Chapter 612: 103 Points! Manchester City Breaks the Record for Most Points in Europe's Top Five Leagues!
In the penultimate round of the Premier League, Manchester City, fielding a reserve team, played to a 0-0 draw at home against relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town. Although City didn't win, the draw brought their season tally to 100 points, making them the first team in Premier League history to reach triple digits.
Huddersfield also secured their survival in the Premier League with this draw. For a team that had finished fifth in the Championship the previous season and earned promotion through the playoffs, staying up in the Premier League was a huge achievement.
After the game, both teams celebrated—Manchester City for their 100 points, and Huddersfield for avoiding relegation.
The Premier League's broadcasting rights bring in a lot of money, so for many clubs, staying in the league is a matter of survival. If a team is relegated, they lose the massive revenue from TV deals, which can lead to financial disaster. Many teams relegated to the Championship have struggled to recover, remaining stuck and unable to return to the Premier League.
Along with Huddersfield, Southampton also secured their survival. Interestingly, Southampton's opponent in this round was Everton, Manchester United's "little brother." It seemed the rivalry between the "big brothers"—Liverpool and Manchester United—also extended to their associated clubs.
In this crucial match for Southampton, Everton showed no mercy, attacking them fiercely. The match saw nine yellow cards and one red card, with seven yellow cards issued to Southampton players. In the final moments, Southampton's defender Maya Yoshida was sent off, and Everton took advantage, scoring in stoppage time and stealing what looked like a sure win from Southampton.
After that draw, Southampton were three points clear of the relegation zone but not yet guaranteed survival. However, considering their goal difference was nine better than Swansea's, it was unlikely they would be relegated unless they suffered an epic defeat in the next match.
But despite being so close to safety, the dramatic end to the game deepened the tension between Southampton and Everton.
Everton's "little brother" didn't win, and neither did their "big brother," Manchester United. United, playing away, suffered a shocking defeat to Brighton, another team often considered a "little brother" of Liverpool.
However, Liverpool also lost to Chelsea, keeping the points gap between them and Manchester United unchanged. With just one round remaining, Manchester United held a four-point lead over third-placed Tottenham, securing second place in the league.
Of course, for Manchester United, finishing second or third didn't matter much—they had their sights set on the league title. But looking at the massive points gap between them and Manchester City, United fans could only feel despair. The gap was too big to close.
As for Liverpool, their loss to direct rival Chelsea put them in a risky position. With one match left, Liverpool was only two points ahead of Chelsea. Thanks to their superior goal difference, a draw in the final match would be enough to secure fourth place and a spot in the Champions League.
However, relying on a draw has often been a curse in football. Many teams have fallen victim to this "draw curse" before.
Fortunately, Liverpool had little to worry about. Their final opponent was Brighton, a loyal "little brother" of theirs. With Liverpool fighting for a top-four finish, Brighton would surely cooperate.
Chelsea, unsurprisingly, wasn't happy about this. They repeatedly brought up the idea of "fairness" in the league to the media, hoping the FA and Premier League officials would intervene and prevent any collusion between Liverpool and Brighton.
Chelsea's plan was to use public pressure to force a competitive match between Liverpool and Brighton. After all, Brighton had just beaten Manchester United, so if they played with the same intensity against Liverpool, they might have a chance of stopping them.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's final opponent was Newcastle United, a club with an ambiguous relationship with the Blues, and part of their "faction." Chelsea believed they had a strong chance of winning their match and hoped that Brighton would manage to upset Liverpool, allowing them to snatch the final Champions League spot.
But that was just wishful thinking.
In the final round of the Premier League, Liverpool crushed Brighton 4-0 at home. They dominated possession with 78% and took far more shots than Brighton, who had just beaten Manchester United but offered no resistance to Liverpool. Brighton surrendered without even a symbolic fight.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's score was 3-0, but not in their favor—Newcastle United had defeated them.
Since both matches were played at the same time, Chelsea's morale collapsed when they heard that Liverpool had already scored twice by halftime. Chelsea's players lost focus, and Newcastle capitalized, scoring goal after goal.
It was only then that Chelsea realized, "Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be our 'little brother'? Why are you playing so hard against us?"
The truth is, two or three years ago, Newcastle United might have been considered Chelsea's "little brother." But with Manchester City's rise and Chelsea's decline, Newcastle started to shift their loyalties. They saw Manchester City as a bigger, more influential club to align with. With City having such an abundance of talent, Newcastle hoped that building a good relationship might lead to transfer opportunities in the future.
Once they reassessed the situation, Newcastle decisively abandoned Chelsea.
Poor Chelsea—they thought they had a chance, but from start to finish, it was all a fantasy of their own making.
In the final game of the season, Manchester City narrowly beat Southampton 1-0 away, raising their total points for the season to 103. This not only set a new Premier League record but also broke the all-time record for the highest points total in Europe's top five leagues.
The previous record of 102 points was set by Juventus in Serie A during the 2013-2014 season, and City surpassed them by one point.
Throughout the 2017-2018 season, Manchester City achieved a staggering 33 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss.
They not only broke the Premier League points record but also set the record for the longest winning streak in the league. Both of these records will likely stand for a long time.
After a disappointing previous season, City returned in dominant form, crushing all their rivals and reclaiming the Premier League title with overwhelming superiority.
Now, all that stood between them and announcing their triumphant return was one final trophy—the Champions League!
…
After the Premier League season ended, Pep Guardiola gave his players a three-day break to relax and recover.
Playing in the Premier League is a grueling test for any player, challenging not only their physical fitness but also their mental strength. With no winter break, Premier League players have to endure an extra month of matches compared to other European leagues.
And this year was a World Cup year. Most of City's players were key members of their national teams, meaning they wouldn't get much time to rest in the summer either.
World Cup matches are even more intense than league or Champions League games. In such high-stakes competitions, injuries are more likely, and players who have been under constant pressure without rest are even more vulnerable to getting hurt.
Guardiola was worried that his squad would be riddled with injuries after the World Cup. But there was little he could do—every player dreams of playing in the World Cup and representing their country.
Brazilian star Kaká once risked his entire club career by playing through injury for Brazil in the World Cup, leaving him with long-term injuries. This shows how much the World Cup means to players—it's irresistible.
Even knowing the risks, players will push themselves to the limit to compete. Guardiola could only do his best to let his players rest, reduce their stress, and minimize the chances of injuries.
As Europe's top five leagues wrapped up, the 32 teams set to compete in the 2018 World Cup in Russia began announcing their 23-man squads.
On May 21, six days before Manchester City's Champions League final against Real Madrid, the Spanish Football Federation held a press conference to announce Spain's 23-man World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: David de Gea (Manchester United), Pepe Reina (Napoli), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao)
Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Nacho (Real Madrid), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), César Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Álvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Thiago Alcântara (Bayern Munich), David Silva (Manchester City), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Saúl Ñíguez (Atlético Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Koke (Atlético Madrid), Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid)
Forwards: Lin Quan (Manchester City), Isco (Real Madrid), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Rodrigo (Valencia), Diego Costa (Atlético Madrid)
Compared to the previous World Cup, this squad featured many new faces. The likes of Xavi, Xabi Alonso, David Villa, and Fernando Torres, who had long since retired from international duty, were no longer part of the team.
One of the biggest surprises was the exclusion of legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The three-time World Cup veteran had hoped to make his fifth appearance at the tournament, but he didn't make the cut. When the news broke, countless Spanish fans were heartbroken. Some even protested outside the Spanish Football Federation, demanding that Casillas be included.
But with the final squad already announced and less than a month to go until the World Cup, there was no chance of changes unless a significant injury occurred during preparation.
In addition to Casillas, another shock was the omission of striker Álvaro Morata. Four years ago, Morata was considered a rising star, and former coach Vicente del Bosque had given him ample opportunities in major tournaments. However, after leaving Real Madrid for Chelsea last year, Morata's form dipped dramatically, and his playing time was significantly reduced. Spain's coach ultimately decided to leave him out.
Other notable omissions included Serie A's top assist provider, José Callejón, and Bayern Munich's Javi Martínez. Although Martínez had performed well for Bayern, concerns about his fitness and injury history led to his exclusion.
For Lin Quan, the final squad announcement didn't come as a surprise.
If he had to be honest, the players in this squad weren't nearly as strong as his teammates from the previous World Cup. Back then, Spain was still a star-studded team. But now, they were like an aging car—reliable but far from their former glory.
Even though there were still some stars in the squad, many of them were past their prime. The younger players lacked the experience needed for such a major tournament. It was hard to say how they would perform on the World Cup stage.
Despite these concerns, Spain was still considered one of the favorites to win the World Cup, largely because of one player—Lin Quan.
But football is a team sport, and relying too heavily on one player wouldn't get them far.
…
When Guardiola saw Spain's final squad, he let out a sigh of relief, then immediately started sighing again.
His contradictory behavior left Lin Quan confused.
"Rodri didn't make it," Guardiola explained when Lin Quan asked.
"Who?" Lin Quan didn't immediately recognize the name.
"You know, the young defensive midfielder we scouted from Villarreal," Guardiola clarified.
"Oh, him!" Lin Quan nodded, finally remembering. Rodri, a 22-year-old player, had briefly been included in Spain's squad for the World Cup qualifiers in March.
At the time, many media outlets speculated that the March squad might be the final one for the World Cup, and many thought Rodri would be representing Spain. However, as expected, he didn't make the final cut.
Rodri had performed well, or else he wouldn't have caught the coach's attention. But in a major tournament like the World Cup, Spain's coach wasn't willing to gamble on an inexperienced young player. A mistake from a defensive midfielder can be catastrophic, leaving little room for recovery.
So, the coach opted for more experienced players who had proven themselves on the big stage. Rodri hadn't played in the European Championship two years ago, making his exclusion understandable.
Still, based on his current form, he had a good chance of making Spain's squad for the next European Championship in two years.
(End of the chapter)