Manchester City The Premier League is back in title contention. This was unthinkable last year, when the Premier League was at its worst. The title defence of the club was in tatters when December rolled around. What has changed? A new year, a new cityWhile Man 2024 was certainly not the case CityThey have won 19 more games in 2025 than any other Premier League side. They have averaged more points per match (2.07) than Arsenal and Liverpool and scored more goals (63).
It’s true that titles aren’t won based on the calendar year, but it is important to note that consistency has steadily increased since recovering from a decline which was one of worst ever seen by a champion. It was almost as if the team had self-destructed. Liverpool, the current champions, shares this sentiment.
Please use Chrome to access a more accessible player.
Highlights from the Premier League match between Manchester City Liverpool is a great city.
Pep guardiola needed to take time off. He was a visible victim of his team’s collapse and told reporters in the press room: “I’m just not good enough”. Some of the rhetoric was somewhat hollow given what had been achieved in the years before, but seemed to uncover a missing part: “The club needed those loses,” Pep has since reconciled.Complacency has been eradicated, replaced by a cold and calculated strategy to bulldoze a way back to the top. It seems to be working so far.
Live: SNF
Saturday 22nd of November, 5:00pm
Persuasive pepIf the last season was one of survival, then this year is a campaign of comeback. You can read more about the specific style changes further down on this page. The first thing to be restored was the cavalier approach that has defined Pep’s teams in Europe.
Few opposition parties actually fear City In their darkest moment. It turned out that few managers had ever worried about Pep. They lost to Bournemouth in successive weeks. Then, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham beat them the following week. Mikel Arteta and his previously cautious Arsenal smashed them five times in February in an audacious display.
Image:
Pep Guardiola has once again shown his managerial skills
Gary Neville recently said on his podcast that Arsenal are the better side, but Man City “I would not want to have the manager of this club on my shoulder as I walked down the back straight”.CityThe home form of shows how formidable they can be. This season, no team has scored more goals (16) or won more points (15). Arsenal played one game less. No team has scored more (16). It is as important to give the impression of invincibility when you arrive as it is to have a tactical advantage. Pep seems to have both tools in his arsenal. City The match-winning performance of the winger against Liverpool will be remembered for a long time. Despite playing down the quality of his goal when speaking to reporters afterwards – “I have scored better…” – it exemplified the brilliance of a player on top of his game.
Please use Chrome to access a more accessible player.
Here are the highlights from Jeremy Doku’s Player of Match performance in Manchester City’s Premier League win of 3-0 over Liverpool.
Doku turned Vinicius Jr. inside out five days after Liverpool beat Real Madrid and Conor Bradley pocketed him. Doku’s recent form is partly the result of Guardiola’s tactical structure, which he has been working on over the past few weeks. Last season City Pep has chosen to play a more narrow midfield this year, particularly against teams that like to press. Doku’s role has played a major part in the success of this system. Pep replied: “I’m brilliant, tactics my friend” when asked to comment about Doku becoming a central midfielder de facto.
Rotations are crucial. Wingers move into the middle, opening lanes for runners to overlap. Doku’s 1v1 skill and speed of passing will do the rest. City Instead of always going around the outside, relying on his takeovers will help you get up the middle. It brings him closer to Erling haaland and gives him more space to exploit, as the defenders crowd towards him.
Sky Sports News asked Pep about his best dribblers, and Doku was the obvious choice. Craig Bellamy, the manager of Wales’s match against Belgium in late October, said that Doku was able to dribble you past a telephone box. The player smiled knowingly when these quotes were read to him. He loves the responsibility of playing such an important role in a successful team.’Phil Foden is back!Foden, who had a career high of 19 Premier League goals in his previous season with the club, is now beginning to resemble the Phil Foden of last year. Foden scored 19 Premier League goals – eight less than Haaland – and was there when his boyhood team needed him.
Please use Chrome to access a more accessible player.
Paul Merson believes that England’s midfielder Phil Foden has been struggling for a few years.
Foden knows how much this experience influenced the months that followed. Foden was ill and injured. City He cited that he needed to get his head “right” before he could succeed in defending their title. The break he took was a blessing. A goal in the Manchester Derby was the first step on the road to recovery. Two goals against Borussia Dortmund earlier this month in the Champions League prompted Guardiola’s declaration: “Phil is Back!”Guardiola continued, “”When Phil’s happy and full-of-joy you don’t even have to say anything. He is a special player.” City Need him to fire to stay on course.Hungry HaalandIsn’t it unfair to include Haaland as part of a piece about distinct differences when the Norwegian never stopped scoring for Man City? He scored 22 goals for the Premier League in last season’s campaign, which is not a bad total.
Datawrapper
This content was provided by Datawrapper. It may use cookies and other technologies.
Cookies are required to display this content.
Use the buttons to your left to modify your preferences and enable Datawrapper Cookies or to only allow these cookies once.
Privacy Options allows you to change your settings whenever you want.
We have not been able to confirm that you consented to Datawrapper Cookies.
Use the button below if you want to allow Datawrapper cookies only for this session.
Allow Cookies
Accept Cookies Only Once
This Haaland is more abrasive. He has already scored 14 goals in the league, which is almost twice as much as Igor Thiago’s (8). And he has 19 overall. This strike rate has been seen before. In 2022/23 he scored twenty goals by the beginning of October.
Please use Chrome to access a more accessible player.
Pep Guardiola said that Erling Haaland’s form this season is the best he has seen of the striker, who continued his goalscoring form during the international window.
Twenty-six of the 44 open-play shots he has taken this season have been without any prior contact. Eight out of his 14 goals were scored with a first-time finish. His explosive, yet refined, technique sets him apart. He is able to receive the ball quicker, and his instinctive play makes him difficult to stop. Three of his goals have been scored on fast breaks. This is also a record for the league (along with the in-demand Antoine Semenyo). Man City Never before have I been known to advocate this direct and more vertical style.
Image:
The graphic suggests Manchester City Could be moving towards a direct style
Haaland’s dream co-conspirators are also able to provide final-third entry by various means. Doku tops the Premier League charts for the number of ball carries into the box of an opponent (72), the chances created as a result (11), he is also joint-top in the charts that measure the creation and distribution big chances (five). Foden is fourth in the list of the top chance-creators. And don’t overlook the timeless influence Bernardo Silva. City This season, the Premier League’s duel success rate is the highest. Guardiola stressed the importance of this to gain control over games, after a comprehensive win against Liverpool. The team also ranks top in distance covered per ninety minutes – even without Rodri. His absence has been less problematic this season due to the addition of Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez, as well the redesign of Bernardo’s role. The addition of Nico O’Reilly and Matheus O’Reilly, who are often central midfielders, has given the team an extra layer of strength.
Image:
Nico Gonzalez Scores in Man City’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool
Does all of this suffice to sustain a title push? There is no doubt that they are in contention. City Newcastle, Leeds Fulham Sunderland Crystal Palace are their five next matches. The gap could close over this run, as they are the closest to Arsenal. The scars from last season’s spectacular collapse are fading. City Watch Newcastle vs Man City Live on Sky Sports Main Event this Saturday at 5.30pm
2025-11-20 12:00:00
Discover more from sportscraper.co.uk
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
