Manchester City's firing finish points to a strong title challenge next year

 

The 'noisy neighbours' may have been silenced for now, but they won't go away quietly. Hannah Duncan assesses the chances of another Blue Moon next season.

 

The old saying goes that it's more difficult to retain than regain a league title and for Manchester City, who were crowned Premier League champions for the first time last year, that has certainly proved to be the case.

 

Roberto Mancini's side are an almost insurmountable 15 points off the pace of nearest and dearest Manchester United at the top of the table, but City's strong end to the current campaign should hold signs of promise for next season's title challenge.

 

The Citizens' season has served up a mixed bag, to say the least. They've almost certainly failed to retain their league title but look set to finish a comfortable second, and once again suffered group stage eviction from the Champions League, but have reached the FA Cup final - for which they are strong favourites at [bf1.22.

 

As the new terrace chant goes, 'six games in Europe, they didn't win one'. It is something Mancini and his players will have to address next term, but on a domestic front the signs are promising.

 

City look to have cemented second-spot in the table thanks to their 2-1 win over Manchester United last Monday, as they sit five points clear of Arsenal with two games in hand.

 

At the Etihad Stadium, Mancini's men are virtually unbeatable, having lost just once there this term (after a last minute goal by Robin van Persie) and a large contributing factor is their defensive resilience. City have conceded just 11 goals at home, fewer than any other side in the top-flight.

 

And with last week's victory over their local rivals, swiftly followed by their success in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, City are set to finish a mixed campaign on a high.

 

Mancini's side are favourites to continue their good form over the next two Premier League fixtures. They are at [bf1.27 to beat FA Cup final opponents Wigan tonight and are trading at [bf2.4 for victory over Tottenham on Sunday, despite the possible return of Gareth Bale.

 

But while for City, the end to the season - especially if they can lift their second FA Cup in three years next month - will bolster spirits in the ranks ahead of next term, it doesn't necessarily reflect well on the other top four contenders.

 

At one stage or another, each of Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal have been within touching distance of the Citizens, with the opportunity to overhaul them for second place.

 

But each in turn has fallen away, so while City's finish to the campaign may be strong, they've not come under an awful lot of pressure.

 

There can be no doubting each of the three clubs will need to strengthen over the summer - and that looks almost certain to come with a managerial change or two.

 

But for Manchester City - who themselves could see a change in the dugout regardless of the outcome of next month's FA Cup final - it's just been a case of getting the job done ahead of a fresh assault on the title next term.

 

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