Manchester City are flying towards a potential fourth Premier League title in five seasons. The Citizens have taken the 2021/22 season by storm and they already have a nine-point lead over second-place Liverpool.
With just a third of the season to go, the title is certainly in City’s hands. This isn’t the first time that Man City have found themselves in this position. Rewind to last season and City were that comfortable at the top of the league, several bookmakers, including PaddyPower and Betfair even paid out early on them to clinch the title.
At this stage, it may take a monumental slip up for Pep Guardiola’s side to loosen their grip at the top of the table. It has happened before, however, with Liverpool, led by Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip, the most recent in 2013/14.
Ultimately, though, the Premier League title looks like it may be heading to the Etihad early in 2021/22.
In City’s Hands
Although City got off to a terrible start back in August, losing 1-0 at Tottenham on the opening day, their season since then has been remarkable. Guardiola’s side has lost once more since the defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a shock 2-0 home defeat against Crystal Palace.
However, the humbling loss against the Eagles appeared to re-focus the Citizens. Since that loss, City has won 13 of their last 14 Premier League matches, dropping just two points in a 1-1 draw at Southampton.
During this run, the Manchester club has also been able to see off some of their rivals near the top of the table. The Citizens beat Man United, West Ham, Arsenal and Leicester in the winning streak. Although, a 1-0 home win against Chelsea in January was perhaps the most convincing sign that City were on course for an early Premier League win.
As the Blues had tormented City twice last season, beating them at the Etihad and the Champions League final, the match was a big test. But the Citizens had no problems keeping their potential title rivals at arm’s length. City dominated the match, limited Chelsea to just four shots, and Kevin De Bruyne scored to seal the points.
With 13 games left to play in the Premier League season, things are certainly in Man City’s favour. In their final run of matches, there are potential tough times ahead. The Citizens still have to play Tottenham, Man United and Liverpool.
Guardiola will have confidence, particularly as all of these matches are at home. This season, City have dropped just four points from a possible 36, which will play into the current champions’ hands later in the season.
Fixture pile-up
Despite their clear advantage in the league this season, one issue that could come into play is the amount of upcoming fixtures City need to play. The club are still in the FA Cup and the Champions League knockout stages. As a result, this could add an additional ten matches to City’s late-season schedule.
Judging from previous seasons, Guardiola will not squander any chances of winning further silverware. This means that he is likely to play near full-strength teams in the cup competitions, particularly in Europe after narrowly missing out on a first Champions League last season.
In fact, there are similarities already between this season and last season, when City won the Premier League. Guardiola’s side went on a 15-match winning streak between December and March, which ultimately led to them sealing the title early again. But, following a 2-0 home loss against Man United, the Citizens slipped up later in the season, losing four of their last 11, including defeats against Leeds and Brighton.
Last season’s blip may have been a result of City’s competitiveness in all four competitions they took part in.
Can Liverpool catch City?
The only real challenger waiting in the wings for a potential City capitulation is Liverpool. As Chelsea are now 16 points off the top of the table, they are unlikely to challenge, leaving Jurgen Klopp’s team the likely competitors.
Liverpool are a much stronger outfit this season compared to last when they finished in third and 17 points off Man City in the Premier League. The Reds have also lost just two matches in the league this season, but more draws leave them some way off the Premier League summit. Even Klopp recently admitted that it may be too big a gap to close down currently.
Although, if Liverpool can continue their recent form, where they have won ten of their last 13, they may be able to keep City in their sights. If they keep the momentum leading up to the clash at the Etihad in early April, there could be a blockbuster end to the Premier League season. But, at present, this seems unlikely due to City’s dominance.
