Manchester City vs Fulham: Strong Defensive Effort Will Be Key for City's Run

Manchester City will not be able to repeat as English Premier League Champions if the defense plays like it did early in the year.

Until Saturday's 2-1 win over Fulham, the club looked terrible on that end of the pitch. City had conceded seven goals in five league matches, more than any other contender. Comparatively, Chelsea has only allowed three in six matches.

The low point of the year might have been when Real Madrid took the win in the first Champions League match with a flurry of late goals. City had a 2-1 lead after the 85th minute, but the team was unable to leave with even a point after scores by Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Through nine overall matches this season, the club is yet to register a clean sheet. This is an embarrassing statistic for a squad that led the EPL with only 29 goals allowed last season.

Against Fulham, things finally started to click. The opponent was still able to earn a goal off a penalty kick after Pablo Zabaleta's foul in the box. However, the rest of the match was solid, as Fulham was only able to take seven shots.

In this game, the best defense was a good offense that stayed aggressive from beginning to end. Man City controlled the ball for 71 percent of the game and continually forced the keeper to make tough plays.

If the club can continue to play this way, there are not many teams in the world that can beat them. 

Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure provide enough offense if the defense can hold up its end of the bargain. They just need the midfielders to keep control of the ball while the back line prevents open lanes.

In addition, the entire team needs to remain mentally strong for all 90 minutes and beyond. They cannot afford to lose points on late goals like the match versus Real Madrid and the 1-1 draw against Arsenal.

There is a lot of talent on this team, but it does not seem that way based on recent play. However, they will be a contender in the Champions League and at the top of the league table if they start playing smart, focused defense for the remainder of the year.

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