SAN FRANCISCO, December 27, (THEWILL) – Manchester City’s revival, which has seen them shrug off the lethargic start to the season that saw them record some embarrassing losses like a 5-2 drubing at home to Leicester City, remained on track through the Christmas period as a sterling 2-0 victory over Newcastle United displayed on Boxing Day.
Goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres carried Pep Guardiola’s side to within five points of Premier League leaders Liverpool on Saturday. It meant City have kept 13 clean sheets in all competitions this season, which is more than any other team in the top five European leagues can boast of in 2020/2021.
The records do not stop there. Raheem Sterling provided the assist for Gundogan goal. That involvement was his 150th goal involvement in all competitions since Guardiola joined City in 2016. In all, he has had 96 goals and 54 assists, taking him over the top, more than any other player at the club in that period.
Should the youngster Torres keep up his level of performance and with potential to improve factored into his game, there is every possibility that he will supercede Sterling’s record. The 20-year-old could be City’s good luck charm as they have won all seven games in all competitions in which Torres has scored for the team, with five of his seven strikes coming at the Etihad Stadium.
Since their tepid display against Tottenham Hotspur which they lost 2-0 at Wembley on Saturday, November 21, they have been on the ascendancy, chalking up victories all the way to Saturday’s win over Newcastle, only dropping points in their immediate previous fixture, a goalless stalemate against Manchester neighbours, United.
Obviously, this has pleased Guardiola who signed a new contract mid-November. Speaking after beating Newcastle, the delighted manager told reporters: “It was the best performance of the season. Our football has to be played in one rhythm so we cannot play in a rhythm that has ups and downs so quickly.
“You have to make a tempo that makes a lot, a thousand-million, passes in the right moment to attack. To do this everyone has to be in his position and everyone has to do his job. Today was a big example, unfortunately, playing a team always with 10 players behind is not easy to attack but the guys were really good.
“I’m so glad about the way we played. That’s always a consequence for the points we get. We have another victory, we climb some positions, and now we can’t stop in the good or bad moments, we need to be calm because in less than 44 hours we’ll have another game and we’re going to Goodison Park to try to play well first of all.
“The result is always the consequences of the way you played. This was our success in the past and we’re going to continue in the next years.”
Just as has been the case for most European clubs, the twin evils of physical limitations and the Coronavirus have hampered the involvement of certain squad members of the City lineup in the continuous pursuit of silverware this season. Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker, missed the Newcastle tie due to Coronavirus, after the star City pair and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
About them, Guardiola said: “Listen the last thing I think right now is without Gabriel and Kyle is a problem for the team. What we want, what I want is Gabriel and Kyle being [tested] positive but not getting worse and being asymptomatic and pass these 10 days without any symptoms.
A clutch of hard-hitting games await them, back-to-back, when they return to the pitch. An away tie against Carlo Ancelotti’s rebounding Everton, who are second on the table, is their immediate concern on Monday, Devember 28.
That is immediately followed by a mouthwatering fixture against Chelsea, which promises to be a cracker with Frank Lampard’s side needing to increase the victory tallies to justify the financial investment made in the last transfer window and keep up with other big sides especially after the Boxing Day embarrassment at the Emirates.
Then, they meet United again but this time at the EFL Carabao Cup competition, in semi-final stage with the Red Devils trying to unseat the defending champions from the trophy race of a prize City has taken for three seasons running.
With their “performance of the season” boost, City will relish the challenges that lie ahead. If they can keep the momentum and take victories in these trio of fixtures ahead, it will be smooth sailing the Pep-way for the rest of the season. And their title challenge will be the better for it.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
