Ex-Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea striker Chris Sutton says that Manchester City’s rivals are in danger of “handing the title” to the reigning champions without putting up a fight.
Arsenal and Liverpool played out a 2-2 draw at the Emirates on Sunday evening, allowing Pep Guardiola‘s side to take top spot. Sutton has described the Cityzens’ displays at the start of the season as “dull” but he feels they will only improve as the season goes on:
“Are Arsenal and Liverpool just handing the title to Manchester City? City are so dull at the moment but they are winning. We know that all of a sudden they are going to start playing well in February, smashing teams four and five nil.”
It’s definitely fair to say that Guardiola’s men haven’t been firing on all cylinders at the start of this season but the fact that they are already sitting in first place does send an ominous message to their rivals.
Racking up the points without playing well
City only managed to beat relegation-threatened Southampton 1-0 at the Etihad on Saturday, which demonstrates they are not putting teams to the sword in the way we are used to.
However, you could put the result at the weekend down to Erling Haaland’s uncharacteristically poor finishing. The Norwegian international did bag the winning goal but he had plenty of other opportunities to get on the scoresheet.
What are the odds of City winning their fifth league title in a row?
After Arsenal and Liverpool’s stalemate, the Cityzens are once again regarded as hot favourites to finish top of the table.
Bookmakers have shortened their odds to 11/10, while Liverpool have now moved ahead of Arsenal among the other runners and riders. There will, of course, be many twists and turns throughout the rest of the season but many feel the Premier League champions will keep their crown.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
