by southern softy » Fri May 11, 2012 7:10 am
Copied from the Thursday Bollox thread:
Manchester City: Why the Citizens Deserve to Win the Premier League By Dan Talintyre
As a Manchester United supporter, I'm bracing for the inevitable this weekend—that Manchester City will win the English Premier league in 2012.
I've cheered on every team they've come up against in recent weeks. I've become a Newcastle supporter, an Arsenal supporter and will probably become a Queens Park Rangers supporter in the hope that the Citizens will fall at the final hurdle.
Obviously I'm just hoping that somehow, Manchester United will win the league and Sir Alex Ferguson will get to lift the trophy once more. Yet as we head into the final match of the Premier League season, I know that this simply will not happen.
Manchester City will win the league.
It's frustrating to write but not difficult as throughout the year, Roberto Mancini's men have been the better of the two Manchester sides. City do deserve the title that they'll lift high on Sunday, and they have been the superior team.This is a side that has found the back of the net 90 times this season, and whilst those numbers aren't quite in the Real Madrid league, they still show City's attacking prowess this season.
That goal tally equates to around 2.43 goals per game—the highest average in the league.
Throughout 37 Premier League matches, the Citizens scored two or more goals on 25 of those occasions and have held a clean sheet at the other end in half of those matches.
In fact, as well as having the best attack, City also can claim the best defense with just 27 goals conceded this season—again, the fewest in the league. For all their away troubles this season, Mancini's men have conceded just 17 goals away and even fewer at home.
At home, they've simply been outstanding this season.
They haven't lost, only had the one draw and have conceded just 10 goals in 18 matches. That's an average of 0.55 goals per game or a clean sheet in 61 percent of their home matches, which, again, is the best in the league.
Keep in mind also that out of those 10 goals they've conceded, three of them came in their 3-3 draw with Sunderland and two of them came in their 3-2 defeat of Tottenham. Taking out those two matches, it's really just five goals conceded in 16 matches then for City.
Manchester United cannot claim the offensive and defensive superiority of Manchester City, nor can they claim the same home-ground advantage.
Few City fans—and few United fans—will be able to forget the 6-1 annihilation that the Citizens put on the Red Devils at Old Trafford back in October last year as it perhaps signaled the changing of the guard in terms of English footballing dominance.
City won both meetings between this year in the Premier League, with their recent 1-0 win over United the win that perhaps sealed the championship for them.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men may have got their revenge to some extent in the FA Cup, but seeing that they were promptly bundled out in the next round, the revenge was only short lived.
Oh, and there was the Community Shield at the start of the year.
So we've got the shield and an FA Cup win that didn't equate to much compared to a 6-1 flogging at their home ground and a 1-0 loss that surrendered the Premier League to our rivals.
I know which one I'd rather have and again, it shows that Manchester City truly were the more superior team in the Premier League this season and that they do deserve their league title.
Against the top five sides in the league, Manchester United has recorded three losses and a draw, whilst City have just the one loss. That's 11 points that the Red Devils have dropped as opposed to just three from City—there's your league title right there.
However, the league has been won and lost in the last six weeks alone—regardless of what else has happened during the year. The last six weeks was where City won—and United lost—the trophy.
Back at the start of April, City had all but surrendered the title to Manchester United. They'd lost another away match to Arsenal and were eight points back in the title race with six weeks to go.
They had a tough run at home too—playing at home to Manchester United, as well as tough away fixtures at Norwich, Wolves and Newcastle United who were eying a Champions League berth next year.
United, on the other hand, were cruising and already had one hand on the trophy.
They won eight in a row and hadn't lost in their past 12 matches. David De Gea hadn't been beaten in his last five matches. They had the return fixture to Manchester City, but other than that, had just an home game to Everton and an away game to Sunderland to worry about.
The title was theirs, so to speak.
Whilst United somehow threw away their title chances with losses to Wigan and City, as well as a 4-4 draw at home to Everton, City did what they had to do and won football games.
In their last five matches where United have secured just seven points, City have secured 15—doing what they had to do and win football games.
And when it appeared the league title would all come down to the Manchester derby, United came out and tried to play defense for 90 minutes, whilst City, you guessed it, did what they had to do and won the football game.
So as Manchester City lift the Premier League trophy high over the weekend, I'll no doubt be disappointed as I wanted my Red Devils to be the ones celebrating—but I won't be confused.
For the better team really will have won, and the better team will have finished first.
It's nothing against United—I think they were the superior side for 35 weeks of the Premier League.
Manchester City simply have been the superior of the two sides this year and have shown it through their dominant record, imposing home-ground advantage and their success over United.
So congratulations to Mancini and the Citizens, the rightful winners of the league.
Doesn't mean I won't be cheering for Queens Park Rangers come Sunday though.