How rival teams can end Manchester City's Premier League reign

After two games of the 2024/25 campaign, Manchester City have shown no signs of weakness yet. The eight-time Premier League champions are top of the table after winning their opening two fixtures, followed closely by potential title challengers Arsenal and Liverpool as well as surprise package Brighton, who all won their first two as well.

There seems to be an inevitability around City, with most people tipping them to lift the league once more come May, but Arsenal have been knocking on the door for two years now and will be hoping that the third time’s the charm. There was a sense of the unknown going into the campaign for Liverpool, who have a new man in the dugout, but despite the departure of Klopp coupled with a lack of changes to the team, Liverpool have looked the real deal so far and will be hoping to join Arsenal in the pursuit of Man City’s throne.

After so many near misses from both sides, with either Arsenal or Liverpool finishing as runners-up in four of the last six seasons, the question many fans will be pondering is how they can go one better… but the answer might be to hit the ground running at the start.

There’s only one point in the season in which Man City ever show signs of vulnerability and, although they haven’t shown any evidence of it this campaign yet, it’s usually in the first few months that they find themselves stumbling through.

City drop most of their points in the first half of the season. It doesn’t take statistics and numbers to see that Pep’s side peak in the spring and summer, and history tells us that if you don’t already have a lead on them by then, City’s knowhow and quality will be too much.

We saw Arsenal gain an eight-point lead on City the season before last going into April with only nine games to play, and they still didn’t manage to get over the line. Going into the new year of 2019 Liverpool had developed a seven-point lead at the top, only to find themselves in second place by the start of February. Despite a faultless run-in, which saw them win their last nine games of the season, they came second on a staggering 97 points, with Man City winning all their games post January.

The thought process, therefore, although much easier said than done, must be to seek perfection right now. No teething problems. No settling into the season. No “good” away draws. They must continue to be perfect now, until they are completely out of sight.

The expectancy, as crazy as it sounds, must be that Manchester City will win every game after the new year. As much as you wouldn’t bet on them dropping points at present, past records show that if they are to slip up, it’s in the coming months rather than at the back end of the season. Any club who has aspirations of topping the table, whether it be Arsenal, Liverpool or anyone else, must take the opportunity if and when it comes to gain a considerable head start on the favourites.

Pep has won the title in six out of his last seven seasons at City, and the only time they failed to do so Liverpool accelerated early. During a season that must be the template for a title challenger to copy this year, Klopp’s side capitalised on City’s early slip-ups against Norwich and Wolves early in the season, before beating City at Anfield in early November giving them a nine-point lead at the top, enabling them to run away with it by the new year.

This meant that despite City’s usual perfect end to the season, which saw them win five from five, the damage was already done.

This takes me on to my second point, that if there is to be a new champion this season, they must beat City. Arsenal haven’t taken six points off Man City in a season since 2002 and Liverpool haven’t done the double over them for eight years. They’ll be looking for other teams to do them favours but they can’t rely upon other teams to win at the Etihad.

They need to go and do it themselves. Arsenal were content with a 0-0 draw in Manchester last spring, but if they are to go one better this year, it may be time to go there and win.