Manchester City fell six points behind Arsenal on Sunday and can show in the next two weeks how much they should be talked up.
Aside from Jamie Carragher suddenly realising that Erling Haaland is good at scoring goals, there hasn't been much talk about Manchester City this season. Pep Guardiola's side collapsed so dramatically and emphatically last year that talk at the top of the table has instead focused on the two teams that finished above the Blues.
Reigning champions Liverpool had a perfect start (results wise, anyway) that included victory over Arsenal, but are currently in freefall with four consecutive league defeats. Arsenal, meanwhile, have surged into a six-point lead with four straight wins after rescuing a point against City at the Emirates.
That gap was only three points before Sunday though, when City had picked up a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions and were slowly finding their mentality and rhythm again. It was at this point that defender Josko Gvardiol spoke about the feeling in the City camp that they weren't getting the recognition that perhaps their form and reputation merited.
"I would say at the beginning of the season you could feel it [being underestimated]," he told ESPN. "It was just about Liverpool and Arsenal. After the run we've had, everyone is getting aware again that we are still here.
"There are lots of games to play and I think it's going to be an interesting season."
The season got more interesting on Sunday when City were beaten 1-0 at Aston Villa to end their unbeaten streak and Erling Haaland's long run of scoring in consecutive games. Arsenal were the big winners as they stretched their lead over their old nemesis with a gritty home win over Crystal Palace.
Guardiola was asked about the gap after the game but seemed relaxed about it - and the defeat - given how well he said City had played at Villa. City's manager gave the impression that if his team continue as they are they will certainly give Arsenal something to worry about.
Nonetheless, the next few league games are critical if Gvardiol and his teammates want people to start talking about City as credible contenders.
Their home game with Bournemouth on Sunday has turned into a bigger game than anyone expected with Andoni Iraola's side sat second in the league, and the week after that they welcome a Liverpool team whose form is threatening to match theirs from last season.
That fixture is the last before the November international break, when there will be two weeks to assess where everybody is at in the Premier League after nearly a third of the campaign.
Four points at worst will enable City to be able to say they can beat the better teams in the division - the only side currently in the top ten they have beaten is United - and will continue to grow, as captain Bernardo Silva predicted in midweek.
However, if they are beaten in either game that will only reinforce why so much talk is of Arsenal and Liverpool compared to City.
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