Man City Premier League Dominance Continues
Man City Premier League Dominance Continues – Manchester City has had the Premier League clinched for a good bit now, but how do they continue their dominance that they have had over the past seasons. Is it just Pep Guardiola? Or is it their wealth and ability to bring in the highest caliber players in all of the world? What’s going on? Manchester City finished the EPL this year twelve points ahead of second-place Manchester United with ten more goals scored than them. Their offense? Best in the Premier League. Their defense? The best as well. They also gave up the fewest goals in the Premier League and have the best goal differential as well at +51.
An Offense that Can Attack from Anywhere
The team that scored the most goals in the Premier League this year is the same team that does not play without a typical striker. Unlike Tottenham who have the large Harry Kane to receive and hold up the ball, or Manchester United with Cavani to float and move as a true number nine, Manchester City don’t really have that. They come at you from the flanks with Foden, Mahrez, and Sterling who will show immense pace and comfort on the ball. They tear through Premier League outside backs and can really finish from range which has proved really effective this season. Foden has made a name for himself with his quick shot, almost like Mason Greenwood, that is very impressive for a youngster to do and do so well.
Up the middle comes Gundogan, De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus which, while dynamic and deceptive in their movement, are deadly with the ball at their feet. De Bruyne has nine goals and seventeen assists this season which is fairly lower than Gundogan’s seventeen, Foden’s fifteen, and Mahrez’ fourteen. De Bruyne manages to put the ball on a silver platter no matter the situation and I dare you to find a single attacker who wouldn’t want to play side by side with him. Harry Kane mentioned his own respect for the Belgian attacking midfielder in transfer rumors linking Kane to Man City. If Kane went there for the next few seasons and Guardiola could fit him into the system, Man City’s dominance will surely continue.
Stalwart Defense Nobody Can Break
Pep Guardiola loves to commend Diaz on how strong he is in the back and how much he has done for City’s defense consistently all season. He anticipates the play as much as anybody in the Premier League and it helps that they keep the wall incredibly well. Manchester City has possession all the time. And the age old message in any sport is nobody can score on you if they don’t have the ball.
City don’t lose the ball cheaply and goals scored against City have to come from quality play and individual effort; they don’t hand opponents goals and games and wins. They win the ball back so incredibly quickly, so teams can’t even pull counter-attacks off against them. They play sixty meters in front of their goal, lose the ball in advantageous areas, and win it back in those areas again. Pressure, pressure, pressure. Man City dominates because they keep the ball in safe spots and move forward swiftly.
