Premier League: can Man City emulate the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’?

Another weekend and another win for Manchester City, this time a 2-0 victory away at Leicester City.

It’s the Sky Blues’s 16th consecutive win of the season, and leaves them eight points clear of Manchester United who are second in the Premier League.

“They are a fantastic team and for me the best in Europe at the moment,” said Leicester manager Claude Puel.

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If Pep Guardiola’s boys keep racking up points at this rate they will surpass Chelsea’s record mark of 95 - set in 2004/05 - and become the first Premier League club to pass the 100 mark. And if they remain unbeaten, they will join Arsenal and Preston North End as the only top-flight sides to go a season without tasting defeat.

Martin Keown, a member of the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ squad of 2003-04, told BBC Sport he saw no reason why City shouldn’t join English football’s most exclusive club.

“I don’t see who is going to stop them,” said Keown. “If they get complacent, maybe. But I think Guardiola is all over that one. He is picking up on mistakes in training. He will stop at nothing. He is a serial winner… I hope they don’t do it, but it is looking like they will.”

Then again, they said something similar about Manchester City in the 2011-12 season when manager Roberto Mancini had them playing a superlative brand of football. Unbeaten going into December, City suffered their first defeat on the 12th of the month, losing 2-1 at Chelsea. Next month will again put the Citizens to the test and see whether they have the character to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

On the way to becoming ‘Invincible’ 14 years ago, the Gunners had to grind out results in December when the games came thick and fast. On 6 December they drew 1-1 at Leicester and the following weekend they beat Blackburn 1-0 at Highbury. On 20 December they were held 1-1 at Bolton but on Boxing Day eased to a 3-0 win at home to Wolves. The final match of the Christmas period was a 1-0 win at Southampton.

City, however, have a much tougher festive schedule, starting on 10 December in what on paper looks like their most challenging league game of the season - a trip to Old Trafford. Three days later Guardiola takes his team on the road again, this time to Swansea, before hosting Tottenham on 16 December.

On 19 December City have a league cup quarter-final away at Leicester and two days before Christmas they play Bournemouth in the league at the Etihad. There’ll be little time for the City squad to digest their turkey because on 27 December they play Newcastle at St James’ Park and on New Year’s Eve they are away at Crystal Palace.

Seven matches in 21 dark, dank December days is a daunting challenge as bodies and minds begin to tire. It’s a punishing schedule for all the teams in the Premier League, of course, but for City’s opponents the thought of being the side who brings their unbeaten run to an end might just add a mite more motivation.

The Gunners ran the gauntlet of Christmas games, just managing to scrape through. Now it’s City's turn to see if they can get through the Yuletide season without falling off the log.

Premier League results

• Arsenal 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0
• AFC Bournemouth 4 Huddersfield Town 0
• Burnley 2 Swansea City 0
• Crystal Palace 2 Everton 2
• Leicester City 0 Manchester City 2
• Liverpool 3 Southampton 0
• West Bromwich Albion 0 Chelsea 4
• Manchester United 4 Newcastle United 1
• Watford 2 West Ham United 0

Tonight’s Premier League fixture

• Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Stoke City (8pm)