Man City's iron grip shows no sign of weakening

LONDON : Manchester City's assault on the record books continues this weekend in the FA Cup final and their stranglehold over English soccer shows no sign of weakening any time soon.

Victory over Manchester United, whose one-time dominance is now a fading memory, will see City become the first club to win the English title and FA Cup in successive seasons.

That would come a week after they sealed an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row and a year after Pep Guardiola's side matched United's 1999 treble by also winning the Champions League for the first time.

If they beat United, and few expect any other outcome, it would be the 21st major trophy City have won since Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour acquired the club in 2008.

Arsenal pushed them close this season but there was an inevitability that City would claim their sixth title in eight seasons under Spanish mastermind Guardiola.

Usurping City requires perfection, as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and outgoing Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp know only too and City's modus operandi means the challenge is huge.

The statistics do not lie.

In the last four seasons, City have amassed an average of 89.75 points in the Premier League. Of the clubs most likely to threaten their monopoly, Liverpool average 77.5, Arsenal 75.7, Manchester United 66.7. Tottenham Hotspur 64.75 and Chelsea 62.

Since 2015 City have exceeded their expected points total based on player wage bills by 15 points - double the next best club which is Brighton & Hove Albion - according to the FT.

What is more, City's net spend on players in the last five years is 379 million euros, according to transfermarkt.co.uk, compared to Chelsea's 800 million, Manchester United's 694 million, Arsenal's 638 million and