Manchester City are the best team in the Premier League and will win it again. As things stand right now, that assertion is somewhat bold. City are just two points above Liverpool at the November international break and it’s tight at the top. Five points separate the top four and there are 26 games still to go. At this time last year, City enjoyed an eight-point cushion over second-placed United. So, evidence shows the rest have caught up, right? Stats can be misleading. The others may be better, yet the two-point lead City have at the moment somehow feels like a lot more.
Can Anyone Catch Manchester City in the Premier League?
There were fleeting signs of vulnerability in a 2-1 loss to Lyon at home in the Champions League in September, but that was quickly rectified. Since the setback, Pep Guardiola’s men have played a combined 12 games in Europe, Premier League and League Cup. In those games, they have scored 38, conceded three and won all but an away game at Anfield, which they drew but really should have won at the end. All this was done without the services of their best player, Kevin De Bruyne and by playing the most captivating football on the continent.
Toppling them is a tall order. Still, let’s look at the pretenders who could (neutrals hope) give City a close run, from least to most likely.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs have stagnated somewhat. They have already lost at Wembley to City and Liverpool and looked distinctly second-best in those defeats. The stadium delay and the lack of funds and world-class signings mean all is not well in that part of North London. The odds on Pochettino staying for the long haul have also lengthened. They remain a decent team but City are a truly great one.
Arsenal
The Gunners won 11 games in a row in all competitions over a two-month period and there was talk of a revival, somewhat prematurely. Only seven of those wins were in the league and none against what you would call top-tier opposition. It was a decent effort, no doubt, and Unai Emery is a welcome change and one which was needed at the Emirates. Also, the transformation in the atmosphere is palpable and was especially evident in the drawn game against Liverpool but they still look a year or two off from really challenging.
Manchester United
It is arguable that times have passed Jose Mourinho by, yet we can’t forget that the man is a winner. While he may not be able to take a struggling United side to the top this or any other year, the red half of Manchester will still finish above two of the three big London clubs. However, expect the Special One to lose his job come the season’s end.
Chelsea
Maurizio Sarri has been able to implement his style of play at Chelsea on his charges even quicker than Emery has done with Arsenal. The players seem to enjoy the general environment and the lack of drama and they do have in their ranks Eden Hazard, inarguably the most talented player in the Premier League. Will all that be enough to overhaul City? Maybe in the coming seasons, but not this one.
Liverpool
The first 15 minutes of the goalless game against City at Anfield were telling. For the first time since Guardiola got his machine well and truly running, the Spaniard somewhat eschewed his philosophy and openly changed for the opposition. He set up his team to hit Liverpool on the counter and should have won in the end but for a missed penalty. Interestingly, his post-match comments on how “satisfied” he was with the result felt more genuine than the usual rhetoric. Klopp and Anfield have rattled the cage a little. So, can Liverpool topple City? Can their front three hit the heights of last season to complement the joint-best defence in the league and a squad that’s stronger than it has been in years?
Verdict
Manchester City will retain the Premier League. The players are now too set in their wonderful ways, too confident in their abilities and have tasted unprecedented success last season. The title won’t be effectively over in January like it was last year. Other teams will be mathematically in the mix in April and their fans will cling to hope until the very end as football fans do.
The gap between first and second will also not be 19 points. Still, an objective review of the season after May 19, 2019, will show that the result was never in doubt. City are just too good. If a team can pip them at the finish – football’s glorious uncertainties make the game the greatest on earth – it will be Liverpool. However, for now, that is a big, Ethiad-sized if.
Predicted Standings in Order
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal
6. Tottenham Hotspur
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