It would be more than fair to say that Manchester City have made an excellent start to the new season. Pep Guardiola's men have won five of their opening seven Premier League matches, as well as securing two victories in the Champions League. With the Blues unbeaten heading into October, things couldn't really be better.
Well, City could be top of the league, of course. But there is a chance that they will be by the end of next month anyway, depending on what the in-form Arsenal do.
It took Erling Haaland 36 minutes to prove his few doubters wrong on the opening day of the season against West Ham, and the Norwegian frontman has simply kicked on from there. The 22-year-old, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, has scored 14 goals and grabbed one assist already term — and is showing no signs of slowing down.
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City's Premier League victories (against West Ham, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Wolves) have all been impressive. In fairness, the draws against Newcastle and Aston Villa haven't been bad, either. Guardiola's side showed immense character to come from 3-1 to draw with the Magpies, and Villa — to their credit — played well against City.
In the Champions League, the Blues thrashed Sevilla on matchday one, but against Dortmund, it was a different story. With England international Jude Bellingham putting the away side in front, John Stones and Haaland scored in the 80th and 84th minute respectively to complete the comeback.
With that in mind, then, it's clear that City are in a good place during the first international break. While Guardiola will be hoping that none of his first-team stars come back to Manchester with an injury, he will also be keen for them to continue their momentum, while also getting minutes into the players who haven't featured as prominently so far.
The first game back after the current break is the Manchester derby. Despite their nightmare start to the season, United have performed well in recent weeks and look much-improved. Given that the Blues cruised to a 4-1 victory in the last derby, the Reds will be keen to come out on top, but for Guardiola's side, it simply has to be about the three points — and closing the gap on Mikel Arteta's side.
With a Champions League clash against Copenhagen being following by a Premier League match against Southampton just three days later, City will need to use their squad, and use it well. Should they win against the Danish side in Europe, it would mark the best possible start to their campaign, and go a long way in securing their qualification to the knockout stages.
However, City need to ensure they remain focused pick up a positive result against the Saints as well. If Arsenal, as many expect them to, continue winning, it is vital that the reigning Champions keep sticking with them.
Although City's second meeting with Copenhagen in the Champions League could go a long way in all but securing their spot in the next round, the clash with Liverpool five days later is bound to be in the forefront of minds. While Jurgen Klopp's side have made an underwhelming start this term, they are still likely to be up there at the end of the season — and the two sides' matches have been nothing short of scintillating in recent years.
Guardiola's side then host Brighton in their next game after their tie with Liverpool, before facing off against Dortmund in the Champions League once again. By that point in October, the Blues will have played a lot of games in a short space of time, but will have a much clearer idea of where they stand in two competitions.
Guardiola's side end October with an away trip to Leicester who could very well have a new manager in place by the time the two teams meet. It could prove to be a very tricky game, like it has in recent seasons.
After eight games, five of which come in the Premier League, City will either be in an incredibly strong position, or they will have let the Gunners — or another side — move unnecessarily ahead of them. Considering the start to the campaign, and how consistent Guardiola's men have been in recent years, it is likely to be the former.
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