This is what Manchester City can expect now. They’ve set their mark. They are eight points clear. They are breaking records.
But what I also saw in their performance at tigerish Huddersfield is that they can come from behind.
They were 1-0 down at the interval to a goal at the end of the first half. The home side packed numbers behind the ball and compressed space to hamper City’s lightning attacking breaks.
Pep Guardiola’s men ran out 2-1 winners against Huddersfield after Raheem Sterling’s winner
However, it won’t get any easier for Manchester City as teams will adopt the Terriers’ tactics
But Pep Guardiola’s men held their nerve, they weren’t rattled.
The challenge was laid down and they dealt with it. It’s their first win coming from behind at half-time in an away Premier League game since April 1995, when they hit back from 2-1 down to beat Blackburn 3-2.
Think about that. We know what they can do when they get ahead and blow you away, when Kevin De Bruyne is working his magic and it is all happening around him. Here they showed another side.
It’s Southampton and West Ham at home next and they will expect to be just as far clear by the end of this week.
Teams with more quality will, however, adopt similar tactics to Huddersfield. It’s only going to get harder for City from here. It’s why I can’t see them finishing the season unbeaten.
The Christmas programme will give them a headache and they are determined to progress in the Champions League so they may have a hangover from a trip. And looming large on December 10 are United and Jose Mourinho.
He may have taken more than a passing interest in how Huddersfield troubled the runaway leaders.
David Wagner’s tactics against the league leaders could be mimicked by City’s rivals
WATFORD DISCOVERY HAS RICH PROMISE
What an explosive start Richarlison of Watford has made. You would normally expect a young player from South America to take his time to settle. There might be flashes of his beach tricks but a manager would expect to be saying: ‘Yes, very good, but he needs to do it more regularly… he needs to be more consistent.’
You anticipate finding yourself with a luxury player who might not be as effective away from home. Watford DO have a luxury player on their books, but he’s also astonishingly consistent — home and away.
He scores, he creates, he is a threat with and without the ball and he obliterated Newcastle’s right side on Saturday.
Watford’s Richarlison is a luxury player but he’s also astonishingly consistent – home and away
Also, it’s not like the days when the pitches deteriorated in deep winter and form fell down like the decorations. If he continues to play like this, he will be a contender for Young Player of the Year in his debut season and Watford and their recruitment staff have done a very good job in bringing him in.
He seems to find space so easily and then uses that space to create goal chances or to score himself.
He makes it look easy. He looks to be a super talent.
No player has been involved in more away goals in the Premier League this season than Richarlison (four goals, three assists). He has had the most touches in the opposition box (93) and also won the most fouls (42).
Richarlison is also the top tackling forward in the Premier League, having made 27 for Watford this season.