LONDON • So much has changed for Manchester City in the space of a week.
Two rounds of matches and two defeats later, a one-point gap has turned into a sizeable seven-point lead for Liverpool (51 points) over the Premier League champions.
And should City continue their downward spiral at revitalised Southampton on Sunday, their title defence could be over by the time they welcome the buoyant Reds to the Etihad Stadium next Thursday.
While it is not in Pep Guardiola's psyche to panic, even with his side faltering as the title race picks up pace at the halfway mark, the manager would have recognised the need to sharpen up fast.
He acknowledged that uncertainty had crept into the minds of his players after the 2-1 loss at Leicester on Wednesday, their third defeat in four league games.
He told Sky Sports: "The fact is we lost three in four, and the last two, and if you want to be real contenders, we have to win again.
"As soon as possible, we have to try to win again for our mood, our confidence and our desire. You have to be confident to play and to come back."
CITY'S WIN RATE WITH FERNANDINHO - 71.3%
WITHOUT FERNANDINHOÂ - 59.3%
The Spaniard admitted he had to "change the dynamic" in his team as Liverpool and Tottenham (45 points), who have leapfrogged City into second, were now "better than us at the moment".
He said: "You have to accept it, and it's important to accept where we are and they are improving.
"The reality is there are two or three teams better than us. We're not talking about whether we can get to (the level of) Liverpool, the issue is about winning another game, and thinking in ourselves about how we can improve."
While he still retains faith in "how exceptional the lads are in the locker room", he knows they face the greatest test of their character in the coming week.
"Good results make miracles in the mind. Now there will be doubts, and what you have to do is try to put in a good performance. But we are able to do that. I never doubt them. I don't forget who we are, how good we are," the City manager added.
However, he is also well aware his defence lacks a real shield in the absence of Fernandinho, who missed his second straight league game with knee trouble and remains a doubt this weekend.
City do not have a natural replacement for the Brazilian enforcer, which was why he was so desperate to land Jorginho, who eventually moved to Chelsea in the summer.
Without Fernandinho, their win percentage drops to 59.3 from 71.3.
Sky Sports pundit Steve Sidwell believes no other City player can perform the same role, although the former Fulham midfielder also felt the rest of the team were not pulling their weight.
He said: "Fernandinho does a lot of work there. But I think it's down to a lack of mentality that Pep Guardiola will not be happy about.
"Look at the results they've lost there, Crystal Palace and Leicester, and they'll be very disappointed with (the) Palace (loss) having been at home as well."
Another problem area for City is at left-back, where first-choice Benjamin Mendy is not expected to return from injury until at least February.
His replacement Fabian Delph was sent off at the King Power Stadium and he will miss the Saints and Reds games owing to a three-game ban. That leaves Oleksandr Zinchenko or Aymeric Laporte there and they are far from ideal options in that position.
However, Sidwell refused to rule City out of the title race despite their poor run, backing them to turn things around with "the quality they have got".
He added: "If there's one team, when you're top, who you don't want to be chasing you, then it's going to be this City team.
"The depth of squad they've got, they can go out and win games convincingly."
REUTERS, THE GUARDIAN, THE TIMES, LONDON
Maurizio Sarri came to Chelsea in the summer with the weight of expectation on his shoulder. Not only because he was signed as a new Manager for one of England's biggest Clubs but also because he had come with the intention of changing the playing style and philosophy of one of England's biggest Clubs.
Eidur Gudjohnsen: "You can see on the pitch that there's a
Kevin De Bruyne looks set to miss Wednesday's Manchester derby after limping off in the first half of City's win over Tottenham. Pep Guardiola's team leapfrogged Liverpool on Saturday to regain
Manchester City face anxious wait on Kevin De Bruyne's injury
WOLVERHAMPTON: Wolverhampton Wanderers repeated their FA Cup defeat of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United thanks to a Chris Smalling own goal that gave them a 2-1 comeback win in a pulsating Premier League game on Tuesday.
Hungry Wolves beat 10-man Manchester United 2-1 - msn.com
In the dying minutes of Iran's 3-0 defeat to Japan on Monday, striker Sardar Azmoun slapped Japan midfielder Gaku Shibasaki in the face, sparking a melee that also involved his teammates Ehsan Hajsafi and Ramin Rezaeian. Ali Motahari, deputy speaker in Iran's parliament, called for them to be disciplined.
Japan's Eiji Kawashima saves the ball. Japan's Yuya Osako fights for the ball with Ivory Coast's Didier Zokora. is the world's largest international multimedia news provider reaching
Yuya Osako snatches shock victory for Japan against 10-man
Real Madrid They say you should never go back. However, Mourinho has shown in the past that such an adage is one he has no time for, demonstrated by his return to Chelsea for a second stint after departing Real Madrid in May 2013.
Sacked Mourinho will be next Real Madrid - mirror.co.uk
Report Ad
Buy Puppets for Ministry, Schools, and more. Free Shipping Over $99.
It gave DPMM an opening as the Brunei side climb up to second. DPMM have a game in hand and are 7 points behind the defending champions. Win their game in hand and it is only 4 while the top 2 clashed in their next meeting and any result other than a win for Tampines will benefit DPMM.
Football: Singapore national team caretaker coach Nazri Nasir proud despite loss - The Straits Times; High imports from China push up Singapore light distillate stocks - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide
Singapore national football team - Wikipedia
LONDON: England captain Harry Kane has his heart set on ending his playing career in the United States kicking field goals for a team in the National Football League (NFL). Kane, the top scorer at last year's FIFA World Cup, has long been an admirer of American football and believes successfully switching sports late in his career will help
Harry Kane wants to end career as NFL kicker - dailyvoice.co.za
Kepa Arrizabalaga should never play for Chelsea again after refusing to be substituted in the Carabao Cup final, according to former striker Chris Sutton.
Kepa should be sacked, end of. | PNE-Online
I just wanted to THANK YOU for opening the 2 spots for my children. This was the first camp we attended and they had a great experience. The coaches, staff and security were on top of everything and they truly have a gift to working with kids.
Spurs Games Live
AD
fanical.com/San-Antonio-Spurs
Report Ad
Streaming Basketball Guide. Guide to Watching Basketball Games
Ole rues missed chances - theworldnews.net
Football: Man United legends thrash Bayern in 1999 charity rematch Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates scoring their first goal with David Beckham. PHOTO: REUTERS
Manchester United Legends Thrash Bayern Munich in 1999
0 comments:
Post a Comment