Premier League restart preview: Why motivation could be a problem for Manchester City

It will be interesting to see how Manchester City's players return from their three-month break given the state of play in the Premier League. They are 25 points behind champions-elect Liverpool and 12 clear of fifth. They could yet still be chucked out of the Champions League next season regardless of where they finish. Pep Guardiola will not accept a slip in standards but their players would be forgiven for slacking off during lockdown. For them, there is little to play for from now and the rest of the season in the Premier League.

Pre-lockdown Form

Some will argue the Manchester City's blip started before lockdown. Three wins from their last six is unlike a Pep Guardiola team. In victories over Leicester, Sheffield United and West Ham they also laboured. They entered quarantine off the back of a 2-0 defeat to rivals Manchester United and also lost 2-0 at Tottenham earlier in that sequence of matches.

According to our Premier League form table, City ranked 10th in the division based on performances over each side's last six matches. The break came at a good time for City in that respect but with little to play for over their last 10 games it remains to be seen to what level they can return to over the coming weeks.

Squad Updates

Manchester City's squad was generally in a good place prior to lockdown but the three-month hiatus has allowed both Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri to overcome slight knocks. Both are key players for Pep Guardiola and having both at 100 per cent fitness will naturally improve the side.

The other notable positive for City is Leroy Sane. The Germany international hasn't featured competitively since August after suffering a serious knee injury but had returned to training prior to the Coronavirus pandemic in this country. Three months on and Sane should be fine to return to first-team action. However, with a summer move away more than likely on the cards, Guardiola may turn to players he can count on next season over Sane.

Run-in Difficulty

If City's players take time to warm up after the Premier League restart then they could be in for a shock. Their first four league matches back are against Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea and Liverpool. Burnley would normally be considered a straightforward win for City but Sean Dyche's side were actually the most in-form side in the Premier League pre-lockdown (7.02).

Aside from that opening schedule, however, City have a straightforward run to the finish line. Their last six games are all against current bottom-half sides and because of that they actually have the most favourable run of Premier League matches left, according to our unique rating system. Analysing the home and away ratings on their remaining opponents, City's average fixture difficulty is just 6.68, the most favourable in the division. However, with little to play for it may not make any difference to them.

Current League Position: 2nd (25 points off first)