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The English Premier League is arguably the most followed league on the planet. Especially in India, it has seen a rapid rise in the number of followers in the past decade or so. We are all familiar with the big four- Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Manchester United clearly dominated between 2000-2010, winning six league titles, one FA cup, three League cups, four Community shields, one Champions league and one FIFA Club World Cup. Though this spell of sheer dominance was interspersed with triumphs by Chelsea, it was the blue half of Manchester who in the true sense put a stop to the Red Devils' rampant form.
The noisy neighbours as they are infamously known, surprised everyone by beating their arch rivals and winning the title in the 2011-12 season after 44 years. The side was greatly bolstered by the money coming from the 2008 takeover and they used that money wisely investing in the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure.
After lifting the coveted trophy, City became a constant title contender and part of the top four. They lifted the title once again in the 2013/14 season.
Manchester City has been a delight to watch this season. After 26 games, they sit comfortably at the top of the table with a majestic 69 points, 13 points ahead of second-placed Manchester United. From City's beautiful passing game to their rapid attacking displays in high-scoring matches, they've played like true champions.
Here are a few possible reasons for their dominance this season:
#1 Guardiola's managerial genius
We all know Pep Guardiola's success with top tier teams. Be it dominating the entire world during his time at Barcelona to ruling over the Bundesliga and breaking records with Bayern Munich, he specialises in using a core group of players to create an all-conquering side.
When he was brought in last year, he had a decent first season (according to his lofty standards). After the experience of one season in the Premier League, Pep has come out all guns blazing this campaign. From his tactical superiority to savage press conferences to his sheer animated figure on the pitch, very few managers in the world are working as hard as the Spaniard, and the results are an evident proof of this fact. Guardiola has time and again faced the fires of comparison with Jose Mourinho dating back to their Barcelona and Real Madrid days.
Guardiola's approach with this City side has been minimalistic and simple. They still have nine players from last season and have re-enforced their squad by bringing in new stars. Guardiola believes more in playing like a team rather than containing a squad with egos(ahem ahem Real Madrid). The players seem to trust their gaffer blindly and are on course to winning the title.
#2 Magnificent midfield
While we talk about attack being the most important part in traditional terms, in the modern game, midfielders are as important to the team as the forwards. This is one of the strong reasons for the splendid form exhibited by City this season. Kevin De Bruyne (11) and Leroy Sane (10) are currently leading the Premier League assist charts for this season.
With the likes of De Bruyne, Sane, Sterling, Fernandinho and Silva, the talent in the midfield is immense for City. Man City has recorded the most number of passes in the Premier League and exceed Arsenal by some 2500+ passes, who come in second place.
#3 Balanced play
On one hand where City is being praised for their possession stats and passing game, we are forgetting the fact that they have been brilliant on the attack as well. There have been more than a few games where City have scored more than four goals and that too in scintillating fashion. City have looked threatening in each game they have played, even in their defeat to Liverpool which has been their only loss in the league. The goal scoring charts have been shining with Harry Kane's name but Aguero has been amazing yet again, scoring 17 goals.
The full backs play a crucial role when it comes to both attack and defence. There were question marks when Kyle Walker arrived at the Etihad, but he has silenced his critics with strong performances at both ends of the field for City. And with Nicolas Otamendi anchoring the back four, Manchester City have been brilliant in all departments and have been able to maintain the consistency till now.
#4 Winning attitude
Agree or not, City this season have been the one of the most feared teams in Europe. Even with an average performance they were able to comfortably defeat United 2-1 in the Manchester Derby. City head into each game with a clear intention of winning and credit does go to Guardiola for driving this mentality into his players. The team is confident that they can bring the title back to the Etihad, though Guardiola has been modest regarding title news. The players have shown a great deal of authority every time they enter the pitch.
No matter which team you support, it is hard to deny the fact that City have been entertaining this season. As they say the game isn't over till the final whistle, they haven't won the title yet and still have a long way to achieve that almost impossible quadruple dream. They've had an amazing season and hopefully they can carry it on till the last game.
