Muted celebrations

Two years ago, I ended my four part review of the season by saying you would never see another season like that again.

Probably.

The facts and figures of 2020-21 reveal one more defeat than two years ago, but more draws were converted into wins, so City reached 97 points. For some time it seemed likely that they would breach the 100 point mark, but once promotion was won, and two tough games against those still pushing for what we'd already achieved, well, not this year.

So:

Matched played: 46.

Matches won: 29.

Matches drawn: 10.

Matches lost: 7.

Goals scored: 75.

Goals conceded: 36.

Home matches won: 14.

Away matches won: 15.

Goals scored per game: 1.63.

Goals conceded per game: 0.78.

Goal Difference: +39.

Matches won, away matches won and goals conceded are either club all time best or equals that.

By any measure it has been a remarkable season.

But more remarkable than that, from the final game of a dreadful Project Restart on 26th July 2020, a 5-0 defeat at Manchester City to the first game of the new season, a 1-0 away win at Huddersfield on 12th September, manager Daniel Farke had to change a losing mentality of losing 9 games on the spin with just one goal scored, into a winning one that would, hopefully, lead to promotion.

If that wasn't bad enough, the season played out with the backdrop of COVID, empty stadiums (for the most part) and the worst, or second worst injury crisis that at one point left the club without a fit striker and/or a goalkeeper, and once that was getting better, the squad were hit with a COVID outbreak.

But for the most part, after a couple of early defeats, the team just found their groove and started and kept on winning. More than two years ago, this was a team effort. From Tim Krul through the defence with the leadershop of club captain, Grant Hanley, through a midfield bolstered by Oliver Skipp on loan from Spurs through to the trinity of Emi, Todd and Teemu. Goals were scored, not in the volume of two years ago, but at the other end the goals conceded was basically halved.

A recipe for promotion, if ever there was one.

So, by the time the 9 game winning run which stretched from a 4-1 win against Stoke to a 2-0 win at Forest, ended, promotion was almost certainly guarenteed, so any remaining nerves was used up on the question of whether City would be champions and/or break the 100 point barrier.

City had an incredibly poor shot conversion rate of something like 20% for most of the first three quarters of the season, so it was only a matter or time before someone was going to "kop it". Poor Huddersfield it was then who rolled into Carrow Road in front of the TV cameras on 6th April, and City rattled in seven unanswered goals, five of those before half time. COming as the final of the front runners to play in that round, and with Brentford drawing four on the bounce and Swansea losing four on the bounce, it threw down a marker at the right time.

Pressure? Here's what we think of pressure.

And all this happened, when in the background, pulling the strings, acting all calm, collected and generally in command of everything, was manager Daniel Farke, and above him was Stuart Webber. While Delia and Michael took the focus of the press and TV cameras, they just got the job done, and were all the time planning for the upcoming season.

I have zero expectations from the 2021-22 season. We might do as bad as two years ago, but the team will be better prepared, no matter who leaves. But most importantly, there will be a plan for whatever happens, and one that will not break the club.