5 reasons why Man City are ruling the Premier League

As we gear-up for the all-important festive period, Premier League clubs and fans know the coming weeks are going to play a vital role in the success of their season. Manchester City currently sit eight points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table and the Citizens are certainly living up to their early-season tag of being favourites for the title. It’s no surprise to see City doing so well considering the array of talent they have throughout the squad but there are several factors influencing their impressive start to the season.

Here are our five reasons why Man City are ruling the Premier League, lets find out more:

1. The Pep factor

Guardiola came in to this campaign under intense pressure having failed to live-up to expectations last season but it’s fair to say he’s responded in style. After spending so much money since his arrival, anything less than the Premier League title will brand him as a failure this campaign but he’s not disappointing so far. You can tell he’s feeling the pressure as he’s got a real competitiveness about him this season and with a reputation as arguably the best manager in the world, Guardiola knows he has to bring titles to the Etihad and he’s on course to securing his first this year.

2. The league’s best full-backs

Although many had criticised Guardiola for spending such ridiculous amounts of money on Kyle Walker, Danilo and Benjamin Mendy in the summer he needed to strengthen his full-backs and it’s paid dividends. The £120m+ outlay on three full-backs has strengthened the City team enormously. What Guardiola understood very early is that the modern-day game relies heavily on the performance of the full-backs so he’s made sure City have good depth in those areas. Fabian Delph has been a welcome surprise as he’s performed superbly on the left since Mendy got injured.

3. Improved defence

They always say a good defence wins a title and that saying holds true in the Premier League. Guardiola knew he needed to find a way to improve his defensive record and he’s managed to do it without buying a new centre-back last summer. John Stones has improved hugely under the Spaniard while Nicolas Otamendi looks a different player this season. Vincent Kompany’s return to fitness in recent weeks has also been a huge boost as he’s still arguably the best centre-back in the league when he’s fit.

4. Squad depth

The Premier League is a tough competition but with Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup games so cope with too, any top team needs a strong squad and City have arguably the best in the league. Guardiola is now able to rotate his team knowing he has quality players in every position ready to come in and do a job. This has been important so far in their excellent start to the campaign and will be pivotal during the hectic festive period.

5. Excellent understanding

We all know team work is crucial in football and an understanding between the players has a huge effect on results. Guardiola needed a year to get his philosophy across to the City players and it’s now paying dividends. They look like they know exactly what’s expected of them and the former Barcelona boss has got them playing the style of play he’s renowned for.