Usually, a trip to face West Brom at the Hawthorns would not be a significant one for Premier League leaders Manchester City. However, this Saturday’s trip to the Baggies could be, as the Citizens are now six games without a win in all competitions.
The run is City boss Pep Guardiola’s worse run of his managerial career to date. Last time out the former Barcelona boss decided to field a second string team against Manchester United in the EFL Cup.
The result was a 1-0 win for the Red Devils courtesy of a Juan Mata goal. Guardiola showed with the team he fielded in that defeat that the EFL Cup was definitely not his priority. The game gave the Catalan boss chance to rest some of his key players.
City are still top of the Premier League despite their recent poor run of form. However, a number of teams are breathing down their necks, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea.
A win in this game is vital to restoring confidence amongst the players and confidence in the team’s boss. The poor run of form has already led to critics asking whether the Premier League will the league that stumps the much-lauded Guardiola, who has reigned supreme in Spain and German.
Manchester City are arguably the strongest team in the league with the best players. However, even the best players can undergo a crisis of confidence, so a win at the Hawthorns would no doubt restore some of their confidence.
Anything less than a win will have the media talking about a crisis at City. Fortunately for City, the Baggies are not in great form themselves. Tony Pulis’ side have won just two of their last 18 Premier League games.
If Manchester City are going to win the Premier League title this season, then they have to start winning games sooner rather than later, starting with this weekend’s clash.