Major Premier League rule change could threaten Man City's academy dominance next season

The Premier League trophy has worn the sky blue and white ribbons for the last three years, and so too have the two other Premier League trophies on offer at academy level.

Manchester City have won five of the last six Premier League titles to dominate the senior domestic landscape, and their influence on English football extends to the under-21 and under-18 levels, where they have won the Premier League 2 and under-18 Premier League national titles for the last three years, too.

That 'triple treble' - as chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak called it - is a testament to City's approach at all levels of the game, with a healthy conveyor belt of talent always coming through the academy system. It has provided first-team players like Phil Foden, Rico Lewis and Cole Palmer, while those who haven't quite made the grade have generated millions of pounds in transfer fees for the club.

Next season, however, Premier League clubs have voted through a significant change to the Premier League 2 format, putting City's chances of retaining their title again under severe threat.

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Currently, the Premier League 2 is split into two divisions and is a straight league system. All teams play each other home and away, with the side top of the league at the end of the season crowned champions.

Next season, however, the leagues will be merged, with a more complex 'Swiss' system for fixtures devised to offer a new challenge to players. The previous concept of promotion and relegation was deemed to take too much focus away from the development of players, even if it provided youngsters with an exact replica of the divisions they will play in for the rest of their careers.

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