As of this very second, I have some bad news for anybody that has any interest in Manchester City Football Club. This really hurts me to say because that includes me. The boys from Eastlands officially have no chance of winning the 2010-11 Barclays English Premier League championhip. Unfortunately, the final nail was driven into the City coffin by none other than their biggest rivals, Manchester United.
The Red Devils, or Red Scum as we commonly call them, defeated City 2-1 today at Old Trafford. A win today by City would've blown the title race wide open, however a loss pretty much ended any hopes City had of winning their first Premier League title (and their first top flight title since 1968).
The most frustrating thing about this game is that I feel as though City handed it away. In the 75th minute of the game, with the teams deadlocked at 1, City started playing as if a draw were good enough for them. You started to see a little keep-away action at midfield. It surprisingly only took about 3 minutes before that strategy backfired. In the 78th minute, Wayne Rooney scored an absolutely gorgeous goal for United, by way of a perfectly timed bicycle kick. I'll give credit where credit is due. Unfortunately City keeper Joe Hart had no chance to make the save and that was all she wrote. I hate to say it, but they got what they deserved for taking their foot off of the gas, especially against a team the caliber of United.
One thing that still seems to be haunting City a bit is their chemistry. They probably have better individual players than most, if not all, teams in the English Premier League. They are currently the richest club in the world and have not been shy about adding any player they desire. That doesn't work when you have a group of players that are good enough to start coming on as subs every game. Eventually somebody is going to make waves over their lack of playing time. It's just impossible to keep everybody happy at all times. So even though City may have the best collection of players, they are certainly not the best TEAM. It pains me to say it, but that's just reality. If they ever figure it out though, they could be scary good with that collection of talent.
With the Premier League title out of reach this season for City, there is still plenty to play for throughout the remainder of the season. The FA Cup is still up for grabs, as well as a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League competition. City is currently in third place, 5 points up on both fourth and fifth place Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The top four in the Premier League every season qualify for the Champions League.
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