AuthorJeffEyesRimmer That makes it twelve wins from thirteen games with a single draw thrown in there. Manchester City are showing they are the team to beat in this English Premier League title race so far this season. On this form, can they repeat Arsenals achievement of an invincible season? We have seen Manchester City do this before in terms of a blistering Premier League start- last season they started like a runaway train but stuttered and their title challenge derailed after a Christmas dip in form. This season though they appear to have something last year’s squad seemed to have lacked – resilience. It’s the resilience coupled with the world class players like Aguero, De Bruyne and David Silva that have seen Manchester City go top of the league with 37 points. They have only conceded 8 goals in the league, second only to their cross city rivals at Old Trafford. They have scored 42 goals in 13 games, that’s an average of over 3x goals a game! Not only are they strong at the back they are irresistible going forward. While many will point to the brilliance of the attack being the key to their early season form it’s the wing play of Sane, Stirling and Jesus that has been suburb and allows the likes of Aguero and De Bruyne to flourish. Sterling is becoming somewhat of a fox in the box, making less dribbles this season than in the past and more runs into the box to get on the end of his wing partners crosses. It has yielded 8 goals so far, something England fans hope he can translate onto the international stage. John Stones has looked much more assured at the heart of the defence with Otamendi. Both are prone to lapses in concentration, but both look far better players than last season’s error prone pair. John Stones has been averaging 1.3 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 2.3 clearances per game, with a lovely passing accuracy of 96.6%. He really is turning into that ball playing centre half that England fans hoped and pundits had predicted. Otamendi has also been averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 3.8 clearances per game and has complemented Stones well. The signing of Ederson in goal has proven to be a key for the defence though, with him providing a much calmer presence than Bravo ever did. The young keeper has looked comfortable this season, having kept 7 clean sheets. Joe Hart who? Although a pricey addition, Kyle Walker has been a vast upgrade from the full backs of last season, already contributing with 4 assists. Speaking of full backs, who would have thought Fabian Delph would make a pretty good left back? Not us! Delph has provided something all managers’ love – versatility. He has slotted nicely into that position and although we think that City will buy a left back in January, he has proved to be a good deputy. We wrote before the season about the club having the most expensive defence ever (article is here) and the cash splashed on it seems to have worked so far. Manchester City have not lost in 26 games, and have lost just one of their last 30 in the Premier League; however, it’s their manner of this weekend’s win over Huddersfield that confirms to us that they are the team to beat. We all have seen how brilliant they are when in full flow and it’s a joy to watch. However, we wondered in previous podcasts whether Manchester could win ugly? That question was well and truly answered against the Terriers, with City running out 2-1 winners in the end. Huddersfield frustrated City and although the Citizens had over 70% possession they had to dig in and grind out a victory. That is a sign of a Championship winning side. In fact winning ugly we feel is key to winning the EPL. Every team goes through a purple patch and a dip in form, so winning when it’s not quite going your way is hallmark of a top side. It was said many a time of the great Sir Alex Ferguson sides and Chelsea won the title last season by grinding out wins when required - they clinched the title with a 1-0 win over West Brom just to cement the point.
Here at the Football Outcasts we have been critical in the past of Pep but credit where credit is due, he has made this team (albeit with unlimited cash) into a serious contender both domestically and in Europe. The last side that looked this complete was the Arsenal side of the 2003/04 season which had the brilliance of Pires and Henry in attack, the steel of Vieira, the wing back play of Ashley Cole and defensive solidity of Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure. Can this Manchester City side go the whole season unbeaten? Yes, they can, although we think it is unlikely in this day and age in the EPL (TV cash has certainly made the “lesser sides” in the league more competitive and likely to throw a spanner in the works for sides like City). The issue with time is that it clouds our judgement and makes us nostalgic. Many will look back and compare that great Arsenal side of 2003/2004 with this City team. Many will say there is no way this City side can compare. To that we say the Invincible Arsenal team had Pascal Cygan in defence, he played 10 games and was a sub 8 times. So with that in mind, yeah, this Manchester City side can definitely stay unbeaten. |
AuthorsJust Some Fans Writing About Football. Archives
June 2018
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