At the very beginning of this season I was in total agreement with experts like Roger Wolfson in suggesting that Manchester City would finish at the top of the table this year. I just felt that Liverpool had poked the hornet’s nest and that Guardiola and City were going to steamroll the Premier League as they did 2 years ago. Now however, at 10 games in, we see that Manchester City sit in 8th position, 6 points behind the league leaders and having already lost 2 games and drawn 5. this is a problem for City, but what can they realistically expect from the rest of the season?

Let’s take a look.

Still Challenging ?

When it comes to whether or not City are out of the title race, the answer will always be no at this stage of the season. Now, given that Liverpool face Spurs this week, the most that they could be behind is 8 points, which is no small feat. Having said this, it is already crystal clear that the Premier League this year looks to be absolutely bonkers and that just about anything can happen, including City closing out an 8 point gap. City are no strangers to this kind of thing and if any team could do it, City can.

Champions League

Regardless of what happens in the league Pep Guardiola is going to be fully invested and committed to winning the Champions League this season. This is the one which has alluded City for a long time and the owners are absolutely desperate to get their hands on that trophy. Guardiola does know what it takes to win this and they will be giving their all to get all the way through the competition. The frustration for City is that they can beat anyone on their day, they just come up short in this competition. City have a favorable draw against Borussia Monchengladbach, which will see them get into the last 8. In all honesty I believe that this will be City’s year in that competition.

Top Four

Whilst it is certainly conceivable that City could mount a title challenge, I simply don’t believe that they will. This is because of the fact that they just lack leaders and they lack attacking threats when Aguero is not there, or not on it. I see City becoming so predictable and teams like Leeds know that they can sit in and they’ll get a chance on the break. Until City have a plan B and a better forward line than what they are currently showing, I see nothing that suggests they will actually push for the title. City should focus on finishing in the top 4 and winning the Champions League, if they are also able to add a domestic trophy then that will be a very good season for Pep and his players.

What do you make of City’s season ? Can they go all the way?