THE three gleaming trophies from Manchester City’s Treble winning season sat pride of place yesterday in the foyer of the academy reception.
You could not miss them – FA Cup to the right, Premier League trophy to the left and in the middle the huge Champions League pot lifted against Inter Milan.
It is both a visual assault of polished silver and tangible reminder of just how good and resilient the side assembled by Pep Guardiola last season were.
Yet when Guardiola and his team look at them they may see them in a slightly different light as the curtain opens on the new season with a date at Wembley in the Community Shield against Arsenal tomorrow afternoon.
For them, that sparkling collection of swag represents the bar they set and which they must now clear again if this season is not to be judged as anything other than a step down.
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