History is on City’s side after hot streak
CITY have won their last nine games in the Premier League to leave them top of the table.
How common is that and how likely does that make them to still be there at the final standings?
While it’s far from a common, history counts in City’s favour.
In 29 Premier League seasons, the team with the longest winning streak has gone on to win the title 16 times.
Unsurprisingly, each year differs in quality; a sevenmatch run was enough for United to win the league in 2013 but only good enough for Liverpool to secure fifth place in 2003.
It also depends on what you do around your hot streak. Newcastle and Wimbledon both won seven in a row in the 1996/1997 season, but Kevin Keegan’s men finished 2nd and Joe Kinnear could only manage 7th.
If it seems strange that a whopping ten straight wins was not enough for Liverpool to win the league in 2006, one win in 12 either side of that - as well as Chelsea notching both a tenand a nine-game run on their way to the title - shows why they could only finish third.
Most of the time though, the team with the biggest winning streak wins the league and the longer the run the higher the chance.
In addition to the 2006 Liverpool team, there have only been two teams that have won at least nine matches in a row and failed to win the league.
Chelsea won nine in 2007 but lost out to Sir Alex Ferguson’s United, who twice won seven on the trot. And Brendan Rodgers’s Liverpool famously let it slip to a certain Manchester City in 2014 despite beating 11 consecutive teams.
All of this doesn’t guarantee City anything at the end of the season.
But it does show it will take something special to beat them. GABRIEL Jesus is already attracting comparisons to his idol Ronaldo among his Brazilian teammates.
The City striker is one of many to look up to the player he calls The Phenomenon, but Dani Alves think Jesus can reach similar levels to the great striker.
“I wasn’t joking when I called him the new Ronaldo. They have a similar drive,” said Alves before Brazil’s game with England. He’s already great and will get even better.
“For all that he’s done, all that he’s achieved, there’s no pressure. He’s doing what he loves.”
Jesus has impressed since moving to City, with 14 goals in 20 games for the Blues.
After winning Olympic gold in 2016, he has also become a central figure in a Brazil team that has been revitalised under the leadership of Tite.
Pep Guardiola spoke wistfully last season about only having Jesus for half a season after City allowed him to stay at Palmeiras to win the league championship with them before moving to the Premier League.
According to Tite, the Blues should be grateful for the development the Brazilian club has given the young player.
“Any player of Jesus’ level really needs a team behind him,” the manager said.
“An athlete of that level can only