Player Focus: Edin's Dzeko & Hyde Performances Lift City to the Top

When the referee blew for half time at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night a nervous atmosphere engulfed the home side. Manchester City were drawing 0-0 with Aston Villa and while one point would have been enough to take them to the top of the Premier League, three would have provided the cushion they wanted heading into the final day of the season.

With their superior goal difference over Liverpool, the onus is on City to secure their second title in three years after the Reds' draw with Crystal Palace. A positive result against Villa, therefore, was a must. The players emerged from the tunnel in the second half hell bent on breaking down a staunch Villa backline and came close to doing so five minutes after the restart when Yaya Touré lofted the ball over the defence for a certain Edin Dzeko.

Villa's back five stepped up to no avail and Dzeko, provided he could bring the ball down, would be left one-on-one with Brad Guzan. Unfortunately for the hosts, Touré's pass evaded the Bosnian and the danger fizzled out. At that point it seemed as though it was going to be one of those nights for City. They needn't have worried, though. Midway through the second half, Dzeko opened the scoring before doubling the Citizens’ advantage 8 minutes later.

Landing a WhoScored rating of 8.2, Dzeko was substituted for Álvaro Negredo with four minutes to play to rapturous applause from the home fans. While Touré’s driving run and finish in injury time will stick in the memory of those watching - the Ivorian's goal City's 100th in the league this season - the striker deserves the plaudits for his input in the victory.

Dzeko’s second half double took his tally in England’s top tier this season to 16 and the 28-year-old must be commended for his performances after returning to the starting XI. Earlier in the campaign, summer arrival Negredo and Sergio Agüero were netting freely and the duo’s form was thus keeping Dzeko out of the first team.

But with Agüero sidelined through injury and Negredo out of form, the frontman was called upon to lead the attack and has done so with aplomb. Dzeko has been central to their return to the league's summit. With 12 of his 16 league goals coming in 2014, no player has scored more this calendar year in England’s top tier.

His current form is a far cry from 2013, where he was largely out of favour and supposedly on the cusp of departing City following the arrivals of Negredo and Stevan Jovetic. This is encapsulated best in his WhoScored rating last year (6.88) compared to this one (7.37), making his average rating this campaign (7.15) his best in a season since signing for City in January 2011.

Naturally, an increase in playing time has seen his performances improve accordingly, with Dzeko earning significantly more minutes on the pitch in 2014 (1292) than 2013 (630).

As a result, the Bosnian is averaging more shots per game this calendar year (3.8) than last (2.8), and a boost in morale from featuring more regularly would also have contributed to this. And City are reaping the benefits of Dzeko’s form, with Pellegrini’s side expected to wrap up the title this weekend despite back-to-back poor results against Liverpool and Sunderland last month.

Dzeko's confidnce is brimming and he has been been more clinical in front of goal, boasting a better conversion rate in 2014 (18.5%) than 2013 (11.1%), though his shot accuracy has dropped marginally (38.9% to 36.9%). However, the latter stat may indicate how he is placing his shots closer to the corner of the goal to beat the opposition goalkeeper. While this would see his shot accuracy drop, the approach highlights his rise in confidence and City are reaping the rewards.

Supported by the likes of Yaya Touré, David Silva and Samir Nasri, the goals were always going to flow for Dzeko, who is still dubbed one of the finest finishers in the game. With City's creative trio operating behind the frontman, chances are being consistently fashioned and the current goalscoring run Dzeko is on means they are not going to waste. Resultantly, no player has scored more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities in 2014 (10) than him. 

This further accentuates the impressive form of the City ace this calendar year as we head into the final game of the season. The Citizens need only a draw to end the campaign at the top, provided Liverpool don’t defeat Newcastle by a wholly unrealistic 14 goals.

However, the current form of Dzeko means they are likely to put West Ham to the sword on Sunday and land the win that will confirm their status as the Premier League's best team once again. Despite having his doubters, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international has exhibited his talents when it matters most and if City are lifting the title at 5pm on Sunday, Dzeko is likely to have once again been key.

How impressed have you been with Edin Dzeko's form in 2014? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below