After Man City thrashed their illustrious rivals at Old Trafford, much of the talk switched from who are favorites to win the title to whether City could match Arsenal’s 2003/2004 unbeaten season. Having spent just under £450 million on player transfers since Sheikh Mansour’s September 2008 investment and a manager who won three consecutive Italian titles, Manchester City are undoubtedly equipped to break records.
The first challenge facing Mancini is how to keep the egos of his overpaid stars in check and create a team spirit in his dressing room to win titles. Much like Steve Kean at Blackburn, Mancini’s appointment left a sour taste of unfairness as his predecessor was arguably doing a great job. Having won the club’s first trophy in 34 years, Mancini can now command a “top-dog” authority, casting the shadow of last season’s talisman, Tevez, in his wake.
The next possible obstacle would be balancing the rigors European football with the domestic season. However, with a squad so deep their reserves could win the league, surely City’s rivals are only clinging onto branches that City’s squad could be stretched so thin. Take into account the experience of their manager as well as that of most of their squad, and again one cannot help but feel that City have all the tools to break records.
The tougher test is probably how the team will cope with the pressure of being title favorites and their response to a loss in other competitions. On the back of City’s loss to Napoli, and their Champions League campaign hanging on a thread, the game against a rested Liverpool team that boasts a great head-to-head record against City, could in the eyes of antagonists not be timed any better. Even with ten men for the last 10 minutes of the game, City managed to record only their second draw of the campaign and with their five-point lead still intact, should still feel comfortable in the title race.
The real test for Mancini will be how to keep his troops grounded even against the league’s bottom teams that sometimes play with a bold “nothing to lose” attitude that could catch City out. After all, last season it took a dogged Wolves performance to end Man United’s long unbeaten run. There will be games against teams like Arsenal and Man United that should get better as the season progresses, and are marshaled by seasoned generals who will be extra motivated to deny City such a prestigious coup. Tottenham as well have continued to improve and have a great record against City while Chelsea is bound to end their miserable run against City at some point.
Like United’s 1999 treble, I believe the Gunners 2003/2004 run is a one off that will not be repeated, at least not in the near future. Luck has to align with ability and hunger, but luck is especially not an aspect that is easy to sustain through a season. If City can survive the December 7th – 18th period, where they have a tough run of games against Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Arsenal, they just may be in line to make lightning strike again!
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