Jack Buckard
Staff Writer
Manchester City F.C. is a football club up in Manchester, England (that’s soccer for the American readers). They play in the English Premier League, the country’s top tier, and currently lead the league with 31 points, 8 ahead of their closest competitor. With the team scoring 52 goals across all competitions, it seems that the team is just playing for fun. Their juggernaut offense appears practically invincible.
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s current manager, was appointed last season with high expectations. He finished last season in 4th place in the league, and no trophies. The media criticized Guardiola, but time was essential if the Citizens were to become a world power. With summer signings including fullbacks Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy, and an improvement in the goalkeeper position with Ederson Morales, Man City looked like a true title contender. Frank Lampard, a former English Chelsea midfielder, said to a Copa90 reporter a few days ago: “It’s what we’re all saying now but I can’t see them being caught. It's great to see a team playing that way, we all want to see our own teams involved but when they’re playing that beautiful football it’s great to watch whether you’re a City fan or not.” Being a former player of a direct rival of Manchester City, it was a bold statement by Lampard.
Along with scoring 52 goals across all competitions, the team’s main striker, Sergio Aguero who is responsible for 8 of those goals, is currently tied with Harry Kane as the Premier League’s top scorer. David Silva of Manchester City has 7 assists, leading that category with fellow teammate Kevin de Bruyne right behind him with 6 assists. Also, forwards Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling have 7 goals to their names, with Leroy Sane getting 5 assists in a month and a half. At one point in the season too, Man City scored 20 goals in a row before conceding 1 to Stoke City, one of the best runs in team history. Despite destroying teams in the Premier League, the team leads their UEFA Champions League group with 12 points as well, with a 4-0-0 record with 2 games to play. Man City centre back, John Stones, has 3 goals in the competition, too.
Along with outscoring the opponent, they seem to be outworking them as well. Kevin de Bruyne has run more than 5,000 meters in the Champions League, with only a few other players close behind. Manchester City also has a possession rate of 63.1%, a passing accuracy rate of 89.1%, and an average of 17 shots per game. With every player in each position in the top five of their categories, Manchester City seems unstoppable. No team since 2003-04 has gone the entire Premier League season unbeaten, with an Arsenal F.C. team going 26-12-0. Even though the season is long and grueling, this Manchester City team has the best chance to become the next “Invincibles.”
