Manchester City season review: April
What a season it’s been for the Blues. Records have fallen and the Premier League has been won in a very special way. We have seen some highs. We have seen some lows. Questions on Pep’s style of play answered and, for the most part, domination of the English game.
As we entered April there was great hope that maybe, just maybe, this could be our year in Europe. Tearing sides up domestically there now stood the only side to have beaten us in the League. Beating Liverpool over two legs was certainly something we could do, but it would mean getting a good away result to take back to the Etihad.
Preparations before the game didn’t go too well with the team bus being attacked on its way towards the ground. Merseyside police seemed unable to stop people throwing bottles and flares at the bus, even when they were standing on top of police vehicles.
The whole thing was quite unsavoury and UEFA will be looking into the situation when they meet later. I, for one, am not holding my breath for any significant sanctions on the club and instead take comfort in the way the Final went and the subsequent moaning of the Liverpool faithful.
To the game itself, and Manchester City only have themselves to blame. Whether the events leading to the game had an affect or not is up for debate, but leaving Anfield having enjoyed 66% of the possession but deploying zero shots on target, is never going to be good enough at this level.
Leaving with a 3-0 deficit at least there was hope we could wrap the title up with the visit of United to the Etihad. A 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Kompany and Gundogan saw the Blues 45 minutes away from a once in a lifetime event.
Two quick Paul Pogba goals brought the place back down to earth and, maybe with thoughts already on the return Champions League leg, City collapsed. United winning the game to keep the title from us would prove to be their biggest success of the season.
Champions League followed, and that return leg against Liverpool. City pulled a goal back early to give the Blues faithful hope, and a second followed. That Leroy Sane strike was wrongly ruled offside and disallowed. Not only did it mean City didn’t go into the half just a goal behind, it also saw Pep Guardiola sent to the stand.
The Champions league dream was done with a few controversial decisions over the two legs. Combine that with the defeat at home to United, and the season was in danger of fizzing over the line. We were never in danger of not winning the Premier League at this point. The question was in what style would it be?
A visit to London, and the Harry Kane team, saw City back to winning ways. Jesus and Ilkay scored two of City’s three goals. A defeat to West Brom at Old Trafford the unlikely result which would now hand us the title.
So when Swansea visited a week later, City were Champions. Five goals against them and four against West Ham to finish out April showed everyone that Pep was now interested in breaking records. Even an ex City player got in on the act, with Pablo Zabaleta putting the ball in his own net for Manchester City’s 100th league goal of the season!
Exiting April City were two points behind the current record of 95 and only three goals behind the record of 105. Would City have enough desire to break the records or would May signal the start of players minds heading to Russia?