The debate raged on and on… and then it stopped.
Manchester City, they said, were the greatest team of the Premier League era. But then came April.
Pep Guardiola’s untouchables were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by a rampant Liverpool who exposed them on the break time after time.
And last week, with the champagne on ice at half-time as they led local rivals United 2-0 to leave themselves just 45 minutes from the Premier League title, they imploded, resulting in the most unlikely of reverses.
A little bit of gloss seems to have been taken off City achievements in the Premier League this season.
But on Saturday night, against Tottenham at Wembley, the champions-elect have the perfect opportunity to remind us all of their brilliance, and of their complete dominance of the Premier League this season.
And with an average of 2.8 goals per game, they remain on course to end the season with the highest total of goals scored in Premier League history – set for 106, they would eclipse Chelsea’s record of 103 under Carlo Ancelotti in 2009-10.
City also blew Spurs away in the reverse fixture earlier this season, running out 4-1 winners in December when the visitors took almost an hour to muster a single shot at goal.
Man Utd and Liverpool may have beaten Man City, but Pochettino still sees Pep Guardiola's team as England's best pic.twitter.com/GVRcP0z6sm
— Goal (@goal) April 13, 2018
And Man City have won two away Premier League games in London this season – the only campaign in which they’ve won more in the competition was 2013-14 (4).
Indeed, those two wins have come at Arsenal and Chelsea. Only three clubs have ever won away at all three of Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs in the same Premier League campaign.
But City have only won one of their last five Premier League games against Spurs, who are unbeaten in their last 14 in the league.
The stakes are high. The pressure is on.
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