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Rewind 51 days and the picture was a worrying one for Manchester City. Not only had they lost two of their first three Premier League fixtures, but they seemed to be trapped in the trend of last season. That was a campaign pretty much everyone at the Etihad wanted to forget, but that was hard to do when every game brought flashbacks to a season that went off the rails and never properly got back on track. The first three results of this season were identical to last season. Not only that, the manner of them was pretty similar as well. A win at Wolves was followed by a home defeat to Tottenham, who exposed the Blues on the break, as they did last term, even if that was under a different manager. Then came the trip to Brighton and by now the sense of deja-vu was overwhelming. City took the lead on the south coast, should have scored more when on top, then ran out of gas and saw the game flipped on its head. That all led to an early reckoning in September. Had anything actually changed? The idea of City getting back in the title race at that point looked unlikely and most of the talk was about securing Champions League qualification once again. But five Premier League games later, everything has changed. Guardiola's side now sit second and while they are three points behind Arsenal, they are ahead of a stuttering Liverpool. Having already been to the Emirates, they can be pretty happy with where they find themselves. The narrative that little has changed from last season no longer has credence. City have put together a string of results, they look more secure when Rodri can't play and have a goalkeeper earning them points in big moments. The football might not be as flowing, but the results are still arriving. And having copied last season's path early on, they have now deviated substantially. City had the same number of points as last season after the first three games, but are now eight better off. That haul is courtesy of a home win against Manchester United in a game they lost last December, a point at Arsenal having been thrashed at the Emirates last season, and then turning 2024-25 draws away at Brentford and at home to Everton into victories this season. Burnley were beaten at home, for which the comparison is Ipswich Town, who were promoted as Championship runners-up heading into last season. That is the only result in the last five Premier League games that hasn't been improved on, because it can't be, unless you consider the 5-1 win against the Clarets to trump the 4-1 win against the Tractor Boys at the Etihad. Even goal difference is playing ball. Guardiola is never going to entertain title talk at this stage of the season. He always says the first months of the season are about making sure 'we are there' and ready to contend come spring time. There is still work to do to absolutely guarantee that, but the omens are now looking good. City had eight points from the corresponding eight fixtures last season, but have 16 this time around. They can improve on that again this weekend, when they travel down the M6 to face Aston Villa. That trip turned into a Christmas nightmare last season, but if they can turn another defeat into a victory, then the sense of momentum building will continue. --- Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
