City Earn Important Points on the Road

After a challenging week, Manchester City earned four points from six in their two away matches against Chelsea and Liverpool. The results mean that the Sky Blues currently sit in third place in the 2021/22 English Premier League table. They are two points off of current league leaders Chelsea, and one point behind Liverpool.

Having only played seven matches in the 2021/22 season, there is still a lot of football to be played before a club is crowned as the Champion of England. But these results against two title contenders should not be overlooked.

First, Chelsea. During the 2020/21 season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola lost three consecutive matches against Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel in three different competitions. During the FA Cup Semi-Final, the Sky Blues lost to the Blues 1-0. City then lost their home game against Chelsea in the EPL. Finally, and most infamously, the Mancunians lost to the Londoners in the UEFA Champions League Final. Despite the varying levels of squad strength, the importance of matches, and the tactics used in these games, Tuchel outmatched Guardiola.

Chelsea strengthened their squad during the 2021 Summer Transfer Window, bringing in Romelu Lukaku and Saúl Ñíguez. They have also earned some impressive results, such as defeating Spanish club Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup, winning away at cross-town rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and a draw at Liverpool despite being a man down for half of the match.

Manchester City, on the other hand, struggled at the early stages of this season. The Sky Blues lost to Leicester City in the FA Community Shield. Then, on the opening day of the EPL, they lost against Spurs. The Mancunians also failed to score against a stubborn Southampton side.

Nonetheless, they have started to find themselves. While traveling to Stanford Bridge, the Sky Blues played a compact and defensive style of football, where they sought to punish Chelsea on the counter. Their hard work eventually paid off, where Gabriel Jesus scored a scrappy goal. The result was just enough for City to earn important points.

After a challenging midweek game in France against Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League, City traveled to Liverpool. Anfield is a venue where they have traditionally struggled. Prior to February 2021, the last time City had won at Anfield was in 2003. Similarly, the last time the Sky Blues had earned a result in the EPL at Anfield before 2018 was in 2012. Simply put, Anfield is a venue of bad omens for the Mancunians.

Under Guardiola, however, things have taken a turn. In the Catalan’s five-year tenure, City have won once, drew twice, and lost twice at Anfield in the EPL. His managerial reign has helped the Sky Blues overcome their doubt and fears at this difficult venue, and it has allowed them to excel. While five points from a possible 15 may not be impressive, the fact that they have forced Liverpool to drop points at home demonstrates the character of these growing City sides.

Overall, City earned important results in what appears to have been their most difficult period of the 2021/22 season to date. What might be in store for the Sky Blues once they return from the October international break?