City have matured in Europe…doing enough with a composed performance to get the draw against Borussia Monchengladbach that ensures a second place finish in group C of the Champions League.
And with one the favourites Bayern Munich, who Blues boss Pep Guardiola used to manage already confirmed in a runners up berth, and the superstars of Real Madrid likely to be second in their group, City are handily placed for the knock-out stage draw.
Betfred have City at 11/1 to make history and win the Champions League for the first time with the absolutely outstanding Group C winners Barcelona favourites at 3/1. The two other English teams still involved Leicester and Arsenal are both 25/1 shots to win the competition outright with the Premier League champs 300/1 to win the Champions League AND get relegated!
City do have strength in depth but I have this niggling feeling that they are kind of nearly there in terms of quality in the key positions. But what would happen if Sergio Agüero, Kevin de Bruyne, John Stones or arguably the club’s most improved player, the highly influential Fernandinho get injured?
Don’t laugh too much about the Foxes’ 300/1 odds because it was them who made me eat my words by beating the 2,000/1 odds to actually win the title last season. This year is building up nicely along more traditional lines at the top – although United have much more to do to get themselves in the fray.
City remain the team to beat although Chelsea and Liverpool without European distractions are giving them a run for their money – and this weekend we have a Betfred special that the top four i.e. those three plus Arsenal all win (4/1) which, unusually for this topsy-turvy season, will obviously mean no changes at the top.
Meanwhile I was a little surprised that Jose Mourinho has gone public so early to say he wants Zlatan Ibrahimovic to stay on for another year at the end of the season. The fella who has great charisma, confidence and star quality is paid a fortune to score goals – but at 35 you have got to wonder how long that can continue at the highest level.
If I was in Jose’s suede shoes I would be having a long hard look at the situation unfolding at White Hart Lane and Anfield with regard to Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge. Kane isn’t being paid what he and/or his agent think he deserves with Spurs and is therefore stalling over a new contract while his fellow England striker is struggling to be a regular starter at Liverpool.
What would be great about bringing in either of them in the January window is it would re-energise the Reds at a key time of the season – and at the same time severely weaken top four rivals.
