Manchester City is unfathomably good right now.
So good, they’re better than any other Premier League team in history.
With the 2-1 comeback win over Huddersfield, Manchester City now has 37 points, eight clear of Manchester United in second. That point total is more than anyone in Premier League history has had at this point in the season, and is on pace for 108 points at the end of the year, a total which would absolutely shatter the previous record.
[ RECAP: Manchester City comes back to beat Huddersfield Town 2-1 ]
No team has garnered more points in an English top flight season than Chelsea in the 2004/05 campaign, when Jose Mourinho’s squad picked up 95 points on 29 wins and eight draws. In fact, no team at ANY level of English football has earned more than 106 points in a season, which Reading achieved by winning the Championship in 2005/06. That would be a remarkable achievement.
But that’s not all. They are on pace to score 122 goals, which would shatter the Premier League record of 103 set by Chelsea in 2009/10, and would be six short of the English top flight mark that dates back to Aston Villa’s season in 1930/31. Their goal-differential is on pace to finish at a ridiculous +99, which would ROAST the Premier League record of +71 set by that same Chelsea team.
Pep Guardiola deserves credit for almost every bit of City’s success this season. He’s helped Raheem Sterling take the next step, rotated Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero to perfection, transformed Kevin De Bruyne from Chelsea reject to Player of the Year frontrunner, and groomed John Stones from big-money bust to defensive rock. While the City attack roasts teams up and down the table, the back line quietly has become one of the most formidable defenses in the league.
To help the defense, Guardiola’s possession-based tactics keeps the ball away from the opposition at such an unbelievable rate, their defenders are racking up unheard-of passing numbers, even in games they are (relatively speaking) struggling.
City has averaged (AVERAGED!) 636 successful passes per game – exactly 150 successful passes per game more than ANY other Premier League team – along with 64% possession. While their raw shooting numbers aren’t stellar given all that passing (they’re third in the Premier League in total shots), they still lead the league in shots from inside the box, meaning they are being patient and creating quality chances.
It’s going to take a tactical masterclass for any team to take Manchester City down, and it seems the only team that can prevent City from winning the title is City itself. If they continue plodding along at this blistering pace, there’s no way anyone in England – and maybe even in Europe – can stop the Manchester City freight train.
