Blues need a repeat of heroic form to edge out title rivals
CITY need a repeat of last season’s heroics if they want to win the Premier League title for the third season running.
In January, City were seven points behind Liverpool – ten points at one stage as the Reds played before Pep Guardiola’s side that weekend. A faultless run-in ensured City retained their title and denied Liverpool a title nobody would have argued they did not deserve had the Premier League trophy gone to Anfield.
This season, Liverpool are determined not to let that disappointment happen again, as the Champions League winners have a 100 per cent record after eight games.
City have already drawn against Tottenham and lost twice to fall eight points behind their rivals, and they are at risk of throwing away their title challenge before it has properly begun.
Of course, you can’t win a title in October, and City know how a winning run can put pressure on your opponents. But this season, it is Liverpool who can’t stop winning, and City will surely have one eye on their results as they hope for a way back into the title race.
And as the two sides approach a crucial showdown at Anfield on November 10, City will look at the two sides’ contrasting fixture lists as a reason to hope the gap may be less than the current eight points.
When the Premier League resumes this weekend, City take on Crystal Palace in a potentially tricky Selhurst Park clash.
But then, they have a home game with Atalanta in the Champions League before a home game with Aston Villa next Saturday.
Liverpool, on the other hand, take on United at Old Trafford before travelling to Belgium to take on Genk in the Champions League.
They return to host Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.
If Jurgen Klopp could choose which ‘Big Six’ sides to face in his next to games, he would undoubtedly pick United and Spurs, with both teams on horrendous runs given their ambitions this season. However, United took a point off Liverpool at Old Trafford last season, and for all of Tottenham’s issues, they drew at City earlier this season.
Completing a hectic 11-day schedule for Liverpool is a Carabao Cup clash with Arsenal, again no easy feat. The Reds then take on Aston Villa and Genk again before welcoming City to Anfield.
City, on the other hand, continue their more favourable run with a Carabao Cup and Premier
League double header with Southampton, and a trip to Atalanta.
While City have a day less to prepare for the Liverpool clash following the midweek Champions League fixtures, they have a day more to play their next seven games which culminate in the Anfield showdown.
On paper, City would be expected to take maximum points from those upcoming fixtures to give them momentum to take to Liverpool. Klopp’s side would also clearly be delighted with a 100pc return, but will know United and Spurs won’t make it easy.
At the very least, Pep Guardiola will be looking to go into the game at Anfield in three weeks’ time with the same eight-point margin separating the sides. In an ideal world, Liverpool’s hectic schedule could disrupt their impressive start to the season, giving City the foothold back into the title race they need.