Selhurst Park has assumed a reputation as the place where title dreams die. They were Liverpool’s in 2014, disappearing in an extraordinary nine-minute spell when they shipped three goals and lost both a lead and two points.
They were Manchester City's in 2015.
Beaten by Crystal Palace, they find themselves fourth in the Premier League. They will not overhaul Chelsea. They are in a three-way battle for second place and, unless their form improves rapidly, defending champions may face a fight to qualify for the Champions League. Far from being anointed the top team in the country, their quest now is to be the best in Manchester.
As it is, they go into Sunday’s derby with the sight of Manchester United above them. It is a rarity in Manuel Pellegrini’s reign, but results like this suggest his tenure is nearing its end. His side are relapsing and regressing, conjuring only four wins in their last 14 attempts. For a 20-minute spell they spent camped around the Palace box, they resembled their old selves. Then the goal came. For Palace.
That sums up City’s fortunes of late. Even when they do something right, they promptly do something else wrong and, much as they protested that Glenn Murray’s opener ought to have been chalked off, the officials were entitled to give the attackers the benefit of the doubt in a marginal offside call. A sense of frustration was apparent throughout, especially when Fernandinho’s volley hit Murray’s hand inside the penalty box, but theirs was a powerless brand of rage.
The calmest man in the City camp, Pellegrini, has taken solace from their away record this season, but he cannot any longer. They have lost their last four games on their travels and if the road to Old Trafford is short, the journey is daunting nonetheless.
For manager and team alike the task is to prove that lessons have been learned. Pellegrini’s obstinate faith in 4-4-2 has been a cause of past defeats, and if the system wasn’t the reason for the reverse at Selhurst Park, the problems lay with the personnel. Edin Dzeko was a controversial choice in defeats to Barcelona and Liverpool. He was utterly abysmal against Palace and his tally stands at just two goals in his last 22 games. Olivier Giroud has become the player Dzeko ought to be but really, really isn’t.
Pellegrini’s decision ought to be simple: he must play 4-2-3-1 against United, even if it leaves him with a non-scoring spearhead. Sergio Aguero has been stuck in 98 City goals for an age; by his standards, anyway. Others are accustomed to six-game goal droughts, but this equals Aguero’s longest since he signed in 2011. He rattled a post, but his efforts lack their usual laser-guided accuracy. The Argentine’s uncharacteristic impotence explains why City have had 70 and 74 per cent of the ball in their last two Premier League away games and lost both. Possession and pressure are not bringing the desired outcomes. That only nine of their 44 shots at Burnley and Palace have been on target helps explain the results.
Their sole goal in those fixtures was prompted by two of last season’s talismen. Yaya Toure’s thumped consolation was one indication that even in a mixed campaign, he remains capable of conjuring special moments. Samir Nasri, whose star has waned to such an extent that he was omitted from the 18 for the West Bromwich Albion game, made an influential appearance from the bench and illustrated why a player of his ability ought to have cemented a place in the team.
Individuals are a microcosm of a team. Only David Silva of the supposed superstars can reflect with satisfaction on his own year. Others have played in fits and spurts. It explains why City have been disjointed too often, rarely showing the cohesion and conviction of champions. Now they can prepare to hand the trophy over. Now they have to concentrate on local relations, not national concerns.
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