As the fixtures pile up for Man City in the coming months, where will we be come Christmas? Soccer 365’s Howard Johnson puts his money where his mouth is as he predicts our next eight results!

Another day, another win – and there are plenty of times when I’m still not quite sure this really is my team. It’s been quite a while now since Manchester City were referred to as ‘The Loveable Losers’. Like ‘The Meek’ in Monty Python’s Life Of Brian, the usual response not all that long ago to City’s name was ‘Ah, bless.’ City were always every English fan’s second team; daft as brushes, never a threat to anyone, the perennial holders of ‘The Cup For Cock-Ups’ playing their illogical football stuff down at Maine Road. Or as it had been ironically re-named – even by their own supporters – ‘The Theatre Of Comedy’.

So to see City sitting at the top of the English Premiership table after 11 games, undefeated, five points ahead of our nearest rivals and with a staggering goal difference of plus 29 really is the stuff of dreams. Last weekend’s 3-2 victory away at newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers wasn’t a vintage display, but it showed that the new-look Blues have steel as well as skill, battling all the way to nail on a win against a QPR side that was industrious, aggressive and displaying no little quality. These are the games that City were losing as recently as a year ago and no doubt manager Roberto Mancini will be as delighted to be picking up three points against the so-called lesser opposition as he was spanking our local rivals in the previous week’s derby.

It’s all good stuff for us City fans, coming on the back of a straightforward Champions League win away at a severely-depleted Villareal. But I have a feeling it will be the next eight games in a frantic run-up to Christmas that will most likely define our season.

After the inevitably tedious international break (don’t get me started again!) club action gets back underway on November 19 and our run of games would surely test even the mighty Barcelona. Newcastle at home, Napoli, Liverpool and Arsenal all away, Norwich and Bayern Munich at home, Chelsea away and Arsenal at home. These eight games take place within the space of a single month and it’s clear that Mancini is going to need all of his legendary guile and cunning to rotate his squad and keep things fresh to meet the size of this particular task. City’s form has, of course, been awesome to date. But they haven’t faced a challenge of this magnitude as yet. Not by a long chalk.

I think it’s inevitable that points will be dropped. To maintain current levels of performance across such a short space of time and against such quality opposition would demand a squad of Stan Lee-style superhumans. So far City merely have great players to call on, though I wouldn’t bet against Sheik Mansour investing in a superhuman football factory anytime soon! The real issue for me, though, is exactly how many points City drop during this crucial period in comparison to their rivals. Given that all of us who write columns clearly like the sound of our own voices, I think it’s only fair for me to man up and predict what we’re going to do, so that I can gloat if I get things right and stick my tail between my legs if I’m hopelessly off the mark. Deep breath, then, and here goes for HoJo’s Blue Moon Rising Predictarama.

19/11 – Newcastle – Home – EPL – WIN
22/11 – Napoli – Away – Champions League – LOSE
27/11 – Liverpool – Away – EPL – DRAW
29/11 – Arsenal – Away – Carling Cup – LOSE
03/12 – Norwich – Home – EPL – WIN
07/12 – Bayern Munich – Home – Champions League – WIN
12/12 – Chelsea – Away – EPL – DRAW
18/12 – Arsenal – Home – EPL – WIN

With those results City would most likely go into the Christmas period with 42 points from 16 Premier League games, out of the Carling Cup and into the knockout phase of the Champions League, a decent haul for the first half of the campaign if you ask me. Though I suspect there might be some greedy Blues who will be disappointed not to have taken maximum returns from these matches.

That’s the trouble you face when expectations have suddenly gone sky (blue) high. A wee dose of realism wouldn’t be such a bad thing, though. No matter how much dough you’ve invested, getting to the top is hard, but staying there is harder still. Mancini knows all about that and I can’t help wondering whether even he has been pondering the idea of burying the hatchet with Carlos Tevez during this hectic period. An entente cordiale could suit both parties. Mancini will need fresh minds and fresh legs. Tevez needs a shop window before the inevitable parting of the ways. Harsh words were spoken in the heat of the moment following the Argentinean’s non-appearance in Munich. Tevez will never play for City again and all that. But you can bet your bottom dollar Mancini is a pragmatist above all. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he decides the ends justify the means in this potentially tricky period.