This season had a good start for the Citizens with the opening premiership rounds showing Mark Hughes’ side can maybe even enter the title race but incredible run of seven straight Premiership draws started threatening to ruin City’s season. The games against Arsenal and Chelsea were make or break for the City of Manchester outfit and it was the last chance for the team to show they were capable of fighting for honours this term.

Mark Hughes’ men responded in excellent manner to the disappointing run that saw them come under fire from media as they first hammered Arsenal’s second string to reach the Carling Cup semis, before putting a dent into Chelsea’s title race by beating them 2:1 at Eastlands. The two impressive wins have definitely taken some weight off the players’ shoulders and we are all hoping this is a beginning of another good run.

City are now just two points off fourth-placed Tottenham but with a game in hand, which means we are still very much in the race for the fourth place in the standings. The easy fixture list during the Christmas holidays is definitely a good thing since it will give us the opportunity to cement the good position in the standings, provided we don’t lose to Tottenham next Wednesday.

This season already looks like a promising one since we have the chance to win the first major trophy since 1981, while I really believe we have what it takes to break the Big 4. While the starting 11 always looked impressive, Mark Hughes now have players like Bellamy, Johnson, Onuoha, Kompany, Ireland and Zabaleta on the bench, and he definitely won’t hesitate to use any of them if needed.

We can now see Mark Hughes was spot on with almost all signings and that is probably the biggest reason behind good performances this term. I am especially delighted with Gareth Barry and Nigel De Jong, who are both excellent in defence and at the same time very confident on the ball and they help a great deal in the transition phase, which is the most important part of the modern game.

I was very happy to see the character the players showed against Arsenal and Chelsea, and it is this that is often the difference between winning and losing a game. Mark Hughes has to be congratulated with what he’s done with the team so far and I see a top 4 finish as a logical reward for the combined efforts of the players and coach. Online bookmakers seems to concur with Unibet (you can get bonus at Unibet) paying 2.25 on Manchester City to achieve a top 4 finish. I’m certainly gonna take ‘em.

City have already signed some great players in Barry, Santa Cruz, Tevez and Adebayor but it seems that the success next season depends on just one players. Yes, you guessed it right, I am talking about John Terry. Chelsea captain is having second thoughts about moving to Eastlands but that is definitely a good sign. You don’t need me telling what a great players he is and how he would improve Hughes’ side. If we are to push for the top 4 finish, we simply have to snatch him.

City already have a world class attack with players like Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Tevez, Robinho, Bellamy and few others, whereas they are also well covered in midfield. Steven Ireland and Gareth Barry should form a great partnership, while Mark Hughes has got a very good back up for the duo as well.

Considering the number of attacking players in the team, City are bound to play attacking football and for this to work you need to have an excellent defence. Micah Richards is slowly rediscovering the form that led him to becoming an England international, and Richard Dunne is definitely a very good player. However, John Terry is simply outstanding. He is a great leader and extremely reliable, while you can always count on him scoring a couple of goals from set-pieces and I don’t mean own goals. City are likely to do well next season even without Terry, but if the Chelsea captain decides to accept City’s offer, then and only then would the Citizens be able to mount a serious challenge for the top 4 finish. Online bookmakers have probably taken this into consideration as they only offer 2.75 for City to break the Top 4 of English football

1-0 A.Valencia 16`

1-1 V.Kompany 22`

 2-1 A.Zaki (Pen) 34`

64′ Fernandes
89′ Murray

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