Following on from another disappointing start to the campaign, Manchester City have used the last few weeks to dust themselves off and vault themselves right back into contention for yet another Premier League title pursuit.
For many years now, Pep Guardiola’s men have been battling it out with either Arsenal or Liverpool (or both) for the right to be called champions of England. More often than not, the boys from the Etihad have been able to get over the finish line and lift that famous trophy high at the end of the season.
However, after slipping up severely last season and losing their crown to Liverpool, many wondered whether this was the beginning of the end for the City dynasty. With four losses already to their name in the league this time around, those fears heightened. Alas, after rattling off three wins over Leeds, Fulham and Sunderland, there’s a feeling of hope starting to creep back in.
That sensation was helped by Arsenal losing in the final seconds to Aston Villa last weekend, meaning the gap between the two rivals is now just two points. Of course, City are still out at 7/4 to win it all, which makes sense given that the Gunners have largely been solid at the back. With that being said, Mikel Arteta has really struggled to get this team to see things out and actually win pieces of silverware in recent years.
Even now, there’s still a certain expectation in the air when it comes to City and what they can do on the pitch. They are priced at 17/20 to defeat Crystal Palace at the weekend, and if you fancy backing that, you can use the AceOdds bet calculator to see how much you could stand to earn. Even twelve months ago, though, those odds probably would have been more concrete.
Thankfully for City, those league games are followed up by a home clash with West Ham United and a visit to Nottingham Forest to end 2025, with both of those teams struggling to find consistency. On the flip side, Arsenal have Wolves at home, Everton away, Brighton at home and Aston Villa (again) at home before we ring in the new year.
Yes, there are more opportunities for points for Arsenal there, but the cracks are starting to show, especially in their supposedly fantastic defensive structure. City have been around at the top end of the table for long enough to know how to deal with tough run-ins, especially over the festive period. Arsenal, meanwhile, collapse more often than they don’t.
It isn’t a failure for City to not be sitting pretty in 1st place when we reach January, but it’s definitely reassuring to know that the tide somewhat feels like it’s starting to turn already, and that’s without Pep’s side really reaching their full potential yet.
The blue moon could well be rising once again, and if it does, it will serve as quite the comeback story.