Guardiola’s Manchester City is cooking up a new comeback to win the Premier League. In the 2018-19 season they ‘lifted’ seven points to be champions. Eight was the disadvantage they ‘recovered’ in 2020-21 and 2022-23 and five in 2022-23. Now, the ‘gap’ that reached six units with the leadership in December is one with Liverpool’s first place… but the calendar has escalated to the point of becoming infernal.
“We have to be patient and not make mistakes. This is very long,” Pep warned when City struggled in the autumn. And now, after 41 games in all tournaments, the ‘sky blues’ face the Himalayas in the Premier. In the next four days they have to do extreme climbing without oxygen: They will face Manchester United in the derby at the Etihad, they will travel to Anfield to face Liverpool and they will host Arteta’s Arsenal and Emery’s Aston Villa. All consecutively.
In the next four events the first four await them… making intermediate stops in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Copenhagen (1-3 in the first leg in Denmark) and in the FA Cup quarterfinals against Newcastle. A month of madness. “Thank you very much for the calendar. It’s too much, but business must go on..”, Guardiola complained. given the number of continuous great games that are coming upon his team.
The infirmary, empty
An enormous physical and mental exhaustion that they will face with all their ‘healthy’ stars. Haaland and De Bruyne They showed against Luton with five goals from the Norwegian and four assists from the Belgian that they are now fully recovered. And the Etihad infirmary is almost empty (only Grealish and Gvardiol are in the dry dock). Quite the opposite of that of Liverpool, which is in the box with 13 casualties!and that of Arsenal, which has Gabriel Jesus, Thomas, Tomiyasu, Zinchenko out…
Guardiola and his four years of cracks against the calendar
“I adore my players. They are supermen. They play every three days. When people say: ‘Can you always play under the same conditions in the Premier?’ I say no. We play more games than everyone else and mentality is key,” Pep highlighted: “We have 20 key players. I know who you’re talking about (Haaland and De Bruyne) but, when they got injured, we were still there with the other players. “Everyone is important.”
Bad streak in the first round
Guardiola ‘loves’ this competition. “It is very nice to have these games. We have worked until now to get here and live these kinds of moments“, stressed the ‘cityzen’ coach. The fourth consecutive Premier (record in the history of ‘football’), the sixth in the last seven seasons, involves reaching the summit of each mountain. It will not be easy. In three of these four climbs gave them a ‘bird’ in the first round. Arsenal and Aston Villa defeated them (1-0) at the Emirates and at Villa Park and Liverpool got a draw from the Etihad (1-1). They only won (0- 3) to their neighbors at Old Trafford.
I love my players. They are supermen. They play every three days
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coach
However, they have accelerated. Since their last league defeat in December against Emery’s ‘Villains’, City have taken 29 of 33 points. They have won nine of 11 games, giving up only two draws against Crystal Palace (2-2) and Chelsea (1-1). They have taken the streak that in the four previous comebacks gave them the title. In 2019, in the second round, they won 18/19 games. 15/19 victories in 2021 and 2023 and 14/19 in 2022 were their triumphant dynamics to end up ‘champion’. Liverpool and Arsenal followed behind them without being able to pass them. They couldn’t keep up with them.
Playing each game with the feeling that if you lose ‘bye, bye’ is very nice
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coach
Now, for the first time, the race for the Premier is three. They have more competition than ever. They see the leadership up close… but never before has the calendar crossed them, consecutively, with four ‘coconuts’ in a month so close to the end. A challenge.
“Playing each game with the feeling that if you lose ‘bye, bye’ is very nice. In September and October you see expectations very distant and you don’t think about any title. There are only three months left until the end of the season and every Premier, Champions League match… is a final. Next month is a good test to see how we are in terms of pace, mental consistency… The key part of the campaign is in front of us and we are going for it,” Guardiola summarized. Curves are coming.
2024-03-02 06:06:40
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