At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Manchester City was in shambles. The club had been troubled by mediocrity due to false promises made by Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra, who subsequently sold the team to the Abu Dhabi United Group in the summer of 2008.

Although city supporters may have initially viewed the purchase by the United Arab Emirates-based company as simply another phase in the organization’s demise, Sheikh Mansour, head of the aforementioned collective, remained adamant on helping the club progress towards England’s pinnacle.

Ten years later, the city has done far more than overcome its past misfortunes. Having captured two Premier League titles in the past six seasons, the Sky Blues find themselves among the clouds, currently sitting twelve points clear of cross-town rivals Manchester United at the top of the table with only fourteen matches left to be played this season.

For Manager Pep Guardiola, however, Rome, or in this case the Etihad Stadium where Manchester City plays its home games, wasn’t built in a day.

Guardiola took over the Citizens following a managerial spell at Bayern Munich, in which he captured seven trophies in three years for the German powerhouse. When Bayern Munich announced that Guardiola’s contract would not be renewed for the 2016-2017 campaign, city representatives pounced on the opportunity to make one of the most knowledgeable candidates in football their next manager.

Thus, Guardiola accepted the job at Manchester City in February of 2016, making him the highest paid manager in the world.

In addition to these signings, Guardiola persuaded right back Danilo and international teammate and goalkeeper Ederson to join the Citizens, further bolstering the city’s defense in an attempt to solve problems encountered by the Spanish manager during the preceding campaign.

Twenty-four games into the 2017-2018 season, Manchester City looks more lethal than ever. With an offense clicking on all cylinders, the team has managed to net seventy goals against its opponents this season while only conceding eighteen on the defensive end, culminating in a +52 goal difference which is, by far, the best in the Premier League.

Guardiola has established balance on both sides of the ball, and it is no surprise that City is thriving under his direction. It goes without saying that the boys in sky blue are destined for history if they are able to maintain this level of play.

Although it may be frustrating to watch City’s lethal offense run rampant over your team while at the same time remaining impenetrable on defense, take a moment to fully digest the greatness being showcased by not only the City players but also their managerial mastermind.

As a dedicated football supporter, there is nothing more visually satisfying for me than witnessing Kevin De Bruyne deliver a picture-perfect pass into Sergio Agüero who proceeds to slot the ball past a defenseless goalkeeper.

The season is far from over and history cannot be denied, but for the time being, it is certain that Manchester is Blue.