Saturday 26 September 2015 19:33, UK
After losing 4-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane, any feeling that Manchester City were going to stroll to the title is over for now, writes Adam Bate.
Titles aren't decided in autumn but it can feel that way. Such was Chelsea's emphatic start to last season - scoring 15 goals in their first four games and not losing in any competition until December - it was tempting to trace their triumph back to the beginnings of the campaign. The fact that Manchester City had levelled things up by January was presented as a mere footnote.
Similarly, City's stunning start to 2015/16, in which they won the opening five games, inspired considerable faith. This team was just too good. "They were playing with such verve and such confidence," said former City defender Danny Mills on co-commentary for Sky Sports. "They looked like they'd run away with the Premier League. How things can change in just a week or so."
Back-to-back home defeats to Juventus and West Ham ignited the doubts and Saturday's 4-1 loss at Tottenham has only exacerbated them. It's Manchester United not Manchester City topping the Premier League table now. So where has it gone wrong for Manuel Pellegrini and his team? For all City's squad strength, it's difficult to look past the injuries to key players.
David Silva is City's conjurer-in-chief and, when absent, he cannot be adequately replaced. The Spaniard assisted four goals in the first four games of the season, with City scoring more than one goal in each of them. Following Silva's injury, they've failed to score more than once in each of the next three. It's reductive but nevertheless distills a key point - City aren't as good without him.
At the other end, injuries to goalkeeper Joe Hart and captain Vincent Kompany proved significant against Spurs. Willy Caballero, Hart's replacement, was partially culpable for Spurs' first, guilty of woeful indecision for the second and by the time the Argentine was left flailing on the ground for the fourth, England's No 1 would have been wondering if he'll ever sit on the bench again.
Kompany was missed too. Nicolas Otamendi was almost caught out by Harry Kane just after the half-hour mark and was then suckered into a foul on the same player for the free-kick from which Spurs took the lead. Meanwhile, Martin Demichelis's needless booking for dissent was the point at which the veteran centre-back parted ways with old friend composure for the rest of the afternoon.
In short, remove Silva, Hart and Kompany and City look a very different team. Throw in a dodgy decision or two and they are vulnerable. That the officials missed Kyle Walker's offside for Tottenham's equaliser was bizarre, but the fact that results can hinge on such things also acts as a reminder than City's early dominance was rather more precarious than it had appeared.
It's difficult to explain.
To his credit, Pellegrini had little interest in pointing the blame elsewhere, which is probably a wise strategy given the club's vast spending in the summer with Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling both enduring mixed afternoons. "My mentality is not to have excuses," the City boss said afterwards. Asked to explain his team's 4-1 defeat, he added: "It's difficult to explain."
Raising the energy levels might be a good place to start. There has been some speculation that Manchester City's European hopes are being undermined by the team's sluggishness. Research by The Times revealed that they win 75 per cent of games in the Champions League when they outrun their opponents and only 19 per cent when they don't.
Spurs covered over 10 kilometres more than City at White Hart Lane on Saturday. Dele Alli's youthful exuberance in the Spurs midfield saw him alone run two kilometres further than anyone in a City shirt. Some of the big names enjoyed themselves in the Capital One Cup against bottom-club Sunderland in midweek, but Tottenham's high-tempo approach was tougher to match.
City remain the bookmakers' favourite for the Premier League title and the recent blip will surely come to an end once key players are restored. But Yaya Toure's hamstring problem means things could get worse before they get better and with a trip to Old Trafford looming next month, Pellegrini has plenty to think about. It seems we have a title race after all.
