This article is part of Football FanCast's Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba's haircuts to League Two relegation battles...

Well then. That wasn't in the script was it. After turning up at Turf Moor in mid-week to face Burnley - a notoriously tricky tie in the Premier League - Manchester City ran out comfortable winners and laid down a marker that perhaps their title challenge was still in tact. Battered and bruised yes, but not out of it.

But in a stunning turn of events at the Etihad on late Saturday afternoon, their arch-rivals Manchester United rocked into town and hit them with the proverbial sucker-punch. Two of them to be specific. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial struck a pair of damaging blows in the first-half of their clash, and although Nicolas Otamendi grabbed a late goal to make things tense, Pep Guardiola's men were unable to salvage anything from the game.

It all means the Citizens find themselves 14 points behind league leaders Liverpool after just 16 games of the league season. And as per this Opta stat, it really has been a truly disappointing season so far. The club's return of 32 points is Guardiola's worst start to a top-flight season after this number of games in his entire managerial career.

But whilst that is a damning indictment of City's struggles, it could well have a reinvigorating effect somewhere else. Whilst the Premier League is a fantastic trophy to win, the fact is, Guardiola arguably wasn't brought in to win that alone. After all, the likes of Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini had already done that before. The remit was surely to bring that elusive Champions League title to the Etihad.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Man City signings...

And their shocking start to the campaign may just be the kick up the backside they need to start sorting out their priorities. A hat-trick of league titles would be quite the achievement, but winning the biggest European trophy on offer would cement both Guardiola and the club's legacy. Now that they realise how bad things are domestically, it could help the City boss to change up his approach.

Rest players ahead of crunch ties in Europe, and give them the perfect chance to perform when the game comes around. It will also ease the mental burden of having to compete on multiple fronts, and ensure they are focused on one target, and just one target alone. So whilst the Opta stat may be treated as a huge negative, it could be the thing that helps City understand what should be most important to them.

Meanwhile, have a look at why the stars might be aligning for this man to truly shine at Manchester City.