With Liverpool set to kick off at home versus Tottenham Hotspur in a matter for moments, Manchester City currently sit just three points behind the Premier League table topping Reds. By the time the game, and with it match day 10 is over, City will perhaps still be three points behind; or they could be four or six off the pace.
The two time defending league champions, who also won a domestic treble last campaign, are a well known powerhouse juggernaut. The idea of discussing City in the same breath as relegation seems unfathomable, but manager Pep Guardiola did just that yesterday.
“Six days ago we were eight points [behind Liverpool] now we are three,” Guardiola told a room of reporters after his side beat Aston Villa 3-0 in their domestic fixture yesterday.
“I am not concerned about the table. I am concerned about the way we played.”
“If we play the level we played in the second half, we can be there at the end of the season I am sure of that.
“If we play the way we did in the first half, we will be in the relegation positions far away from the leaders of the table. That is my view. Not just this season but all the time.”
It’s a hot take to say the least, but it’s his team so he can say what he wants. City and Villa were level and goalless at the break before the champs dominated the second half and scored three goals, pushing their league leading total to 32.
While the remarks Guardiola made seem a bit far-fetched, it certainly has grabbed attention, which is clearly what he wanted.
It’s his players that he wants to pay attention and take note so another half like what we saw yesterday in the first 45 minutes doesn’t happen again. Up next for Pep Guardiola and his men is an EFL Cup round of 16 clash against hapless Southampton.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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