Man City have avoided their usual slow start - but ominous form doesn't mean Premier League title race is over already

Although many teams would be more than happy with the way City tend to begin most campaigns if they replicated their average results, they do have a habit of making a slow start, especially considering the heights they tend to reach several months in.

In the treble-winning season they dropped four points in their opening six games, drawing a wild match at Newcastle 3-3 and then having to settle for a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa, who at the time were struggling badly under Steven Gerrard. They did not reach their best form until mid-February, going on an 11-game winning streak.

The season before then, 2021-22, they dropped five points from their first five games, losing their opener at Tottenham then drawing a blank at home to Southampton a few weeks later. They found their groove in November, going on to win 12 league matches in a row which proved crucial to edging out Liverpool on the final day.

They made their worst start under Guardiola in the 2020-21 season, dropping seven points from their opening five matches amid empty stadiums, losing 5-2 at home to Leicester while drawing at Leeds and West Ham. The sloppy start prompted questions about Guardiola's ability to turn things around after surrendering the title to Liverpool the previous season, but he eventually silenced his doubters by overseeing a run of 15 straight victories.

Even in the record-breaking 2017-18 season, when City became the first and only team to take 100 points, they did not make a perfect start, drawing 1-1 with Everton in their first home game before going on to win their next 18 consecutive matches.

If ever City would have had excuses for a slow start, it would have been this season, for which they had barely any time to prepare. Guardiola's side finished the 2022-23 campaign two weeks later than almost every other Premier League side due to playing the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3 and the Champions League final on June 10.

Big celebrations followed each trophy win, with Guardiola boasting "we drunk all the alcohol in Manchester" after lifting their Premier League crown and Jack Grealish seemingly partying all over the world. City's international players were, therefore, given just three weeks' rest before beginning the pre-season tour of Asia.

The club lost three highly-experienced players in captain Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte while they were slow to make new signings, completing the deal to sign Josko Gvardiol just days before the Community Shield, while Jeremy Doku arrived after the season had begun and Matheus Nunes joined on transfer deadline day.

City had two finals crowbarred into their schedule, playing the Community Shield against Arsenal five days before their opener at Burnley and the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, in the scorching heat of Athens, five days afterwards. Both finals went to penalties.

City's participation in the Super Cup left them with fewer than three days to prepare for their second league game against Newcastle. But despite their far-from-ideal preparations, City eased to a 3-0 win at Burnley before comfortably beating Newcastle 1-0.

As if parting with Mahrez and Gundogan wasn't bad enough, City's season got off to a terrible start when Kevin De Bruyne tore his hamstring in the first half against Burnley, ruling him out for at least three months.

John Stones, who had been one of the most influential players in the treble quest, was also injured in the Community Shield and has still not played a minute of football this season.

Bernardo Silva, who City had to fight to keep hold of for the second summer in a row, was absent for two weeks with an illness and is set for another period out after being forced off before half-time against Red Star Belgrade.

Phil Foden was suffering from a stomach problem before the trip to Sheffield United but still came off the bench to set up Rodri's winner, while Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovacic picked up injuries before the international break.

City's injury problems have been so severe that by the end of the 3-1 win over Red Star in the Champions League, they had just three players left on the bench, two of which were goalkeepers.

Guardiola, who made five changes against Red Star, admitted his side were "in trouble" due to the injuries. Looking at their results, however, you would not know it.

City have not just been afflicted by injuries to players. Guardiola himself was forced to undergo emergency back surgery after the win over Newcastle, leaving his assistant Juanma Lillo in charge for more than two weeks.

Lillo is a hugely respected figure in the game and was a mentor to Guardiola when the Catalan was starting out as a coach, but he has a poor record of results as a head coach and does not speak English. After the Sheffield United game, he admitted he was not enjoying the experience of leading the team. However, he still managed to steer City to victory at Bramall Lane and oversaw the 5-1 thrashing of Fulham.

Even when they were without the architect of all their recent success, the City juggernaut continued to roll on.

Although they have won all their games so far, City's performances have been far from perfect and they have had to battle to maintain their perfect start. And that is how Guardiola likes it.

Rodri struck the winning goal at Sheffield United in the 88th minute, just moments after the champions had been pegged back by Jayden Bogle's equaliser. An unwise backheel by Kyle Walker facilitated that goal, but the right-back quickly compensated by flying forward and help set up Rodri's strike, earning the praise of his coach weeks later.

City have also won their last two matches, against Red Star and West Ham, after falling a goal behind at half-time despite dominating the first half. According to the coach, these setbacks are key to maintaining the team's hunger after winning practically everything last season.

"Going in at half-time at 1-0 after what we've done that's nice," Guardiola said after the 3-1 win over Red Star. "After winning the treble, we need to be the type of champions who prove ourselves that we're able to make a comeback. In this situation it's nice to prove it. Both games we played incredible. Immediately at the start of the second half - against West Ham and here we make a goal. We have things to improve in general but that's really really good."

Just after the defeat on penalties to Arsenal in the Community Shield, Guardiola urged his players to prove they still had the desire to win trophies. He said: "You cannot win more than we won, it's impossible. But the challenge is how hungry we are and if we still have the desire to defend what we won."

Looking at the way City have started the season, it is safe to say that despite feasting on the most succulent of successes, City are heading back to the buffet in search of seconds.

City's ominous start has inevitably led to some rival fans, particularly those from across the other side of Manchester, to despair that the title race is already over and conclude that Guardiola's side are set to run away with yet another Premier League crown.

But it is still very early in the season, and while United are almost certainly already out of the race, Liverpool and Arsenal have also made imposing starts, taking 13 points from a possible 15. So too have Tottenham, whose charismatic coach Ange Postecoglou is encouraging fans to keep on dreaming.

History is also against Guardiola's side, as no team in the history of English football, never mind the Premier League, has won four consecutive titles. The champions have also had a relatively kind start to the season and the fixtures will soon get tougher. While they will expect to beat Forest and make it six wins in a row, they then face a potentially tricky trip to Wolves before visiting Arsenal on October 8. Within their next seven league games after that trip to the Emirates, they face Brighton, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa in what looks to be a daunting run when combined with Champions League and potential Carabao Cup games.

History also shows that City do not always maintain their flying starts. Manuel Pellegrini's side won their first five matches of the 2015-16 campaign, but their season soon unravelled and they ended up finishing fourth, with Leicester shocking the world and winning the title instead.

And the last time Guardiola won his first five matches of the season, in his first year in charge of City, his side went on to finish third in the league and ended the campaign without a trophy. The coach knows his side face an almighty challenge on their hands to win another league and will never tire in telling his players so.

Only time will tell if City's seamless start to the season has a happy ending. But given all the challenges they have faced and managed to brush aside with barely a whimper, one can't help but be impressed.