Manchester City continued their title charge as they notched up yet another win on Saturday, getting past Sheffield United. This closely contest match was one of the toughest they have had thus far this season, said Pep Guardiola to the club’s website.
City took an early lead thanks to Gabriel Jesus in the ninth minute, but they could not score any more after that. Though they were able to create quite a few chances, they weren’t able to convert and increase their lead.
A big reason for that was the defensive performance of the Blades, who came into this game with confidence after beating Manchester United.
The boss said that this match showed why the Premier League is considered as the toughest in the world. Given how difficult the conditions were heading into the game, Guardiola had this to tell the club website about the game:
“I woke up, I went out of my building and saw the wind and freezing conditions and I said straight away this will be one of the toughest games we play this season.
“Sheffield United are right now at the bottom and that’s when you realise the Premier League is the toughest in the world. The physicality and what they do…they’ve had bad moments but their organisation is outstanding. We played really well. We didn’t create much but we concede few.”
It was City’s eight consecutive win in the league and goes to show how much they have improved over the last few weeks. What will impress the manager even more is how solid they have been at the back.
The many clean sheets that they have had goes to show the level of improvement that the team has undergone. This gives a platform for the attackers to express themselves in a better manner.
What makes this even more impressive is that they are missing some key players. Even in the absence of a Sergio Aguero or a Kevin De Bruyne, they are able to show why they deserve to be at the top of the table.
Manchester City have a tricky fixture next up away to Burnley. This is not going to be easy but if they can get the three points, it will be a huge boost for their title credentials. Given how the team has been playing, one would be surprised if they came back with anything less than the three points.