Trevor Steven: Man City’s treble, Bellingham and my other football highlights of 2023
Manchester City’s treble-winning season will go down in history and was one of my football highlights of 2023, but really it was about two individuals: Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland.
For Guardiola, it meant a third Premier League title in a row and a fifth in six seasons, showing the incredible staying power that he has developed in his team. Arsenal might have led the table for much of the season but Manchester City hit the top at the right time as their experience came to the fore.
Haaland, meanwhile, brought his magic dust, which gave the rest of the squad the belief that they could do something remarkable. It is not just that he is a beast of a player and prolific goalscorer, it is his mentality. They say the best players have no fear; if Haaland does then he never shows it.
Guardiola continues to evolve. The departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez have made room for new faces and a slight change of tactics. It’s the model of City under Pep, the culmination of 15 years of progress under the current ownership, and it’s second to none.
Other clubs have tried to do what Manchester City have done, such as Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain, but they haven’t hit the same heights. What City are doing is what other teams aspire to and that doesn’t look like changing as long as Guardiola is there.
It has been a long time since England had a player pulling up trees in a big team overseas, but Jude Bellingham has done that in 2023 and it makes us very proud.
He did well at the World Cup at the end of last year but what he has achieved since then, and especially since joining Real Madrid, has shocked everybody.
If you join a foreign club there can be issues with adapting to the culture and dressing room, but he seems to have had a smile on his face from day one in Spain.
People will have their own opinions on the quality of the Bundesliga, where he shone for Borussia Dortmund, but there is no doubting the quality at Real Madrid and what is required to succeed.
The way he has done it has thrust Bellingham into the conversation around the very top players in the world, and at 20 years old that is a phenomenal achievement.
He is the full package: a physical specimen who uses his strength well but with equal mental prowess – the midfield equivalent of Erling Haaland.
You expect them to affect every game they play and they hardly ever disappoint. If I know Bellingham is going to be playing on TV, I’ll watch it.
He is England’s future, without any question, and sets the tone for the team like no one else has since Paul Gascoigne was at his peak.
When Newcastle United changed hands from Mike Ashley to the Saudi Public Investment Fund, most people expected a spending spree on galactico signings.
Instead, the key acquisition has proven to be manager Eddie Howe, who has struck the delicate balance between short-term and long-term improvement.
In 2023, Howe took Newcastle back into the Champions League for the first time in two decades. What they have done so far has been beyond expectations, and they are also a great team to watch. Yes, money has helped but his skills have also shone brightly.
The squad has been decimated by injury of late but I hope they can continue their development. Looking at what they have been through this year compared to where they were just a few seasons ago, it’s a phenomenal effort.
The consensus on Aston Villa was that they were a club stuck in mediocrity when Steven Gerrard proved unable to replicate his success with Rangers in the Midlands.
Unai Emery has shown that to be false. With unspectacular but smart recruitment and a real desire to do better on his return to the Premier League, he has completely transformed the club.
One of the key ways I judge a manager is whether they are improving players, and he has undoubtedly done that. John McGinn, for one, has been outstanding this season. Emery has put round pegs in round holes and it has paid off hugely.
In what is a very difficult league, they have now won 15 home games in a row. The atmosphere has always been good at Villa Park but now it’s on another level.
It shows no sign of slowing down, either. If anything, Emery’s revolution is gathering pace.
Further down the table, what Sean Dyche has accomplished with Everton is equally brilliant.
Dyche inherited a club in chaos, with supporters, directors and players all at odds but step by step he has restored their identity and got everyone pulling together.
They scraped survival last season but he never lost patience with them and have grown stronger and more united since. Without their 10-point deduction, they would be in the top half of the league and there is no way they are going down.
The transformation he has overseen in a matter of months is incredible.
Trevor Steven is a former England footballer who played at two World Cups and two European Championships. @TrevorSteven63.