If you are a Man City fan, this early part of the winter will have felt a little strange. Of course, fans of a certain age will remember the dark old days of being City fans when the team was moored in the lower divisions. Yet, over the last decade, the team has known nothing but success, especially since Pep Guardiola took charge. But the team has been on an unprecedented slide in recent weeks – the worst run of form in Guardiola’s entire career. At the time of record, it’s one win in nine matches across all competitions. Liverpool have usurped City as the clear favorites for the Premier League title, and many believe City will struggle in the Champions League too.
However, when it comes to sports betting, it is often the case that you should not only be looking at the teams that are doing well but also the teams that are struggling yet capable of turning things around. City certainly fit the latter description at the moment. Their odds in both the Premier League and Champions League have risen at the moment, so there may be some logic in backing them to turn things around for punters to seek some value. Of course, it won’t be easy for them, but the prices are attractive. Moreover, teams don’t turn bad overnight.
Rodri Absence Has Hurt City
There have been many reasons espoused for City’s downturn in form, not least the absence of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri through injury. Yet, City and Guardiola have weathered injury crises before, and we are still talking about a squad of the most talented players in world football. Indeed, it’s not the talent of the players that is in question but rather their mindset. City suddenly look fragile, particularly in defense. The onus is on Guardiola to find a solution. Few would bet against him not finding one.
As it stands, City’s Premier League odds are around 10/1. They were odds-on at the start of the season. The gap to Liverpool may look insurmountable, but Liverpool – and several other teams – have let healthy leads slip before. We aren’t even halfway through the season, so nobody can rule City out yet. It’s going to be difficult for anyone to run down Liverpool, but there is still time. If the Reds go on a poor run, which tends to happen to every team at one point in the season, and City get back to winning ways, then those odds of 10/1 will look very generous.
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Don’t Rule City Out in Champions League
Perhaps it is the Champions League, though, that represents City’s best chance of turning the season around. They still have work to do to qualify for the knockout rounds, but once they get there, you can guarantee that they will be formidable opponents for anyone.
Guardiola has a few months to get his team prepared for the knockout rounds of the competition, which is more than enough time to sort the team out. We might add, too, that the Spaniard also has the January transfer window to add reinforcements. City’s odds of 7/1 to win the Champions League are interesting, at least.
The point of this exercise is to say that in the betting you are taking a chance on City turning things around. The odds are much higher than they were in the early part of the season when everyone thought City would walk to yet another Premier League title. That’s understandable, given how things have fallen apart in recent weeks. But there is still time to correct the issues and get City back on track. The talent is still there, and they have arguably the best manager of the 21st century at the helm. Class is permanent in all sports, so it might be worth taking a chance on City at very high odds.
