Manchester City's attacking players give them the edge in the Champions League against Liverpool

With the Premier League enjoying its international break, this is a fitting time to contemplate what the balance of the season holds, especially for Manchester City whose taking of the Premiership title seems to be virtually there for the asking.

Super Sunday, as it was heralded by pundits, saw Manchester Utd beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, and Manchester City trounced Arsenal 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium. It saw City emerge a comfortable 8 points clear of Manchester Utd and Spurs in second and third position, both on 23 points.

So, the stage appears to be set – and so early in the season. With an eight-point lead, and playing as well as they are, it should be that the Premiership League title is there simply for taking by Man City. It also very much looks as though the five teams under City will be fighting it out amongst themselves for the three Champions’ League qualifying slots.

You might be forgiven for thinking that the pack immediately below Man City in the table, are dishevelled; but that is not really the case. When you take a look at how Man Utd, Spurs and Chelsea are performing, they are all there on 22/23 points – no mean effort. The problem is though that City just seems to be so far ahead of everyone else, having dropped a meagre two points in their past 11 matches.

With 31 points amassed to date, Manchester City has chalked up the joint best opening to the season since the Premier League was launched. They’ve equalled their own record in 2011/2012 by winning 11 out of 12 matches. But could they go on to create Premiership history by winning 12 out of 13?

It remains to be seen, but at this point in time it does seem like a good bet, especially when you take into consideration that their next two league fixtures are against Leicester and Huddersfield, even though both games are away.

City have already beaten some of the top rivals in league fixtures this season. They have beaten Arsenal 3-0; Chelsea 1-0, and Liverpool 5-1. They have yet to play Spurs, and this could be where their greatest threat lies, as Tottenham are the only other side in the Premiership to match them regarding pace and style.

Local rivals and Derby partners Manchester United also pose a threat.

But all this talk of a threat to City’s current supremacy relies on them having a dip in form – something that when you look at it now, is looking extremely unlikely. This perhaps is the only danger. It’s never easy to tell how a side will react to an unexpectedly losing a game.

 

 

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