The key to success is to beat the teams below you, but as a marker of how strong your team is, it is interesting to see how it competes against the best teams in the league. Obviously the investment makes comparisons between previous seasons a little misleading, but it is reassuring to see how City have become a presence at the top of the league.
Below are our results against the established top four over the past five seasons:
05/06
Chelsea: 0-1, 0-2.
United: 1-1, 3-1.
Arsenal: 0-1, 1-3.
Liverpool: 0-1, 0-1.
Points total: 4
06/07
Chelsea: 0-3, 0-1.
United: 1-3, 0-1.
Arsenal: 1-0, 1-3.
Liverpool: 0-1, 0-0.
Points total: 4
07/08
Chelsea: 0-6, 0-2.
United: 1-0, 2-1.
Arsenal: 0-1, 1-3.
Liverpool: 0-0, 0-1.
Points total: 7
08/09
Chelsea: 1-3, 0-1.
United: 0-1, 0-2.
Arsenal: 3-0, 0-2.
Liverpool: 2-3, 1-1.
Points total: 4
09/10
Chelsea: 2-1, 4-2.
United: 3-4, 0-1.
Arsenal: 4-2, 0-0.
Liverpool: 2-2, 0-0.
Points total: 12
People will argue that the level of investment that went in last summer should yield these types of results, but as Real Madrid would testify this year, money isn't enough to do it on its own. Therefore, our increased competitiveness in these top fixtures is a clear sign of our development as a force in the Premier League - especially when you consider our only losses both came deep into injury time.
We didn't get so much as a point off Chelsea in the four seasons preceding this one, so to come away with maximum points is quite something. There are some excellent stand out results in the previous four seasons (the double over United under Sven, the 3-1 victory over United with Sinclair, Vassell and Fowler scoring, Robinho's lobbed goal in the 3-0 against Arsenal last season), but this season sees us competing consistently in every game and, as a measure of progress, I think this is pretty good.
cheers, good article. I think the fact that we have already qualified for Europe has been largely over looked, with all the press build up for 4th spot. It's been a great season!
ReplyDeleteSpot on Thomas! It has been a great season. The press and most of the country would love to see City fail with the money spent, so the pressure to finish fourth has detracted from what fun it should have been!
ReplyDeleteTo continue the Chelsea theme... I've just added up the aggregate score from the 4 seasons previous to this one and it was 19-1. Quite a change to the form books!
Nice read, but is not season 07/08 when we did the double over the rags and beat Arsenal, 10 points and not seven.
ReplyDeleteAh, good spot. It was actually a typo though (I've edited it now, don't believe your eyes!). City did lose both games to Arsenal in the 07/08 season, including a 3-1 loss at Eastlands where one Emmanuel Adebayor ran the show. So it was seven points after all. Sorry about that.
ReplyDeletethe double against united was still the most fun! agree things are looking up tho
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