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Manchester City head into a big week with fixtures against Napoli and Arsenal that will reveal more about how good Pep Guardiola's side are
It remains unclear why Manchester City were training at the Etihad before the Manchester derby, but it is no secret that it is no longer the home it once was for them.
It is less than 12 months since Pep Guardiola's side boasted one of the longest home unbeaten runs English football has seen, but things have fallen off quickly.
Tottenham became the first team in more than two years to beat City at the Etihad when they won there in November 2024, and they picked up the three points with a battering; the Blues had started well but somehow conspired to lose 4-0 against one of their bogey teams, shattering their proud home record at the end of an evening where they had celebrated Rodri becoming the first City player to win the Ballon d'Or.
City's slide from the best in the world to wildly inconsistent was alarmingly quick, with Ruben Amorim's dismal United side beating them at the Etihad the week after that Spurs defeat.
Pep Guardiola's side were generally stronger at home than they were away, but Real Madrid and Liverpool still proved too good for them on home soil and their start to this Premier League campaign was spoiled by Spurs again as Thomas Frank's team won 2-0.
As much as the defeats have stacked up, the absence of victories is significant as well. From the final two months of the Treble season where Liverpool, Arsenal, Bayern, and Real Madrid were all humbled at the Etihad, it is arguable that City haven't beaten an elite team since - even containing the year where they won their fourth Premier League title in a row.
City haven't beaten Liverpool or Arsenal for two years and have failed to win against Real Madrid (twice) and Inter (as well as Feyenoord) in that time.
They did beat Aston Villa in April 2025 and Chelsea and Newcastle earlier in the year, but in terms of direct rivals for the Premier League or Champions League the victories have been missing.
That has also stretched to away games, which is why this is such a big week for City. At the end of it, they travel to Arsenal as they look to put the misery of last season's 5-1 loss at the Emirates behind them.
To win in North London would be a major statement but before that City have the chance to bring back some of the feeling of the Etihad as a stronghold for them with the visit of Kevin De Bruyne's Napoli. The Italian champions deserve to be bracketed among the European elite and will come to Manchester with hopes and expectations of at least a point.
There is a tension and a nervousness now present inside the Etihad when things aren't going well. This comes from the players, but can also be sensed in the stands.
That will take some time to change, but the way it will is through good wins against very good sides. The stakes for Thursday aren't as high as they could be in the Champions League or Premier League, yet it is a chance for City to win a big game at home for the first time in 29 months, when they beat both Liverpool and Arsenal in April 2023.
A derby win always goes down well and there was relief on Sunday at putting Amorim's United away - especially having lost the fixture last year. Until City start beating good teams though, there will always be that nagging concern about their ability to win trophies again.
Beating Arsenal on Sunday would be an amazing way for Guardiola's side to do that, but turning the Etihad back into a home banker is probably more important in the long run and that means the importance of Napoli's visit cannot be understated.
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