Sunday 15 April 2018 18:01, UK
Gary Neville insists this is a beginning of a journey for Manchester City, and they must maintain or improve on their success to be considered among the greatest Premier League sides.
The Sky Sports pundit was speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast following City's 3-1 win over Tottenham at Wembley - and Pep Guardiola's side sealed the Premier League title a day later when Manchester United suffered a shock defeat to West Brom.
There have been a lot of things said over the last couple months, where I've sat back and thought: "Really?"
Those saying this is the greatest team of all time, or the greatest Premier League team of all time. It's not. I don't even think Pep Guardiola would say it is.
A great team gets to a good level and progresses. Great players get to a good level and progress, or maintain that standard.
It's consistency that Pep Guardiola wants all of the time. You can see in his reaction when somebody gives the ball away unforced. He absolutely despises it. A bad pass is a crime to him.
They will win the league, it has been an excellent performance this season, and this has been a really good Manchester City team, one of the best seasons we've seen.
But to be a great side, come back next year, maintain the standard or improve on it. Go on and win the Champions League.
What we've seen in these past five years is that when Chelsea and City have won leagues, they've not been able to maintain it.
Great sides maintain a standard. Great players and managers maintain a standard. Lionel Messi, Neymar, Pep Guardiola at Barcelona; he maintained a standard year after year, and so did his players.
That, to me, is what defines great sides.
This is definitely not a failure. It's a wonderful, wonderful season.
I think four weeks ago, when people were saying this is the greatest team, they were going far too early, and far too much. But now, to suggest this is a failure is ridiculous the other way.
This is a wonderful season for Manchester City; to win two trophies is a great feat. This is a new Manchester City team, this is a different team, a transition, they play a different style.
For me that is a big thing. Pep Guardiola has won back-to-back titles in two different trophies. He's won Champions Leagues with Barcelona, he knows what a great team is, he knows what great standards are.
He'll know that this Manchester City team are at the beginning of a journey, and that's the key thing. It has to be the beginning of the journey: winning the league is the beginning, it can't be the end.
And that's the focal point for Pep Guardiola to instill into Manchester City as a club, that when you win a league and a trophy it's not good enough alone, you have to come back next season after and do it again, and then come back again the season and do it again.
Don't drop your standards, don't drop your work ethic, don't drop your performance levels. Why? Because you have a choice as a football player; you either come back and work harder, or you think: "I've done it," and work less.
That's what Chelsea and Man City have been culpable of these last few years, they've come back and thought: "We're OK, we've won the league," and haven't been able to retain that edge.
When City went to Huddersfield before Christmas, those celebrations after they won late were celebrations of a team that desperately wanted to win the league.
When they go to Huddersfield away next season, will they have that same determination in the celebration when they win? That's the key, the fire in the belly.
They have to think this is the beginning of a journey, because there is no doubt Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea will come for them next season. They will come again, they have to because those teams have high standards for themselves.
