Premier League winners and losers: Manchester City are unfair
By Ty Finch
Week six of the Premier League is nearly wrapped up. Here are the winners and losers from the weekend’s action.
There comes a time in most FIFA career manager mode saves when the team you’ve meticulously pieced together is simply too good for the league. Winning matches by five or six goals becomes normal. That’s when it’s time to start a new, more challenging career. Manchester City seem to have hit that mark just six games into the season. They have a plus-19 goal differential already, and have beaten their last three opponents by a combined score of 16-0. Pep Guardiola needs to start playing on higher difficulty settings. Here are the winners and losers of Premier League matchweek 6.
Winner: Pep Guardiola
We’ll get to the rest of the league in just a bit, but Manchester City and Pep Guardiola are the big winners of the week. While they’re still level on points with Manchester United, City have the superior goal differential after tearing through their previous three opponents. Guardiola bought very well in the transfer market this summer, and looks like he has the exact team he needs to win the title this season.
City’s current run started when they embarrassed Liverpool 5-0, tearing apart their defense after a Sadio Mane red card. Then they went away to Watford, a team playing well and in a good run of form, and walloped them 6-0. Crystal Palace stood no chance, and the only surprising thing was that it took them 44 minutes to find the net to open up the flood gates.
The only other club that look like they could mount a serious challenge thus far are City’s neighbors, United, who also won this weekend to maintain their unbeaten record. If both Manchester teams keep up their winning ways, the first derby in December is going to be can’t-miss TV. Guardiola’s players have been on another level the past few contests, though, and the manager has figured out the best formation and players to utilize in his system.
City have a tantalizing game next week against Chelsea that will provide their biggest test of the season so far. Antonio Conte is known for using conservative tactics against the best teams in the league, and could frustrate City’s attack. But it’s hard to see that happening after watching them cruise through their last contests.