Are Manchester City Starting To Lose Their Invincibility?

After a dramatic 3-3 draw against a resilient Spurs at the Etihad, Manchester City have dropped six out of a possible nine in their last three games, including Liverpool and Chelsea. Are they beginning to lose their invincibility?

The most dramatic moment of the game was when referee Simon Hooper refused to allow City to play on, denying them a possibility to snatch a late winner having initially played on.

A furious Erling Haaland confronted Hooper on his surprising call, but the 41-year-old was adamant to conclude the game at that moment.

Meanwhile, the City boss made a classy response to the incident.

“I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment. It is hard when you review the image: the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action.”

Guardiola:The Guardian

That sounds like somebody who is fuming inside but is trying to not get himself in trouble, by receiving a touchline ban.

But if you are a fan of any of the other 19 clubs in the League, wouldn’t you find it encouraging to see a team that has been dominating football for the past four years, is potentially starting to look less like the Title-winning juggernaut they were?

It’s not to say that they cannot win it from here, but this gives more encouragement to the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, potentially Aston Villa and Spurs, to be in with a chance of denying Guardiola’s side a fourth consecutive Premier League Title.

In addition to the controversial final whistle, last season, their were a couple of games where Arsenal won, including the home game against Brentford who scored a late equaliser which was offside.

Had Arsenal won that game, who knows what could have happened at the end of the season? Mikel Arteta’s side still may have not won the Title, but at least make City win it on the final day.

So in this scenario, you could say that it was bound to happen given the fact that they had gotten away with a lot of things, particularly in the previous season.

De Bruyne A Huge Miss

Another huge setback for the champions is the absence of star player Kevin De Bruyne who is out with a hamstring injury, is not expected to be back until the start of 2024.

This might be a mere coincidence, but it seems as if the team has lost some of the calmness the Belgian maestro has instilled in this wonderful team.

De Bruyne also can unlock rigid defences and was influential in sealing City’s European and domestic treble last season.

And you saw this with Arsenal, when they lost William Saliba in that crucial game against Liverpool at Anfield last season, once he was out injured, the Gunners lost their ability to control games and see them out, which the Frenchman gave them.

This ultimately led to them giving away the Title to Guardiola’s side, and you sense that the same could happen to City, even though they are masters of winning it in the last few months of the season.

Villa, Luton Town, Crystal Palace, and Everton are the next set of fixtures, with a Champions League Group Stage tie away at Serbian club Crvena Zvezda next Wednesday.

Given the fact that they are also involved in the FIFA Club World Cup starting on 19th December, this month may prove to be pivotal in terms of their fate for the rest of the season.

Is this the end of Manchester City’s Premier League dominance?