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Manchester City are back! Or, rather, more back than they were.

There have been valid reasons for not going overboard with City wins in the calendar year, with their form such a struggle. They may have eked out a consistency that enabled them to qualify for the Champions League and reach the FA Cup final, but it was clear that problems remained.

Corners that looked to have been turned against Juventus in the Club World Cup and Wolves in the Premier League quickly looked like dead ends against Al Hilal, Tottenham, and Brighton. Beating United in the derby felt good and Napoli should go down as an excellent win, even conceding a late equaliser at Arsenal - where they lost 5-1 last season - should not take the gloss off what has been consecutive steps forward for Pep Guar

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