City have taken their eye off the ball a little, but this title race is just getting started

IT’S bonkers that Manchester City are only third, when you think how good they’ve been this season.

Three weeks ago, we were looking at them going the Premier League season undefeated... and no one would have bet against that. I genuinely thought it was possible.

Now, they’ve lost three in four and have pressure to win games just to stay realistic contenders in the title race! It’s crazy.

What has changed? Well I did say here, after the defeat at Chelsea, that I saw the merest hint of a weakness, and, for the first t i m e, I thought

Liverpool had a chance in the title race.

Two things have happened.

They’ve taken their eye of the ball a little, I think there’s no doubt about that.

Mentality plays a big part in football, that concentration and obsessive focus to keep implementing plans and maintain tactical discipline.

Everyone thinks Pep Guardiola’s teams play this carefree football, but, in a purely tactical sense, it’s the opposite.

He makes huge demands on players, gives them complex orders and patterns to follow, and it’s demanding.

Even a slight slip in mentality makes a difference. And there is the impact of confidence too. It does play a part, in the sense of players being comfortable with their roles and what they’re being asked to do. No doubt, City’s strongest side are supremely confident and comfortable, but we saw in recent weeks that those who come in, when there are injuries, are just a fraction off the pace... and maybe a little lacking in confidence too.

So, OK, maybe their squad is not quite as good as we all assumed, maybe they are a little more vulnerable. But come on. Look at what they have achieved.

For a start, what was it after 16 games, the fourth best start by a side in the Premier League era? Incredible.

They’re still right in the race, they’ve still played some amazing football, but they’ve had a slight slip from staggeringly high standards. Sometimes I think we all get a bit carried away with viewing football as a computer game, as some form of simulation.

We are looking to unpick, find fault, rather than giving credit for nearperfection. And let’s give credit to those teams who have beaten City too.

It was an incredible achievement by Chelsea, Palace and Leicester – and City haven’t become a bad side. They still created enough chances to have won all three and, with a bit of luck on their side, would be top now with the best record at this stage in top–flight history.

I’ll tell you this now. There’s no chance they’re out of the title race. I can guarantee there will be further twists and plenty of chances for City to get back in it.

They need to get back on track quickly, though. Southampton away looks a little tricky all of a sudden when you’d normally assume it was a gimme – they really can’t afford to drop points in that one.

And then the Liverpool game becomes a huge one.

You just know for a fact, though, that Pep will be telling his side they win that and they are absolutely bang in there again. And, with momentum on their side, quite possibly favourites.

Jurgen Klopp has refused to write them off and you know exactly why.

I certainly won’t, but at least their slip has given encouragement to Spurs and Liverpool – and every opponent they will face until the end of the season.