EPL Manchester City: 5 November Targets the Citizens Simply Must Meet

Roberto Mancini and Manchester City have just finished one of the best months the club has ever experienced.

The Citizens have scored 21 goals so far in October, including six against fierce rivals Manchester United and four against both Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers.

You'd be forgiven for thinking a month when City traveled to Old Trafford would be the hardest on the calendar, but this isn't the case and November looks even harder.

Here are five targets that, if Roberto Mancini and his men can meet, will stand them in excellent stead going into December.

Forget the Derby!

First and foremost, the derby really needs to be forgotten.

City's celebrations in thrashing their rivals were cut short this week having put five goals past Wolves. Hopefully, this will allow the players to cease thinking about the weekend derby.

Riding the wave of form is one thing, but overconfidence is exactly the kind of thing that could disrupt City's highly pressurized season.

The derby was a phenomenal day for those in blue. Now, move on.

Travel Extremely Well

It's not like they haven't already, but the Citizens need to continue their form on the road.

The November schedule sees Manchester City visit the Etihad Stadium just once in five games, meaning they will have to continue to impress away from home if their season is to continue in a strong manner.

The away trips aren't easy either. Anfield always represents an examining challenge, Loftus Road isn't the easiest place to go at this moment, and of course Napoli and Villarreal are tough propositions.

Get the Goal Difference Against Villarreal

Now Villarreal are by no means an easy team to beat, but the onus is on Manchester City to get some goals.

Group A in the Champions League looks incredibly tight to say the least. Despite early slip ups, City are still in with a shot of winning the group.

To do this, Manchester City will have to have an away day to remember at El Madrigal and pile up some goals to improve their tally. This is by no means impossible should City score early.

If they can succeed against Villarreal and turn out a result in Napoli, the game against Bayern Munich in December could decide who wins the group.

Continue to Rotate That Squad

Typically speaking, players not involved in first team affairs during November and December open their minds to the possibility of a January move.

Manchester City are going to need their big squad to remain committed and harmonious if they are to be a success on multiple fronts this season.

Roberto Mancini has been utilising his resources with expert proficiency so far, and he needs to continue to do so. The likes of Adam Johnson are touted by some to move on or attract interest.

Mancini does not need heads being turned at this point.

Restore Some Pride in the NextGen Series

While first team affairs are going swimmingly, the Manchester City U-18's are not performing so well in the NextGen Series.

Truthfully, City was stuck in a really tough group alongside Celtic, Marseille and Barcelona.

They are currently 0-3 propping up the table, and while it is near impossible for them to qualify from their group, they could do with picking up a few wins.

City has identified that nurturing youth must still be a focus, despite their lavish spending. This competition will be something City doesn't want to fall out of with six losses.