From beating Leeds to losing leads, Manchester City first displayed their title credentials and then damaged them in the space of a few days. City have spent most of the season playing catch-up and yet, if they do not regain the title, it may be because of what happened when they were ahead: in games, not the standings. Nottingham Forest’s twin equalisers meant City have now dropped 13 points from games in which they led: unlucky for Pep Guardiola, perhaps.
The number perhaps reflects the way that this is not the City side of old, the team of permanent possession, who could close out games by controlling them. Guardiola’s more transitional side, with their lower share of the ball, their lesser pass completion rate, may be less suited to shutting a match down and seeing it out.
