Blues have enjoyed impressive start as they look to make it three in a row
Manchester City has faced tough title battles for many years in a row now against Liverpool, but could the pressure finally begin to fade away from Jurgen Klopp's side and could new rivals emerge? City has started strongly but had some slight worries in managing away games, dropping points against Newcastle United and Aston Villa so far this season.
Guardiola's side has looked vulnerable defensively against opposition counterattacks, and the Spaniard has struggled to decide on a consistent defensive pairing. City is still the heavy favourite for the league title, with the team offered at odds of 1/3 in Paddy Power's outright markets, for those interested in football betting online.
Meanwhile, Liverpool is trailing comfortably behind offered at 6/1 in Paddy Power's football tips to turn around their form and beat City to the title this season. Klopp's side has struggled in the opening month of the season, having won just two games so far this season - one was against newly promoted AFC Bournemouth with the other being a last-gasp winner at home to Newcastle.
Liverpool has experienced an injury crisis and perhaps their early season form does not represent what is to come from them in the remainder of the season, but Pep's side will be boosted by the lead they already possess over their rivals. Thiago Alcantara, Diogo Jota and Joel Matip have recently returned from injury for the reds and may encourage a huge upturn in results for the Merseyside outfit, but much work is required for Liverpool to build a run of form before they consider themselves as real title contenders.
In the absence of a competitive Liverpool side, many would expect City to sweep the league title comfortably, however, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal has begun strongly. Arsenal won their opening five games which for the most part were comfortable, besides the Fulham comeback victory which demonstrated their ability to find a way to win when things did not go their way early on. The Gunners signed two players from City in the summer in the form of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko and these were vital additions.
Long-term Guardiola-coached players were guaranteed to be a hit in another possession-based system, they also bring across the experience of winning everything domestically while at City.
The North London team are an ambitious side eager to prove they can compete at the top of the table, and the underdog mentality, as well as nobody truly believing they can beat this incredible City team, may well work in their favour, with less pressure being on them throughout the season. Arsenal showed some frailties against Manchester United at Old Trafford in which a 3-1 loss demonstrated the team's failure to find the net with an abundance of chances.
In order to win league titles, a team's attackers must be clinical as games against other top sides can be decided by incredibly fine margins. City's fixtures against Arsenal and Liverpool in the next few months are sure to provide fans with an idea of how the sides compare and whether City could be lonely at the top this season or could face immense pressure once again.