Manchester City's 12-game EPL progress report

Manchester City's 12-game EPL progress report

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Three months into the 2015-16 campaign sees Manchester City atop the Premier League table, ahead on goal difference and level on points with Arsenal.

What has gone right?

The Citizens rightfully deserve to be where they are, having scored the most number of goals so far (26) and with the second-best defensive record in the league, conceding only nine times. August and September proved to be especially excellent from individual points of view, with David Silva and new-signing Kevin De Bruyne claiming the League’s player of the month awards in the two months respectively, while Manuel Pellegrini also scooped up the Manager of the month plaudits for August. October was also not too bad, with the team remaining unbeaten, winning three matches and only dropping points in a draw against rivals Manchester United. Despite top scorer Sergio Aguero being out through injury since mid-October, City have still done fairly decently as others have stepped up in absence.

The Sky Blues are also topping their Champion’s League group, looking favourites to qualify for the next phase from a considerably tough initial run and they are one of the few top Premier League teams to have progressed to the fifth round of the Capital One Cup.

What has gone wrong?

Injuries to key players have been a worrying factor, with Aguero, Silva and Samir Nasri all still struggling with to stay fit. While players like De Bruyne, Sterling, Yaya Toure and Fernandinho have been in excellent form, Pellegrini will surely look forward to have his top names back from injury as soon as possible.

Starting the season in blistering form by winning their first five games without conceding a single goal, there has been an evident dip in form since then, suffering defeats in their next two league matches against London opposition – West Ham and Tottenham. The defeat against the Spurs was particularly damaging, with the Londoners running away comfortable 4-1 victors. A fairly poor showing in the Manchester derby  would leave considering them lucky to come away with a point. The latest fixture against a struggling Aston Villa was also disappointing, considering that the Villains had lost their last seven league fixtures. The game ended goalless, with City letting a whole host of chances go begging and the latest injury concern to Wilfried bony has only caused more problems for Pellegrini.

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Best player so far – Fernandinho

There have been quite a few candidates regarding who City’s best player this season is, with Aguero, Silva, Toure, Sterling and De Bruyne all making noteworthy contributions.

But there has been one unexpected player who has been consistent throughout the season and has stood-out among the others by quite some distance. Fernandinho has been a rock in the midfield and has even chipped in with a few goals in the process (3). Defensively he has shielded his back four perfectly and his positioning has given Yaya Toure more freedom to go forward. But consistent performances have really been the major factor that puts him ahead of the rest of his teammates.

Fernandinho's work rate has kept City afloat in the absence of key names
Fernandinho’s work rate has kept City afloat in the absence of key names

What is next?

One positive for City is that Aguero, Silva, Nasri and Bony are close to returning from injury, with all three expected back this month itself. Besides them Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany also look to shake-off minor knocks and should return in the coming weeks. While these players recuperating from injury, it is highly important that the others continue to put in strong performances in their absence. Striker problems continue, with Sterling being forced to play in the most advanced position in the absence of Aguero and Bony. De Bruyne, Toure, Sterling and the whole defence will be expected to perform to the maximum of their abilities in the coming months if the Sky Blues are to cement their position at the top of the table.

There is a challenging set of upcoming fixtures ahead, facing Liverpool, Southampton and Swansea at home in their next three home games, while they must deal with tough away trips to Stoke City, Arsenal and Leicester City.

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