Manchester City reach new heights, Liverpool benefiting from squad rotation, and Arsenal back on track?

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It was around this time last year that Pep Guardiola was caught in the throes of one of his ‘lowest lows’. Manchester City were in a run of form that would see them lose four of eight games, notably conceding four goals in separate fixtures against Leicester City and Everton. It brought the worst of results of Guardiola’s career, and a lot of questions.

One year on, City are eyeing a record-making 17th consecutive league win. Their 4-1 demolition of Tottenham on Saturday night was close to perfection, showcasing the full spectrum of Guardiola’s vision and artistry. The story behind such success? Time and persistence.

Simple as it sounds, it’s taken time for Guardiola’s plan to percolate throughout his team. Having in his first season introduced the squad to his vision of how a team should move within the conceptualised 20 different zones of a pitch, Guardiola immediately began his second summer by concentrating on building play from the back. That was the main focus of pre-season. The likes of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendia have flourished under this set-up, bringing great strength to the back, while players such as Leroy Sane have reached the potential that Guardiola identified from day one.

A supreme squad now completely understand their manager’s grand plan – who has refused to adapt his ideas – but have also had every little detail perfected, and are bolstered by full faith in the overarching philosophy. Guardiola has radiated that faith, and really acted upon it. As a result, City look unbeatable. Saturday’s victory was just another reminder of this.

After a dreary league run of two draws and one defeat, Arsenal returned to winning ways with a narrow 1-0 win against Newcastle that highlighted the best – and worst – of Arsene Wenger’s side. At times – more so in the first half – the play was slick and smooth. Arsenal’s propensity for a quick one-two has always been a trademark feature of their play and on Saturday it was implemented to good effect as Arsenal’s front men carved open their opponents with pin-point passing.

However, Arsenal should have come away from the game with more than just one goal to their name. From Jack Wilshere to Alexandre Lacazette, numerous players squandered opportunities to extend the side’s lead, leaving Wenger and the home fans visibly frustrated. Arsenal’s profligacy was made worse by their lapse in concentration in the final 15 minutes of the game, during which Newcastle had the hosts on the back front. In all, an important result for Arsenal but one that still leaves plenty of questions hanging over the side.

Claude Puel made three changes from the side that breezed past Southampton, with Marc Albrighton, Demarai Gray and Vicente Iborra all making starts for the clash against Crystal Palace. The Frenchman’s tendency to tweak with his line-ups has certainly helped foster a climate of competitiveness within the squad but, as seen on Saturday, it doesn’t always bring the desired effect.

Leicester looked unsettled from the off and lacked the same cohesion that marked their win over Southampton. The Foxes have made progress under Puel but it’s also clear to see they’re still in the early teething stages. Indeed, the players need consistent game-time to consolidate their bonds with one another. Sometimes too much change can be disruptive and counter-productive. This was very much the case in Leicester’s 3-0 drubbing.

The tide of opinion – in the stands, on the airwaves and possibly even in the dressing room – seems to be turning against Mark Hughes at Stoke. A 3-0 hammering by a West Ham side who have endured their own trials this season means they have now lost five of their past six games and the heat is on the man in the dugout. Peter Coates has never been a sacking chairman, but, with West Brom and Huddersfield up either side of Christmas, further setbacks may not be tolerated.

Jurgen Klopp is desperate not to see a repeat of last season’s misfortunes when Sadio Mane’s Africa Cup of Nations sojourn derailed Liverpool’s season so catastrophically that they went from title contenders to only just snatching a top-four spot. Injuries were rife and that was even without the added stress of Champions League football.

While Liverpool haven’t enjoyed the same first half of the season this time around, Klopp is learning to manage his squad so they don’t suffer the same fate as last year. Mane was the one to miss out this weekend but Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson have all had their time on the bench in recent weeks. The question is when Mohamed Salah will be afforded a rest – for Liverpool’s sake that decision will hopefully not be too late.

The league title may be a long shot at this stage but there will be a time, towards the end of this current season, when Manchester United will hope to be competing in the latter stages of the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League. When that time comes Jose Mourinho will have a decision to make over which of his array of attacking midfielders he chooses to start those key games.

He has options in Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and the out of favour Henrikh Mkhitaryan but surely Jesse Lingard is at the front of the queue right now. He has added key goals and assists to his excellent work ethic and intelligent running, and the forward’s goal against West Brom, his seventh this season, is just the latest example of why he has become an essential part of the Mourinho plan.

Watford’s Marco Silva has gathered an considerable legion of fans since his arrival in English football last season and was thought to be top of Everton’s wanted list before they tempted Sam Allardyce out of retirement. He emerged with significant credit despite relegation with Hull. However, his bright start at Watford has given way to a worrying sequence of one point from the last 15 available.

A 4-1 home defeat by Huddersfield was not a good look and the persistent indiscipline of stalwart Troy Deeney, who faces a four-game ban for his latest red card, is a thorn that must be grasped. With his team on the slide, this spell of poor form will really test the Portuguese and showcase his true abilities as a manager when confronted with adversity.

Additional reporting by Independent sports staff