Are Manchester City gearing up for a record-breaking season?
Up until last weekend’s surprising defeat to rivals Manchester United, most people assumed Man City would go the rest of the domestic season without dropping points. That's how imperious they’ve been since a shaky start to the campaign.
Pep Guardiola’s men shouldn’t be underestimated, not when they’ve hit targets other Premier League clubs have failed to reach, yet something about the way they are dominating football feels special. It feels as if they are gearing up for a record-breaking season that will live long in the memory when Guardiola, Raheem Sterling, and Kevin De Bruyne are no longer at the Etihad, and here’s why.
The Premier League Is Sewn Up
Man Utd have bridged the gap with a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium, ending City’s incredible winning run and handing them their first defeat since losing to Spurs in November 2020. However, nothing appears to have changed in the eyes of almost everyone who follows the EPL.
Firstly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United’s manager, came out straight after the game and played down his team’s chances of challenging for the title. It could be mind games, yet the fact everyone believes him isn’t a good sign.
Not only do City have an eleven-point gap in the table, but they have done it without their top players, including Sergio Aguero who has barely played. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Premier League betting has the former champions at 1/250 to win the title outright when the season ends in May. That's pretty comprehensive.
The Champions League Is on the Agenda
So what? Will they win the league again? They've done it before and they’ll likely do it again. While it does take away from the achievement, there’s no doubt that Guardiola’s men aren’t breaking new ground domestically. City have dominated England for years, so they will have to do something new.
That new achievement is the Champions League. City will need a slice of luck to get to the final and overcome their opponents, but they have the squad and the confidence. The Citizens have a two-goal cushion for the second leg of their Round 16 tie against Borussia Mönchengladbach and there isn’t much for them to fear in the remaining stages.
There will be a few heavy hitters when the quarter-finals draw is made in March, including PSG and Bayern Munich, yet everyone else is beatable. Liverpool will be there, but they’re a shadow of their former selves. Even Paris Saint-Germain are weak at the back, leaving a mouth-watering fixture with Munich that the bookies think City will edge -they're currently 5/2 favourites for the crown.
They’ve Done It without a Striker
Gabriel Jesus has played regularly throughout the season. However, he’s by no means a guaranteed starter. Sergio Aguero has spent the past year on the bench and there aren’t many other options at the top of the pitch, either.
At least, that’s how it looked until the likes of De Bruyne and Phil Foden controlled big games from the false 9 positions. Foden did it most recently against Liverpool at Anfield, while the Belgian was the puppet master against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Although they haven’t won anything yet, if they do, it will be even more impressive that their main forwards have played 39 times and scored 13 goals between them.
So, it's clear that they are gearing up for a record-breaking season in a big way. It will be a massive achievement if they manage to add the Champions League to the Premier League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup.
