It has been a seven-year journey from the “ridiculous” to the sublime, from the longest of droughts to an extraordinary, ongoing downpour of goals.
For Manchester City’s longest-serving player, Micah Richards, the difference between 2007 and 2014 is astonishing. It is a change from the most impotent of attacks to a seemingly unstoppable forward line.
In the 2006/07 season, City mustered a mere 29 league goals. Their five main strikers – Georgios Samaras, Bernardo Corradi, Emile Mpenza, Darius Vassell and Paul Dickov – contributed only 13 between them. The Greek, with four, was the top-scoring forward. Even that was not the most ignominious statistic because no City player struck at the Etihad Stadium after New Year’s Day.
“That was under [manager] Stuart Pearce,” Richards said. “We didn’t score for something like five months here. It was ridiculous. How times have changed, eh?”
How they have. Wednesday’s 5-0 FA Cup win over Blackburn took City’s total for the season in all competitions to 99 goals. Edin Dzeko has 15 and only ranks third among the forwards after both Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo reached the 20-goal milestone against Rovers.
“I think they’ve got everything,” Richards added. “Sergio has pace and power. Edin is a good finisher and good in the air. Negredo runs around like a man possessed and is a great finisher. They’ve all got something, some sort of gift to bring to the team and it just seems to be clicking at the moment.”
And, as Richards pointed out, City possess a threat from other positions. Midfielder Yaya Toure has a career-best 13 goals to his name. “So if the strikers are having an off day, [there is David] Silva, Yaya, [Samir] Nasri, who has been outstanding, there’s just quality all over,” the right-back added. “If we can keep this squad together, we will do great things.”
The class of 2007, in contrast, made a name for themselves with their inability to give the paying public a goal to celebrate. Blackburn, Reading, Wigan, Chelsea, Charlton, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester United all kept clean sheets at the Etihad Stadium before City’s seven-month wait was ended by Michael Johnson the following season.
The year after, City acquired new owners and, before long, high-class players. “A massive thanks to Sheikh Mansour for changing everything and for coming in and investing in the squad,” added Richards. The 25-year-old straddles different eras, of the goal-shy and the goal glut, of mediocrity and magnificence, and is determined to remember the difficult days.
He explained: “You savour these good times all the more because of back then. You compare them to the players I was playing with seven years ago. It’s a different kettle of fish. This is the club to be at now.”
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