’s huge error, scored only his first Premier League goal of the season then. Noni Madueke, Arsenal’s regular right winger, has scored just two goals all season, and captain Martin Ødegaard, who played in this key match, has managed only one league goal all season.
Another City standout is this season’s surprise: academy graduate Nico O’Reilly, hero with two goals in the Carabao Cup final, now a key player assisting Erling Haaland’s winning goal against Arsenal. This season marks his full breakthrough, so I’d say “a new player who cost nothing!”
Just hypothetically …
If Manchester City wins the title, I’d say, ‘Pep is champion again even before fully completing his rebuild!’
Little Joe