Why City CAN still win league
IN a season of unpredictability, one pattern has remained consistent - everything can change in the space of two games.
We’ve seen Southampton, Everton, Leicester and Tottenham all go from being touted as ‘genuine’ title contenders to back in the chasing pack following a couple of winless games, while Liverpool looked to be breaking clear by beating Spurs and then demolishing Crystal Palace.
However, subsequent draws for the champions against West Brom and Newcastle have seen them falter slightly, while Manchester United and Manchester City have been the big winners over the last month.
United are up to second after three wins from four since the dull derby draw, while City’s prospects were dire if the chatter following the United and West Brom draws was to be believed.
However, solid wins over Southampton and Newcastle have moved the Blues to within seven points of leaders Liverpool, with two games in hand, and the bookmakers think Pep Guardiola’s side are the team most likely to win the title after Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Despite sitting in eighth, City are well-placed for a new year assault on the title. A win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday - assuming the game goes ahead - will further boost the confidence in Guardiola’s side.
After Liverpool’s two draws, they have now dropped 15 points this season, the same amount they dropped across the course of last season when they swept away all before them.
It’s not just a sign that no side is unbeatable this term, but City will take some pleasure knowing that the Reds’ maximum possible points total is now just 99.
City’s incredible record of 100 points from 2017/18 will stand for another season, and given there have been points tallies of 97, 98 and 99 in the two seasons since the Blues became the first side to hit triple figures in the Premier League, keeping that record is never guaranteed.
Now, Liverpool’s miniblip can serve two reminders to the City squad.
First, they know that even Liverpool are capable of a two-game drop in form that every team has been guilty of this season. Second, they will be aware that the title is back in their hands - having played two games fewer than most of their rivals, City know that they will win the league if they win all their remaining fixtures.
Of course, that is an extremely unlikely scenario, but it’s a position that City would have taken in a heartbeat after their poor start to the season.
As a forgettable 2020 draws to a close, City can enter the new year with a spring in their step and a genuine belief that they can be the side to take a title that no team appears ready to claim. They end 2020 with the second most points of any Premier League side, and also have a Carabao Cup to show for their efforts. Aside from that, though, this calendar year will be one to forget on the pitch for a club who failed to reach the high standards they set for themselves in the previous three years.
City can enter the new year with a genuine belief that they can take the title no team appears ready to claim
The Blues are in a good position going into the new year, with a Champions League last-16 clash with Borussia Monchengladbach awaiting after a routine group stage. They will be looking for a better showing in Europe after a statement win at the Bernabeu last season set them on the way for an eye-catching 4-2 aggregate win over Real Madrid, only for a hugely disappointing exit at the hands of Lyon in the quarter final that must win the ‘award’ for worst result of the season (closely followed by the 5-2 home defeat to Leicester).
That 2-1 victory in Madrid, led by unstoppable performances by Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus, will go down as City’s best 90 minutes in a long time, let alone in 2020. Big wins over Liverpool in the league and against Man United and Aston Villa to secure another Carabao Cup were also standout moments of the year, but the club’s most important victory came well away from the pitch.
In February, City were banned from the Champions League after a UEFA investigation into the club’s financial dealings. City immediately appealed and were confident that the charges were unfounded.
A long five months of uncertainty followed, but the club were vindicated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July, who overturned City’s Champions League ban and threw out most of the charges.
The alternative would have been catastrophic for City’s ambitions, so the CAS victory must get the award for best result of 2020.