Manchester City: Back in our hands

Manchester City have the advantage in the push for fourth going into the last game of the year at Swansea. Let’s hope they make use of it.

For those searching for a textbook example of cognitive dissonance, look no further than the 2016 Manchester City fan. Heck, I’m fairly sure they list us as an example in the Oxford English Dictionary. The team haven’t managed a win off a top five club all year, sit 15 points back off the leaders and champions Leicester and are engaged in a woefully depressing battle with arch-rivals Manchester United for who can be the worst of the best and get fourth. Yet we all stand up when the Etihad faithful start singing “Stand up if you love City”, don’t we? Masochism.

The season itself has been disappointing on the whole, for the fans at least. Certainly winning the Capital One Cup was fun, despite its impossible-to-shake-off aura as a Mickey Mouse trophy. Getting to the semi-finals of the Champions League was even better, perhaps one of the most amazing yet muted accomplishments in Manchester City’s history to date. Yet we laid an egg in the league so supporters, understandably, find it a little tough to care at the end of the day.

Just like a cheap 90s funfair ride you were coerced into going on against your will, here we all are being flung about like a rag doll, with more ups and downs than a toilet seat. If you’ve been begging for the ride to end so you can get off, I don’t blame you. Things haven’t looked particularly inspiring, with Manchester City’s unceremonious dumping out of Europe and Manuel Pellegrini’s ill-advised sacrifice of the domestic competitions to try, in vain, to further our fortunes abroad. It’s just all a bit meh.

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Now, however, the end of the ride is in sight and one final climb has caught us somewhat by surprise. The script looked like it had already been written – miss out on the full three points in a game against the most turgid and uninspiring Arsenal I’ve watched since the last time I watched Arsenal, United win their game in hand against West Ham United, they leapfrog City only to stay that way after the final game. Sound about right?

Well West Ham United were having none of it. OK, they won 3-2 by themselves for themselves, there were no favours being made for Manchester City by any means, but the result still remains. So long “United game in hand” and hey, that point we had to settle with against Arsenal comes in useful after all! A draw in the final game at Swansea and Louis Van Gaal can run around the pitch flapping his arms and squawking like a seagull and it won’t matter a bit. The point is – contrary to City’s best efforts, their destiny is back in their own hands.

Honestly, the importance of obtaining Champions League football next year cannot be understated. It’s essential for incoming manager Pep Guardiola to have the bargaining chip of playing at the highest level available to attract the talent he desires to rebuild the team. Some may come regardless, for extra money of course, but many, notably Paul Pogba, can just switch to one of the other suitors available and be done with it.

For Pellegrini, West Ham have handed him the ultimate get out of jail free card to save what would have been a disastrous end to an otherwise successful tenure at Manchester City. For Citizens, it’s a way off the ride without losing your lunch in the process. Either which way, it’s essential City turn up and make use of the lifeline the Hammers provided them by winning on Sunday.

It won’t be easy. Certainly the media, the wind taken out of their sails at the prospect the Blues could well stay in the top four, have gone to pains to remind us that Swansea, such as they are, are on a bit of a hot streak at the minute. Heck, they trounced West Ham 4-1 on Saturday and humiliated Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool 3-1 the week before. Oh and of course, City have a history of choking when it matters too. A recent history even.

Be all that as it may, the advantage certainly lies with Pellegrini’s men. Do I think Swansea could end up winning? Certainly, but don’t think for a second that Manchester City won’t be up for this. If City actually play how they are capable of playing, the good results, barring occasional misfortunes, are bound to follow. We saw a different, more hungry side against Arsenal and it left many wondering where they’d been all year.

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Manchester City need to take the game to Swansea from the kick-off, throw everything they have into pressing and putting them on the back foot and prove that they really do deserve to be in the position they are in. The advantage is there for them, they just have to take it. With a victory, Champions League football assured again and Pep’s arrival imminent, perhaps we might all feel like waiting to get on the ride again.