They left it late, but last term Manchester City secured a second Premier League title in three seasons.
Their defence of the crown under Roberto Mancini's management in 2012-13 was weak, but more is expected from the team under the current City boss Manuel Pellegrini.
Here, Sports Mole has taken a closer look at how the Citizens have dealt with the weight of expectation during the opening five months of the 2014-15 campaign.
August
Having won the Premier League last season, the big question ahead of the new campaign for Manchester City was whether they had the mettle to retain the title.
Following a modest summer in the transfer window, City got their campaign off to a disappointing start as they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield.
Premier League matters began more positively with successive victories over Newcastle United and Liverpool, giving Manuel Pellegrini's side six points from their opening two games, but a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke City suggested that the crown was weighing heavy for the champions.
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September
An unbeaten month in the league started in entertaining style with a 2-2 draw away to Arsenal as a late goal from Martin Demichelis earned City a share of the spoils.
The Blues had loan signing Frank Lampard to thank against Chelsea, with the midfielder netting during the final stages against his former club to give his side a point in a 1-1 draw before a 4-2 victory over Hull City ended the month positively.
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City's Champions League adventure began in heartbreaking fashion in Group E after a last-gasp goal saw them lose 1-0 in Germany against Bayern Munich, while a 1-1 draw at home to Roma left the team with just one point from a possible six.
Meanwhile, the defence of their League Cup crown started in the second round with a resounding 7-0 thrashing of 10-man Sheffield Wednesday, with Frank Lampard, Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure all finding the net.
October
Sergio Aguero continued to be a threat in front of goal at the start of October, netting late on to seal a 2-0 win over Aston Villa. However, one of his finest performances of the campaign came against Tottenham Hotspur as he scored all four of his side's goals in a 4-1 victory against the North Londoners.
A difficult trip to an in-form West Ham United came soon after, and City came a cropper in the capital when the Hammers defeated them 2-1.
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An inconsistent month was compounded when the Champions League came around again as a 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow threatened to seriously damage their chances of reaching the last 16. Having gone 2-0 up and on course for their first victory in the group, City had to settle for just a point after conceding twice in the final 25 minutes in Russia.
It got worse at the very end of October as a 2-0 loss at home to Newcastle United put the holders out of the League Cup in the third round, leading to reports that Manuel Pellegrini's future at the club was now on the line.
November
The penultimate month of the year kicked off with a big derby at home to Manchester United, and it was City who came out on top 1-0 thanks to a second-half strike from Aguero.
Further points were dropped in the league when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Queens Park Rangers, but the champions made amends with victories over Swansea City and Southampton respectively.
On the European front, a disastrous 2-1 loss at home to CSKA Moscow looked to have all but dashed the team's hopes of progressing in the Champions League, only for a dramatic 3-2 triumph over Bayern Munich to rejuvenate them in the competition.
Bayern were leading 2-1 with five minutes left to play before Aguero turned hero yet again with a brace to hand them the three points, meaning that a win in Rome in their final group fixture would send them through.
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December
City's winning run in the league continued with a thumping 4-1 victory at Sunderland - a bogey team for the Blues in recent years - before narrow triumphs over Everton and Leicester City respectively helped the champions crank up the pressure on leaders Chelsea.
With Aguero and Dzeko both picking up injuries, there were doubts over how City would cope during a busy festive schedule, but these doubts were made to look silly as comfortable victories against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion made it nine straight wins. They were close to making it a club-record 10, only to squander a two-goal lead and draw 2-2 with Burnley.
Arguably their biggest fixture of the season came in December as a trip to Roma was set up to determine their future in the Champions League. With the winner likely to book their place in the last 16, tensions were high in the Italian capital.
However, it was Manuel Pellegrini's men who came away with a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta. Getting through to the knockout stage looked unlikely a couple of months earlier, but City pulled a rabbit from the hat late in the day to seal their progress.
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Star player so far: Sergio Aguero
Must do better: Yaya Toure
Where they need to strengthen in January: Defence
Position at the start of 2015: 2nd
Mid-season Grade: A
To see Man City's remaining fixtures in 2014-15, click here.
Jack Prescott
