1. Fully focused
It was only a few weeks ago that Manchester City were dreaming of an unprecedented quadruple but their focus has changed considerably since then — and as far as winning the Premier League goes, that can only be a good thing.
With the Capital One Cup safely stowed away in the trophy cabinet, and the FA Cup and Champions League out of reach for another season, there’s only one competition for them to focus on now.
They do still have a little bit of fixture backlog due to their games in hand but 11 league matches spread over the final seven weeks of the season is by no means unmanageable and should allow Manuel Pellegrini to field his best 11 in every game.
2. Squad strength
Put all the Premier League squads side by side and City are the clear winner when it comes to strength in depth.
Young stars like Micah Richards and Jack Rodwell would be welcome additions to any of their rivals but can’t get a look in at the Etihad, while few other clubs could afford to carry a £22 million summer signing through a season of injury and illness in the way City have with Stevan Jovetic.
Even losing top scorer Sergio Aguero at a crucial part of the run-in is manageable when you’ve got men like Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko to fill the void.
3. Goals win games
Only Liverpool (76) have scored more than City (71) in the league this season but while 56% of the Reds’ goals have come from just two men, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, City have a much more even spread. As it stands seven of their midfielders and forwards have at least four league goals.
Most importantly, they have managed to maintain their title challenge despite losing Aguero to injury for most of the last two months. If they can get him back fit and firing, his contribution will be invaluable over these final weeks.
4. Been there, won that…
With two games in hand over Liverpool and Arsenal, and three over league leaders Chelsea, City are in an enviable position where they can afford a wobble or two and still be in control of their own destiny.
But as midfield magician David Silva mentioned this week, City have another key advantage over their rivals — they’ve been in this position before. Their 2012 title came at the end of the closest finish in Premier League history but when the questions were asked, they finished with six straight wins including those last-gasp heroics against QPR.
There may be more teams in the mix this time around but the blueprint for success is there.
5. Mark of champions
It’s often said that a mark of champions is their ability to dig out results and City showed that grit and determination in winning away to Hull last weekend. The “smaller sides” have been their Achilles’ heel this season — three of their five defeats were against Cardiff, Aston Villa and Sunderland — but with Silva pulling the strings, they weathered the storm following the dismissal of Vincent Kompany to win 2-0.
Every champion has that one backs-against-the-wall win that galvanises the side and sends out a message that the title will have to be pried from their cold, lifeless hands. The win against Hull might have been City’s.
