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England Premier League

Is Manchester City’s title bid about to face a winter of discontent?

Stewart Flaherty, December 24 2011,
Manchester City have been in phenomenal domestic form so far this season. The blue half of Manchester sit top of the table, and made a statement by beating rivals Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford.
Manchester City will be title favorites if they remain on top through the dark, winter months.
Manchester City will be title favorites if they remain on top through the dark, winter months.
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It is now impossible to argue that City are anything other than a legitimate title contender.

A game on a cold, winter night against a big, physical team was one many critics believed that City’s “pampered, foreign millionaires” would struggle to cope with.

However, that theory took a hit last Wednesday when Stoke City came to the Etihad Stadium on…..a cold, winter night. The Stoke team that has been engineered by Tony Pulis is designed to make things physically difficult for opponents, and ask questions of opposing defenses at set pieces.

Rather than becoming flustered by Stoke, City simply dominated the game from the outset. Sergio Aguero and Adam Johnson gave City a 2-0 half-time lead, while a second Aguero strike after the interval rounded out a comfortable 3-0 win that means City will celebrate Christmas day on top of the Premier League.

For the last two seasons, Chelsea (2009/2010) and Manchester United (2010/2011) have been in first place on Christmas day, and both have went on to win the Premier League title.

While recent history serves as a cause for optimism, their own history serves as a warning for City that there is a long way to go in the title race. This year is the first time City have sat top of the English league standings since 1929. That year, they finished 12 points behind eventual champions Sheffield Wednesday.

The coming month of January will be a huge indicator of whether City become the third straight league champions that topped the table on Christmas Day, or whether they fall off the pace during the title run-in.

Between now and the end of January, City will not only face the fixture congestion typical in England at this time of year, they will face a number of high pressure games against quality opponents.

City will travel to face West Bromwich Albion the day after Christmas, and then will play seven games in a 25-day stretch during January.

The January grind will include Premier League games against top four contenders Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

City will also face an FA Cup third round clash against rivals Manchester United, who will likely be hell bent on revenge after the infamous 6-1 beating City handed out at Old Trafford earlier this season.

To add to their January slate, City will face Liverpool for a second and third time, when they battle the Reds in a two-legged Carling Cup semi-final clash.

Roberto Mancini has juggled lineups and positional formulas so far this season, and he must continue to do so as he battles fatigue during this brutal stretch of games.

Two players Mancini will be unable to call upon are Ivorian brothers Yaya and Kolo Toure. The pair will be away representing the Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations.

Yaya has become an inspirational figure for the Citizens. The powerful midfielder scored the winning goal in both the semi-final, and the final of last season’s successful FA Cup run. The muscular playmaker has also been a dominant force in the City engine room so for this season.

“We will lose an important man for one month at a crucial moment,” Mancini told BBC Sport. “Yaya is an important player for us – we don’t have any other players like Yaya.”

While Mancini knows January will be difficult, he has expressed that if City survive the month in good condition, they will be primed for a successful title run.

“I think if we do well in January, (the Premier League) will be difficult to lose,” said Mancini.

If the shrewd Italian tactician is correct, then we are about to watch a defining month in the English season.

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