The Citizens have dominated English football in the last decade, where they have achieved five of the seven tight garter belts they boast. In the absence of the Champions League final, which will be played against Chelsea, City has once again shown that it is the team to beat in national competitions. The 15 victories that Guardiola's men achieved since December have been decisive for them to arrive with a margin of points at the end of the championship. We analyze your keys:
The defensive improvement. The defense less thrashed in the championship with only 26 goals in 35 days, as it was also in the 2018 championship, but with a big difference: the presence of Ruben Dias, 23, who arrived in the summer from Benfica in exchange for 68 million euros, and that has become the banner of the rear, to the point that it comes into consideration to win the award for best footballer of the season, as happened with Van Dijk two years ago. As soon as he was paired with Stones – due to Laporte's injuries – the Englishman regained his hierarchy as one of the best center-backs in England and City recovered their best defensive version. In total, 18 games without conceding a goal. Dias only sends 3.6 long passes per game and has an average of 93.3% success in the pass. The Portuguese is the leader in the field that Guardiola has been looking for to defend his goal. A secure.
Step ahead of Gündogan, Cancelo, Mahrez … Ilkay Gündogan: No one would have bet that the top scorer for a Manchester City champion would be Gündogan, who has 12 goals in the Premier League (and 16 across all competitions). For history, his streak between December and February remains, where he scored 11 of the 16 just at the time when both De Bruyne and Agüero were injured, taking the step forward -not only in hierarchy but in the field, reaching more to the area – that was needed in the midfield with Rodrigo, another much improved this season. Cancelo's start to the season was devastating. Despite several attempts to find reliable full-backs, the arrival of Cancelo (30 million plus Danilo) was expensive and did not work out in the first season. This course, however, the Portuguese has been key in Guardiola's tactical framework (occupying the interior position with possession of the ball), being flexible for the left and for the right and with the ability to generate danger from the position of side.
Riyad mahrez The Algerian has been the most decisive man in City this season. From the far right, Mahrez has been a constant threat to the rivals and they have ended up reflecting his statistics (14 goals and 7 assists). Since the return of the Champions League round of 16, Mahrez has scored or assisted in all European matches.
A league without forwards. Neither Kun Agüero nor Gabriel Jesus are starting the decisive games at the end of the season. The Argentine has been absent most of the year due to the injury that he dragged last year, the coronavirus and other muscular problems that have only allowed him to score four goals. In his tenth year at Manchester City, the Argentine will bid farewell to the club with his fifth Premier. For his part, Gabriel Jesus has ended up losing the position despite his 13 goals. In total, Guardiola's have had 16 different scorers … without the forwards being the most effective in front of goal. The false 9 has shone and has been rotating until it becomes a fixed.
Foden's explosion. There are no longer any qualifiers to describe the talent of Foden, who has made a niche for himself in Manchester City's ideal eleven and has all the ballots to continue being decisive with England in the European Championship. From the far left he has entered the lineup, with magical nights such as Anfield or the tie against Borussia Dortmund – he scored in the first leg and in the return – where he has added the necessary fang to be considered one of the best footballers from Europe (14 goals, 10 assists). Although everyone saw him as the replacement for David Silva, for now Guardiola prefers to use him more advanced and this has led to the substitution of stars such as Sterling.
Kevin De Bruyne, the big star. In a season where the coral has shone at Manchester City, De Bruyne has been able to maintain spectacular numbers: 9 goals and 17 assists. He only missed one stage between December and January, in the middle of the 15-win streak, and has been in charge of wearing the captain's armband on most occasions. There is his current role, even more so after Agüero's departure: he is already the leader of this project and this was demonstrated by his recent renewal, where he became the highest paid footballer on the squad. In addition, in the final section he has modified his position to alternate with the false 9 in Guardiola's scheme without strikers. Nothing prevents the Belgian from continuing to shine.