Former Manchester City player Aleksandar Kolarov with the Premier League trophy. Victor Besa / The National
Former Manchester City player Aleksandar Kolarov with the Premier League trophy. Victor Besa / The National
Former Manchester City player Aleksandar Kolarov with the Premier League trophy. Victor Besa / The National
Former Manchester City player Aleksandar Kolarov with the Premier League trophy. Victor Besa / The National

Aleksandar Kolarov backs Man City to make it five Premier League titles in six years


Amith Passela
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Former Manchester City defender Aleksandar Kolarov has backed Pep Guardiola’s side to make it five Premier League titles in the last six years at the end of the current campaign.

The Serbian is confident that City have “already booked” their latest crown, despite trailing current league leaders Arsenal by four points and with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Liverpool all still potential challengers.

Last season, City lifted the title after a thrilling final day which saw them beat Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium to finish one point ahead of rivals Liverpool.

And Kolarov, who played nearly 250 games for the club after joining from Italian side Lazio in 2010, believes Guardiola and Co will be celebrating again next May.

“City has the best chances to win the league title again and I’m very confident they’ll do it,” Kolarov told The National at the Emirates Palace on Thursday.

“We have a great manager and a great team. We are there to win the title one more time. It will be difficult but City has quality in every line of play to win it again.

“Arsenal are a pretty good side this season. Spurs are a good side too with a very good coach [In Antonio Conte] and as always there is Chelsea and Liverpool, but I think the first place is already booked. I’m very confident of that.”

Despite all their success on the domestic front since Guardiola's arrival in 2016, City are yet to taste success on the European stage with their defeat in the final against Chelsea two years ago the closest they have come to lifting the Champions League trophy.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after winning the 2021/22 Premier League title. PA
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after winning the 2021/22 Premier League title. PA

But Kolarov still believes they have the right man in charge to finally become European champions. “City has the quality to challenge for all the titles,” he said. “Pep has taken the team to a new level and has maintained it to become one of the top clubs in the world.

“Of course we need to work a lot to arrive where Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are, but with him, we have all the chances to achieve that.”

Despite winning two Premier League titles and two League Cups while at the club, it was another trophy success that Kolarov remembers with most fondness from his spell – the historic 2011 FA Cup victory over Stoke City.

“I spent seven great years at City but if I have to choose one moment during that time, it was winning the FA Cup, the first title I won at the club and the first that the club had won in 35 years,” he said.

“It was a great achievement for the club and for me to be a member of that team. Then the trophies started to come one after the other.”

After leaving City in 2017, Kolarov then returned to Italy and spent five seasons in Serie A – three with Roma and two at Inter Milan – before announcing his retirement this summer.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini with his new signings in 2010: Aleksandar Kolarov, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng. Getty
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini with his new signings in 2010: Aleksandar Kolarov, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng. Getty

“I thought it was a good time to move from City to make way for the young players to come into the side,” he said about his decision to leave England.

“I used to play in Italy before I joined City and had the chance to go back and play there in my last years. I stopped playing four months ago and got the sporting director licence. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do except stay in football.”

Kolarov also enjoyed a successful international career that saw him earn 94 caps for Serbia, scoring 11 goals – one of which was the winner against Costa Rica at the 2018 finals in Russia.

“It wasn’t easy because I was coming from a small country but I always believed in myself and here I am,” he said.

“Playing for the country is of course the dream of any footballer. I had that opportunity and play for Serbia for the Under-21s and senior team for 15 years.

“To play in two World Cups and score against Costa Rica to win that game were the high points of playing for the national team.”

*Kolarov is in Abu Dhabi on Manchester City’s global Premier League Trophy Tour and festival screening event for their game against Brighton on Saturday.

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What is Folia?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.

Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."

Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.

In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love". 

There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.

While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."

Updated: October 21, 2022, 7:02 AM`