Manchester City’s reinstatement in Europe is vital for club’s progression

A decision made today may have just shaped the future of Manchester City Football Club.

When it was announced back in February that City were banned from Europe for at the next two seasons, many questions were being asked.

Would they still be able to attract star names while keeping hold of players such as Kevin De Bruyne or Aymeric Laporte? Or could the ruling even spell the end of such a successful era under Pep Guardiola?

But when it was announced at 9:30am (BST) that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had overuled UEFA’s original decision, there was even greater shock and surprise.

I will admit I was one of them people, but with CAS also halving Chelsea’s transfer ban back at Christmas, I was making the prediction that Manchester City’s ban would be reduced to just one-year.

The outcome of this verdict is huge. If this ban was not overturned, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Guardiola left the club at the end of the season.

The European Cup has been something which has eluded him in the last nine years. He’s reached four semi-finals in that time with his former clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but has not been any further.

Then we only have to look back in his last two years at the Etihad, they were ripped apart by Liverpool in the last-eight in 2018, and without an intervention from VAR, would have been in the semi-finals last season.

Suppose City were to go out of Europe next month, they would have to wait until at least the 2022/23 season to re-enter.

That’s not to mention the potential rebuild of the side depending on the quality of the players coming and going. Without any Champions League football, a side that could compete at that level, or even win it, I felt Pep would have walked.

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But with their continental escapades allowed to continue, City can bring in quality personnel that pushes them to challenge for the the most sought after trophy in Europe. They now go into the 2020/21 season, with the chance to go again in Europe, maybe – I’ll whisper it – as European champions.

The fact they will still be able to attract the high calibre player will be crucial for their potential success in the Premier League. In terms of Guardiola’s standards, they have been poor this season.

After surrendering their title to Liverpool – handing it over basically at Christmas – Guardiola can send that message out to rest of the league, they want their trophy back.

The biggest losers of this case are defintely the teams below them – Chelsea, Leicester and Manchester United. If the outcome was not overturned it would have meant fifth would have guaranteed Champions League football.

It also affects Sheffield United and Tottenham as it would have meant eighth would have had a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds.

It now means one team will have no European football whatsoever, and that one will not have a seat at Europe’s table.

But as I said before. In what has been a successful period, this moment is definitely one of the biggest in their history. They now have a true incentive to take the club forward and continue their recent success.

City return to Champions League action on August 7th against Real Madrid.

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