Having shaken off their early season woes, can Pep Guardiola guide City to another title? – Manchester City half season review

As Manchester City made it 11 wins on the bounce in all competitions after their victory over West Brom last night, has Pep Guardiola found the winning formula to take City to a third title in four years?

It certainly won’t be easy with the likes of Liverpool, Leicester, Manchester United and Tottenham all challenging as well, but at the half way point Manchester City are in a great position going into the latter half of the season.

The season so far…

Five key games – 

Man City 2 – 5 Leicester

After starting their Premier League campaign with a 3-1 win away to Wolves, Manchester City were looking to build on that result as Leicester visited the Etihad in game week two. After going one nil up in just the fourth minute through a Riyad Mahrez thunder strike it was looking like another routine day for the Blues, however it turned out to be a horror show for Pep Guardiola’s men.

Jamie Vardy was the star of the show as he bagged a hat-trick to send Leicester top of the Premier League table. Other goals from Youri Tielemans, as well as a fantastic long-range strike from England midfielder James Maddison to cap off an emphatic performance for the Foxes.

In a game where City conceded five, three of which were penalties, it was just a repeat of the reoccurring defensive issues that had haunted them during the 19/20 season as they finished a substantial 18 points behind title winners Liverpool.

Despite battling all summer long to try and agree a deal with Napoli over the transfer of Kalidou Koulibaly, they eventually gave up and turned their attention elsewhere with this defeat highlighting the idea that reinforcements were definitely needed. Just days after this harrowing defeat, the club announced the signing of Ruben Dias from Benfica for £65 million, in what was to be a fine piece of business.

 

Tottenham 2-0 Man City

In a game where City lacked a cutting edge, it was Spurs who were victorious thanks to a Jose Mourinho master class consisting of resilient, deep defending, while being clinical on the counter attack.

Goals came from Heung-Min Son and Giovani Lo Celso on a day where Spurs made the most of their chances registering just four in total. Manchester City on the other hand failed to test Lloris in the Tottenham goal as they notched up 22 attempts, but only five of them were on target.

It was a crucial win for Tottenham, which sent them to the top of the Premier League and remarkably was the first time they had ended a day top of the pile since August 2014.

However this was another of those days that have been happening since the start of last season for Pep Guardiola’s side, when they simply lack a ruthless edge and end up being punished. A pattern that had to change.

Chelsea 1 – 3 Man City

After a Covid-19 outbreak at the club had caused the Premier League to postpone their fixture with Everton just days prior to this fixture, City travelled to the Bridge missing a number of key players, including goalkeeper Ederson, Kyle Walker, as well as key attackers Ferran Torres and Gabriel Jesus.

Despite this, Pep Guardiola’s team cruised to victory displaying a fantastic first half performance as they blew Chelsea away with three goals in 16 first-half minutes.

Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring with a curling shot from outside the box, before Phil Foden doubled the lead tucking in a first time effort after great work on the left wing by Kevin De Bruyne. The game was out of sight by the 34th minute, as De Bruyne got on the scoresheet himself finishing off what was a fantastic counter-attacking move by the Blues.

Man United 0 – 2 Man City

Just three days after the win at Stamford Bridge, Pep Guardiola took his team across town as they faced local archenemies Manchester United in the Carabao Cup semi-final. In what was a routine victory in the end, City breezed past United into the final where they will face Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.

The frist goal came just after the restart, as John Stones was at the back post completely unmarked to nudge in Foden’s free kick. City carried on controlling the game and in the 83rd minute their dominance paid off as Fernandinho volleyed in from the edge of the 18-yard box, sending the Blues to their fourth consecutive Carabao Cup Final.

What was most impressive about this performance was the defensive display once again from John Stones and Ruben Dias. After this game the pair had conceded just once in 810 minutes while playing together, as they continued to build a formidable partnership at the heart of the Manchester City defence.

 Man City 2 – 0 Aston Villa

Manchester City knew that a win over Aston Villa would send them to the top of the Premier League for the first time since August 2019. Villa, who came to the Etihad having not played a game in almost three weeks due to a Covid-19 outbreak at the club, showed no after-effects as they produced a resilient performance especially in defence, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez receiving the man of the match award after a brilliant display.

It took until the 79th minute for City to eventually break down the Villa resistance as Bernardo Silva fired in from the edge of the box, a goal which was surrounded by controversy, and also lead to the dismissal of Villa boss Dean Smith who in the eyes of referee, had too much to say.

The Blues sealed the win with a penalty late on as Ilkay Gundogan stepped up to carry on his impressive goal scoring form of late, notching his fifth of the season.

In what was one of City’s toughest games this campaign, it is the kind of win they could look back on at the end of the season and highlight as significant, as they push for another title.

 

Players of the season so far

Phil Foden

Since arriving at the club when he was just four years old, Phil Foden is Manchester City through and through. Often dubbed the ‘Stockport Iniesta’ due to his silky skills and natural ability on the ball, Foden has really come into his own this season proving to be one of City’s most important players.

Foden, who is currently City’s top goal scorer this season, has netted nine in all competitions. Due to his development in recent months, Pep Guardiola has opted to use him a lot more this year in comparison to previous seasons.

Often being utilised in his more natural attacking midfield position, the City boss has also toyed with the idea of Foden on the wing, with both being equally effective as he drives at defenders beating them with his pace and skill.

The youngster will have his sights set on helping Manchester City to win more silverware as they carry on their great run of form, however Foden will also be looking ahead to this summers European Championships as he aims to make Gareth Southgate’s squad.

Having already impressed the England boss when he made his professional debut in September, there is a great chance he could better that as he looks to make the final 23-man squad this summer.

Ruben Dias

Upon arriving from Benfica for a fee of £65m, not many had seen Ruben Dias in action having learnt his trade in the Primeira League in Portugal. He was signed in the hope he could be the answer to Manchester City’s defensive issues they have been having for several years.

Dias was everything they could’ve hoped for, and more.

At just 23 years old he is already turning heads, as he seems to have solidified the City defence collating 15 cleans sheets this season in all competitions.

The Portuguese international has been faultless since arriving in Manchester, forming a formidable partnership with John Stones at the heart of the City defence. When playing together, the pair have conceded just once in 1080 minutes in all competitions.

Ilkay Gundogan

Ilkay Gundogan joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund for £21 million back in 2016, coincidently the first signing to kick-start the Guardiola era. Now five years down the line, you can appreciate what good business it was.

Despite over the years struggling to nail down a consistent place in the starting 11 after facing fierce competition from the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, Gundogan has always been consistent and has played a pivotal role in Manchester City’s recent success over the years.

Due to the departure of club legend David Silva last summer, Gundogan has been able to play further up the pitch in his preferred role of the number eight position. Often providing an attacking threat due to his creative nature on the ball, the German midfielder has also chipped in with numerous goals this season totalling up nine in all competitions, which is a career best.

 

Joao Cancelo

After arriving during the summer of 2019, Joao Cancelo struggled to adapt in his first season of English football. Fast-forward 12 months and he has been one of Manchester City’s stand out players this term. Providing a constant threat down the right hand side, he is as good in attack as he is in defence, a complete player who has excelled in a free flowing City side this season.

One other benefit is his versatility, he is a manager’s dream, and Pep Guardiola has most definitely utilised this aspect of the Portuguese international’s game. Cancelo has been used on either side of the back four, as well as occupying a midfield space earlier on in the season against Arsenal as he tucked inside from the right wing position.

John Stones

Having struggled with confidence and injuries during last season, it was looking as though John Stones’ Manchester City career was over as he was linked with a move away from the club last summer. Similar to Cancelo, he seems to have turned the tables and has played a pivotal role in the clubs great run of form this season.

Stones, whose performances are very much reliant on confidence, seems to have met his match playing with Dias as they compliment each other so well. His recent stand out performance came against Crystal Palace in the 4-0 victory, with the defender scoring two of the goals as well as grabbing another clean sheet.City boss Pep Guardiola was speaking after that game as he heaped the praise onto Stones:

‘If I have one player I’m pleased everything is going well for, it’s him. He deserves the best. He overcame this situation all himself. He’s playing because he deserves it and I’m happy for him.’

In a similar situation to Foden, Stones will be hoping that his recent run of good performances is enough to catch the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate. With the European Championships on the horizon, now is the perfect time for John to kick on and cement his place in the England defence.

What’s next?

In their recent win over West Brom; City made it seven wins out of seven in the Premier League as they aim to secure their third title in just four years. Going into the latter part of the season they are in a great position, however the likes of Manchester United, Leicester, and Liverpool will all be challenging come the end of the season.

Along with their great league form, City are also still in all three cup competitions with a Carabao Cup Final to look forward to come April as they face Jose Mourinho’s Spurs at Wembley.

One competition that has so far eluded Manchester City is the Champions League; with City fans only knowing heartbreak as far as this cup is concerned. After crashing out against Spurs during the 18/19 season in a game surrounded by VAR controversy, coupled with the horror show against Lyon in Lisbon where they exited the competition last season, fans will be hoping this years’ Champions League brings different fortune.

So far this year, they started with an almost perfect group stage attaining 16 points, scoring 13 and conceding just one goal, they now face German side Borussia Monchengladbach in the Round of 16. With the first leg not too far away on the 24th February, Guardiola will be hoping to carry his side’s league form into Europe.

 

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