by Manchester City are the masters of proving old chestnut F Scott Fitzgerald wrong that there is no second act.
The jazz age writer The Great Gatsby was talking about American life; Pep Guardiola’s three-time winners are experts at claiming championships by refusing to be defined by early-season setbacks and points deficits and producing unbeaten runs that make the second half of the campaign their own.
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On December 16th there was the risk of having to be the high story from the annual Boy’s Own as they flew to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup after drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace. That left the champions three points behind Liverpool, having played a game more, and if Jürgen Klopp’s side had taken maximum points before City resume at Everton on December 27 the a gap of 12, although City would have played two fewer games.
You might not have even bet against City then. As Guardiola takes his side to Newcastle for Saturday’s late kick-off they are unbeaten since December 6 in eight outings in all competitions, winning seven, including three out of four in the league. Beat Eddie Howe’s side and they will be within two points of Klopp’s men, each on 20 occasions.
It’s a familiar, ominous pattern. Twice last year, City overcame Arsenal by eight points – on January 18 and April Fools’ Day – but by the final day they had claimed a third title in a row four points clear of the Gunners. What they did: a 25-game unbeaten run in all competitions, which began with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on 12 February.
Under Guardiola City were champions four more times: 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Apart from the first victory when they collected a record 100 points and were never more than three behind in a 22 game campaign an unrivaled run there. it ended with a Champions League comeback against Shakhtar Donetsk on December 6, and each needed a response after a stuttering first leg.
Two seasons ago City were five points behind after 10 games. On 6 November a 2–0 win over Manchester United started a 12-match league winning streak which ended after a 1–0 win over Chelsea on 15 January. From December 11 to February 15 they were unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions. They finished as champions on 93 points, one more than Liverpool.
In 2020-21 the gap to the top was eight points with a game in hand after they had previously played 12 games, since December 19 and a 1-0 win at Southampton, a league winning run of 15 games. It was part of a 28-game unbeaten run in all competitions between November 25 and March 7, when they went 2-0 down against United, the side they beat in second place with 86 points to 74.
In 2018-19 there were unbeaten streaks of 16 and 14 games: September to December and February to April. City were seven points adrift at the halfway point in the league, following the 2-1 defeat at Leicester on Boxing Day. By mid-May Guardiola’s men were claiming their second title with 98 points to Liverpool’s 97 points.
So what else, from mid-January and the Saturday 20th league game at St James’ Park to the 38th and final, the visit of West Ham, on May 19? Guardiola, in his shrewd manner, always dismisses any question of whether another terrible run could happen by stating that the past offers no guarantees for the future. However, just as accumulating trophies is a sweet addiction for City, refusing to be beaten for months is the elixir.
Guardiola did not complain about a hamstring problem keeping Kevin De Bruyne out for five months after the opening day win at Burnley, but his star player is now back. “What I saw [on Thursday] in training he looks very good and dynamic,” says the manager, whose team is in serious danger despite Erling Haaland missing the last five league games due to a foot injury.
Scary for Liverpool and the rest? Portentous, sure. City may have already lost at Newcastle this season – 1-0 in the Carabao Cup – but Guardiola’s side are motivated by the opportunity to do something else in the English game: become champions for the fourth season in a row .
“Now [it is possible],” says Guardiola. “We have 19 games left so we are five goals down with a game in hand. It’s obviously difficult. Sir Alex Ferguson [at United] or Arsène Wenger [Arsenal] or José Mourinho [Chelsea] and the other big clubs that have made a dynasty like what we have done… if they could not have done it, it means that it is difficult.
“I don’t know if it’s realistic or not but it’s a long shot. I’ll answer the question with six or seven games to go.”
The city is in full swing after the 2022-23 Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. “I wasn’t scared but I didn’t know what would happen after winning the treble [and] no rest,” says Guardiola. “immediately [to] Japan [for pre-season tour]the Community Shield then, we had no time.
“The competition helped us to have a spark, to regroup and that’s why we’ve already won two titles [Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup] and there is.”
Liverpool may be defeated without the benefit of the final on December 16. “I was a bit afraid that we could be far and away because I know that Liverpool are back playing incredible with their best moments for many years,” says Guardiola.
City, too, can be seen back in their key, without ceasing to know.
