Manchester City’s dominance in the Premier League has been near unquestionable over the last few years, but there’s a growing sense that they might be vulnerable to a title bottling this season. With the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool improving, Rodri out for the year, previously underappreciated teams like Brighton and Nottingham Forest climbing the standings, and the subtle cracks beginning to show in City’s seemingly invincible armor, it’s worth asking: could this finally be the year that Pep Guardiola's men slip up?

First off, injuries. Manchester City has been relatively fortunate in recent years, avoiding long-term injuries to key players like Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland. This season, in contrast, both stars have already spent time on the sidelines. While City has some flexible strikers to fill Haaland’s shoes, like Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku, none are generally used to that central striker role. This is in addition to the loss of Rodri, the Ballon d'Or winner and key to Manchester City's defense.

Manchester City has lost their last six games of their last seven on the trot. Most notably, they lost 2-0 to Liverpool, 4-0 to Tottenham, 2-1 to Brighton, and 4-1 to Sporting CP. These results are incredibly unlike the typical Manchester City squad which has traditionally barely shown a crack of uncertainty. 

In the game against Liverpool, they were untraditionally dominated. Manchester City looked far inferior to their opponents, who were not without their faults as Liverpool is currently going through drama surrounding the renewal of Mohamed Salah’s contract. Towards the end of the game, Pep Guardiola stood on the touchline as a shell of himself with the Anfield faithful chanting “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” They were lashed by a Tottenham team who have had a mediocre start at best to the season, currently sitting in 7th place on the table. Additionally, they were embarrassed by a Sporting CP side with Viktor Gyökeres outshining their main man, Haaland.

Given the facts, it's fair to assume Manchester City’s previously wrapped-up Premier League trophy might not be so easily accessible as in years prior. It seems it is any team's title for the taking, the question is: who wants it the most?