The race for the Premier League title Premier League remains unpredictable, but Manchester City are seemingly unaffected. Traditionally, they embark on a remarkable mid-season run to repel any high-flying contenders. Their next chance to get back to winning ways will be on Tuesday when they take on struggling Brentford at the Etihad Stadium.
City's dominance
In the ongoing seasons, the battle for supremacy in the 2023-24 campaign features Liverpool and Arsenal aiming to derail the Manchester trophy machine.
The recent stumble for City came in a weekend clash, settling for a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at home.
As a result, they trail league leaders Liverpool by four points and Mikel Arteta-led Arsenal by two. However, with a game in hand, a win would put them just one point off the top.
Erling Haaland, in the recent clash against Chelsea on Matchday 25, unleashed a flurry with nine shots and a total of expected goals, his most prolific effort in both metrics without finding the net in a single game in all competitions with City.
Despite Haaland's lack of finishing, which allowed Chelsea to take an early lead through former City winger Raheem Sterling, a late Rodri goal salvaged a draw for Guardiola's side on Saturday.
The reigning English champions, bolstered by the return of Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland, are increasingly reliant on comeback performances.
City have trailed in 11 of their 24 Premier League games this season, a statistic surpassed only in the 2016-17 (12) and 2019-20 (13) campaigns under Guardiola.
Remarkably, they have amassed 18 points after falling behind this season, a feat surpassed only in the 1993-94 season when they recovered 20 points in a single Premier League campaign after falling behind.
For the upcoming clash, Phil Foden is expected to start alongside Haaland and De Bruyne after scoring a hat-trick in the rescheduled first leg in early February.
A first @premierleague start for Oscar ✨.
🩵 0-0 🐝 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/9LCopDSzvV
- Manchester City (@ManCity) February 20, 2024
Brentford continues to struggle
Brentford are navigating a tumultuous campaign, with their latest setback being a resounding 4-1 defeat to Liverpool at the Gtech Community Stadium in Saturday's clash, relegating them to 14th in the league standings.
Jürgen Klopp's outstanding league-leading side, led by Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo, displayed their prowess on Matchday 25, with Ivan Toney's second-half goal offering scant consolation.
This defeat marks Brentford's 10th in their last 13 Premier League meetings (with three wins), highlighting defensive vulnerabilities with only one clean sheet and a staggering 29 goals conceded during this period, averaging 2.2 per game.
Since the start of this challenging period in November, beginning with a 3-0 loss to Liverpool, Brentford has suffered more Premier League defeats than any other team, racking up a total of 10.
The difficult situation faced by head coach Thomas Frank is compounded by a series of injuries, leaving out key players such as Joshua Dasilva, Kevin Schade, Aaron Hickey, Bryan Mbeumo and Rico Henry.
While the return of Yoane Wissa and Frank Onyeka from their Africa Cup of Nations commitments offers a glimmer of relief, Frank is certainly looking for significant improvements.
In this quest for revival, all eyes are once again on the outstanding striker Ivan Toney.
He has shown his prowess with goals in both away games in the Premier League since his return from suspension, most notably against Tottenham and Wolves.
Interestingly, no Brentford player has scored in three consecutive away appearances in the competition, making Toney's potential achievement a focal point in the team's aspirations to turn things around.
