“Manchester City will struggle to get into the top 4 in the league.” If this “prophecy” may seem obvious today, it certainly wasn’t on August 16, when Michael Owen had made these statements. Last Saturday, the Skyblues suffered another defeat in the Premier League (2-1 against Aston Villa), sinking even further in the standings (they are now seventh, 12 points behind Liverpool).
In the last twelve matches in all competitions, Guardiola’s team have achieved just one victory, compared to nine defeats and two draws. “The title is in Manchester City’s hands, but I think they could stumble this year,” the former Real and Liverpool striker said. “They had an incredible journey last season, but at some point they will end up failing.” To justify his opinion, Owen spoke of the end of the cycle, also noting the possible consequences of the ongoing investigation into financial crimes.
— Michael Owen (@themichaelowen) December 21, 2024
The Premier League table:
Liverpool 39 *
Chelsea 35
Arsenal 33
Nottingham Forest 31
Bournemouth 28
Aston Villa 28
Manchester City 27
Newcastle 26
Fulham 25
Brighton 25
Tottenham 23
Brentford 23
Manchester United 22
West Ham 20
Everton 16*
Crystal Palace 16
Leicester 14
Wolverhampton 12
Ipswich 12
Southampton 6
* one game less
Ranking scorers
Salah (Liverpool) 15
Haaland (Manchester City) 13
Palmer (Chelsea) 11
Isak (Newcastle) 10
Mbeumo (Brentford) 10
Wood (Nottingham Forest) 10
Cunha (Wolverhampton) 9
Jackson (Chelsea) 9
Wissa (Brentford) 9
Maddison (Tottenham) 8
Watkins (Aston Villa) 7
Duran (Aston Villa) 7
Diaz (Liverpool) 7