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Manchester City Have a Chance to Be Better Than Last Season

By Dan Larsen

NEWPORT, WALES - FEBRUARY 16: Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City looks on prior to the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Newport County AFC and Manchester City at Rodney Parade on February 16, 2019 in Newport, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
NEWPORT, WALES - FEBRUARY 16: Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City looks on prior to the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Newport County AFC and Manchester City at Rodney Parade on February 16, 2019 in Newport, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Looking beyond the EPL, City are also doing as well or better in their other competitions as they were at this point last year.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 12: General view outside the stadium ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester City v FC Schalke 04 at Etihad Stadium on March 12, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 12: General view outside the stadium ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester City v FC Schalke 04 at Etihad Stadium on March 12, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /

City have already won the Carabao Cup for the second successive season. It was the first time City have retained a trophy in their 125 year history.

City are in the same stage of the UEFA Champions League as they were last season. However, their 10-2 hammering of Schalke over two legs dwarfed their performances against a comparable FC Basel side last year (5-2 aggregate).

City are also in the Quarterfinal of the FA Cup, which is one stage further in the competition than they were at this point at last year. Even in the comparable fixtures they’ve played, City have well exceeded their performances from last year. They’ve put up 7-0, 5-0, and 4-1 wins in their three FA Cup games this season compared to victories of 4-1, 2-0 and a shocking 1-0 defeat to Wigan in the Round of 16 last year.

This team, unlike the one from last season, has been able to do this even though several key players have been injured as well. Kevin De Bruyne has missed much of this season due to injury, and has been below par in the few games where he’s played. Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, and Vincent Kompany have all spent weeks at a time out of the side with injury. Fernandinho is in the midst of a several week injury. Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero have missed time as well.

Despite all of this, City have continued to perform at a comparable level to last season.

Results, of course, will dictate where the City side ultimately ends up in annals of history. Failing to win another trophy, given the favorable position they’ve put themselves in across their remaining competitions, would be a major disappointment and knock on this year’s side.

However, there’s no doubt that this City side, at least until this point in the season, have been as good or better than they were last season.

Next. Manchester City 7 Schalke 0 : Player Ratings and MOTM. dark

We’ll see in the coming weeks whether they can surpass their history setting side from last year.