Manchester City have been ruling in the Premier League for a while now, having won five league titles since Pep Guardiola took over in 2016. Arsenal and Liverpool seem to threaten their reign this season, but according to Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero, it’s other teams the Citizens should be worried about.
“You can never sleep on Manchester United at this stage of the season,” Aguero said, via The Standard. “They are one of the biggest threats to Man City’s Premier League title. I also think Tottenham are title contenders, who have improved a lot under Ange Postecoglou. Even despite their ups and downs, Newcastle are also in with a chance of the title as they always put up a fight.“
Aguero’s comments took many by surprise, considering how the teams he mentioned have performed so far. Besides, the fact that he overlooked both the Gunners and the Reds makes noise. The former Argentine striker also snubbed Aston Villa, who are exceeding expectations after 17 games.
Manchester City run from behind this season
Unlike other years in which they took control of the standings from the very beginning, the Sky Blues have already dropped more points than predicted this term. Before they traveled to Saudi Arabia to play in the Club World Cup, Man City had won just one of their last six league matches.
Pep Guardiola’s side is currently fourth in the Premier League standings with 34 points, five shy of leaders Arsenal after 17 rounds. Both Liverpool and Aston Villa are between the Gunners and the Citizens with 38 points each.
Aguero’s predicted title challengers, on the other hand, are outside the top four as of now. Tottenham sit fifth with 33 points, followed by Newcastle with 29 points and Manchester United, who are 7th with 28.
Man City can still turn things around
Manchester City may not have started the season as strongly as expected, but they still have plenty of time to get back on track. After all, they have depth, talent, and experience to face this kind of situation.
In fact, the Citizens won the Premier League title last season thanks to a string of great results in the final stretch of the campaign. Arsenal led the standings for much of the year, but Guardiola’s side ended up leapfrogging the Gunners in the final rounds of the season.