If you discount the gift of facing Manchester United at their bedraggled worst, Manchester City would have scored three goals in their last four games. That 4-1 thrashing of their neighbours and erstwhile title contenders was a shining beacon in what has become, if not exactly a gloomy part of the season, at least a slightly murky one.
The fluent, all-consuming machine that rolled through the Premier League in autumn and winter seems to have got slightly bogged down in the spring, and that has allowed Liverpool to close the gap at the top to just one point. Everything points to that Etihad Stadium showdown on April 10 as being crucial to the destiny of the crown, with both teams knowing that winning all of their remaining games would ensure they end the season as champions.
But City need a tweak to get themselves back on track before they head into that game - and they have just two games in which to do so, starting with Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final at Southampton. Normally Pep Guardiola would rotate, to some degree, for a domestic cup tie, and players like Ilkay Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling will all be in the mix when he sits down to pick his team.
