City’s inevitable march to the Premier League title has begun،
LONDON — We never know exactly when Manchester City's domestic winning streak will begin, only that it almost certainly will begin at some point. It usually starts around this time of year, as the season approaches its final third, when the title race begins to tighten but everyone can still win; when we are just starting to doubt that Pep Guardiola's team can do it again.
This year it seems to have started a few days after they returned from the Club World Cup and won 3-1 at Everton. Since then, City has been perfect. Of course they did.
On Monday, after another 3-1 victory, this time at Brentford, they are now on a nine-game winning streak if you include the Club World Cup matches in Saudi Arabia. Five of those wins came in the Premier League, the longest active winning streak in Europe's top five leagues.
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At some point it all starts to feel inevitable. Then again, this weekend felt a little familiar. There was Liverpool, leaders of the Premier League in recent weeks, dropping points at Arsenal and handing City only a narrow window of opportunity. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp – someone who finally appears to be running out of energy to keep chasing Guardiola – insisted after the match that he expected City to win every game. He knows this feeling too well. We all do.
City went into Monday's clash with two games in hand against Liverpool – both against Brentford, with the second being played on February 20. Yet the Bees were one of four teams to beat eventual champions City in the Premier. League last season, and the only team to beat them twice.
“I know the experience,” Guardiola said in a post-match press conference. Midway through the first half, it looked like it might happen again.
Brentford had balls floated over the head of City left-back Joško Gvardiol and into the channel, but without much luck, until Neal Maupay collected a long goal kick in the middle and heads towards goal, putting the hosts in the lead.
But there was no time to doubt City again, to wonder whether this year – a year which saw Klopp announce a stunning exit and even saw clubs finally show restraint in the transfer market – would actually bring any something different.
Phil Foden, in the midst of perhaps the best season of his career, took charge of the game. Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken, who until then had been player of the match with nine saves and an assist, was powerless to stop Foden's comfortable strike just before half-time. After that, Foden and City never looked back.
Foden, 23, sums up just how versatile and talented this City team can be. His second goal came from another well-timed run into the box, finishing off a delicious cross from Kevin De Bruyne. Soon after, Foden completed his hat-trick, running into a dismissal from Erling Haaland, brushing aside two defenders and heading home to secure another City win.
“Phil is having the team's most influential season in terms of goals and assists,” Guardiola said. “How simple he plays, how more aggressive he is. He has the pleasure of scoring goals and the threat when he gets close… He is an exceptional player. Such a short [young] age, but over 250 games for City.
He loves playing football. When you see the way he plays, it's like playing in the street when you're a little boy. He has that amateurism. This season has been so important for us.”
After Foden's third goal, victory was inevitable. It's a feeling that City know all too well, and one that will define the debate around the Premier League title race for as long as they pursue it. Guardiola's side are now two points behind leaders Liverpool, with a game in hand and begin a four-match run against bottom-half opponents – Everton, Chelsea and Brentford all at home, followed by AFC Bournemouth at the exterior.
History says they will most likely succeed. In 2021, City completed an incredible run of 21 victories which helped them bring the Premier League title back to Manchester. Last season, City ended a 10-game winning streak en route to the treble.
This season, City are looking to make more history by becoming the first team to win the Premier League for the fourth time in a row. To achieve this, it will be necessary to deploy the same incessant efforts, the task now being clear.
Manchester City's streak has begun: now they must continue.
