Liverpool fans searching for any possible chink in Manchester City’s armour must be having a tough time. Pep Guardiola’s expensively-assembled squad, two points off top spot but, crucially, possessing a game in hand, not far off the heights they reached last season. If they win all of their remaining matches – which is not at all unrealistic – they will end the season just two points worse off than in their record-breaking 100-point 2017/18 campaign.
The two sides have kept up an extraordinary pace at the top of the table, Liverpool coming through a series of serious tests in recent weeks with win after win to maintain pressure on their title rivals.
City have matched them every single time. With six wins from six guaranteed to see City retain the title, Liverpool are relying on a slip-up somewhere along the line. The fixture list might just hand them hope.
Tottenham’s move into their new stadium – which was meant to take place in September and the Premier League tried to accommodate by allowing Spurs to play three of their opening four games on the road – has thrown up a lopsided conclusion to most teams’ run-in. All but one team has a different number of remaining home and away games, with three teams facing twice as many on the road as they do at home – including Manchester City.
City have been almost unstoppable at the Etihad, winning 16 of their 17 league matches so far this season, averaging 2.82 points per game. Away from home, they have a comparatively poor 10 wins from 15 games, averaging 2.13 points per game. Their differential of 0.69 points per game is the fifth-worst in the entire top flight.
Such an away record is still impressive – up there with the best in the league – but based on City’s away form as well as a Champions League defeat at Tottenham this week and unconvincing narrow wins at Swansea and Schalke, Liverpool should still retain hope of City dropping points.
Arsenal’s away record is absolutely terrible, having failed to keep a single clean sheet on the road all season, and given they also have one of the best home records, the difference in their points per game averages at home and away is, by some distance, the biggest in the Premier League. With four remaining away games, they will do well to make it into the top four.
At the other end of the scale, Crystal Palace are the only team with a better record on the road than they have at home, having won only four games at Selhurst Park all season.
Source: The Telegraph
