1. Central midfield
When the Blues went up against reigning champions United at Old Trafford in October one thing was glaringly obvious above all other observations.
The City midfield was too good, too strong, too slick and too sharp for the Reds.
Yaya Toure, David Silva and Gareth Barry against Darren Fletcher and Anderson – it was a mis-match all day long, and the contrast leapt off the team-sheet long before kick off.
City had a player on the bench in Nigel de Jong who would be an automatic choice if he was in Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad.
For all their goals, and defensive solidity, it is the engine room which has driven City’s success. Even at this early stage of the season Barry, Silva and Yaya should be in the running for Footballer of the Year.
2. City will get better
That may sound like a bold statement when you consider what the Blues have achieved in the first half of a breathtaking season - a 6-1 win at United, a 5-1 at Tottenham, nine wins from nine home games, and club and league records tumbling left, right and centre.
But there are players in the squad who are still settling in.
Sergio Aguero has scored 15 goals, an astonishing strike rate for a player in the first half of a new season in a new league in a new country.
But he gives the impression, as David Silva did last year, of a man who is just getting started.
Samir Nasri is another. He has flattered to deceive and is yet to find his feet in this team. When he, and Aguero, do so, the Blues will be truly formidable.
3. The goalkeeper
City have, without doubt, the best goalkeeper of all the title challengers.
That does not just apply to his ability to keep the ball out of the net, but his all-round contribution to the team, the squad and the club.
Hart is exceptionally level-headed and thoughtful for a member of a profession which prides itself on being more than a little eccentric.
With United and City tied at the top going into New Year’s Eve, it is starting to look like the title could be decided by a matter of degrees, here and there.
Hart is the kind of keeper who wins you games with a great save here, a safe piece of handling there.
David de Gea has improved, but when the heat is on later in the season, any manager would prefer to have Hart backing up his defence.
4. The momentum
The feeling around City is of a football club moving inexorably forward towards a bright new destiny.
That sense of forging onwards and upwards has permeated the team, and the players remaining after Roberto Mancini’s two years of culling are all on board.
The progress has been evident ever since Mancini took over – he has methodically improved the way his team defends, and now attacks, and that process is still happening.
United have risen to the challenge, but you still get the feeling that they are in the last throes of a glorious era, like the fading days of Rome.
City will get stronger as the weeks and months go by, but you wonder whether United have the strength in depth to match that forward march of their rivals.
5. Mario Balotelli
Forget the fireworks, the daft hats, the bling, the darts and the grass allergies. Beyond the wacky world of Super Mario lies a seriously good footballer.
We are constantly reminded, when Mario’s latest escapade pops up on the news pages, that he is very much a big kid, in need of a dose of maturity. But that also applies to his game, despite the fact he has been operating at a very high level, in Serie A and the Premier League, for four years now.
But one thing which Balotelli brings to City, apart from a sense of fun and fantasy, is the ability to pull off the unpredictable, to find a gap where none appeared to exist.
He did it against Everton, he did it to begin the rout of Old Trafford, and he very nearly did it when hitting the bar with a surprise shot at West Brom on Boxing Day.
When things get tight in the title race, don’t bet against Mario making the difference.
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I so hope that you are right.
Gonna be a really close and exciting few months! Can't wait! CTID!!!!
Interesting read Stuart,bring it on.
CTID
Come on boys,lets face it we,re gonna have tough away games at some of the better clubs, it,s a long season and we have to dig in and get results. At the lesser clubs we can go and win 6 - 1 thats always easy. Happy New Year ! TG
Away fixtures. City have already played at United, Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool. United still have to play at Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and City
It could all come down to referees, couldn't it Mr Clattenberg, Mr Webb, Mr Atkinson?
I must say, I blinked with incredulity! A 100% positive article about our beloved MCFC. Can this be true? Yes, I've read it through twice - and it is encouraging, fair and a superb piece of journalism from the M.E.N.
I do feel that United's injury ravaged squad (and mediocre midfield) can not positively keep up the one nils (and latterly larger scores, albeit against relegation candidates). They have some 'biggies' to contend with away from home. Like most blues fans I think we have hugely overachieved in the brief period Roberto has been with us - and don't we just LOVE IT? Let's hope the second half of the season (with the potentially horrendous fixture congestion) does not derail the blues express. We want this Champions title SO BADLY...... with the silky skills of David and Samir, allied to the dogged determination of Vincent and co., I honestly feel we can get our blue ribbons on that trophy in May. Then just watch Manchester really party.
Good analysis, but you left out two other highly influential factors, namely City's strength in depth and United's experience of title scraps, together with their tendency to get better in the second hafl of the season.
Unless either team has a complete collapse in form (hugely unlikely) the title race looks like being a close run thing. As you say, most of the factors point towards City taking the title in the end, but I'm expecting one hell of a nailbiter. Enjoy the ride everyone.
Dear Mr Brennan
You seemed to have missed out the remaining fixture list!
PS
Doesn't MEN have an even more worried looking picture of Bobby Manc?
Should have the highly ruddy picture of Rudolph 23 October 2011 !!!!!!!!
That was then, now is now. We seem to be going backwards (difficult to score against..not scoring enough...too slow to counter attack). Whereas Trafford United seem to be hitting winning and scoring form just at the right time.
I wonder now if we will win anything this season and the OT banner will go back up with "1" on it.
Well, glory be! Stuart has finally been on the road to Damascus.
Well done, Stuart.
I share your judgement. However, I also fear that teams are determined to beat City where they are much less inclined to do battle with United. I cannot explain why this is so but the Premier League table that we see today has been altered by three successive capitulations from QPR, Fulham and Wigan.
None of these teams laid a finger on a United side that struggled with FC Otelul Galati. I struggle to understand why they were so submissive.
Very insightful piece, Stuart ....
.... but I think that it will be very close !!!
Spot on in all area s .We are the best and everyone else knows it....Barcelona got beat by a small side in La Liga the other day.....but did you hear the Real Madrid biased media go into hyperbole..?? er no!! they know the truth ,but certain sections of the English media have an agenda ,and will stop at nothing to undermine our title bid .
For a "young" team that has played very few games together, we are already so far ahead of teams that have played together for years. It is very easy to want immediate results, but this is a building process. We are already strong enough to win the league, along with probably one or two other cups this year. It is in the next few years that, as we "gell" together, we will see a tradition of victory a la Barcelona. It will come, let's just have a little patience.
A number of people were panicing after the West Brom result - we drew with the 9th in the league away from home, yet some saw it as a disaster. A year or two ago we would have lost that game. Not any more.
City is the future. City is the team. City will be the new Barcelona. Believe.
Mario is legend already. Love the guy.
Looking at away games against the others in the top 6 we have just got Arsenal away.
Whereas United are away to Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, and City.
For the home games the situation is reversed. United have just got Liverpool at home. Whereas at home we have got Liverpool Spurs Chelsea and United. To my reckoning this gives us a 'home' advantage going into the second half of the season. No one said it was going to be easy ! It'll be close in the Prem but we can also beat them in the FA Cup and the Europa league.
only talk of winning mu ...already like gaurentee of winning the lg.... what about Wba last week....
Don't underestimate Spurs - for some reason they seem to do well when the season ends in a '1'. We are also involved in 4 different tournaments whaile United are in 3 and Spurs only in 2. We want to be careful that we don't emulate the Arsenal of last season.
if we start seeing daylight there's no way back then for the Stockport mob, they have no history, so they keep piping on about 1 game (38 games in season) but we're too big too let 1 blip get in the way, 90 pts is not going to be enough for you, i'll be sitting back and wait for all your sorry excuses, because your season will end in too many "what if's" , HAPPY NEW YEAR "not"
I can't argue with much of that Mr Brennan.
When RM said we should aim to get 22 out of the next 24pts prior to the Chelsea match, I felt it was an optimistic target (we have currently taken 7/12). Nevertheless, all title winners drop points at some stage, and City's harder PL fixtures are mainly out of the way as we enter the season's second half (something united can't say - in fact, their season is due to end on 8.1.12). I reckon Stuart is right here - City will win the title (and then some).
Great article I agree 100%. But beware the dark forces from the swamp. Sooner we play them and send them packing again the better.
If we can continue doing our bit, then I think Spurs v Utd, City v Utd, and a fired up Arsenal (looking for revenge) v Utd are going to be real problems for them. City played Spurs away at perfect time and got what I think was the result of the season.
Its so important to get a result at Sunderland.though. Utd will beat Blackburn comfortably I think.
I have a feeling Spurs might be a bigger threat than manyoo.
Stuart lists our strong points. One or two areas where we would like some improvement are: Dzeko needs to regain his Spurs form; Johnson needs to play more especially against bus-parking teams - we need a plan for teams like West Brom.
But the big thing in our favour is that we have played manyoo, spurs, chelsea, and liverpool away.
The eventual winner will also depend on how many bad calls they get from the Referee.
I can not remember a season when so many wrong decisions have been made.
It would be interesting to see at the end of the season which teams have been the least affected by bad calls and how that affected the the final placings.
The Premier League never comment when the cameras reveal these 'gaffs' and continue as though nothing has happened.
Congratulations to David Moyes this week when he admitted on camera that the penalty awarded for them at Sunderland was a mistake.
Most of the 'old school' Managers somehow always seem to say that they did not see the incident,but all clearly see incidents that should have been in favour of their teams.