I present to you Manchester City's 2013/2014 season defining moments.
5) 15.03.14 - 2-0 victory at the KC Stadium
It had been a miserable week for the blues who had surrendered their ambitions in both the FA Cup and Champions League and a red card shown to Vincent Kompany in the tenth minute of the game threatened to derail City's aspirations in yet another competition. The early kick-off presented Pellegrini's men with a glittering opportunity to make up points on leaders Chelsea who had played three games more, and with Mourinho's side almost certain to come out on top against Aston Villa later in the day, a slip up was unthinkable.
Fortunately, a sprinkling of Silva sorcery saw City dance to a spirited victory at the KC Stadium and an unlikely defensive partnership involving Martin Demichelis and Javi García was formed. The performance signaled City's commitment to their title push, kick-started the admirable form of Martin Demichelis and sent the blues on a four-match unbeaten run.
4) 16.04.14 - 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland
Yes, quite possibly the worst game I've seen City play in. An encounter that lacked any sort of pace or drive from Pellegrini's title hopefuls and a very public display of the blues smothering their title bid in sh**. No Silva, no spark; No Touré, no title - or at least that's what it seemed like when Liverpool sat four points clear at the top of the table that evening. However, looking back on the result, Samir Nasri's 88th minute equaliser actually gained City a vital point in their quest for the Premier League trophy - who would have thought?
3) Beauty and the Beast
Although their electrifying relationship may have hit the rocks in the middle of the season, the 26 league goals scored between the pair this season has typified the ruthlessness of Manchester City's attack. The blues have now scored a record breaking 100 league goals, but the warning signs were advertised immediately by the beautifully beastly couple who were unfortunately separated through injury earlier in the campaign. Goals may have dried up, but their contribution can not be ignored.
2) The £30m signing of Fernandinho
The Brazilian’s arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk last June supplied City’s rivals with even more ammunition with which to mock the blues’ “excessive” spending. Largely unknown to the Premier League world, the 28-year-old holding midfielder commanded a substantial £30m fee three times the amount Juventus paid Bayer Leverkusen for Arturo Vidal in 2011 and prepared himself for the inevitable abuse his price tag would welcome.
But the bloke has proven his critics wrong in perfect style. Where Nigel de Jong would put in a crunching tackle and Gareth Barry would break up the play with a simple pass, Fernandinho has combined the two qualities with a bigger engine, an ability to carry the ball and a welcome addition of pace. The Brazilian offers a crucial barrier in front of the back four, but also provides the impetus in City’s carnivorous attacking play allowing Yaya Touré to assert his dominance in his preferred position further up the field. His box-to-box qualities relieve the defensive responsibilities of the three magicians in front of him and accommodates their focus on teasing defenders in the opposition’s eighteen-yard-box rather than fading out of the game in their own half.
Yaya Touré has scored 20 goals this season and he has this man to thank.
1) The arrival of Manuel Pellegrini
The departure of fan, but not player, favourite Bobby Manc was always going to render Manuel Pellegrini's task of winning over the supporters an arduous one, but I think it's fair to say he's won himself a place in each and every single sky blue heart this term. The Chilean's relentless attacking football has seen the blues score a whopping 100 league goals this campaign and although he may have to nurture his defence a little more, no City fan will complain about the invigorating football that has been on show at the Etihad Stadium this season. Whatever the outcome, we thank you, Mr.Pellegrini.
