Manuel Pellegrini ensured that his final season at the Etihad will not end without a trophy after Manchester City lifted the Capital One Cup last month.
But the Sky Blues still find themselves with the chance of winning two more competitions. The Champions League is still within reach and they are all but guaranteed a spot in the quarter-finals, whereas they currently sit in fourth position in the Premier league with a game in hand over the other title aspirants. Yet City are a massive 10 points behind leaders Leicester City with their title chances looking slim.
So are the hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title all but over already? Outside90’s Rahul Dantes looks at three reasons that could determine whether City can still clinch the trophy.
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Champions League
As things stand the Manchester outfit has more of a chance to win the Champions league than any other from the Premier league. So it would make sense if Pellegrini had to focus more on the European trophy than the domestic competition. City came away comfortable winners against Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine and also have an impressive three away goals to their credit. The tie looks seemingly over with not a lot of hope resting on the visitors to turn it around at the Etihad in a week’s time.
With due respect to Dynamo Kyiv, Pellegrini’s men will surely face a tougher task in the next stage of the Champions League, should they indeed make it and the manager will need all of his stars to be at their very best during that period.
The likes of Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero have been known to be injury prone, which might prompt Pellegrini to rest them ahead of their European fixtures, with City’s youth players likely to get more game time in the final-third of the season.
Even if they are to rest key players, there is still a strong enough squad to do well in the domestic league but maybe not enough to win it. Of course, things can change quickly if City are to be knocked out of the continental tournament.
Premier League fixtures
City do not have the easiest run of fixtures from now until the end of the season. They are yet to face neighbours Manchester United, a rejuvenated Chelsea and title rivals Arsenal, while also looking at tough trips to Southampton and Swansea. What makes this run even more tricky is that they must win all of these matches and still hope for the teams above them to drop points.
By no means is this impossible, but it surely is not an easy task and the Citizens must be at the top of their game if they are to lift the Premier league trophy come the season’s end.
Consistency of players
Besides needing his players to remain fit, Pellegrini must also look to get the best out of them. Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Otamendi, to name a few, have seen dips in form throughout the season and the manager must ensure the level of consistency in his side’s performances.
Toure is no longer the midfield powerhouse he once was as age looks to be taking its toll. For all the hype Sterling has received, his form and consistency have simply not been worth his price-tag. The youngster oozes talent and it would be great to see him showcase it on a more regular basis. Otamendi came to the Etihad with high regards and was supposed to put an end to the Sky Blues’ recent defensive problems – but in the absence of skipper Kompany, the defence has been shambolic at times and Otamendi can take a lot of blame for that. Although his recent performances have steadied, it is evident that he is still not at his best.
With Kevin De Bruyne, Samir Nasri and Fabian Delph still out injured, Pellegrini will be hopeful that the rest of the squad can put in the performances that they are actually capable of. They cannot afford any more slip-ups if they aim to be champions in May.
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