Will a Manchester club return to the top of the Premier League in 2021?
Between Manchester United’s 13 league titles and the four that Manchester City have picked up, the city has won more Premier League silverware than any other region. In fact, Manchester has come out on top in almost two-thirds of all seasons.
Manchester has dominated the Premier League ever since it was founded in 1992.
Between Manchester United’s 13 league titles and the four that Manchester City have picked up, the city has won more Premier League silverware than any other region. In fact, Manchester has come out on top in almost two-thirds of all seasons.
Sir Alex Ferguson once quipped that he was proud he’d “knocked Liverpool off their perch”, referring to the fact that the Red Devils, under his leadership ended the Kopite domination of English football.
But in 2020, Liverpool finally ended its 30-year drought, winning the Premier League for the first time.
While it’s too soon to say for certain which club will come out on top next season, many bookmakers have Liverpool and Manchester City as the favourites to win. Now, as you may already know, betting on football is incredibly popular, with some studies showing as many as three-quarters of all fans bet on the beautiful game at least sometimes. Many that do, often take advantage of free bet promotions to help get more value from their wagers. And with the start of the new season just days away, we’ll likely see more generous offers from bookmakers. Perhaps even some nice odds on both clubs to finish above Liverpool?
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While Liverpool and Manchester City are the favourites, Manchester United are close behind. And with 38 games ahead of them, United certainly can’t be written off at this stage.
Can Manchester Beat Liverpool?
The rivalry between the two cities is centuries old, stemming back to the time of the industrial revolution when the Manchester Ship Canal was opened, devaluing Liverpool’s importance as a port city.
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This rivalry is most often seen in football, and Liverpool’s victory in 2020 came as a disappointment to many United and City fans. That means that knocking Liverpool back off their perch once more is important to football fans right across the city.
Doing it is going to be difficult though. Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have been dominant over the last season. The club went a whole year without a league loss, and for a while looked like they may go the entire season without losing a game. Beating this form is going to be difficult.
Resurgent United?
This dominant performance came at a time when United were suffering their worst form for a long time. After his retirement, the club hasn’t managed to replicate its success under Ferguson.
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They’ve begun to turn it around in recent months though, winning a lot more of their games in recent weeks and months. After Bruno Fernandes joined the team in the new year, United haven’t lost a league game.
They may still have a little further to go though before they get back to their title-winning ways.
Another Title for City?
Of the two Manchester clubs, City have been the stars of late. The team had been hoping to win a third consecutive title in 2020, but they were outclassed by Liverpool’s dominance. With its ban from the Champions League and eventually-successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport hanging over it, City underperformed.
With that pressure now gone, Pep Guardiola is free to focus on winning again. The club’s owners would really like a Champions League trophy, as City are yet to win any European silverware.
If they’re forced to prioritise, they’ll likely put their resources into becoming Champions of Europe, but there’s no reason they couldn’t do both.
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Can Liverpool Pull it Off?
As for Liverpool, the club has managed to retain the majority of its squad, with Klopp looking to make a few additions during the transfer window. It seems likely, therefore, that the reds will be able to keep up their consistent dominance going into next season.
The club and its players are riding high off their victory in 2019 and this wave of positivity will give them an edge going into the new season. This is by no means a guarantee of another title though.
One of the Manchester clubs certainly can beat Liverpool next season, but it won’t be easy for either of them.
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Sport
2027 Manchester Marathon sells out in record time after biggest event ever
Danny Jones
The 2027 adidas Manchester Marathon has already sold out in record time after the biggest event in the race’s history.
Incredible stuff.
Yes, after more than 42,000 runners took on this year’s 26.2-mile challenge – the highest number to date – public places for next year’s Manchester Marathon have gone in the blink of an eye.
To be specific, they were snapped up in just 10 days: even faster than the last time around, with 2026 having also broken the previous fastest (or PB, if you will) time before that.
Posting on social media, the organisers wrote: “We’re blown away by the response as a record-breaking number of public places were secured during our launch window, and we’re now officially at capacity.
“Thank you for the amazing support. We can’t wait to help you turn your 26.2 dreams into reality.”
They also went on to remind people that even if they missed out, potential participants can still secure a place through their official charity partners.
Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Teaming up with numerous non-profit organisations over the decades after it first began way back in 1908, before enjoying multiple stints during the 1980s and late 90s into the noughties, huge sums have been raised over the years.
It’s never anything less than a heartwarming and inspiring day.
The modern MCR Marathon, as we know it, returned in its present format nearly a decade and a half ago, beginning its current collaboration with sportswear giants adidas, therefore helping raise the profile even further, with the 2026 fundraising tally also reaching a record-breaking £5.2 million this past April.
At the moment, the Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Once again, these organisations, along with the likes of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and many more, will continue to offer charity places for the 2027 Manchester Marathon, provided you can hit the fundraising total.
We don’t know about you, but we’re loving this city and the surrounding boroughs being well and truly in their running era, and we also urge all of you who make up part of the local culture to immerse yourself in all aspects – especially when it comes to the post-race season party…
DJs, karaoke, quizzing, three full rooms, an entire beer garden to themselves, and MUCH more. 👀
Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
The Manc -
8th September 2020 
