Reality check – but top four still a realistic aim

City’s brilliant start means they have a 10-point cushion in the Champions League spots at the halfway stage, but a run of three games without a win means they won’t reflect on the first half of the campaign as positively as they could have.

“The last two games have been great benchmarks for us,” Rodgers said, with the Liverpool defeat following a loss at Manchester City.

“Because of how well we’ve done, we’ve been catapulted into this race for the title. But I think you’ve seen over the last couple of games, the quality of the opposition we’re playing.

“Liverpool were absolutely terrific. We can be better, much better. With the ball, we gave it up too easily.

“When we got into the opposition’s half we didn’t keep it for long enough, so you’re then inviting that pressure.

“My young players and the team have been fantastic up to this point, but obviously it’s taken the shine off it the last couple of games.”

While Rodgers said the penalty decision – Caglar Soyuncu was penalised for handling at a corner – was the turning point, he did not believe it was awarded incorrectly.

“At 1-0 we’re still in the game,” he said.

“He’s tried to move his arm out of the way but it clearly hits his arm and in the rules now, that’s a penalty.

“It’s disappointing because at that point in the game, we started to have a bit more pressure.”

THE festive season hasn’t brought much cheer for City fans this year.

The fixture computer lined us up against the Premier League champions and then the European and World champions in the space of five days, and it was a bridge too far.

Brendan Rodgers’ side got schooled in both games by two fantastic sides and any supporters thinking we could split the top two this season got a dose of reality.

Although it is difficult to tell when you are playing against the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Virgil van Dijk, it also appears that City have suffered a dip in form.

After eight league wins on the bounce, things started to go wrong against Norwich and, even accounting for the opposition, the performances against Manchester City and Liverpool were lacking the spark of that winning run. For the first time people have been criticising Rodgers’ team selection and tactics and it appears that he was out-thought by Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.

While there is no disgrace in that, it did seem to be fairly obvious what was happening.

Ben Chilwell’s defensive limitations were ruthlessly targeted at The Etihad.

And City’s insistence on playing out from the back against Liverpool’s intense press looked shaky from the start.

The ball that often starts City moving forward is from Evans or Soyuncu, through the opposition front line to Ndidi in a bit of space in midfield. Against Liverpool, an intense side that never switches off, this supply line was denied.

Whenever that pass was attempted the strikers would shift over a couple of yards and the angle was gone. It was like bar football.

So, we have learned that we aren’t a top two side, but top four still looks like a realistic prospect if City can bounce back from this recent poor spell and maintain that cushion of 10 points.

Tonight’s game against West Ham has now gained huge importance.

The Hammers have been pretty woeful lately, with two wins in the last 12 games, and are now hovering above the relegation zone. There will be no excuses about world-class opposition available.

As we prepare to turn the final page of an incredible decade, you can only look back in astonishment.

We entered it as a side newly-promoted to the Championship. We got new owners. The stadium got a new name.

We suffered a couple of heartbreaking play-off defeats at Cardiff and Watford. We won the Championship at a canter. We survived that first Premier League season with an unlikely Great Escape.

We won the Premier League (we really did). We reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. We suffered the tragic loss of the architect of all that success.

City enter the ’20s in the top four, with a semi-final to look forward to, and a grand new training facility on the near horizon. The club is in great shape and, as this decade has shown us, anything is possible.