Manchester City's loss today is, I think, the most exasperating, the most soul crushing of any defeat I can remember post-Manchester Revolution. In the era of Maine Road and Joey Barton, Calamity James and Georgios Samaras bleak was Manchester City's name and the gut punches and hopelessness came monthly at least.
But that was before, this was after. City has lost this season to: Crystal Palace at home, at Leicester, now at Newcastle, three teams that City, The Tremendous Machine of just last year, should have steamrolled. Three matches, zero points. Already behind Liverpool by four and a chance to close to a technical one. Liverpool are vulnerable to pressure, they have not been here before without succumbing, "slipping." City failed to tighten their collars. Liverpool have not slipped this season and the pressure is now off. They play Leicester tomorrow at Anfield and they should play loose and confident. They should roll Leicester and restore the seven point lead they had when City stayed clinging in the title race with a 2-1 win at Etihad.
Have Man City subconsciously turned away this season from the Premier League to focus on the Champions League? Winning the Champions League is the Holy Grail, and City never really have been close. The Champions League is the obsession of City's hierarchy. It is the reason Pep Guardiola was brought in to manage. If they win the Champions League, and they are one of the favorites to win it, that will be uncharted territory for this club. It is their Final Frontier. But this team was put together to win everything, not the league one year and the Champions League the next but never the two in the same year. This soccer club's aim is to dominate the world. Winning the Champions League would be breathtaking, would complete the competitions to be won since the Manchester Revolution. But failing in the EPL to win in the UCL does not constitute world dominance. And if they fail in the UCL, and I believe that they will fail, and fail in the EPL then this season will have been a shocking two steps back with no steps forward. There will be long soul searching sessions in the Etihad if this team roll snake eyes.
So yes indeed, there has been no other defeat that has potential to becloud Sheikh Mansour's vision for this club than this one.
