MANCHESTER CITY hardly needed to break sweat in the end, clinching their first Premier League title under Pep Guardiola without kicking a ball on Sunday.
West Brom’s shock win at Old Trafford against Manchester United ensured the Citizens cannot be caught and are celebrating their third title in seven years.
In truth, no-one came close to troubling Guardiola’s side who will go down as one of the most emphatic title winners in modern history.
So we asked our friends at Football Whispers to look ahead to next season to see who might stop City winning back-to-back Premier League titles for the first time.
Man United
It has been an especially bitter season for Jose Mourinho’s side. United have pushed City closer than ever, but it still not been close enough.
For now, Manchester is very much blue and the response to that from the red half of the city next season must be strong.
United will no doubt reinvest once more and another summer of big signings is expected. City however will of course do the same in an effort to stay ahead.
However, Mourinho’s main issue must be getting to grips with a core of players already at his disposal and make sure key men such as Paul Pogba are shining consistently.
Should they fail to do so it will only fall back on the Portuguese coach.
This has been a major issue at Old Trafford this season and another like it could have severe repercussions for Mourinho, with the clock already ticking on his reign.
Liverpool
Perhaps the best placed team to dethrone Manchester City – should they hold on to Mo Salah that is.
PSG and Real Madrid will no doubt test the waters for the Egyptian but Liverpool will hold extremely firm, with something special in the making at the club.
If anything, Salah should be offered more support in the way of quality signings and squad depth.
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Jurgen Klopp needs to be given the tools to take Liverpool to the next level, and past mistakes of not progressing the squad under previous regimes must be avoided.
Three times Liverpool have beaten City this season, with Klopp appearing to well and truly have Pep’s number when it matters.
The emphatic Champions League performances should motivate Liverpool to improve and challenge City in the Premier League as well.
Tottenham
As ever, Spurs are limited by their wage and transfer policy, but have still enjoyed another fine season.
Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose both look set to depart in the summer, so replacements must be found for both in terms of squad depth.
Davinson Sanchez has progressed significantly since joining from Ajax, and if Spurs can recruit more gems like the Colombian then they will be in for another fine season.
Spurs must be brave in the summer and realise they are on the verge of something special, with only a few tweaks and additions required before a serious challenge on various fronts can be mounted.
Dele Alli and Harry Kane will almost certainly be sticking around, and with those two they can beat anyone – just ask Real Madrid.
Mauricio Pochettino will remain with Spurs too, and an advantage they have over their rivals is that the future of their manager is not in question.
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Chelsea
A weak defence of their Premier League title will cost Antonio Conte his job and a summer of upheaval is expected with the Blues as good as certain to miss out on the top four this season.
It will, therefore, likely be a transition season for Chelsea next term, with the goal simply to get some balance back and being making steady progress towards challenging once more.
Signings will be made, while several of those who came in under Conte have simply not settled or been good enough and are likely to be sold on.
The futures of Real Madrid transfer targets Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois remain unresolved too, so that will need sorting before anything else.
The Belgian duo are big figures at the club, especially Hazard, who is the one player that can bridge the the now sizeable gap between Chelsea and City.
Real Madrid will likely push for both but Chelsea must resist and build their next team around them; losing either could see them fall further behind in the chase to catch City.
Arsenal
Again, as so often is the case at Arsenal, the future of manage Arsene Wenger dominates everything else at the Emirates and will dictate what comes next.
The Frenchman signed a new deal with the club but performances since then have been extremely disappointing, and another finish outside the top four is all but confirmed.
A major reshuffle at the club is taking place with Sven Mislintat coming in to oversee scouting and he is wielding serious power now.
He will likely have a major influence over summer transfer activity and, with the Gunners offering nowhere near any sort of challenge this season, some major work needs to be done.
With that in mind, life without Wenger might be the best course of action.
Even with a fresh direction, Arsenal would be unlikely to mount a serious Premier League title challenge in the coming years.
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