It’s hard to remember a time when the start to a season was as eagerly anticipated in Manchester as this, but with the arrival of Pep Guardiola – the best manager in the world – to take over City, a new level of excitement has been reached.
Blues will get to see the new boss in competitive action for the first time this Saturday, when Sunderland visit the Etihad for the Premier League opener, and most are predicting a comfortable win despite the underlying injury problems inflicting the defence.
But, what does recent history tell us about matches between these two teams? Sunderland, even with their almost yearly relegation battles, have served as something of a bogey team for City in recent years. In the 2011-12 season, The Black Cats were the only team to leave Eastlands with any points all season, holding us to a 3-3 draw. Away results haven’t always been better than that either; Ji’s 90th-minute offside goal that same season sticks in the memory.
But, surely the last five meetings have been better?
